The dragon was at least five times my height and had a bloodred hide that might've been beautiful if it were not so terrifying. Its claws were long and sharp enough to pierce metal. White horns protruded from its serpent head, and its yellow eyes burned brighter just before it breathed out fire. Whole armies could fall within minutes to a creature such as this.
The dragon flew in a full circle around me, creating so much wind with its great wings that it sucked the air from my lungs. I stretched out a hand to stop it, then clutched my chest instead. My heart was still beating -- always a good sign -- but breathing was not a function of magic. It was a sign of life.
"How dare you wear that amulet?" the dragon said. "Who are you? No one!"
I tried to answer, though the words I had in mind were hardly clever enough to convince the Mistress I was anyone worth fearing. But without being able to draw in a breath, I couldn't even mouth the first word. Instead, I stumbled to my knees.
And the Mistress laughed. Her deep-throated snort was merciless, a way of assuring herself that I was exactly what she thought. A nobody.
"This will be too easy," she said. "I will pull the Malice off your limp arm before you even scratch me."
I doubted it would be much of a scratch -- dragon hide was stronger than metal. But I refused to fall this easily, not when I had access to so much magic. And not after she said my arm was limp. It wasn't.
So on my knees, I reached out the arm bearing the Malice. Summoning its strength, I made a fist and pounded it onto the ground. It shook the earth, creating a sound almost like thunder. The air above it settled like falling stones. Losing its lift, the dragon came down too, landing hard on one wing. The ground shook again when the dragon fell, enough that I would've lost my balance if I'd not already been on my knees.
I took a few deep breaths before standing again. The dragon's large eyes were closed, but I was not naive enough to think it was doing anything other than collecting its strength. I had to move quickly.
I shot great balls of magic toward its belly, hoping to find one spot soft enough to do some damage. The dragon reacted as if it felt the hits, though with the Malice, I had expected them to do worse than what I saw.
I came closer, throwing the magic in harder bursts. The sound of their collision against the dragon's chest echoed through the hills like rolling thunder, but I still doubted they were doing much harm. I was showing an ability to bruise a creature that could crush me. Hardly a comforting thought.
With my next step, the dragon suddenly rolled, grabbing me within its claws and slamming me on the ground. While I was still in her clutches, she got onto all fours, letting the whole of her weight press down upon me. I shouldn't have complained about how hard breathing was before; this was much worse.
"Why did you call for Atroxia, that useless, weak vestalis?" the dragon asked. "Diana has made me more than a human. I am a creature of magic, more powerful than ever before."
Why was she more powerful than before? My eyes narrowed. I knew the way Radulf had increased his power, and it was cruel. Were those her ways too?
She answered my unspoken question. "It was a simple thing to strip your grandfather of everything he had." Wisps of black smoke filtered between her teeth, and a guttural laugh filled my ears. "Well, it was simple for me. Harder for him."
She had taken Radulf's magic for herself? All of it?
When Radulf had taken my magic in the arena, it had nearly killed me. It would have killed me if he had truly taken everything. Was my grandfather still alive?
And if she had his magic, then she had powers greater than what I had faced when we fought outside the temple ten days ago. That explained why she could repel the balls of magic I'd sent at her chest.
Keeping her weight pressed down upon my body, the Mistress squeezed tightly. I heard the bones of my ribs crack and sent everything I could from the Divine Star to heal them before she pinched me in half. I was certain she could, if she wanted.
As the Divine Star flowed within me, it carried the Malice's magic with it. I was stronger than this.
I widened my arms, forcing the dragon's claws apart, then shot a spear of magic up through her leg. She yelped and released me entirely. I scrambled to my feet, ready to run forward and ... well, I don't know ... maybe, punch the dragon the way I had fought other workers when defending myself back at the mines. Did people ever punch dragons? I doubted it.
But she drew back and sent a breath of fire at me, hot enough to cook my flesh where I stood. I raised my hands, creating a shield between us. I felt the heat, but not the burn, and I continued pressing my way forward. The trees around me had already lit on fire. I had to be careful. When I was closer to the dragon, I repelled the fire entirely, sending it toward its maker. The Mistress reeled backward, partially blackened from her own flames.
I started running toward the lake so that if she tried that trick again, she'd find nothing around me to burn.
Well, nothing except me. She breathed out fire again, and this time it lit across my back. I immediately fell into the water, dousing the flames and hopefully saving enough of my tunic to prevent any embarrassment later.
By the time the fire was out, the dragon had pounced again, standing over me in the water and trapping me between its legs and tail. I leapt to my feet.
"That's your only trick -- fire?" I yelled. "I expected more from the woman who murdered Julius Caesar!"
"I did not kill him!" she roared. "Marcus Brutus was his assassin, not me. I did not deserve that punishment from the empire!"
"You are a traitor," I continued. "You betrayed the vestalis oath, and you betrayed your own people. If Diana made you into a dragon, that is no blessing. She truly did curse you, just as you deserve!"
The Mistress raised a front claw and struck my whole body, knocking me sideways into the water. The scratches went deep into my flesh, piercing my neck, ribs, and thigh. Blood pooled into the water around me. I lay there, as still as the Mistress had lain before. Above me, she snorted, trying to figure out how much damage her swipe had caused.
The answer was: plenty. But I wouldn't let the Divine Star heal me this time. Not yet