Savage Read online

  Siara slid down and Anleeh got an uninterrupted look at himself. He had the long thin body of a reptile, but a thousand times larger. Planting his feet he lifted his body up, his four limbs, each as flexible as a human arm, easily supporting him.

  His tail, long and fluid, swept across the now defunct cabin’s floor, curling around Siara’s ankles and snaking up until she was wrapped by his tail from feet to waist. Against her pale flesh his dark green skin was menacing, glinting with gold highlights in the sun.

  “Let go,” Siara demanded, and he released her. She rushed to his side and began tugging on something. It felt like she was pulling on his shoulder blade. Siara pulled something out from his side, a thin membrane that glittered pure gold in the sunlight.

  “You have wings!”

  As soon as he saw the wings, Anleeh knew what he’d become.

  He snapped open his other wing and pushed off hard with all his limbs, two powerful strokes lifting him into the sky. He pulled himself into a tight circle and then landed once more. Placing his tail in front of Siara to keep her out of the way he bent his head low and shot out a stream of fire, toasting what was left of the cabin walls.

  “And you … breathe fire.” Siara sat down hard.

  I’m a fire serpent, he thought, delighted to the marrow of his new bones. The fire serpent was a creature of legend in Den, a terror and friend of the people.

  “What’s a fire serpent?” Siara asked.

  You can hear me?

  “Yes … well no, I cannot hear you, not with my ears.”

  I have the power to speak to your mind in this form.

  “Is that normal?”

  I don’t know, fire serpents are supposed to be a legend, myth, not real.

  “Everything that has happened in these past two days seems to be the stuff of myth.”

  You appear overwhelmed, lover.

  “I do feel a bit overwhelmed.”

  Ride with me.

  Siara tilted her head back, looking at the blue above. “Into the sky?”

  Yes. Are you afraid?

  “Do you still love me?”

  Always, forever, as the man, the wolf, the leopard and the fire serpent, I love you.

  “Then I will never be afraid again.”

  She ran to his side, placing her foot on his bent foreleg and swung onto his back, just in front of his wings.

  “Show me the sky.”

  The End

  About the Author:

  Lila moved to Southern California where she obtained her degree in anthropology and currently resides in Hollywood, which provides an endless supply of exciting evenings and writing ideas. Having spent extensive time in France, Egypt and Turkey Lila speaks five languages, none of them (including English) fluently.

  She has neither husband nor cats but there are some piranhas living in a fish tank behind her couch.

  Visit her at www.liladubois.com