Evie felt a colossal energy wave hit her hard, like a physical blow. The raw power vibrated through her very bones. A massive, black shape, consuming all light and color, filled the space ahead. So dark, as if someone had cut through the fabric of reality, revealing a gaping hole to the abyss, in the shape of a dragon’s silhouette.
When the dragon’s tail swept past her feet, she remained unmoved and unfrightened. Visions of past encounters flashed in and out of her thoughts. Patchwork pieces of abstract memories.
The shadow dragon squatted, tensed, then launched itself skyward, allowing color and light to return, only to turn around and land in the same spot, less than twenty paces from Evie.
Gray talons trapped Lawrence and his mount against the ground. Its gaping mouth, lined with sharp, spiked teeth, finished cleaving a horse carcass in half before swallowing it whole. Every other inch of it gave Evie the impression that if she touched it, her hands would pass through into the void beyond.
The dragon opened its lids, revealing eyes that burned like embers. Its iris, a vertical black slit, as dark as its body. Small, triangular-shaped scales around its eyes reflected the orangish glow.
The dragon’s fiery gaze pierced deep into her soul, probing her mind, spirit, and essence. Evie sensed its curiosity and, more importantly, its confusion. It wasn’t happy.
“You cannot deceive me.” The dragon’s deep, resonant voice sounded more female than male. “Humans tremble like dogs in my presence.” The dragon’s command of the common tongue was impeccable. “And they do not radiate such power. Why are you here?”
“What do you mean? Here, now, or here in Excelsior?”
The dragon paused and tilted its head. “Both.”
“Now is simple. I pursue outlaws.” Evie pointed her sword toward Lawrence, who, along with his horse, struggled in the dragon’s grasp. “Excelsior… is complex.”