My heart is beating so wildly in my chest as I press harder and harder into his neck. He is struggling less but is still putting up a fight. I let out a scream as a huge force crashes into my side. I am thrown off of him and I role on the ground heavily. A Bone Crawler lets out a scream as it runs toward me. It had thrown me off with just a flick of its leg. As it charges, I feel an odd sense of relief. One I shouldn't be feeling as I watch the assassin stand, clutching at his throat. So, I didn't kill him. He looks at me with wide, rage-filled eyes and I find my self momentarily distracted. That is until the Bone Crawler aims to attack me again. I barely move out of the way as its huge clawed foot buries into the ground where I was just standing. I let out an annoyed growl and pull out my ice blade. The Bone Crawler goes to stamp down on me again, but this time I am ready. I jump out of the way and slice my blade across its pasty white skin. It lets out a shriek as ice begins to form around the cut. Though the small amount of ice does not stop its attacks. Instead, the creature changes tactics. It dives its head toward me. My eyes widen as its teeth snap around the air where I was just standing only seconds before. Had I not moved at the speed I had, I would have been devoured by the rows and rows of BlackRoot stained fangs that line its bloody mouth. I breathe heavily from exhaustion as I continue to cut away at the creature and move out of its way before it can slice at me. It gets harder and harder to fight this beast. Every cut I make seems to make it only angrier and increase the speed of its attacks. I am so tired also.

The Bone Crawler changes tactics again, doing a move I am not expecting. It is directly above me. Its mouth is wide open above my body. It will scope me up in its huge mouth and chew through my bones. I can see it, feel it as it gets ever closer but I can't move in time. A body collides into mine, pushing me out of the way of the Bone Crawler. We role across the ground again and the Bone Crawler screams with anger at its prey being stolen from it. I feel a weight on my body and when I look up, the assassin is lying on top of me. I look into the black of his eyes, quickly shoving him off and standing up. I hold my weapon out in front of me with confusion.

"Why did you save me?" I ask.

"Because you are mine to kill," he snarls. The Bone Crawler runs toward us. I'm not even sure if the creature knows which target to go for.  I look at the Assassin.

"Well, if you want to kill me we had best get rid of this thing first," I spit at him. He grins cruelly and rolls his shoulders.

"I hate these beasts anyway," he chuckles. "This will be fun."

"Won't your king be angry with you for helping kill one of his monsters?" I snarl. He shrugs.

"He knows I like to play with my food," he grins at me before walking over to me. "And he promised me that I can be the one to kill you,"

"Ready little Dragon?" he says. I glare at him but not my head. He grabs at the back of my armour. One hand at my neck and one at the bottom of the breastplate.

"Keep out of the way of its mouth," he whispers.

"I think I know that," I snap back. He laughs and lifts me up, spinning me as he does so. Then, once he has built up momentum, he launches me at the creature. I go flying through the air, sword ready. The Bone Crawler comes to a skidding halt in its attack as it sees me flying straight at it. Its mouth opens wide again, waiting for me to fall into it. That isn't going to happen. I land on its teeth and have to jump out of the way of its mouth that snaps shut almost as soon as it feels me land. I am on its face now and before it can shake me off, I plunge my blade into its face. The creature lets out another terrible scream as it tries to shake me off. I keep hold of the blade, however, even as it swings wildly. Down below me, the assassin is cutting at its legs whilst it is too distracted to try and attack with claws. I let go of my sword with one hand, pulling out a dagger. I plunge it into the empty socket where the eye would be. It collides with something thick and sticky inside the creature and I twist it and push the blade in further. Finally, the Bone Crawler falls. I pull my weapons out of its skull as it hits the ground, rolling out of the way so I don't get crushed as it lands.

"Good work," I hear a voice say behind me before I feel a thump on the back of my head. I stumble forward and twist to see who my attacker was.

"Finally, we can finish what we started," he growls. I sigh as exhaustion sweeps through me. I don't know how long I can fight for. I hardly put up a fight as he constantly swings his weapon at me. I am barely able to block and he is constantly able to nick my skin. A boot to the chest leads to me falling heavily to the ground and landing on my back. My body aches and stings as I go to move. I am covered in blood and some of it is mine. I can taste it, smell it and feel it. It is over my hands and on the hilts of my weapons. It is sticky and drying. I spit more of it onto the ground next to me. There is just so much of it. Everywhere. So many bodies piled up around us and all with gruesome, nauseating injuries. I don't think there is much more of this horror I can take. I have lasted too long on adrenaline and the need to survive, but now I am so exhausted. There is no adrenaline anymore. Just realisation that I am going to die. The Assassin walks toward me, sword drawn. I go to attack but with a flick of his wrist, I am disarmed. He presses his blade to my throat.

"Go ahead," I say to him. "End this," snarl. "This is what you've wanted all this time. To kill me. To kill my people in the bloodbath," I say as I gesture around me. His eyes flicker to the battle surrounding us briefly before falling back on me. I feel the stinging as the blade presses into my skin.

"I hope your king rewards you well for this," I chuckle. "And it seems only right that after all this time, I die by your hand," I sigh and I feel a smile fall on my face.

"I get to be with Serenity again," I whisper. I close my eyes and wait for the blow. I feel the blade press harder again but fear doesn't fill me. Perhaps, I can have peace from all this bloodshed which has followed my family for all these years.

"I think seeing your sister is going to have to wait," the assassin says with a soft voice. My eyes open wide and I look up at him. I realise that his hand is shaking and the blade has been removed slightly from my skin. His face has an expression I can't read. His breathing is heavy and his black eyes are wide. Except, they aren't so black anymore.

"What?" I ask.

"I can't do it," he whispers. "I can't kill you," he says again. His body is shaking now and he falls to the ground. A pained scream leaves his mouth as his body begins to shake more violently. Panic fills me. What is going on? What is happening to him? I watch in horror as black goo forces its way from his mouth, nose and eyes. As the goo leaves his body, his eyes slowly return to their normal blue. Then, there is a gurgling sound and he throws up more thick black go. He lies on the ground shaking for a few moments before standing slowly. Wearily, I hold up my weapon.

"What was that?" I ask with a shaking voice. Though as the Black goo that just left his body begins to scream, I admit to myself that I know exactly what it is. Black Root. He looks down at me with his beautiful, pale blue eyes.

"Isla," he says, holding up his arms. "I've made a choice," he says. "I chose you. I don't want to fight in this battle and I don't want to fight against you," he tells me. "I don't want to serve King Harrison anymore." He looks at me directly in the eyes and I can't help but stare back in shock for a few moments. I realise that I believe him. I lower my sword and a small smile crosses his face. He steps over to me slowly and presses a hand against my cheek and places a small kiss on my lips. They are so soft, even if I can still taste a hint of Black Root. It isn't like the other passionate, hungry kisses we have previously shared. This is quick, delicate. This isn't the time or place but even so, it makes my heart race wildly. He pulls away slightly and looks at me.

"So, where shall we begin?" he asks, his pale blue eyes lighting up. I grin at him. My hand moves in a flash as I throw a little blade past him and at a NightShade coming to attack us. He grins and holds out his sword, slicing the head off another NightShade. Together, we begin to fight as we get surrounded. Fighting side by side fills me with a new sense of hope as together we fight off ever NightShade that steps into our path. We work perfectly in sync. So often we have fought, that we know how each other move. I duck as he throws a spear over my head and he buries the sword into the chest of a NightShade behind me whilst I attack one charging up on his side. It doesn't take long before there is a pile of dead bodies around us and for the moment, we are safe from any attackers. I breathe heavily and look at him. He smiles and sheaths his sword before walking toward me. A single NightShade tries to attack him but he snaps their neck before they even get close. Not taking his eyes off me. I look back at the NightShade King behind him in the distance. His face is a picture of pure fury and rage. As soon as I see it, I realise that this definitely isn't some trick. King Harrisons most prized possession has betrayed him. He has chosen me over him. I give the king a smug smile as his assassin stands before me.

"You are my queen," he whispers, taking my hand in his softly. "I have had enough of being manipulated and controlled. Of being forced to kill those who I do not wish to. Of having no choice but to hurt people who do not deserve pain. He has controlled my mind long enough and I have never been strong enough to free myself from it."

"You are free now," I say.

"I am, and I am choosing you," he tells me with a smile. I feel butterflies in the pit of my stomach. A grin forms on my face and I press my lips lightly to his again. He steps back an odd look crossing his features.

"What? What is wrong?" I ask. His body shakes and he falls to his knees. Panic fills my body. No, I've only just got him! I can't lose him. I look back at the NightShade King and see him standing above a glowing black ball with is alight with blue sparks. The ball grows and long strands head directly for the assassin. I try and slice at the strands with my sword, but my weapons go straight through them and does no harm.

"No," I whisper as the bury into his back. He crumples forward, body shaking violently. I feel tears run down my cheek and I rush over to him, trying to lift his body up. His eyes go black again and he pushes himself away from me. Then, his bones begin to crunch and a pained scream leaves his mouth.

"Stop!" I shout. "Fight it, fight him!" I shout at my assassin. He looks at me with fearful eyes.

"I can't," he whispers brokenly. I look back at the NightShade king and my eyes widen. The black ball has now changed shape. Into a small black dragon with sparks of blue pulsating from its body. 

"What?" I ask under my breath. The small black dragon suddenly launches away from the NightShade King and slams into the assassins black in a sudden flash. He screams as it hits him with a hard heavy thud. I am too confused to do anything as his body continues to snap and grow. His eyes change from fully black. Instead, his full eye goes into a white blue which sparks. Almost as though his eyes are tiny balls of lightning. He screams in pain again as more bones crunch and his body changes shape. Black and dark blue scales from around his face and I gasp in shock. 

He is shifting!

Great big sparks of lightning fly off his growing and changing body. His clothes rip off as he changes. The whole battlefield seems to have come to a complete standstill as this growing man shakes and steps around uneasily. Until he isn't a man anymore.

A dragon, the same size as Toryn now stands on the battlefield. It lifts its head to the sky and lets out a loud roar. Lightning surrounds us, breaking the ice dome that had surrounded the battlefield. Its great black wings stretch widely, as though they haven't been stretched for a while. They are tipped with long claws which dig into the ground. Its body consists of black and dark blue scales and its stomach is made up of more bright blue light with scales wrapped around it like a ribcage. It's as though the scales are its skeleton and its internal organs are lightning. Its face is terrifying. Long and full of black spikes and rows and rows of sharp teeth. As it opens its mouth to roar, its mouth glows bright blue like its eyes.

I can hear the screams of fear come from both sides as the battlefield comes to a standstill. Everyone watches the dragon with shock and horror as it gets used to moving around and using its body. But as I look at it, I don't feel fear at all. I see... beauty. It lifts its head and roars again. He is confused and stressed. He doesn't know what to do. So, he turns to the person who turned him. He turns to the King, ready for orders.

King Harrison is looking at me. The smug expression I wore earlier is now on his face. But he doesn't know that he has made a fatal error. I grin at him, then look at the dragon again. There is a reason as to why the assassin always felt drawn to these lands. To me. Because he is a shifter. A dragon shifter. My dragon instinct is roaring right now. Not to fight or to protect me. But to be let out, to be let free like this dragon before us. I want to fly with him, to play in the skies and be free.

I look back at King Harrison and feel the scales form over my body. I feel my eyes changing white with the black diamond pupil. I let my body go limp, but it doesn't fall to the ground. I see fear on the Kings face as he realises his face, but it is too late. The red ball that blocks our power smashes into pieces, the light that is our magic exploding from within. Still, the battle doesn't move as everyone is still in shock. I, however, feel my muscles begin to stretch. A scream of pain leaves my mouth as my bones begin to move, break and shift around my body. I close my eyes as my body continues to expand and although it is excruciatingly painful, I also feel a great relief. A freedom I have not felt for so long. My skin tickles as the scales continue to form over it and my body grows and grows. I take lots of deep, excited breaths as it all builds up. Then, everything stops and I open my eyes.

Finally, I sigh in my mind. Finally, I have freedom.

When I let out a scream of pure joy it doesn't come out high pitched and exhilarated. It comes out as a deep, terrifying roar.