Longfang by Mark Robson Read Free Book Online

hatched from his egg in the twilight time after the sun had set, but before true night had fallen. As a result he had grown into a dusk dragon and developed the unique camouflage
abilities of those rare dragons born between sundown and darkness. He could no more become a day dragon than he could change the colour of the sky.
    ‘Sorry, Fang,’ she added through gritted teeth. ‘That was uncalled for. I didn’t mean it. I just . . .’
    She could not finish the sentence. Her brain felt as frozen as her limbs. With a groan she bent down and recovered her fire-starting materials and resumed her efforts, striking showers of sparks
again and again across the tinder and kindling. Every time she sprayed the stars of light across the tiny pile of sticks, dark shadows leapt, teasing the corners of her vision. Tall trees loomed
over her, crowding together like giants poised to stomp and crush. With increasing frequency she found herself looking around for signs of danger, but there was nothing to see. The black pillars of
the tree trunks stood solid and motionless.
    ‘What’s the matter, Kira?’ she asked herself aloud through chattering teeth. ‘You’ve been alone in the woods lots of times. Besides, you’re not alone.
You’ve got a dragon to protect you from . . .’
    What? What was it that she felt she needed protection from? If the night dragons came close, Fang could conceal them both with ease. No normal predator with any sense would come near them, so
what was it that had her so on edge? The atmosphere felt heavy with black menace. All was silent. But there were no burning eyes watching her out of the darkness. She could not see or hear anything
moving.
    ‘I’m getting paranoid,’ she muttered.
    ‘No, you’re not,’
Fang said.
‘I sense it too, but I don’t know what it is that I’m feeling. I thought I felt something before we landed. There is
something bad about this place. I think we should go.’
    ‘I’m too cold, Fang,’
she told him stubbornly.
‘I need to warm up before we go anywhere. I don’t think I’ll be able to stay on your back unless I
get some blood circulating through my hands and feet.’
    ‘Well, whatever you’re going to do, make it quick.’
    Suddenly it all became clear to Kira. The nervousness she was feeling was not her own. It was Fang’s. Her dragon was transmitting his discomfort into her mind through the bond. The thought
that this huge powerful creature might be afraid of a spooky old forest made her snigger. She could not help herself. It built inside her, bubbling up with irresistible momentum and before she knew
it, she was giggling like a little girl.
    Fang turned his head and fixed her with a hard stare.
    ‘There is nothing funny about this place, Kira,’
he said firmly.
    ‘Yes there is,’
she countered.
‘What’s funny is you! I never realised dragons could be afraid of the dark.’
    ‘I’m not.’
    ‘Then what are you afraid of?’
she challenged.
‘I can feel your fear, Fang. I thought it was me getting the jitters. Now I know it’s you. It’s like Nolita
and Firestorm, only in reverse.’
    The sound was barely more than a whisper, but with mind-boggling swiftness, Fang struck. His jaws snapped open, revealing his vicious rows of inward-curving teeth. The prominent longer fang for
which he was named flashed towards her so fast that she barely had time to register what was happening. Her reaction was to suck in a sharp breath with which to scream, but before she had a chance
to utter a sound, Fang’s head whipped straight past her and he bit down into the snow.
    As he lifted his head again, Kira saw something pale and long, wriggling and writhing in his jaws.
    ‘What the hell’s that?’ she gasped as she began to make out details.
    The creature was long and segmented like a worm, but it was as thick as her arm. She could see no eyes, but even in the deepening darkness beneath the trees Kira could make out the mouth full of
jagged,