Kian and Thatcher could not afford to spare her a single glance as they were constantly fighting against the horde of Undead.
"Go back inside!" Thatcher bellowed to her, but she ignored him. Instead, she braced her whole body for the world of pain she was about to endure.
Her transformation took longer than she usually took. She felt the searing pain from her transition, but the pain was amplified by her not fully healed wounds. Roxane heard herself scream out, and then a roar of a dragon took over.
As soon as her transformation was complete, she forced her body to move despite the amount of pain that quickly enveloped her. Her dragon body reared back, and when her arms came down, it crushed many of the Undead underneath her claws.
She let out another roar as pain vibrated throughout her body. She ignored as much of the pain as she could and sent out her scaled tail, sending another dozen bodies into the air. Extending out her neck, she clamped down on one of the Undead. Her teeth sinking into the Undead, her mouth immediately tasted its rotten flesh.
Roxane bit down, completely severing the body in two, before spitting out the Undead and grabbing another. She saw Kian next to her, sending out another wall of fire from his hands. To her other side she saw Thatcher, his sword moved so swiftly that her eyes couldn't keep up with his speed.
She hoped they would be able to stay out of her way as she couldn't keep track of where they were. Her dragon form is far too massive to be able to avoid crushing them if they found themselves under her.
The Undead were persistent in their attack, getting back up after Thatcher would cut off one of their limbs. The same could be said for the Undead that Roxane would send flying with her tail. Kian was the only one that could end the Undead, burning them into a crisp with his magic.
They continued fighting like this, the battle seemed like there was no end in sight. She could tell Kian was getting tired, as with every wall of fire he sent out, the flame was getting smaller and smaller. Thatcher was also quickly losing stamina, and even Roxane could feel her body slowing down.
She let out another roar, peering down at the base of her hind legs where dozens of the Undead had gathered. They clawed at her scales with their hands, pulling at her hide.
"Roxane!" Kian shouted out her name when he saw what she was being stormed by the horde. He turned and sent a wall of flames in the direction of the Undead at her feet. He cursed when his flames only managed to burn away a few of them. Roxane knew that meant he had reached his limit.
Another roar resounded in her ears.
But this time it wasn't hers.
She looked up just in time to see the majestic golden scaled body as it soared above their heads. With another roar, the dragon rained down a brilliant cone of dragonfire. The intensity of the flames much hotter than any other flame in existence.
Roxane thought fast, bringing out her wings. She found the two men and covered them from the flames, using her body as a shield. The dragonfire rolled over her scales, effectively burning the Undead into ashes. She felt the heat on her body, but it was nothing compared to what could have happened to Thatcher and Kian if she hadn't shielded them.
The golden dragon flew up into the sky, circling back to the village. Roxane braced herself for another blast of dragonfire but immediately froze when she heard the shrill cry of trumpets. The golden dragon flew over their heads and landed outside the village. Her eyes followed the dragon before she spotted the army at its feet.
Hundreds of human knights were at the dragon's feet. Among them sat the leader on top of his horse, wearing a house's coat of arms on his shield.
She lifted up her wings, freeing both Thatcher and Kian from her protection. The men's eyes went to the hundreds of knights next to the dragon.
"Goodness gracious." The grey eyed man breathed out, his hair ruffled and his face dirty with dried Undead blood. Then he collapsed onto the floor, dropping his sword. "We're saved."
She went behind one house before she turned back into her human form. Without looking at her, Thatcher left clothes around the corner of the house. She reached over the corner, making sure her body was still out of sight, and grabbed the clothes. She got dressed quickly, knowing the knights were on their way from the outskirts of the forest into the village.
Once she was fully dressed, she ran past Kian and Thatcher and into the house. Her eyes landed on Diana and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw pink color had return to her friend's lips. She had also stopped shivering, looking into the dancing flames with a absent stare.
"Diana?" Her friend jumped up at the sound of Roxane's voice. She turned her head and smiled as tears sprung forth from her eyes.
"Roxane, you're safe!" She let go of the blankets around her and ran into Roxane's arms. The two women held on to each other, glad that the other one was safe.
"The Undead, are they?" Diana asked, peeling herself away from Roxane. Roxane nodded at her, smiling.
"How?"
"A dragon." Behind them, Thatcher's voice sounded out as he and the wizard entered the house. "And the local lord's army."
"The dragon's fire made quick work of the Undead." Kian said, and Thatcher nodded. "Its fire is unlike anything I've seen before."
Roxane bit her lip. She averted her eyes and focused on Diana. She asked her again and again if she felt fine, to which Diana insisted she had completely recovered.
Then they all went out of the house when they heard the approaching army. Roxane's eyes fell instantly on the golden haired man next to the leader. She could recognize the golden dragon, and he most certainly could recognize her.
His brown eyes stared maliciously at her, sneering as their eyes met.
"Well met!" The leader got off his horse, removing his silver helmet to reveal the face of a middle aged man. He seemed kind enough to her, and he approached them with a hand extended which Thatcher immediately took. The two men shook hands.
"Baron Havel of Richersburg." He introduced himself.
"Well met, I'm Count Verdos of Melios." Upon hearing Thatcher was a count, the baron tipped his head forward.
"Please, I should be the one bowing to you. You saved us all from the horde of Undead." Thatcher stopped the baron with a wave of his hand. "Thank you Baron Havel. I am in your debt."
The baron laughed, not letting Thatcher bow his head. "Nonsense! We were on our way to deal with the Undead in this area when we heard the sounds of battle. I'm sure you would have been fine. After all you also have a dragon on your side." The man looked over to Roxane.
"She's an interesting one." He shook his greying hair. "I've never seen a dragon her color before. Red and black." Turning back to Thatcher, he expressed his amazement.
"As expected of a man with your title. She must have cost a hefty sum."
Diana stiffened beside her, holding onto her arm as if she thought the Baron would take Roxane away.
"She's a disgusting crossbreed." The golden dragon snarled, not bothering to hide his contempt. "She should not have been born."
Diana gasped at his words, lurching forward as if she were going to fight the dragon.
"How dare you say something so despicable!" She screamed as Roxane held her back with one arm. "You take back those words!"
"Stop Diana." She quietly pleaded to her friend. Not wanting to make a big deal out of the words of another dragon. This reaction from the golden dragon was to be expected. Although she hadn't received disdain from another of her kind recently, she quickly accepted the hate as if it was nothing new to her.
"Silence you filthy beast!" The baron roared, grabbing the whip at his belt and sending it out, connecting with the dragon's body. He recoiled and cried out in pain. His body trembled on the ground, hiding his face from the baron.
Diana gasped, losing her fighting spirit as she saw the harsh punishment dealt out before her.
"A shame really." The baron shook his head as if his eyes went back to Thatcher. "I've heard about crossbreeds. I didn't think they lived long past childhood. It must have cost a lot to keep her healthy. If you don't want her anymore, I would be willing to pay for her. So that you can wash your hands of her."
Roxane hands clenched as the baron's eyes went to rest on her body.
"She would be make for a good servant, even if she can't produce a dragon's flame."