The unexpected

The figure did not have to travel far before he found her. She was only fifty yards down the alley. Her figure detached itself from the shadows to walk into the middle of the alley, her hands were up in surrender. When she did the figure stopped.

"Please sir, I'll do whatever you want. I'll even go with you, but please let my brother go." with each honeyed word she spoke, she walked a little closer. She was about ten yards from the man now and wishing to get a little closer. {If only I could see his eyes we would stand a chance} she thought to herself. The sun had set hours ago, combine that with the facts there were no torches around and the figures deep hood, added up to an almost impossible scenario for the girls ability.

Still though she had to try {If Bjorn dies I will practically be all alone in this terrible city.} kicking herself for being so selfish and choking down the tears that threatend to spring forth, She takes an extra step forward. {No , it's not about that.} she looks at her little brother now, thrown over the obviously masculine figure's shoulder, head first. Her eyes were alight with emotions as she stood in front of the ominous man. {I cant let my brother die here. Not after he has sacrificed everything to keep Kimbal and me alive. All the beatings and abuse he takes everyday just to keep us safe! All the scars he has from before his ability manifested, when merchants would catch him thieving, taking the time they wasted catching him out on his flesh.}

The girl knew that everything that was happening right now was all her fault. She knew

if she wasn't so beautiful then her family may have gone unnoticed.. Then maybe she would never have needed to develop this ability out of self defense, to steal someones attention with her gaze and manipulate their feelings.

Being exquisitely beautiful at such a young age, and having such a rare and powerful ability made her and everyone surrounding her a target. It had started with their mother. She died while hiding her kids in a small compartment underneath her brothels floorboards. They had begun torturing her, trying to break her, but the last noises the children heard their mother make were what sounded like a wild animals cries as she ripped out one of her assailants throats with her teeth. She tried for two, but was cut down. That's when they finally fled leaving their accomplice behind. The brothel owner had kicked the children out immediately afterwards. The only reason she didnt tell the assailants where they were was because the mother had caused them to flee first. Ever since then they've been living completely on the streets. Almost two years now.

Kimbal wasn't even their real brother. Bjorn had watched him get abandoned in an alley by his mother, and insisted that we take him in. Even though they had to find money to buy him goats milk everday to nurse him, Bjorn never once complained. That's just who he was.

Lyra did the only thing a powerless and unarmed woman could do in this situation. She began to undress. Thinking to herself, {This tactic is tried and proven, give them some of what they want so they let their guard down. Then in the heat of the moment, preferably before penetration, catch their eyes in mine! Making them feel such a desire to protect me that they slit their own throats for defiling me!}

Suddenly the figure in front of Lyra hunchs over to the side, and throws up! "What in all the gods names has happend to such young children to make them think like this?!" Shocking Lyra with a surprisingly feminine voice, as she wipes her mouth with the back of their sleeve.But what shocked her even more was when the stranger pulled aside their cloak to reveal a sword with a jewel in the likeness of a dragons eye for its pomel. The handle was made to look like two dragons which were curled around eachother in an obvious life or death struggle, while their extended wings made up the cross guard. All of which seemed to be made of gold. Even the scabard seemed to be made out of golden scales that glowed with a light of their own!

At this sight Lyra stopped undressing to go scoop up Kimbal out of the shadows where she had left him. As soon as he was in her arms she fell to her knees and started crying. Not because she was scared, but because all of the pent up adrenaline from the situation was now not needed. The person in front of her had the only symbol that meant anything to the poor people of this city. The sword of a Dragon Priestess!

Lyra suddenly realized with a shock that she had not said anything out loud, yet the dragon priest had responded to her thoughts as if she had!

Reading her thoughts again the Dragon Priest responds "That is because, little lioness, in order to become a Dragon Priestess, and help the Great Mother Dragon you must have an outstandingly special ability, among many other things. My ability allows me to hear what a person is thinking at that moment."

Lyra was in awe! If she had ever thought, even once, about what she had wanted to be when she grew up, if she grew up, she would've decided on a Dragon Priestess. They were an all female order who no one dared to even look at the wrong way or else incur their orders wrath, and in turn the Great Mother Dragons as well. No one knew what they did. Only that they had complete freedom to go or do anything they wanted, for the most part. On top of all that, they were known and loved by the poor for always helping the needy every chance they had. Which in turn made the Nobles hate them.

"Now I'm going to be blunt here girl. As you already know, not only do you have a very interesting power, but you are also very beautiful. To make matters worse, you have a beast for a brother with a even more intersting power! If the nobles found out that your brother can make things move with a thought, they'll kill all of you, and most likely anyone who was ever seen affiliated with you. Especially because he's well on his way to becoming exactly what they are scared of!"

Those words made Lyras head reel! {I knew Bjorns ability was powerful, but this is to much!} what she said while still crying was "but we are nothing but a bunch of street orphans! What could we possibly do to them? We have nothing, and they have everything!"

"Exactly! You have nothing and they have everything! Your brother has a power that can kill from a distance without being seen or heard. I watched him kill a man from ten yards away with it. Considering how young he is, Dragons only know what his range will be when hes older! I'm even wary after seeing him in action!"

Now Lyra was crying because she was scared. Never once had their situation seemed so hopeless. As long as they had eachother, and could hide at night when her powers were compromised everything would work out. Now though Bjorn would be hunted more than ever if his ability got out.

The people chasing after her were not nobles, but petty pimps and gang bosses hoping to use her powers to gain an edge on the competition. Which was bad, but they didnt have the power nobles had. All ten of the noble households were inheritors of overpowered abilities. If you even got on the bad side of one member your life was forfeit! So what could a group of orphans possibly do?

At that moment when Lyra was about to completely give up, the Dragon priestess touched her head with her hand to envelope her In a golden light, and also filling her with warmth. She heard a strong female voice in her head "Do you wish to be free from your shackles, little lioness? My servant before you is willing to take you on as her aprentice. If you say yes your brother's will be able to live with you in the Dragon temple until they reach fourteen years old. After that they must leave, human males are intolerable after that age! This is not a discussion" boomed the voice in my head, just as I was about to interrupt. "All I expect from you child, is a yes or a no? I do promise you though, that you and your brothers will enjoy your lives much more then you do now"

"Yes" was the only thing Lyra could say.