Move

Lysana seized the first person she stumbled on. It happened to be the boy holding her books. 

"We must hide," she hissed and yanked him out of the way as the soldiers escorting her formed two lines, their backs turned to the carriage, weapons out as they faced the approaching threat. 

Lysana's innate curiosity begged her to turn and get a better look at the creature, but her sense of self-preservation screamed louder. Her sister crouched inside the carriage, peering out the open door. 

"What are you doing? Get out of there." Lysana lunged for her sister's arm, fingers grasping to pull her out. But her sister's grip on the frame was iron-solid. 

"Do you not see that thing?" As if to answer her sister's question, the creature let out a huttural roar. The dark sky flashed bright orange, illuminating the terrified faces of the soldiers closer to them. 

Men and women screamed, the bravest people Lysana had ever seen reduced to screeching wails. The acrid stench of smoke and burning flesh filled the night air and made her eyes water. 

"I do see it, which is why we cannot hide inside this wooden carriage." Lysana gestured to the lavish monstrosity and back to where the creature's silhouette loomed against the fire-lit sky. 

Her neck prickled with the need to look back, but she resisted. She did not want to see. Did not want to know. Her mind focused on one thing at a time. First, get her sister out of the highly flammable carriage. Second, find a safe place for them to hide while the trained soldiers and guards dealt with whatever creature had descended upon them. 

"It is true," the boy spoke, voice trembling. Lysana had not even realized she still clutched his arm and was dragging him along. "I have been inside a burning cart, it is very dangerous."

A violent shudder rippled through the boy's body, but Lysana dismissed it. Survival demanded her full attention. 

Her sister's face contracted into an ugly scowl. "What do you know? You eastern gutter-"

"Enough." Lysana's patience evaporated as the creature let out another earth-shaking roar, sounding dangerously closer. She wrenched her sister's arm with all her strength. 

Her sister yelped as she tumbled onto the grass, landing on her hands and knees. Lysana would apologize later for ruining her beautiful silk gown. First, they needed to escape. 

She dropped to the ground, hauling the boy with her, and shoved her sister under the carriage. The smell of damp grass, earth, and what was undoubtedly cow shit filled her nostrils but she blocked it all out. There was more than enough room for the three of them to press themselves face down under the carriage. After making sure they were all concealed, Lysana inched closer to the edge of the carriage and tried to make sense of the chaos unfolding all around them. 

Eastern guards and western soldiers ran around in disarray, trying to form some kind of counter-offensive. But their numbers were dwindling with each passing moment, and since they had never fought alongside each other, they did not instinctively band together to try and defeat the creature. Meanwhile, the disciples and apprentices of The Golden Light Temple darted between the confusion, mostly dragging the wounded away from the fight and retrieving lost weapons. 

Lysana squinted and tried to make sense of the shape of the creature, but the small campfires they had all lit were too feeble to pierce the night. The only glimpses she caught were when the creature itself spewed torrents of flame. Lysana saw a long reptilian tail lash through the air and a muscular body that moved with terrifying speed. The face seemed almost feline, but the creature's fangs were enormous and looked as if they could impale a person whole. It lashed out at the soldiers with teeth, fire, and tail. 

"Ugh, it stinks down here," her sister grumbled. 

"I must… I must help my sisters and brothers," the boy Lysana had dragged under there said, his muscles tensing as if he were preparing to bolt. 

"They are not directly engaging with the creature, they are staying out of its direct line of fire," Lysana said just as the creature swiped a massive claw through the air, catching a disciple mid-stride and hurling the body through the air like a rag doll. 

Through the chaos and screams, Lysana tried to decipher the creature's motivations. Animals hunted for food, and once they had their fill, they retreated. Predators instinctively conserved energy whenever they could since prey was not always readily available. But despite the devastation this thing was inflicting, it was not devouring any of its victims. It barely seemed interested in them and seemed to mostly attack those who directly confronted it. 

Lysana's mind ran through different scenarios and possibilities. It could be protecting young, but then it would most likely either kill all of them and leave or inflict enough casualties to scare them away. 

"Run! Abandon post, abando-" The soldier's desperate cry was cut short as the creature belched a stream of fire in his direction and turned him almost immediately into a pile of ash and charred armor. 

Lysana froze. Not only because of the carnage but because she knew of no natural fires that could incinerate a human so completely, so quickly. She dared to edge closer, to get a better look, but something clamped one of her ankles from behind. 

"Do not go out there," her sister hissed, nails digging into Lysana's skin. 

"I am not going out there. I am trying to determine when it will be safe for us to flee." Was that not obvious? 

The answer seemed to pacify her sister, but she did not let go of Lysana's ankle. "We need weapons," her sister said. 

It took Lysana's brain several heartbeats to catch up to what she meant. Her sister could not mean to fight the creature, could she? If the trained soldiers and guards could not harm the creature, what hope could they have? Her sister pulled out a thin and sharp-looking dagger and held it up, the blade glinting ominously. 

"Isolde," Lysana warned but her words were drowned by the ear-splitting roar the creature let out. Lysana clapped her hands over her ears and peered out at the carnage. Her heart hammered against her ribs, each breath shallow and ragged. 

The creature swiveled its massive head in their direction, four eyes glowing an unnatural green and all focused on their hiding spot. 

"Move," Lysana urged, bracing herself on her elbows and crawling backward. "Move, move, MOVE!"

Isolde and the boy did not question her. They scurried out from under the carriage just as a massive tongue of fire licked at where Lysana had been a mere moment ago. The grass ignited instantly, sending up clouds of acrid smoke. Lysana jumped to her feet, frantically searching for the best place to hide. 

"The trees," the boy said and pointed to the treeline from where the creature had emerged. 

"Run." Lysana grabbed her sister's arm and bolted. She did not bother to see if the boy followed. 

Despite the impractical dress, Lysana ran as fast as her desperation could carry her, dragging her sister along. Another deafening roar made Lysana flinch violently. Something wet trickled from her ears. Blood, most likely. She would worry about it later. 

Lysana was yanked back and turned in time to see her sister push the boy in the direction of the creature. The creature that was now less than twenty paces behind them. Up close, it was much larger than Lysana had thought. As tall as five horses and as long as six stretched head to tail. With its fangs bared and flames licking the side of its snout, it did not resemble in the least Lysana's beloved cats. 

The boy lay completely motionless on the ground, but the creature paid him no mind. Its focus was solely on Lysana and her sister. The creature lowered its head and stalked closer, a low rumble like the scrapping of boulders building in the back of its throat. The sound vibrated in the very air around them and the ground beneath their feet. 

Lysana pushed her brain to work as fast as it could. Her thoughts collided like frightened birds. What did the creature want? Why did it seem to be after them in particular? 

Before she could come to any logical conclusion, her sister grabbed both her shoulders and forced Lysana to meet her gaze. "Tell father what happened here."

Then she shoved Lysana back with surprising strength and ran in the opposite direction. 

"Here! Over here!" Her sister shrieked and waved both arms over her head, the dagger still clutched in her white-knuckled fist. 

Lysana did not even have time to catch her breath and scream her sister's name before the creature pounced and grabbed her sister in its gleaming talons. Then it unfurled two enormous wings and flew into the night, her sister's piercing screams mingling with the creature's roar as they vanished into the darkness above.