Let Me Fly Free by Mary Fan

ominous sound of splashing
water freezes me in place, and my eyes travel toward the river.
    A dark, shadowy figure emerges from the
water—barely as tall as me at first, but then rising, rising,
rising to a height that towers over the trees. It pulls itself onto
the shore with multiple curving legs—or rather, tentacles. They
slap the ground as it trundles toward us, shaking the air and
causing the earth to quake. Ronym spoke the truth when he described
this creature; two thick, muscled arms ending in clenched fists
sprout from the broad chest of an ox. Yellow flames spew from the
spikes running down its back, illuminating a head that seems to be
mostly teeth—rows and rows of sharp, glinting teeth. Red eyes glow
above them, fixed on this spot.
    My heart hammers as I stare in fear,
disbelief, and fascination at the approaching monstrosity. The
beast we’ve all been dreading has at last shown its hideous
face.

 
     
     
    Somewhere in the back of
my mind, I know Cyim is telling me to run. I know Kiri is yanking
at my hand, trying to make me flee with her. But all that vanishes
behind a strange buzzing in my head as I watch the thlakeen draw
closer. The water dripping from its body does nothing to hinder the
flames erupting from its back, and the light reflecting off its
black scales gives the creature a terrifying glow. A fire just as
powerful erupts in my chest as my heart fills with rage.
    This is the monster that
has terrorized my people. Whatever problems I might have with
Kristakai’s laws, this is still my home, and this beast must pay for what it
did.
    I feel my wrath rush down my arms like two
boiling streams, and the fireballs ignite in my hands almost of
their own will. They leap and crackle as I channel my powers toward
them, building them until they’re each the size of my head.
    Somewhere in the distance, someone is
telling me to stop—but all I see is the nearing abomination. Blood
pounds in my ears, and I’m not sure if the red glow around my
vision is from my flaming hair or from the sheer power of my
fury.
    Snarling, I hurl both fireballs at the
thlakeen in quick succession. A feral cry escapes my lips, and it
feels good to release it.
    My projectiles hit the creature square in
the chest, and it lets out another earth-shaking roar. The next
thing I know, it’s barreling toward me—far faster than I’d
expected. I’d thought its hulking form and slithering movements
meant it was a slow, clumsy creature, but I could not have been
more wrong. In less than two seconds, I find myself wrapped in one
of its cold, slimy tentacles.
    I barely have time to gasp before it
staggers backward as though struck through the torso by a battering
ram, releasing me as it struggles to regain its balance. Wind howls
past my ears, yet I feel barely a breeze against my back, and apart
from a few flying leaves, there’s no sign that the gust affected
anything other than the monster.
    There’s only one explanation for such a
targeted gale. Whirling, I spot Kiri standing a few feet behind me,
her arms outstretched and her eyes narrowed in concentration. I
take a moment to marvel at this unexpected display of strength—I
thought she would have been long gone by now—then spin to face the
monster, channeling my magic into my hands to create another pair
of fireballs. But I barely have time to let them spark before an
enormous tentacle comes crashing toward me. Startled, I rush out of
the way. Even in my hovering flame form, the abrupt movement throws
me off balance, and I nearly crash into the ground before catching
myself.
    A high-pitched scream splits the air, and I
look back to see Kiri flying backward through the air, pushed by an
enormous tentacle. She slams into a tree, then goes limp and drops
to the ground.
    “ Kiri! ” I cry.
    The tentacle starts to wrap around her
unconscious form, and my rage ignites anew. I aim both hands at
that cursed appendage and muster every ounce of strength I have
into shooting two