I fling out Moonslinger, pointing it in the dragon's direction.
Something tightens within me, almost like pins and needles, but not quite. It travels from my core and down my arm. Moonslinger starts to vibrate.
What's happening? I haven't felt anything like it before. I've been scared before, and it never felt this way.
A sharp crackle of electricity shoots from the tip of Moonslinger, heading right for the big green dragon descending towards me.
My eyes widen as whatever I sent towards it hits the dragon's chest. It stumbles. Kind of. I'm not sure what it's called when it seems to have trouble flying.
I pull Moonslinger back, wondering if I can try whatever that is again and scare the dragon away. I thrust the weapon forward with even more force, jarring my shoulder slightly in the process. I won't do that again.
But sure enough, the pins and needles feeling is back. It shoots down my arm and out through Moonslinger, hitting the dragon.
It screaks in pain, a very different sound from its battle cries.
I repeat the motion a couple more times, and to my surprise, it keeps working. I have no idea what I'm doing, or how I found a secret setting on Moonslinger, but I don't care so long as it scares the dragon away from me.
The beast opens its mouth, and I know instinctively that it's about to spew fire at me.
I push Moonslinger forward with even more force than before. Something big builds inside me, and the biggest crackle of power I've created so far splits the air, hitting the dragon square in the chest.
It shuts its mouth and quivers in the air for a moment, before crashing to the ground. The loud thud reverberates through the ground. Anyone within a few miles will have felt it. Hopefully, none of them know what it means and come to investigate.
Wait. What does it mean?
Dragons don't do just fall from the sky. Not unless they're...
I'm not sure I dare to check. But I have to know if I really did kill a dragon. By accident. That part is important to me.
Even though it's foolhardy, I make my way towards the towering lump lying between me and the burning forest. I'm lucky it didn't fall on me.
The dragon doesn't stir as I approach, and I can tell from the angle of the neck that it's dead.
I killed a dragon.
I stare down at Moonslinger. It seems like I picked a good weapon to bring with me after all.
My heart still beats a mile-a-minute, but most of the adrenaline from facing a dragon has worn off. Out of curiosity, I thrust Moonslinger forward, aiming up into the sky. The pins and needles feeling is there in an instant, and a small bolt of power leaves the top of Moonslinger.
Hmm. So it doesn't just do it in the presence of dragons.
"You're using it wrong," a man says.
I spin around and point Moonslinger at him, instantly on guard.
He doesn't have a weapon drawn, and is mostly looking at the dragon curiously, but I'm not willing to take any risks.
"What do you want?"
"You're using the weapon wrong." He points at Moonslinger.
Is he serious?
I narrow my eyes at him. "What does it matter?"
He cocks his head to the side. "It matters because you're using it wrong."
"I just killed a dragon, didn't I?" I nod towards the corpse beside me. It's small, but I don't think that makes it a less impressive feat, especially when I have no idea how I did it. I won't mention that detail.
"I suppose. But you're still..."
"Using it wrong. Yes, I know." I sigh loudly and swing Moonslinger over my shoulder, walking away from the man. I don't have time to deal with some guy in White Tower clothing who thinks his way is the only way.
I'm here to survive the Dragon Duels.
Chapter Nine
I try not to think about the man following me. He doesn't seem to be very dangerous, but I have no way of being sure. Maybe he's trying to lull me into a false sense of security about him and then kill me in my sleep. It's much easier to hurt someone who already trusts you.
I squeeze my eyes shut in the hope of chasing away the tear that wants to fall at the idea. I've been in here less than a day and I'm already turning into a distrusting killer. So it may have been a dragon and not another person, but that doesn't matter to me. It's still a death.
I stop in my tracks and turn around.
The man almost crashes into me, having not expected me to change my pattern.
"Why are you following me?" I ask.
"I want to work together."
I eye him up and down. "Because I killed a dragon?"
"If I say no, will you believe me?"
"Probably not." Especially when I know he saw me do it.
I eye him up and down. His clothes are sturdier than mine, and far better quality. Not to mention cleaner, though I can see signs of ash from the arena getting stuck to the cuffs of his jacket. It won't be long until he's caked in the stuff.
"Why don't we find shelter and then talk about this?" he asks me, glancing around as if to draw my attention to the fact we're completely out in the open.
I grimace. I shouldn't have focused so much on getting away from him more than where I was going. With the mini-forest still burning, I couldn't go back there, so didn't think about it.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I respond,
