covered with green-brown hair except for viny projections from where its arms should have been. Its feet were clawed, holding up its unnatural body with some difficulty. As my eyes traveled upward, I swallowed loudly. It had no head, but from the top of its form grew a white tree with no leaves. I felt myself pale. Below that, however, was something that did not fit with the rest of its wild appearance: a smooth, white, opalescent mask in the shape of a woman’s face sat where a neck probably should have been.
It shrieked loudly, as if testing out its voice, sending chills straight through me. Levent grasped me by the arm and pushed me behind him. I made a small squeak as I landed on my tail for the second time in as many minutes. I did not fancy being thrown around like a doll.
“You should have run home, faunling,” the dragon said, his back to me. I snorted at the new nickname. “This old magic is dangerous.”
“I can see that!” I growled. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to defend myself. I probably know more than you about how to-”
“Stay back if you wish to live, little one.” Levent pulled two of his strange swords from beneath his cloak and lunged at the monster before I could tell him off. He jumped incredibly high, stabbing his sword into the creature's side and using it to climb to the top of the thing. Its vine-arms dove for him immediately, but he fended them off with quick, deft strokes. He then stabbed the creature’s furry shoulder, but no blood came from the wound.
The monster screamed and pitched, knocking the dark-haired one off-balance long enough for some of its vine-arms to coil around him, holding fast. The vines that he had severed began to grow back in greater number. I yelled involuntarily.
So much for the strength of dragons.
Seeking into my pockets, my fingers brushed the two Sop-bombs. I stared at that almost glowing white mask, then lobbed them at the creature. One of the bombs hit it uselessly in the stomach, but the other flew true: straight into its humanoid face. It groaned and, as I had hoped, released Levent so that the vines could remove the sticky mess from its eyes. I would have to brag to Morrense later.
Levent hit the ground with a rough thud, the air audibly knocked from his lungs. The dragon grimaced slightly, but said nothing as he struggled to his feet. He firmly grasped his remaining blade, and lunged for the creature again. It swept wildly at