As moon bathed her room in the soft blue hues of midnight, Sara sat with her back against her door. The sounds of her guards drifted in, muffled by the heavy wood between them. She kept her own breath shallow, careful not to alert them to her presence.

‘A Child's Guide to Magical Creatures’ sat open in her lap, turned to the back flyleaf she had drawn her map on. She read and reread her notes as she waited, reminding herself of the path she’d need to take and where it intersected with others.

Straight from my door, right at the first turn, she thought, tracing the shaky lines with her eyes. Down three doors… She lingered on the next intersection, weighing the pros and cons of taking a right or continuing towards the temple. The right path was quicker, and it had fewer alcoves and offshoots than the path from the temple. Fewer places for people to pop out of. There were also fewer places for her to hide. If there was anyone further down then she'd be caught. But if she took the temple path, with its winding halls and many hiding spots, she'd double her time out in the open and risk being caught off guard.

The sound of metal clanging caught her attention, breaking her concentration. Behind the door, she could hear the guards fidgeting more and more. They were getting antsy, and if their previous actions held true then they'd head out for patrol soon. She held her breath, straining to hear them more clearly.

"—can't wait to go back to the day shift—"

"It's an honor to guard—"

"Kiss-ass."

"Just go." 

Their footsteps and voices trailed off down the hall. They faded quickly, but Sara remained frozen, waiting. One minute passed, then two. Her book clattered to the ground as she shifted just enough to press her ear against the door, listening for any lingering sounds.

There was nothing.

With only a shawl to cover her white nightgown, she slipped out. The hallway was dark around her, silent as the door clicked shut behind her. Blood raced in her ears as adrenaline hit her.

Go, go! She told herself, forcing her body to move. She took off, jogging faster and faster as she made the first turn. As she passed the first door she began to count, tapping the finger joint that corresponded to it. Right, one, two... Three!

Her bare feet skidded on the hardwood floors as she made it to the next intersection. She hugged her shawl to her chest, eyes jumping between the two hallways. Her teeth worrying at her lip. 

Either path was a gamble, but with no safe options, she had to decide which was the bigger risk. A straight hallway with only one way to go or a winding path many places to hide and many places to get caught. The metallic taste of blood hit her tongue as her lip split. 

Sara darted towards the temple.

 

Right five, left eight, left two. Sara dug her thumbnail into her fingers as she counted doors. The hallways near the temple were cluttered with decorative furniture and artifacts, so she couldn't run without risking knocking into them. Instead, she focused on keeping her footsteps quiet, constantly on guard as she passed opening after opening. 

No priests appeared, and the tension drained from her shoulders with every consecutive step. 

A familiar magic curled around her as she finally stepped into the hallway just before the West Garden Hall. It washed over her, the foreign rage clinging to her like a second skin. The compulsion to free it followed her even as she took the stairs down to the garden door.

The final obstacle was the door's lock. She hadn't been able to look at it too closely, but she hadn't felt any strong magic from it either. She approached it cautiously, wrapping her hands in her shawl and examining it. She had been right about it being crude, and with the enchantments nearly faded all it took to unlock it was twisting the bolt.

She pushed the door open, glancing around nervously. It was all too easy, either Tithia's entire security really did rely entirely on magic and patrolling guards or she was walking into a trap. Was there some kind of secondary security system at play? An alarm she couldn't hear? What if Father Gavric already knows she was sneaking around and is just waiting for her to do something even more incriminating?

Sara quickly shook the thoughts away. If that were true, even if she turned back now, it would already be too late.

She stepped into the West Garden.

She crammed a small stick into the lock, jamming it before she let the door fall shut. A warm breeze brushed past her, rustling her hair as she stepped back. Tiny bugs sang around her, their familiar chirps filling the night air as she listened for any approaching guards. Her chest ached with memories of her grandparents' home, of summer nights spent sleeping in hammocks. 

She couldn't dwell on them. No guards were coming for her, but she could still see torches marching in the distance, their light flickering as they passed behind trees and hedges. She pulled her shawl tighter, hiding as much of her nightgown as she could before she turned left, ducking behind the same hedges Father Gavric had walked behind earlier. 

The angry magic acted as a beacon, leading her through the winding bushes. It was clear where it wanted her to go. The West Garden Hall was visible above the hedgerow, the moonlight reflecting off it as it loomed over the garden. Each step brought the building closer, until finally Sara was standing at the base.

She hummed, pressing her hand against the stone wall. 

"Where are you?" She whispered. Neither the creature nor its magic answered her. 

She could feel it on the other side of the wall, raging at her as she stood there. It was inside the castle, but close enough that she saw fire when she broke the spells holding it. Maybe a near window? Or a dungeon with outdoor access. She dragged her hand along the wall, walking the curve of it until finally, she hit a doorway.

"Dungeon it is," she said, looking up at the glinting metal gate. The gaps between the iron bars were large enough for her to get through. She hoisted herself over the diagonal brace, dropping onto the soft ground inside with a quiet thud. 

The moonlight only reached a few feet inside, leaving most of the dungeon blanketed in darkness. Sara took a few cautious steps forward. Up close, the magic felt as if it was coming from everywhere, soaking the entire area with its feelings of burning anger and confinement. She couldn't track it, leaving her blind as she shuffled towards whatever was being kept there.

"Please don't eat me," she muttered, cringing at the tremor in her voice.

Her foot snagged on something hard, and Sara went crashing to the ground. Her ankle twisted painfully as she landed on top of the unseen obstacle, and she bit back a cry.

"Fuck," she swore, pushing herself back up. Without warning the rock under her hand shifted, whipping away as a growl echoed through the room. "Fuck!"

Sara stumbled, falling back as a tail slammed against her torso. Her chest spasmed as the wind was knocked out of her, her ribs screaming as she was thrown down.

"Wait!" She gasped, scrambling to her feet. "I'm here to help you!" The smell of fire filled the room as a mouth full of huge, terrifying sharp teeth was illumined by white hot embers. The glow bounced off of the large metal muzzle around its face, lighting the area up enough for Sara to get a better look.

A dragon, far larger than any animal Sara had ever seen, laid pinned to the dirt floor. Chains wrapped around its body limbs, held taut with carved stakes that had been driven deep into the earth. The metal was radiating magic, the air around them shimmering like the air above a hot road. Lightning arched along the enchantments, growing brighter every time the dragon growled

Sara jerked towards them, horror beating out her better judgment. 

"What have they—” She was cut off by the tail, smacking into her side and sending her skidding across the dirt. She let out a small 'oof' as a clawed foot landed on her chest. 

"Don't take me for a fool Gavric!" The muzzle sparked around the dragon's mouth as she - and the dragon was definitely a she - roared. "Face me in your true form!"

Sara's brain stuttered to a halt. "You can talk?!" Sara asked, aghast, "I thought they were keeping some kind of magical animal—" The claw pressing down on her chest pushed down harder. "Ow! Shit, stop! I'm not Gavric!" Her bones creaked under the pressure.

"Liar." The dragon growled. Even with the odd angle, Sara could see her glaring. "If you aren't him, then you are with him."

Sara was ready to try and explain again when she heard something. Shouts from outside, along with heavy, armored footsteps. She froze, just for a second before she started to struggle in earnest. 

"Let me up!" She turned to meet the dragon's eyes fully, pleading with her. "They can't see me here!" The claw didn't move, but it loosened just enough for Sara to slip out. The dragon roared, enraged. Her claw slammed back down, nearly crushing Sara's feet as she scrambled away. Sara ignored the pain in her body, diving behind the dragon and covering her mouth to stop a pained whine from escaping as the guards approached.

Don't come in! She prayed, curling up as small as she could. She reached for her shawl to pull it over her. Terror shot through her as she realized it was gone. Fuck! She must have lost it in the fight. There was a blue shawl somewhere between the dragon and the guards, and Sara couldn't do anything to get it. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting back a terrified sob.

The sound of a metal stick banging against the gate bars echoed through the dungeon, but the roar from the dragon was deafening. Sara felt her lunge, followed by her own hair standing on end as lights flashed behind her. The dragon screamed, sounding so human as the smell of ozone spiked. Tears ran down Sara's cheeks as she squeezed her eyes tighter, and she flinched when a loud thud shook the ground. The flashing died down, and all Sara could hear was the pained panting of the dragon.

I'm sorry, she thought, I'm sorry, I'm such a coward.

"Should we wake Father Gavric?" The voice was male, young and nervous.

"No, the chains are working fine." The second, rougher voice was almost gleeful, banging on the gate again. "If they start to crack again we'll send for him." 

"Why do you think it was yelling?" 

"Seems to me like the beast has finally lost its mind. The new drug regimen must have been too much."

"Damn." Sara could hear the wince in his voice. "Remind me to ask the Captain for time off before King Henry finds out."

"He won't care, not with that new bitch Father Gavric found keeping him entertained. Ha!" His laugh was sharp and cold, closer to a bark. "I give it a week before we hear about His Majesty's 'elopement'. Supposedly he's getting impatient." 

"25 silver says it's less."

"If this thing's useless now? No chance!"

The guards laughed. They laughed as if it was funny to bet on how long it would be until she was raped. Bile rose in her throat.

"Hey." The younger guard cut in, his laughter trailing off. "What is that?"

"What?"

"That, by its claw." 

Cold fear consumed her. Her shawl. Sara was going to get caught and dragged straight to the King when they realized she tried to escape. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, struggling to stay silent.

The dragon had other ideas. Before either guard could move she lunged again. Lightning filled the dungeon, but Sara refused to look. Even as the guards shouted in surprise and the dragon roared, she remained frozen in fear.

"Bitch!" The older one spat. "Come on, Father Gavric will handle it in the morning."

As their voices disappeared, Sara tried to stand, desperate to keep some modicum of dignity. She stumbled away from the dragon, only to fall back to her knees, retching.

"Leave, human." The dragon growled, her voice a quiet rumble as Sara vomited. "Before I decide to crush your pathetic skull." Her threat was empty. Exhaustion and pain laced her words, and even her tail lay limply on the ground.

"Please," she begged, scrubbing the tears off her face. "Just listen to me. Please." 

The dragon didn't respond. Sara took that as an okay. She ignored the pain as she drew herself up, looking into the dragon's glowing gold eyes.

"My name is Sara Moore," she said, "And if you promise to kill the King, I'll free you."