Four Suits (Book 1)

Day 51-2: Speed

DAY 51-2: SPEED

"Master Leda! Y-you still do not know your way around here!"

"Does that really matter right now?" she shouts between gasps, scurrying through the pathway as quickly as her feet will take her. "If you don't want to be eaten either I suggest you pick up the damn pace!"

         Trees collapse one after another, adding to the impending terror of the situation. Leda's shoes connect thunderously with the dirt with each stride of her legs. With every footfall, her jarring heartbeat rings in her ears. Simply knowing that the larger, earth-quaking ones that nearly cost her her footing are in pursuit—growing closer no matter how fast she goes—strings countless more adrenaline through her veins.

"Master Leda!"

           Orian snags her arm at once. She's forced to a halt and whips her head his way in disbelief. His breath comes in small spurts, hot and nervous. At his sides his fingers are curled into fists. Sweat smears his forehead, dripping from his matted hair.

         Behind him, Leda can vividly hear the rumbles beneath the dirt—vibrations from the creature little to no distance away.

         "Orian," she hisses, heartbeat once again haywire. She casts her eyes to the wildflowers they'd trampled then back to him. "We don't have time—"

          "Master Leda," he says, ears and tail flattening. "It is fine."

          She tugs her arm but he doesn't let go. "Fine?" she parrots. "We're going to die if that thing catches us!"

         "You've misunderstood." He steers her along with him. "Dragons are harmless. Despite their large size they're extremely friendly and love the company of others. And due to the fact that they're usually alone, once they have their eyes on you they find it difficult to say goodbye. It's both sweet and troublesome so people often avoid them." Orian's once again flashes her a smile. "Their size and horrific appearances are the only misleading factors to them, but trust me: we are safe."

          The panic inside of her settles, proving her decline in adrenaline. She inhale shaky breaths. "So that dragon isn't going to bite our heads off then rip our decapitated bodies to shreds with its gigantic claws?"

         "Of course not," Orian says, regaining his own composure.

         He points in the direction they've dashed from.

         Leda bites on the inside of her lip as she stretches her attention into the darkness, towards what he wants her to see. Her pulse quickens the closer these booming footsteps become. She has to clench her fists to keep myself from cowering. Though, even she can sense the conviction beginning to slip from Orian's features when the dragon bursts through the canopy of trees and stamps them without mercy.

It jerks its head, beady yellow eyes zeroing in on them. Like a bull, it reels its hind leg back and opens its mouth wide. Hazy grey swirls pour out as a result.

         Leda's lungs plummet to her gut.

"Is it trying to—"

Her voice hitches in her throat. Orian seizes her sleeve, inching backwards until stumbling into her body entirely. Panic seizes his features. He twirls and stumbles down the unlevelled ground, lugging her behind him.

But the dragon has already released a breath of fire. The vibrant trees and translucent fruit lights are gone in an instant, flickers of red spreading like confetti in the sky. It consumes everything in its path, and Leda nearly screams when a cinder and its scalding heat flits upon the back of her ankle.