Kristina Krejzova

A Silver Lining

An arm held up to shield his face from the wind, Havel strained to look at the dragon. The light shone directly into his face. If winds could bite, this wind was gnawing. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, almost drowning out the noise of the world around. What sounded like windchimes made of chainmail laid a static backdrop to the louder clanking sounds caused by the beast before him. Everyone in the village was used to the sound of faint tapping and clicking, but this white noise had once enveloped and maddened some of the First. Melrue herself had apparently been among them. She was no stranger to Havel – her sheer stature and force of nature had paired itself with wit and kinship. This had allowed her to become one of the most contributory members of the village. The very place where he had woken up that morning had been almost entirely constructed from the materials she alone had salvaged and brought back from the Montux.