Meet Melody: Part 10

Alright, this short introduction to Melody and her world of magic and monsters has finally drawn to a close. I’m not sure what I’ll be posting next, at least as far as stories go. I’m still having a hard time working through the creative block, but it never lasts too long. It just feels like it to me sometimes.

 

“Enough!” said a soft voice, the gentle tone holding a power that stopped her cold.

 

Melody dropped the man in shock and turned around to see a woman standing beside the docks. She was tall, and dressed in a beautiful gown that looked jarringly out of place in the rustic colony town. Her stunning appearance and shining violet eyes were so distracting that Melody nearly missed the men standing by her side.

 

“Enough!” she repeated, her violet eyes flashing. “Lord Ethan!”

 

Ethan tottered to his feet and backed away, clutching a hand to his torn neck. “Lady Victoria,” he spat. “This matter is the Court of Magi’s to resolve, not the Blood Court’s. The hatchling and her maker are mine!”

 

“This hatchling is not responsible for her maker’s crimes,” Victoria rumbled. “Do what you will with the maker if you can catch her, but you will not touch this hatchling. By right of her rebirth, she is a member of the Blood Court and under our protection!” Fangs glittered in her mouth as she looked at his bleeding throat. “Though by the looks of things, she may not need us much.”

 

Ethan’s face became ugly with rage and he grabbed Melody by the hair and reached out with his free hand. The dragonbone sword, lost during the struggle, came to his hand with a loud smack and he touched the deadly edge to her neck.

 

“I was only getting started!” growled the mage dragon as Victoria’s eyes widened. “The girl is mine! Let me leave peacefully or I will kill her here and now!”

 

“If she dies you will die as well,” she warned as Melody gasped for breath, struggling to force Ethan’s wrist and blade away. “Take care friend, this is an act of war.”

 

“I’m no friend of yours,” Ethan snapped. “And peace died with the aspects! They were the only ones keeping you in check!”

 

Victoria’s face tightened and she took a half step closer. “Look around you! While you fought a harmless hatchling, you put this city in danger and exposed all of us!” Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you think they haven’t attacked you in terror?”

 

Ethan backed away, pulling Melody with him. He swallowed anxiously and she could feel his breathing quicken.

 

“My men have seized control of the city,” Victoria said firmly. “The townsfolk have already been evacuated from the area and their memories altered. You cannot face the might of the Blood Court alone Ethan.” Her voice became like granite. “If you had attacked the hatchling while she was still in the tavern you would have been dead already!”

 

“The Court of Magi gave me my orders Victoria,” Ethan insisted stubbornly. “The hatchling comes with me… she may well lead me to her maker!”

 

His grip loosened and Melody took her chance, yanking her head to the side and clamping her fangs down on his exposed wrist. There was a crunching noise as his bones broke, shattering under the force of her bite. He howled in agony and the sword fell as he tore himself free. Melody reached for the blade but Victoria moved before her fingers even touched the hilt, bounding past to drive her fist into Ethan’s gut. The man doubled over and she raised her knee, smashing his jaw. She threw him into the snow, her lip curling in disgust.

 

“The hatchling is under my protection!” she hissed, her eyes blazing. “As is this town! Leave now or I’ll arrest you for exposing us to the humans!”

 

“Escort him out of the colony,” she ordered, turning to her guards. She sighed and shook her head as the beaten man snarled and shook away their hands.

 

“Stubborn fool,” she muttered, turning back to Melody. “Are you alright young one?”

 

Melody nodded nervously, suddenly noticing that the voice seemed to have vanished. “Y… yes my lady.”

 

“You don’t have to be afraid of me hatchling,” Victoria said with a gentle smile. “You’re with family now. What’s your name?”

 

“Melody,” she replied, overawed by Victoria’s strength and beauty. “My… my name is Melody.” She hesitated and looked back at the inn and Mary’s ruined house. “Wh… what happened to my friends?”

 

Victoria’s face fell. “Your friends? My men will have altered their memories by now. If they remember you at all they will think you died in the fires.”

 

Melody’s heart fell and Victoria caught her arms as her knees buckled. “They think that I’m dead…” she mumbled, forcing the words past a lump in her throat. “I won’t be able to see them again will I? I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

 

“I’m sorry Melody, but it’s better this way,” she replied. “Humans don’t do very well in our world.” She squeezed her shoulder. “Come. Let me introduce you to your new family.” Her eyes twinkled and she winked. “Better than a voice in your head I’ll wager.”

 

Melody’s eyes widened. “What? How…”

 

“You aren’t the only one who was left alone when she was turned,” Victoria said gently. “But it gets better. I’ll show you everything you need to know.”

 

End

Meet Melody: Part 9

The man, Ethan, Melody guessed, was lounging on a chair in the corner, blowing smoke rings. He was weaponless and dressed in elegant, if somewhat weatherbeaten, coat and leggings. There was a tricorn hat hanging from a peg by his shoulder. Ethan smoothed his leggings and stood up.

 

“I should have known that Trent would underestimate you,” He said, looking from the sword in her hand to the blood on her side. “He’s strong enough but he’s reckless.”

 

Melody backed away, carefully putting herself between Ethan and her friends. Her eyes flashed and her voice became a rumbling snarl. “What did you do to my friends?”

 

“Nothing,” he said as Mary stirred, mumbling fitfully in her sleep. “Certainly nothing as bad as you would do.”

 

“I won’t hurt my friends,” Melody snapped, louder than she wanted. Mary groaned and she softened her voice. “And I won’t let you hurt them either!”

 

Ethan sighed and took off his coat, folding it carefully and draping it over the back of the chair. “You don’t belong in their world anymore young one. If you stay, they will get hurt… eventually will lose control and kill them.”

 

“Then let me go,” Melody said, the tip of her blade starting to waver. “Let me find my own court.”

 

“No,” Ethan replied, the sudden cold in his voice belying his pleasant smile. “The Court of Blood hardly needs another vampire within its walls… they have more than enough monsters as it is. Besides, your maker was a renegade… Courtless.” His smile turned wicked. “For all I know you would turn out the same.”

 

He paused and his face changed, lengthening as his eyes turned to cat-like slits. “You were born of dragonfire and now you will die by dragonfire!”

 

Melody’s eyes widened as the man’s mouth gaped open. She cried out, diving forward and throwing her arms around his waist as a river of flame roared out of his open jaws. The man howled as her hand closed on his jaw, forcing his fire-breath up and away from her friends. The terrible heat ignited her sleeve and blackened the beams supporting the ceiling, filling the room with thick, acrid smoke. Mary and her husband awoke in fright as Melody roared and drove he knee into Ethan’s groin. The man’s eyes crossed and the fire stopped as she lifted him into the air and threw him through the door.

 

“Run!” she cried, pulling Mary upright. “Go! Out the window!”

 

There was a flash of light and something hot hit her between the shoulderblades, the strange energy causing her muscles to spasm and her teeth to click painfully together. She cried out in pain, shielding her friends with her body as a second bolt thundered in. The dragon bellowed inside her as Mary and her husband scrambled to safely and she turned in a fury to catch a third blast in the palm of her hand. The pain put her on her knees and suddenly Ethan was towering over her.

 

“You’re no vampire,” he rumbled, grabbing her by the hair and slamming her to the floor. “The courtless made a dragon!”

 

The floor splintered and cracked as Melody tried to resist his strength. His foot caught her where her neck met her shoulder and suddenly she was in the air, turning a wall into rubble. She was on her feet an instant before Ethan reached her. Her hand closed on a fallen beam as she rose and she used it like a club, her dragon’s strength sending Ethan reeling. She followed, dropping the ruined beam as she closed in, her torn dress flapping in the wind.

 

Ethan gave ground, rocked back on his heels by the power of her blows. He howled in pain as her fangs closed on his neck, her arms closing around him in a backbreaking hug. He grabbed at her head, his fingers lengthening and twisting into talons as she ripped free, the wound on his neck oozing black blood.

 

Lightning lanced from his mouth, nearly bowling Melody over as it struck her in the face. This bolt hurt more than the rest and she stumbled away, tears streaming from her eyes. The dragon’s roar became thunder in Melody’s ears and the heat in her throat changed, dropping into her chest. Her mouth opened and she turned blindly, spitting fire the color of blood.

 

“Dragon’s don’t fear the flames!” thundered Ethan as his clothes began to smoulder and steam. He reached out and caught Melody by the throat, stopping her burning breath.

 

“Then fear my thirst!” Melody gasped, her anger lending her strength as she bent Ethan’s hand back on itself. The mage dragon’s eyes widened as her furious power forced him to his knees. Her fangs glittered in the dark and she leaned closer, eager to taste his blood again.

If any of you are writers or artists, then you know that sometimes the creative process just seems to stop. Usually there isn’t even any particular reason. It’s actually pretty traumatizing. For me, my imaginary friends that live in my stories are some of the most important things in my life and when I suddenly can’t seem to find them, it sometimes seems like they’ve died. It’s silly to say, but while they’re gone it feels like they might never come back.

Meet Melody: Part 8

This one is a bit longer. I haven’t really had much that I’ve felt like saying in the last few days but hopefully I’ll have a couple of blogs to post next week. Enjoy the next piece of Melody’s origin story while you wait. Let me know what you think.

“Our powers are growing,” said the voice as Melody slipped away. “Soon you won’t need me anymore.”

She grunted, wishing suddenly that her maker was with her. At least then, if the voice did stop, she wouldn’t be quite so alone.

The sight of the stables distracted her and she jumped easily to the rooftops, her feet crunching softly in the snow as she circled, leaping from one building to the next. She found her prey sitting by a roaring fire, looking even bigger and more beastly than she remembered.

Gavin looked up as she dropped to the ground and stepped into the firelight.

“Who’re you?” he asked suspiciously. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m a little lost,” she replied. “I arrived on the last ship and don’t know the town very well yet.” She gave a sheepish laugh. “I must have taken a wrong turning.”

The man’s piggish eyes glittered with barely concealed lust as he rose ponderously to his feet. “Well we wouldn’t want you to be late now would we? Got a husband at home waiting for you?”

Melody smiled sweetly and shook her head. “No. I don’t have anyone really.”

Gavin’s face twisted in what was meant to be a friendly smile. “You look cold dearie. Come into the tack room. I’ll get you a blanket and then I’ll help you find your way home.”

“You’re too kind,” Melody said, resisting the urge to tear out his throat right then and there. She followed him into the dark stable. “You seem like a good man.”

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Gavis spun around, his meaty hands reaching for her arms. She curled her lip in anger and disgust, planting her palm in his thick chest. The blow knocked the big man to the ground and she knelt beside him, watching him gasp for breath. His face paled as Melody bared her sharp teeth. He tried to scream but the noise was cut short as her fangs sank into the soft flesh below his ear. Melody growled in annoyance as he thrashed, batting at her with his thick arms and heavy fists. After several long moments his movements slowed and she released him, tearing away part of his shirt to wipe her bloodied mouth.

“Either drain him or heal him,” said the voice. “If you leave him as he is, he will turn.”

“A dragon?” asked Melody, staring down at the gasping man.

“No,” growled the voice. “A vampire. We were… different.”

Gavin’s eyes fluttered open and he moaned miserably as Melody leaned closer, tempted by the blood seeping from his mangled neck. She growled and bit her wrist, pressing it to the man’s mouth. He gagged and writhed but she tightened her grip, watching in fascination as the bite on his neck closed and blood returned to his face.

“You will leave on the next ship,” Melody said, transfixing Gavin with her eyes. “And you will never harm another human being for as long as you live!” Her eyes narrowed. “You will not remember me.”

The man nodded stupidly and got up, tottering away past the fire and into the sleeping city.

“You should have killed him,” said a voice from the far side of the stable. “ ‘Twould make me feel better about killing you.”

Melody tensed and turned around to see a man dressed in buckskin and furs, leaning lazily on the door. He adjusted his cap, puffing contentedly on an ornate pipe, watching her with bright, blue eyes.

“I thought that this job would be fun,” He said with a sigh. “I was hoping to finally test my strength against a dragon… but I guess a vampire will have to do.”

“Vampire?” Melody asked warily, backing away.

The stranger shrugged off his coat and drew a slender sword from its scabbard. “Your maker didn’t even tell you what you are? Maybe your death will be a mercy after all.”

He bolted down the aisle, the point of his blade narrowly missing Melody’s shoulder as she ducked away. She vaulted into the nearest stall, slipping past a frantic horse to break through the wall with her shoulder. Snow sprayed from under her feet as she skidded around a corner with the stranger hot on her heels.

“Bloods and Beasts. Think they’re the strongest,” he taunted as he followed Melody to the rooftops. “The fastest. They’ve  never fought a battle master….”

Melody snarled and spun on her heel, driving her fist into the man’s gut as his sword cut a deep gash above her hip. She roared in pain and caught the man by the wrist and throat, levering the blade away from her body.

“You’re stronger than I thought leech,” he panted, planting his feet on the slippery roof. “It won’t help… steel might not hurt you, but dragonbone blades will….”

His eyes widened as Melody’s eyes began to blaze and she forced his arms apart.

“I’m not a leech!” she roared, her fangs shining in the darkness. “I’m a dragon!”

The mage gasped, dropping his sword as Melody wrenched him in and closed her jaws on his neck. Her mouth still dripping, she dropped the man to the snow, kicking his blade away.

“Leave me alone!” she growled as he gasped for breath, clutching his neck. “If you’re a mage, then my bite won’t turn you, but if you come after me again it doesn’t mean I won’t try!”

“You won’t make it out of the city,” the mage rasped as she turned to leave. “Even if you are a dragon…. Better check on your friends, Ethan isn’t as merciful as I am.”

There was a loud crack as Melody punched him in the jaw, loosening his teeth and laying him out cold. She snatched up the mage’s blade and dropped to the ground, sprinting madly through the streets to the tavern. The door shattered under her hand as she opened it. Before the broken wood even touched the floor she was through the second door and inside Mary’s bedroom.

“Shh…” said a voice. “They’re still sleeping.”

Meet Melody: Part 7

Melody followed her back outside and down the street to Mary’s home, a small, isolated building at the edge of the harbor.

“You don’t need to do this,” she said. “I can just stay in the kitchen for the night.”

Mary shook her head. “We have more than enough room for you here.” Her face hardened. “We’ve had one of the girls staying here with us for the last few days.”

“What happened?” asked Melody, narrowing her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

The woman sighed and went around the room, lighting candles. “One of the night watchmen tried to attack her last week. She got away, but he’s been bothering her ever since. Mark took her home this afternoon so her bed’s empty tonight.”

“She was attacked by a watchman?” Melody asked, feeling the dragon stir with sudden anger. “Hasn’t anyone done anything?”

“No one else believes the girl,” was the reply. “It’s her word against Gavin’s. But I’ve seen the bruises Melody… I’m afraid of what could happen if he gets her alone again.”

“Gavin?” Melody growled. Her fangs began to lengthen. “The blacksmith’s son? How’d an animal like him ever make the watch?”

“His father’s well respected,” Mary answered. “And Gavin’s the one of the most skilled fighters in town. When he’s around the sailors don’t cause as much trouble.” Her jaw tightened. “As long as his aid outweighs his sins, the officials look the other way.”

She stopped by the door, taking a deep breath. “But don’t listen to me. I have to go check on my husband. Why don’t you make yourself at home? Get some rest.”

Melody nodded and she left, closing the door gently behind her as she went. The vampire dropped to extra cot, not bothering to crawl under the covers. She remembered Gavin well, a brutish, leering boy whose bullying had terrified many of the other children in the colony town. His reputation for cruelty had been well known and she had always taken great pains to avoid him. The thirst prickled in her throat and she suddenly found herself wondering what it would feel like to sink her teeth into his neck.

“We’re still a newborn,” said the voice. “The wolves were not enough, we will need more. He would do well as a meal.”

Melody’s insides churned and she closed her eyes. The hunters were waiting beyond the town limits and she instinctively knew that she would have no choice but to feed. She heard Mary returning with her husband and stilled, feigning sleep. the door opened and their voices softened. She listened halfheartedly, too distracted by the thirst to pay much attention. After what felt to her like hours, the couple went to bed. When they were finally asleep, Melody got up, leaving as quietly as a ghost.

She caught the first watchman she found by surprise, dragging him backwards into the darkness. He cried out in shock as she slammed him into a wall.

“Where is Gavin?” she asked, her violet eyes shining as they bored into the helpless man.

“By the stables,” the man mumbled, his eyes going blank and his jaw slack. “His watch ends in an hour.”

“The eyes are the doorway to the human’s soul,” hissed the voice. “His mind is ours… erase yourself and leave him to his work.”

“Forget me,” she growled, dropping the man to the ground. “Go back to your post.”

I’ve Changed My Mind

I’ve been thinking about the new blog and the long process of transferring all of my old content over here and I think that I’ve changed my mind. I’ll continue posting new stories and regular blogs three or four times a week, but if you want to reread my old material, you will have to go to the old blog. You can always ask for it to be reposted if you want, or I could even email you a file, but for now you will have to find it on blogger. Stories should come out pretty regularly, depending on the ever elusive creative flow, and slice of life posts will pop up as I think of them. Thanks for reading.

Meet Melody: Part 6

Alright, we might be on track again. Here’s the first official new piece to go up on the blog. I’ll have the next part of one of the other stories up soon as well. See you tomorrow, or maybe the day after.

Almost at the same moment, the town’s alarm bell began to chime, galvanizing the crowd into movement. Less than a day earlier, Melody would have been swept away by the masses, but now she held her ground and shouldered her way through the chaos. The kitchen maids had already fled, bolting out the rear door at the first sign of danger. The girl crossed the room in a bound and wrenched open the door to the servant’s stair, taking the steps two at a time. Mary, in her panic, had fled the blaze, moving deeper into the servant’s quarters instead of escaping down the steps. Melody could hear her through the roaring of the fire, weeping and crying as the flames crept closer.

“You’re a dragon!” roared the voice as Melody hesitated, her still human instincts recoiling from the heat. “Dragons don’t fear the flames!”

She growled and jumped through the fire, feeling the weakened wood start to buckle under her feet. Mary screamed all the louder as she appeared out of the smoke and fire, her clothes and skin steaming but untouched. The frightened woman beat at Melody’s face and arms, shrieking madly as the vampire pinned her down.

“Shut up Mary!” Melody thundered, her voice a roar that shivered the walls. “And stop hitting me! I’m trying to save you!”

Mary fell silent, her mouth opening and closing like a fish in her shock. Ignoring the woman’s pitiful whimpers, Melody threw her over her shoulder and kicked down the nearest door. Glass shattered and wood splintered as she used her free hand to rip the small window out of its place. Mary found her voice once more as Melody jumped into the open air, soaring through the smoke and snow to land on the boardwalk by the pier. Mary yelped as Melody dropped her to the ground and bounded down into the shallows, seizing a heavy skiff. The boat’s wood splintered in her hands as she turned it over, filling it with frigid seawater. Yelling with exertion, she hauled the skiff above her head and hurled it high in the air.

On the other side of the inn, the firemen, already rushing to the blaze with buckets, scattered in fright as the boat slammed into the roof. Hundreds of gallons of seawater hissed and sizzled, filling the night with billowing steam as the fires died away. Melody ducked under the water, listening to the cries and shouts of startled colonists as they streamed around the in and crowded to the water’s edge.

She settled deeper into the silt and sand, as comfortable in the icy water as she had been in the fire. Her eyes narrowed in worry as men gathered around Mary, demanding to know what had happened.

“An angel…” Mary said after a moment. Melody’s eyes widened and she drifted closer to the surface.

“An angel saved me from the fire,” the girl continued. “Then she lifted the boat and put it out!”

Melody sank back down to the bottom of the harbor, wondering just how long she could hold her breath. At least when she wasn’t breathing she didn’t feel the full strength of the thirst. She watched in curiosity as the people began to disperse, looking at Mary and the empty harbor in awe.

Eventually Mary was left alone, after resisting even her husband’s urgings retire indoors. Melody could see her standing, white faced and shivering on the end of the pier, staring down into the water. She gave a soft gasp as Melody surfaced, backing away nervously as she clambered up to stand on the dock.

“What are you doing?” Melody hissed. “You’re going to catch your death of cold out here!”

Mary shook her head, her voice a frightened squeak. “Me? What about you? What happened to you Melody?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, shaking icy water from her hair. “I was working my traps and something hit me and I woke up like this… now get inside before you get sick!”

“I didn’t mean to shoot you,” Mary whimpered as Melody propelled her gently inside. “I thought you were a vam….”

“I don’t know what I am,” Melody cut in, ignoring the voice’s exasperated hiss. “But I’m not going to hurt anyone!”

Mary nodded and went into the kitchen, shooing away the gossiping serving girls.

“My husband and some of the men are inspecting the damage,” she said, working up the courage to push Melody over to the fire. “I don’t care if you are an angel or a demon, you’ll stay here with us tonight… just wait here while I get you some dry clothes.”

Melody tried to decline, but Mary waved her off. “I tried to shoot you and you still saved me. It’s the least I can do.”

She returned in moments with fresh clothes and a soft towel. She turned away as Melody stripped off her sopping shirt and pants.

“Are… are you a vampire?” she asked as Melody toweled herself off.

Melody sighed. “I… I think so.” She draped the towel next to her clothes, eyeing Mary’s extra dress. “I know things that I didn’t before and I can do things that shouldn’t be possible.”

“Have you ever… eaten?” Mary asked, not daring to look her in the eyes.

“Wolves,” Melody said quickly, slipping into the faded blue dress. She dropped her head, wondering if she could still blush with shame. “I… I don’t want to hurt anyone and I’m afraid I will.”

“There’s those in this city that could use some hurting,” Mary said, the words slipping out before she could stop them. Her eyes widened. “Oh… but don’t listen to me. Come on, I’ll take you to my house.”

Aliens Among Us

If I ever look at you like you’re an alien, it’s a pretty good bet that you might be an artisan.

I don’t know how many, if any, of you have ever studied personality theory, so let me explain. My favorite personality theories are all derived from work done by the Myers-Briggs personality tests. At the most basic, people can be divided into four personality types or temperaments, the psychological characteristics that build us into the people we are. People react differently to the same stimuli and usually the differences can be traced back to their personalities. The impact is actually pretty incredible, ranging from what we value to how we process information to how we react to stress and beyond. An author named David Kiersey studied personalities in action for more than fifty years before his death and created one of the most fleshed out personality theories that I have ever heard of. He divides people into four temperments, Rationals, Guardians, Artisans, and Idealists. The categories are decided, at the most basic, by how people use tools, anything and everything around us, and how people use words.

When it comes to using tools, including such things as buildings, cars, or even organizations, people will either act cooperatively or act as an utilitarian. This means that cooperatives will generally use tools in a way that benefit, or at least isn’t a detriment, to those around them. Utilitarians will generally use the tools around them to complete the task at hand regardless of the social impact.

Word use is perhaps a little harder to understand. People will usually either use concrete words or ideas or they will speak in abstractions. Keirsey writes that concrete words send signals that are readily interpreted with one or more of the five senses. Abstract words tend to convey messages through symbols that can only be seen or understood with the mind’s eye.

Using this format, Kiersey built a grid that shows four basic temperments. Rationals use abstract words and are utilitarians in their use of tools. Guardians use concrete words and act cooperatively. Artisans use concrete words and are utilitarians and finally, Idealists use abstract words and act cooperatively.

I encountered a particularly dramatic instance of these different personalities today. I was invited to a discipleship event at my church and there were to different lessons, one presented by an Artisan, my polar opposite when it comes to personality, and the other by a fellow Idealist. The basic premise of each lesson was the same, but the each leader’s approach was worlds away from the other and I even found myself recoiling from the Artisan’s competitive (almost combative) energy and instead gravitating toward the Idealist’s warmth and earnest passion. This, I believe, is the reason for the great diversity in the body of Christ and at once its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Every personality will react slightly differently to the same message, and those that were captured by the Artisan’s fire might easily be driven away by the Idealist’s emotion and vice versa. Unfortunately this can easily lead to people building cliques or walking away in offense.

Meet Melody: Part 5

I’m too tired to think of an intro, so here you go.

She pulled Melody back into the room, away from the crowded common room. “What are you doing here like this? I thought…” she hesitated. “Melody, what happened to you? Your eyes!”

“It’s a long story,” Melody said. She looked around as one of the cooks slipped and pricked her finger on a knife. The scent of blood filled her nostrils and she swallowed uncomfortably as the thirst began to return. “Mary, I need help. Do you have my room open?”

Mary hesitated again and nodded, leading her up the back stair to a small but cozy room on the inn’s third floor. The woman bustled about, lighting candles and oil lamps.

“I’ll have my girls bring up coal for the brazier,” she said as she worked. She looked at Melody in concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything I can get for you?”

Melody shook her head, struggling to ignore the sound of her friend’s heartbeat. “No… no, I’m fine. I just need a place to rest.”

Mary stared at her carefully for a long moment and left with a nod.

Sounds of the inn and town outside filled her sensitive ears as she stripped off her coat and crossed to the frosted window. Her eyes pierced the darkness outside, cutting through the dark and the smoke. Clouds obscured the sky and it had started to snow. She glanced up, momentarily forgetting the burning of the thirst as she saw past the cloud cover and into the endless stars.

“It almost makes up for the thirst,” whispered the voice. It look Melody a long moment to realize that the thought was her own.

“I guess I’m getting used to this,” she mumbled, groaning as she dropped into the soft bed.

There were footsteps in the hall outside and she sighed, realizing that she could recognize Mary by the smell of her blood.

“Thanks for doing this Mary,” she said, closing her eyes as the door opened. “Something happened, I….”

There was a clicking noise and her eyes snapped open.

“What are you?” demanded Mary, leveling her husband’s flintlock pistol at Melody’s head. The weapon wavered slightly, matching her trembling voice. “I’ve heard the stories! You’re not my friend!”

Melody froze. “Mary, no, it’s me….”

The woman shook her head, frightened tears filling her eyes as she edged closer. “No! You’re a vampire, a demon! What did you do to Melody?”

Melody started to move, started to reassure her friend but Mary panicked, her finger tightening on the trigger. The gun went off with the sound of thunder and something hard hit her in the head, knocking her back into the soft pillows. The bullet, glancing off of her iron hard skin, slammed into the oil lamp on the stand by the bed. Shouts and screams filled the air as flames spread through the room, biting hungrily into the bedding and wooden walls. Mary dropped the gun and clapped her hands to her mouth in horror, screaming hysterically as Melody jumped to her feet and dove headlong through the window.

She landed easily on her feet in the street below, the voice screaming at her to run.

“No,” she growled, forcing the voice away as she looked up at the smoke pouring from the shattered window. “Mary!”

Guests inside, already unnerved by the gunshots and screams, turned in shock as Melody burst through the door.

“Fire!” she screamed. “The inn’s on fire! Everyone out! Get the buckets!”

Meet Melody: Part 4

Melody wasn’t actually supposed to be a blood dragon, or even a dragon at all. When I first created the character, she was a photographer, struggling to survive in the city. I had intended for her to meet a dragon, but as I began to write her main story, set some 250 years after this timeline, she became the dragon and Barnabus the human. Blood dragons were also an accident, created as I simplified an overly complicated system for dragon society and magic.

“When I talk to you, you know you’re talking to yourself right?” asked the voice after a moment. “I’m magic and the memories your maker passed on, nothing more.”

“Well your company’s still better than nothing,” Melody growled, coming to a stop on the hill overlooking the settlement. Her eyes focused on the people moving through the growing evening. She cocked her head, suddenly hearing a complaining lamplighter as if she were standing at his side.

“What am I looking for?” she asked, more to herself than to the voice. “How do I know if there are more supernaturals down there?”

A sound in the distant forest behind her brought her around with a start. To her new eyes, the evening was still as clear and bright as it had been at mid-day. Movement on the trail to her cabin caught her eye and her breath quickened.

“I think you had better worry about what’s out here!” warned the voice. “Quick! Hide in the town!”

With barely a thought, she was in town, moving almost more quickly than the eye could see. One of the night watchmen swore in shock as she went, the wind from her passing lifting the tricorn hat from his head. She stopped in the darkness not far away, resisting a sudden and overwhelming urge to laugh.

“This isn’t funny,” grumped the voice. “We should get inside before the hunters get here.”

Melody nodded, slipping through the streets unseen, her new powers making it easy to hide from watchmen and townsfolk alike. She stopped beside a small tavern by the waterfront, owned by the husband of a woman she had known in the orphanage. The woman, a pleasant girl named Mary, and her husband, were the only people in the colony that knew her secret.

The common room was crowded and Melody kept her head down, ignoring the raucous noise and curious glances as she crossed to the kitchen. Mary looked up as she opened the door.

“Melody?” she hissed, her eyes widening in surprise. “Is that you?”