“Centuries from now, humans will come to look on this site and they will shudder in horror,” she said to herself in satisfaction. “We dragons will see to that. No more will any human dare to even think about creating such a destructive force!”

“Would you take some wine, my lady?”

Anora turned to see the yellow-haired female, Evelina, holding out a goblet.

Anora didn’t particularly want anything to drink, but everyone else had a goblet, and she didn’t want to draw attention to herself by refusing. She took the glass of wine and put it to her lips and drank a silent toast to victory. When she had drunk the wine, she would leave.

Anora then learned just how unpredictable humans can be.

The pain began in her gut—a sharp, stabbing pain unlike anything her human body had ever felt. The pain was so intense that Anora gasped out loud and clutched at her stomach. Another pain—worse than the first—doubled her over. A tremor shook the body of Lady Izabelle. A horrible taste filled the mouth and foam bubbled from the lips. The heart lurched, limbs convulsed. Writhing in agony, the body collapsed. The yellow-haired girl who had served Anora the wine caught her in her arms.

“My lady! What is wrong?” Evelina cried.

Cradling the body of Lady Izabelle, Evelina lowered her gently to the floor. Anora could not speak. The throat burned and the tongue was swelling. She stared up into the face of the girl holding her and, though the girl registered shock and horror on her face, Evelina’s eyes smiled.

“You won’t have him!” Evelina whispered, bending solicitously over the suffering young woman. “He’s mine and he’s going to stay mine. Don’t worry, my lady. The poison acts very swiftly. You won’t suffer long.”

Poisoned! Anora’s mind reeled with the shock. The human has poisoned me! The body is dying!

When the body died, the dragon would start to change back into her true form. There was no way to stop the process. The body was already finding it hard to breathe. The limbs were convulsing, the arms and legs jerking and twitching.