Mangled Mess

"That's not how you ride a horse," Percival snapped at Eva. He, Gawain, Axis, and Eva passed through the busy streets of Fountain Town, careful not to run over anybody with their noble steeds. "You're supposed to ride side-saddle unless you want to keep the name Poe," Percival continued.

"Oh, hush," Eva said. She took one hand off her horse's reins and snapped her wrist back.

Margery, her tall, brown mare, tossed her head.

The group stopped next to Fountain Town's fountain, the centerpiece of the village. Water spewed out of the statue's open mouth–a snake who faced the heavens above.

"She can do whatever she wants," Axis argued. He dismounted his Thoroughbred, Despereaux, and circled the statue. "The shapeshifter was last seen around here." Axis patted the statue's rim for good luck. "Why don't you guys check here, and I'll see if he's around the blacksmith shop?"

Percival rolled his blueberry-blue eyes. "Yeah, sure, oh great and powerful Axis. Leave us here with the woman."

Eva huffed. "Excuse me."

Axis gave Percival a harsh gesture. "Just keep her out of trouble, okay?"

"Excuse me!" Eva repeated, but Axis said nothing more. He nearly bumped into a young couple on his way to the blacksmith shop.

Eva glanced back to Percival and Gawain. "How's it going, guys?"

Percival sighed deeply, but Gawain merely smiled. He wasn't much of a talker, but his incredible talent with different facial expressions made up for that. He could look happy one second and then like he was losing his mind the next.

Despereaux and Margery slurped the fountain's cool water, while the hunting party patted the fountain up and down.

Eva's sword bounced on her left hip. The silver scabbard matched well with her silver and green armor, including her gauntlets. Erasmus made her change before they left. If there was one thing Eva already learned about soldiering, it was that chainmail and sunshine were not a good combination.

She placed her hand on her hip. "Dang, where is that Axis?"

"He probably found a tavern to hide in so that he doesn't have to do any work," Percival said. He hopped onto the fountain's rim and stretched his body towards the snake's head.

Eva glanced at him. "What are you talking about?"

Somebody tugged her arm. Gawain motioned for Eva to come towards him.

She started to, but a yell stopped her. "Ahh! A snake!"

The blacksmith, an old, scruffy man with a gray beard, rushed out of his one-story building, hammer and sword in hand. A snake slithered after him.

Eva recognized the creature instantly by its abnormal, bright blue eyes. "It's you," she mumbled under her breath.

The snake recognized her, too. It dug its spikes into the dirt road, leaving behind three, large, claw-like marks. The snake and Eva moved not a muscle until Percival went in for the kill.

"Yahhh!" he shouted. Sword held high, he swooped past Eva and aimed for the snake's head.

The shapeshifter moved fast. It stood tall, just like the statue.

The hunting party and villagers backed up, at the sight of it changing its form. Its body, now made from flames like Eva's hair, metamorphosed into that of a dragon with two, enormous, black and red wings. It smacked Percival in his stomach with its powerful, spike-filled tail, knocking him right into the fountain. The fountain's water turned red from his own blood. Percival's body was nothing more than a mangled mess, with one half at one side of the fountain and the other dangling lifelessly over it like a puppet.

"Whoa!" was all Eva said, right when the shapeshifter returned to his snake form. She shrugged. "Eh, I didn't like him, anyway."

The snake gave her a look that read, Me, too.