Snippets

‘What species are you, Anastasia?’

The voice, cool yet carrying the faintest hint of audible curiosity, struck Ana from her wandering thoughts, bringing her head around to meet the gaze of its owner. She sat huddled in an old chair in front of a fireplace, but was keeping herself further from the bristling flames than most would on such a cold evening. Seeing them move – neon orange, hot and unforgiving – made a shudder roll down her spine.

In another chair nearby sat Sargon, the vampire who just hours ago had saved her from being executed. She wasn’t sure what to think of him yet, but it was impossible to ignore the invisible drag she felt towards him. The first person in years to show genuine interest in her powers beyond what she could do as a healer.

The first person in years to actually see her.

‘I – I’m a dragon… sir,’ she replied, uncertain how to address him.

‘Yes,’ he said, ‘but you are more than just a dragon, are you not? You hold the blood of something else.’

How does he know? Ana thought. Creatures like her were so rare, most people would imagine anything else before the truth. The people she had encountered since leaving home mostly seemed to think she was just a Witch who liked to transform herself into a dragon, but it ran deeper than that.

‘I’m three-quarters Shifter Dragon, one-quarter Witch,’ she said.

Sargon’s head tilted, almost unnoticeably. The feeling of curiosity radiated from him more strongly. Ana still couldn’t believe that someone was actually interested enough to ask these kinds of obscure questions about her.

‘How did you come to be?’ he asked.

‘My grandparents… on my mother’s side…’ She began to tell the story that she had only told one person before. ‘My grandmother was a full-blooded Witch, and my grandfather was a Shifter Dragon. Of course, they couldn’t have children – not naturally – but they were determined to start a family together. They used complex spells and potions to make it work. After many attempts, they finally produced a healthy hatchling – who would be my mother.’

Sargon listened with neither interruption nor expression until the last word left her mouth. ‘Hmm. You are rare. Very few unnatural hybrids can survive past infancy.’

‘Y-yes. Physical defects and… other problems are very common.’

‘But your mother survived, and was healthy enough to create you, who also appears to be healthy. You have the form of a dragon and the magical abilities of a Witch.’

She had to resist the almost uncontrollable urge to smile despite her nerves. The first person in years…

‘Yes, sir,’ she said. ‘I’m… very proud of what I am capable of.’