Dragon Aster Trilogy by S.J. Wist

grass. It landed in her path and moved to match her when she tried to change it.
     
    Sybl looked back as the monster had reached the top of the canyon, as a giant foot appeared and set down on the edge. It was similar to the winged cougar—only it looked more like a lion. The ground was shaking because it was the size of a house.
     
    The massive winged-cat set its green eyes like a watchtower her way and kept her in a frozen spotlight. It spread its wings upward like a peacock would into a galaxy of colors. Its semi-transparent feathers used the light of the moon to turn the field into its chosen shade by the moment. But the display wasn’t to impress anyone but the reaper of death. The shadow of the monument’s feathers revealed that between the black hole and the house-sized cat, was an even bigger monster of a dragon.
     
    Sybl only caught half the features of it in her eyes before she decided to take her chances with the black hole and ran across it.
     
    The feathers of the cat tightened and closed its display of colors, before unleashing a torrent of feathers that poured down as arrows. Before death could reach her, the dragon did first. He pulled her under him, and used his wings like thick shields to guard them during the onslaught. When the last feather fell, he made a spin so fast he had gone straight through her. His tail collided into the wolf-like creature that had emerged from the dark portal, and sent the black monster in a fierce tumble across the field.
     
    Sybl was already cowered into a duck, as the creature got back to its feet and let out an infuriated growl of fangs like those of a sabertooth tiger. This can’t be happening. She looked in her terrified fear as the ground shook again and the winged cat folded its wings up like lightning antennas. Now what? The cat began to walk over to them for a more direct strike.
     
    The dragon vanished again.
     
    “We need to get off this field. ”
     
    “YOU THINK?” Sybl shouted back at the new voice in her head as the wolf began to calculate its next strike as it circled around her.
     
    “I need you to run for the trees in five. ”
     
    She wasn’t given another option as the countdown started in her head with his voice and she stood up and made a break for it. The black monster came straight for her, but the dragon caught its flank in his claws and held it back, before they both exchanged glancing snaps of teeth and claws. The dragon was only slightly phased out of his invisibility, even amidst an all-out brawl that put the wolf at a serious disadvantage.
     
    The wings of the cat began to ripple upwards again, before they came down on the dragon and wolf like the snap from a whip of lightning, sending the two of them scattering to avoid the strike.
     
    Sybl reached the trees, but when she looked back, several more of the surreal black monsters appeared. In the least, it was enough to make the winged lion take to the air in retreat. Why the dragon didn’t take to the air to do the same, she didn’t know.
     
    The wolves set their full attention on the dragon then, before colliding with him in a rolling and spinning flurry of teeth and claws.
     
    “Keep running! ”
     
    She could only listen to him, and hope that he would get himself off of the field with his own wings with her out of the way.
     

9: P R I S O N E D

    Cirrus regained consciousness as he felt Lintrance’s psi trying to get his attention.
     
    His older cousin looked down at him with his orange eyes, as the aeri light from the hallways of the dungeon was blocked out by his tall shadow.
     
    Cirrus tried to move, but his body refused him with numbness, as it had yet to realize that he was still alive and still needed feeling. “Where is she?”
     
    “Where is who?”
     
    “There was a girl—you have to send the High Guard out to find her!” Cirrus shouted at him as he tried to move again, managing only to turn his head and bring his arm to his side. He had been tied down