Gaze Of Fire

Hooves thundered through the palace obsidian gates.

Ariel gripped the reins, her bow slung across her back. The wind howled past her ears as she pushed her horse faster—deeper into the wilderness.

She wasn't running for sport. She was running to breathe.

The palace walls choked her now. The throne that should have been hers now belonged to Naomi. Her wicked stepmother. Her mother's betrayer.

And Bianca, Naomi's daughter, sat pretty at her mother's side, wearing the title of princess like it was hers to claim.

Ariel's grip tightened on the reins.

The horse galloped deeper into the forest. She drew an arrow, pulled back the string—slow, precise. The wind danced with the tendrils of her silver hair as she aimed.

Twang.

Swoosh.

Thud.

A perfect shot. The arrow buried itself deep in the target.

She let the silence settle.

Then—

The air shifted.

Acrid smoke curled through the wind—burned, charred. Her horse snorted, stamping the earth.

"Easy, boy." Ariel patted his shoulder. She got down from her horse.

The bushes rustled. A branch snapped.

Something was here.

She stiffened. Her fingers curled around another arrow as she turned toward the sound.

Then she froze.

Two glowing red eyes peered through the darkness.

Unblinking. Watching.

The creature lurked just beyond the shadows. Ariel's breath hitched.

It moved slowly.

A deliberate taunt. Then,

It lunged.

Ariel fired.

But before the beast could strike, something else did.

A blur of iron-scaled claws tore through the sky.

A Golvon.

The massive beast snatched the boar mid-charge, lifting it effortlessly off the ground. The creature writhed in its grip, shrieking—until the Golvon tossed it into the air.

A pause. A breath.

Then fire.

Flames erupted from the Golvon's throat, blazing its prey in a searing inferno. The scent of burning flesh filled the air.

Ariel's heart pounded. Her eyes wide in terror.

The Golvon turned.

Molten eyes locked onto her.

She was next.