Chapter fifteen

The Devil's larva stood as still as a rock. Nume nodded to her sister and let go of the arrow. By Shira's control, she aimed for the creature’s giant ears. It shrieked in pain and tumbled on the ground. The larva was disoriented for a few minutes, just enough for the sisters to sink their blades into it. But then, something unexpected happened. The Devil’s larva stood up and threw Nume and Shira aside. It let out a yellowish cloud of gas. It looked the same as the cloud of gas that Nume saw at the Dragon selection. Her first thought was to run away as far as possible before the toxic gas spread. Shira did the same. They sat in the leaves of a pine tree. While safely hidden, the girls shot arrows at the confused larva. It didn’t die, no matter how many arrows reached it. There was obviously something about the larva that was special. “Oh stop jumping around!” Said Nume gliding off the pine and cutting off all twelve of the larva's legs. Instead of being motionless, it hissed and started to turn to ash. “Oh, right! Devil’s larvae die when all of their legs are taken with one cut.” Shira slapped her forehead. Nume understood her body language and asked. "If you knew this, why didn't you tell me?!" Nume sheathed her sword. "Why would you keep that from me?!" Shira was silent. After all, she didn't know either. The cold night air smelled of rain. Small raindrops fell like tears of a crying titan on the ground. Shira turned and ran. She wanted to get far from Nume's spiky mustard gaze. She jumped and transformed. Black as night, she flew away. Nume fell on the ground, crying real tears, indistinguishable from the rain. "How could I push away my only family?" She cried out. Her wet hair drooped down on the moist dirt. A sharp, decaying stench hit her nose. She looked at the larva's corpse. For some reason, it slowly turned to ash. After a few minutes it wafted away like it was never there. Nume stood up. She was exhausted from the fight, but she didn't let that stop her. The girl transformed and flew over the forest canopy. She looked around. With a corner of her eye, Nume saw a bright flash of red sparks. She glided there. She saw two people, dressed the same way as her. They were dragon slayers.