Yesteryear Fiction

The Running Dragon
By Linda M. Crate


Her fiery red hair echoed more loudly than the crimsons and oranges painted in the clouds. The faerie ran. She knew that cowardice was found in doing so, but the dragon had never found anything had scared her so much as love.

She knew that this was too good to be true, that he couldn't possibly love her and so she would run. Let him be distracted by the throes of war. He would come to see that she was right and it would have been foolish to pursue anything.

A goblin cackled evilly beneath a pile of leaves as it sprang upward at the faerie, vile pointed teeth exposed and ready to bite.

"Out of my way," she roared, holding out one hand, engulfing the creature in magical flames that shone a vivid black blue. Her black eyes flashed dangerously. "I don't have time for distractions. I have to get away."

She paused as she felt someone watching her.

The fae locked eyes with Wyvern and she saw his disapproving gaze. She knew that he couldn't understand but Morgan deserved better than her and she wouldn't let him make a mistake. She wouldn't let him be trapped as she always felt by anyone by her side that was not him. She had loved him since she was twelve and while she knew that would never change, she didn't want him to be imprisoned by her need.

She was certain he only said he loved her out of pity. She couldn't be embarrassed that way.

Just because her desire and love for him rain deeper than the deepest root of the oldest tree didn't mean that he would ever feel the same.

Wyvern quickly crossed to her, grabbing her arm. "Syn, don't—."

"No," she insisted. "Don't judge me, Wyvern. I have to. If he loves me, he'll find me. But I can't take that chance that he really doesn't...that he just misses her—I can't. It will destroy me."

"He wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it, I suspect," Wyvern insisted.

She felt bad for what she was about to do, but she had to. "You don't know that for certain and neither do I," she retorted, sending a magical barrier that cut his contact off from her. "Forgive me, I must go!"

Wyvern followed after her as she ran. She was like a wild animal. She was frenzied and in a panic, he was certain she didn't know what she was doing. She was just acting on instinct and she had always been one to run from her problems despite being smart enough to know that wasn't going to help her. "Oh, Syn," he sighed, massaging his temples. He knew that he would have to talk to Morgan, get him to see the way Syn did and help convince him to manipulate Syn into staying. "You, dragon, are one very complicated person."

Syn ran toward the sea shore, but it wasn't coming quickly enough. She closed her eyes and took upon her dragon form. Her large black wings would make her fly more quickly to the island and so decided that she would do this as the more distance between them the better. She had to think everything through.

It was too good to be true. She couldn't have heard him right. He couldn't have meant it. These were the things that swirled through her mind as she flew through turbulent skies.

A part of her knew that this was wrong as she was doing it, but another part of her insisted that this was the way it must be. That if he truly loved her then he would find her and that somehow everything would be okay.

When she reached the island she crashed into the white sand. She had over estimated the distance and it was a bit much even for her. Sighing heavily, she resumed her fae form and felt tears fall from her eyes.

"Do forgive me, Morgan, I pray," she whispered before she passed out on the beach.


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Linda M. Crate is a Pennsylvanian native born in Pittsburgh yet raised in the rural town of Conneautville. She currently resides in Meadville. Her poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. Recently her two chapbooks A Mermaid Crashing Into Dawn (Fowlpox Press - June 2013) and Less Than A Man (The Camel Saloon - January 2014) were published. Her fantasy novel Amethyst Epiphany is forthcoming from Assent Publishing.