EXTRACT FOR
Hunting Dragons
(Arian Wulf)

"Captain! Captain! We've found it!" a soldier shouts from the other side. "We've found the dragon. For real, this time." 



Her blood runs cold. 



They've found him. 



Or perhaps- 



Perhaps he's found her. 



When she is brave enough to look up at the captain, he has an indiscernible expression on his face. Does he know this is goodbye? 



She doesn't want to go. 



The captain says something to the soldier that makes him leave them alone and she finds her fingers are trembling as she buttons up her uniform. Her whole body is shivering, like she's freezing. 



"Stay," he says when she finishes binding the last of her button. 



She shakes her head. "I can't."



"You're not a soldier," he says. 



"I am."



He glares at her, all the gentleness from the night before seems to have disintegrated at the news of locating the dragon's nest. "You're not a soldier," he repeats, his tone uncompromising. "Why are you here, Rima?" he asks. 



She doesn't back away when he moves towards her. She refuses to be cowed. "The dragon we're after killed- he ate my family," she hisses. "I'm going to kill it." 



That isn't the answer he was expecting.



Has she given away another secret? 



It doesn't matter. 



They're all going to die anyways.