Heir of the Dragon

Dragon Blood (pt. 2)

I didn't see his reaction. I couldn't. My bones were shaking, grinding against each other. I was trying to fight it, but the fire raged through me, uncontrollable and wild. I felt myself lurch foreword. Through the blinding red haze, I faintly felt my palms hit the dirt. 

My fight was over. 

I surrendered. 

Instantly my body exploded into pure chaos. Pain; actual physical pain, erupted everywhere. My clothing ripped from my body. Bones grew, muscles detached, bulged, and reattached. My skull cracked and a splitting headache wracked my awareness, almost burying the piercing pain that laced through my face and jaw. Muscles on my back bunched and I choked as my chest cavity grew suddenly larger. I could feel the muscles in my neck stretch, and the vertebrae in my spine realign themselves. My breathing shifted and my lungs felt too big. Everything felt wrong, massive and sluggish.  

Then everything stopped. My bones seemed to resettle themselves all in the same instant. The unbearable pain began to retreat in little increments, and I gradually regained the ability to think. The molten venom had fled and I felt unusually cold. Shaking violently, I struggled to keep my footing. If I didn't have four appendages to balance on--- 

Four? Sucking in gasps of air, I began to panic. Yes, I was standing on both feet but I could distinctly feel the dirt and grass beneath my hands. Not only that, but they felt natural there.  

Deities, everything hurt.  

My tailbone--no--- I could move my tailbone independently. What was this? I was breathing harder. The physical consciousness of another set of appendages perched below my shoulder blades began to penetrate my awareness. Thrown into a state of shock, I could barely feel the wave of dizziness and sudden exhaustion that washed over me. My legs buckled under me, and I collapsed in a fleshy heap.  

"No!" his voice called "Elle! Elle, you can fight it," 

I could only just hear him above the sound of my own heart beating in my ears. Shadaii? What--what had he done to me?  

As a new wave of soreness ripped through my limbs, I groaned; then choked in surprise at the noise that escaped me.  

What in the seven hells was that? 

"Elle listen to me," 

Was he still talking? 

"Can you hear me, Elle?" 

I felt the warm shock of his fingers on my rough face. 

"Elle!"  

He wasn't actually speaking very loud, but with the way my head was throbbing, the sound of his voice alternated between being too faint to hear and too piercing to bear. He may as well have just shrieked in my ear. 

Gah! Stop!.. My head! 

I sensed relief flood through him. My perception of his emotions wasn't muddled like it usually was, I could feel everything. Relief...then quilt. He'd heard my thoughts? 

"Listen to me, I need to tell you something," 

It didn't exactly seem as though I had a choice. 

Every passing moment I was remembering more and more how much I hated him. This time, though, there was no fire, no burning, just cold hatred.  

If I could move, I would run; escape him; escape all of this. 

But I couldn't...could I? 

I was literally too petrified with fear to try. Something had become very, very wrong with me.