Page 7 of The Queen of Ash and Magic

I am startled outof my dreams when I hear a loud bang outside of my door. I jump up from the bed and back away, trying to urge my brain awake. I hear another bang, followed by screams and I remember what Petra told me. Before I can get to the closet, my door is kicked in and a large man comes in. He is every bit of seven feet tall, and he looks angry. “Are you going to run from me, little witch?” he growls. His body is tense, like he is ready to chase me if I run.

Here's the thing though… I don’t want to run. This man terrifies me, yes, but he still looks nicer than Dad on one of his good days. This giant man is wrapped in thick muscles and no doubt would break me into pieces without any effort, but I hope he does. I hope I am killed so I can be rid of this loneliness.

I rapidly shake my head and he walks closer. “Where is your sister? You have an older sister, yes?”

“She’s dead,” I say, confused.

“Hmm,” he says. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-three…”

“You’ll do nicely,” he says. “Are you going to walk with me, or do I need to drag you?”

“I’ll walk,” I say simply. “Can I… bring something?”

“As long as it’s not a spell book,” he says sarcastically. I roll my eyes at him and go to the bed to get my small bear. He yanks it out of my hands to inspect it. I frown deeply at him before snatching it back from him. “Come along, little witch.”

“I have a name, ya know,” I say as he grabs my wrist and pulls me along with him.

“Where is your family?” he asks.

“Hiding from you, if I had to guess,” I say. “I said I’d walk. You don’t have to drag me.”

“If you run, I’ll make you regret it,” he huffs.

“Are you a dragon?” I ask as I walk beside him. He has his hand on my back, not trusting me when I say I won’t run.

“Do you ever stop talking?” he asks. I smile when I realize that my talking is annoying him. If he is going to kidnap me, he’s going to have to listen to my mouth. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and he will snap my neck.

“What color are your scales?” I ask. “I bet they are purple. You look like you’d be purple.”

“Walkfaster, witch,” he grumbles.

“My name is Lysa, and I have little legs compared to you. Chill out.”

I see Petra and I immediately turn and run for her. “Witch,” the man shouts as he charges after me. I ignore him and hug Petra.

“What’s going on?” I ask. The man grabs my arm, and I smack it away. “Get your hands off me. I’m saying goodbye.”

“Hurry up,” he frowns

“He’s a grumpy bastard,” I say to Petra, and she smiles. “You have to get out of here. It’s your chance to get away from them.”

“Miss Lysa, don’t you worry about me,” she says softly.

“No. If I’m missing, they’ll kill you. You need to go,” I say. “Ham Hock. Can she come too?”

“What did you just call me?” he asks.

“Would you rather grumpy purple dragon?” I ask.

“It’s okay,” Petra says.

“Are you going to be annoying too?” the man asks Petra.

“No,” she smiles. “I would be thankful if you could just get me to the neutral zone.”

“I’ll have one of my men take you,” he says. “Keril.”

---