Dracian Legacy by Priya Kanaparti

chest, pumping blood into my muscles, as my arms and legs worked their hardest. It was a good thing I was an experienced runner. Being an undefeated 400-meter state champion was finally paying off.
    The cold September breeze lashed against my face. My lungs struggled to provide the necessary oxygen to keep my body moving. I almost tripped over the thick tree branches that surfaced unexpectedly. Twigs snapped sharply beneath our feet.
    “I can’t.” I bent over, placing my hands on my knees. My legs could no longer carry me. My breathing was getting impossibly harder.
    “Few more yards, Ren.” Axel pleaded. “We just have to make it over there, to that threshold.” He pointed to the area where a light flashed.
    I couldn’t figure out why the Goarders hadn’t caught up to us. If my memory served me correctly, they were fast. Faster than I could run. I sucked in a deep breath and nodded to Axel. We took off in a sprint. I concentrated on my breathing and my end goal and not the danger after us. As we approached the destination, we came to an abrupt stop. He let go of my hand and caressed my burning cheek.
    “Go!” he ordered. Or was that a plea?
    I hesitated. Then saw a Goarder frozen in midair that leapt toward me. Its teeth bared and his snake-like tongue darted out like he tasted the air.
    I stifled a scream.
    Axel shook my shoulder and when my eyes met his, he said, “I promise I’ll be right behind you. Go, now.” His eyes darted to the Goarders and mine followed.
    That was when I understood why I was still here, alive, and not a shish kabob to the Goarders. My palms perspired and I fought the urge to run them over my pants. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. Axel had been using his magic to slow down their pace, which gave us the chance to escape. My ears became muffled and all I could see before me was the danger Axel was in.
    He opened his mouth to say something.
    “I’ve got her,” someone said. I felt as if my ears were stuffed with cotton. A pair of hands grabbed me under my arms and dragged me away.
    A knot formed in my throat; fear bounced around in my chest like it wanted out. Then I heard metal against metal and my own scream sounded foreign to my ears.
    “Let me go!” I screamed. “Axel! Axel!”
    “Shh, he’s fine. There are others helping him,” I heard a female voice tell me. “They can’t hear you or see you. I’ve cloaked you… er… made you invisible.”
    I didn’t know who she was. I didn’t care what she did to me. Axel was all I could think of right now. And he was in trouble and I needed to… what? Anything but sit back while he was in danger. I needed to make sure he was okay. I thrashed until I was free from the grasp and ran like hell, screaming Axel’s name over and over again. When I got closer, I noticed a crackle in the air.
    “Axel, to your—”
    I was tackled to the ground. What the hell? I turned around to find a blond-haired, button-nosed girl pinning me down, with a finger over her lips to silence me.
    “That was her,” a thick, raspy voice said.
    “The one you’re referring to is a human,” Axel responded calmly.
    They were talking about me? Curiosity got the better of me. I could see them, just barely. Axel’s back was turned to me. Even from here, I could clearly read his body language, as if I had known him all my life. That was scarier than facing ten Goarders ready to rip out my heart.
    Now is not the time to ponder that.
    He was close to losing his temper. His fingers twitched like he was dying to take them out. I saw the wind pick up speed and the air grew brisker, sharper. I knew this was his doing, his ability to control the air element.
    The one with the raspy voice, I could see him clearly. He looked normal enough, except for his black globe eyes. Well, that’s different.
    “Leave, Rolium,” Axel warned.
    Rolium sneered. “If my memory serves right, you are in no position to tell me what to do, Dracian. Especially since our