Wyvern’s Gold (The Ruins Of Men Book 1)

Chapter 19

Nineteen

Ayla

W e walked for hours more after that, and didn't stop again until it was very dark. The green Dragon began gathering wood. The yellow one cleared an area for a fire. The brown one disappeared along with the tan one, and the Wyvern found a tree well away from the group to sit beside. I simply knelt where the fire would eventually end up.

We were obviously on a trek to somewhere, but I had no clue where. Everyone else seemed to know, though. Maybe it was one of those tribes of heathens I'd heard about? If that was the case, did I really want to run away before I got there?

Callah had a suspicion they might not be as evil as we'd been taught. Or maybe they were, but evil wasn't a bad thing? Then again, if she was wrong and the heathens were cruel, was I placidly allowing myself to be led to my own demise?

In truth, I hated this. Trying to think so hard about every single thing in a world which was nothing but new things made me exhausted. The effort of just walking all day had worn my body out. All of it made me aware of exactly how weak I really was, but one thing stood out: the Wyvern.

All day long, he'd been kind. Could it be a ruse? Sure. The bigger question was what I would do if it wasn't. I'd already seen enough to know the Elders hadn't been completely right. The Dragons hadn't immediately pounced on me. There were clearly people on the surface of the world. Earth was definitely habitable, so why were the Righteous still locked in the caves? And if they'd been wrong about that much, was it possible they were wrong about the Wyvern too?

But did I want to risk it? Now that the sky was dark, my eyes were working well again. The streaming tears had stopped and I could actually see. This was my chance to get away. All I had to do was wait until the five Dragons took their attention off me. Even better, I'd wait for them to fall asleep.

By the time the fire was blazing, the rest of the Dragons were back, and they carried what had to be meat. I saw two rabbits, some kind of bird, and a few other things I couldn't identify.

The yellow one set about cooking the animals, but I had no clue how to help. There was no stove here. I couldn't see any tools I was used to using, so I merely watched. Since the others didn't seem to expect me to do anything else, I shifted back, away from the heat.

When a whistle pierced the night, I turned, finding the Wyvern looking at me once again. He lifted his hand and crooked a finger, gesturing for me to come towards him. Summoning me.

With a deep, nervous breath, I obeyed. The Wyvern had clearly taken an interest in me, and I wasn't convinced it was a good thing. The last man who'd tried had been Reynold Saunders, and that had ended disastrously.

The leaves made my feet protest, but I managed, wincing with each step. The Wyvern's eyes narrowed, and when I made to sit, he offered me a hand, giving me something to lean against while I made it down to the ground. Then he offered me more water. With big gulps, I accepted. As soon as I paused for a breath, he tapped the end of the bottle and gestured for me to wait. I tried, but I was so thirsty I had to have another drink. Again, he let me, until I took another breath. Then he took the bottle back, making me groan in complaint.

That made him chuckle. It was soft but the amused kind. Closing the top, he shook the bottle, and held his finger to the side. " Das awhl. "

I had no idea what that meant, so I shook my head.

He scrunched up his face. " Dee boudalz olmast ampti. "

Still nothing. The Wyvern shrugged and gave up. Leaning his head back on the bark of the tree, he closed his eyes, relaxing completely. I decided to take the chance to truly look him over. His skin was dark but it wasn't really scaly. It looked patterned, but not like a fish. I wanted to touch it, just to be sure, but I wasn't nearly that brave.

He had no eyebrows, but he did have hair. Long, matted locks hung just below his shoulders. Dreadlocks, I thought they were called. A few had decorations in them, mostly carved wood, but some had metal or other items. Nothing about him was overly ornate, except his color.

All of the Dragons had a unique pattern, but his was the most striking. Maybe not the most beautiful, since the yellow man got that word, but the Wyvern's color was definitely striking . He was so dark with those thin, pastel lines from his upper lip, across his face, down his back, and all the way down to his feet. His throat and belly were a dark grey. On his face, from his nose to his temples, were more lines, but these ended at his hair. His face seemed very human-shaped, but his nose was different, broader at the top between his eyes, almost like a cat's.

" Zazen, " the green man said, making me flinch. I glanced over to see him walking towards us with part of the cooked rabbit.

The Wyvern cracked open his orange eyes and smiled. " Daunkz, Omden. "

The green one ducked his head and handed it over, then gave me a pointed look. Having no idea what that was about, I glanced over at the Wyvern. He was peeling away meat, gently eating the chunks from his fingers. Uninterested, I turned back to look at the fire, watching the silhouettes of the Dragons moving before it.

The Wyvern tapped my shoulder, interrupting my thoughts to offer the carcass in his hands. I shook my head, but he smiled, pulling a tidbit off just to hold it out. I shook my head again, yet he refused to give up. He pointed at it, then pointed at me while still holding the remainder of the rabbit in that hand.

Giving in, I sighed and held out my hand. When he placed the warm meat in my palm, he was grinning. Bracing for the disgusting taste, I took a bite, then paused. It tasted nothing like what I was used to eating! This didn't taste like the meat they fed us in the compound. I took another little nibble just to be sure.

My confusion must've shown on my face. The Wyvern chuckled and offered a piece of the carcass, indicating I should take more. For the first time in my memory, I did. I pulled at the meat, unused to eating with my fingers, and groaned in pleasure. The Wyvern laughed, giving me a sly smile.

That was the same kind of look Gideon had given Meri before their wedding. It was how Reynold Saunders had looked when he'd told me my father had beaten him to marrying my mother. It was the type of smile that proved the man had other thoughts besides simply being kind.

Licking at my fingers, I shifted over, trying to casually put distance between myself and the Wyvern. He grabbed my arm, his hand moving like a snake, preventing me from escaping. When I sucked in a breath, he lifted his section of the rabbit and passed it to me. My fingers were barely on it before he scooted away, leaving enough space for a man to sit between us. Without a word, he'd made his position clear. Smile or not, he wasn't planning on doing more than sharing a silent meal.

I ate my fill, more than I was allowed in the compound, then offered the remains back. He stood, pulled off another chunk, and wandered towards the others. One of the guys accepted what was left, picking at the bones and then tossing the clean ones into the fire while the Wyvern grabbed something from the packs that had traveled with them. He returned with a single blanket.

In the space between us, he spread it on the ground, scooped a handful of leaves under one edge for a pillow, then returned to his place. When I looked over, he pointed at it, then leaned back and closed his eyes. I quickly claimed the makeshift bed, but kept my eyes on him. If he tried to join me, I'd run. The chains might still be on my wrists, but I could use them as a whip if I had to. A weak and ineffective one, but it was better than nothing.

Beside me, he sat perfectly motionless. The Wyvern's chest rose and fell slowly, as if he was sleeping, but I wasn't fooled that easily. When a log shifted in the fire, I looked over, glancing away from the Wyvern for a single second. When I looked back, his eyes were open and resting on me.

He smiled again and dropped his lids. Evidently, he wasn't going to move. Giving in, I closed my eyes and let my mind start to drift. One day ago, I'd been a good woman. I'd never wanted to become a problem.

That hadn't changed things at all.

Maybe I was weak. The walk had made that clear enough. Still, that didn't mean I was stupid! It also didn't mean I deserved what those men wanted to do to me. Plus, it wasn't like I'd ever asked for much. I just wanted to be myself. That was all I'd ever hoped for.

But because I'd had the misfortune to be born a girl, I was supposed to be happy cooking, cleaning, and making babies until it killed me. If I refused, I'd be punished - severely. After all, a woman's life was much less valuable than a man's.

"A woman's duty." That was all I ever heard about, but out here, I had no idea what to expect. Each time I thought I understood, these Dragons confused me again. So, I was just going to take this one step at a time.

If I was completely honest with myself, this world was better. It was definitely more beautiful, but I wasn't thinking about that part. While my day of walking in the glaring light had been hard, it had also been something . I was experiencing something new. Maybe I didn't have the comforts of home, but this new world gave me other things. I just wasn't sure if they were all lies.

At least it was warm enough I didn't need blankets. That was my last thought before my mind began to drift. I was almost asleep when the sound of something screaming in the forest jerked me back awake. It hadn't been that far away, and it sounded really big! A clawed finger touched my shoulder, making me flinch and spin, but the Wyvern was still there, watching me calmly.

He pointed to his ear, pointed to the forest behind him, and lifted something from beside his hip. It was a strange, curved piece of metal that fit around his hand. He had another hanging on his other side, but I'd assumed it was some kind of primitive decoration. Slowly, he dragged the edge of his finger across it, making it clear the thing was sharp, then dropped it beside his thigh again. When I kept watching, he simply smiled and motioned for me to lie back down.

I tried, but it didn't help. Sleeping in the forest was very different from my bed. The ground was hard and lumpy, my skin was painfully hot - even though the sun was no longer cooking me - and those insistent bugs were back. I felt the pinch and slapped, only to do it again on my other arm or leg. When I began slapping more than sleeping, the man beside me groaned and pushed himself to his feet.

Once again, he traveled down to the fire and rummaged in the collection of things set to the side. This time, when he returned, he had a small container no bigger than his palm - which meant too large for mine. He lowered himself to the ground beside me, his tail swishing slowly from side to side without touching the leaves, and raised a brow.

I had no idea what he wanted, so I simply sat up to watch. It seemed that was a sign of approval, because he opened the container and dipped his fingers in, then reached for my arm. When I let him have it, he smoothed the grease over my skin. The smell of it was pungent, like cleaning fluid, which forced me to turn away. That made him smile again.

He didn't offer me the container. Instead, he gestured for me to face him, then he started on my other arm. I couldn't decide if I cared for the attention. It was intimate and personal, but I told myself it was how a mother treated a child and kept still. He leaned closer and wiped a finger over my brow, one across each cheek, then a mischievous grin took over his mouth, and he swiped a line down my nose.

I leaned back in shock, and he laughed. The sound was quiet but still obvious in the night air. It also let me see the gaps in his teeth. There was one on either side where his eye-teeth should be. I sucked in a breath and my eyes went wide. It didn't look like he'd lost them. It looked like the gaps were meant to be there.

His laugh faded, but the smile stayed. The Wyvern lifted his head in question, and I tapped at my teeth in the same location. Slowly, he nodded. With a shift of his jaw, he raised a finger to his mouth and opened it wide enough for me to see. His finger hooked on something and pulled it forward. Two somethings, actually. There, tucked back in his mouth, a pair of fangs had been hidden from sight. A rather large pair.

I'd seen pictures of snakes in one of my books. Most often, they were striking at something. Some were held while their fangs were pressed against a container to be milked. His were the same, but larger. A sheath of skin covered the top, but the needles peeking beneath were white like teeth should be. When I leaned in for a closer look, he laughed again, making the fangs slip back.

He said something to me, but the words were still foreign. It didn't matter; he was still amused. The Wyvern moved his tail, letting it drift over his leg, and gestured to the end. I'd seen their tails before, but unlike the one on the wall of the dining area, his was brightly-colored. The Wyvern crossed his legs, caught his own tail in his hand, and lifted the tip between us. Held before my face like a bouquet, his thumb pressed at it, and the deadly barb slid into view. Where his teeth were like needles, the barb on his tail was like a thin dagger, longer than my hand, but hollow.

Looking at his face, I reached forward, curious - but he held up a finger. Before my eyes, a drop of perfectly clear fluid formed on the tip. He pointed at me, then wagged his finger. When I shook my head in confusion, he wiped the drop from the end, shoved his finger into his mouth, then mimed choking. He pretended to poke his tail at his own hand, and repeated the choking act, then lifted an eyebrow.

When I nodded, accepting he was trying to say the fluid was bad for me, he wiped the tip clean on the flap of his loincloth, then stretched his tail towards me. I'd wanted to touch it, and he was obviously letting me - after making it clear the fluid wasn't safe. They'd said Dragon stings could kill a man, and that had to be what he'd been gesturing about. Like a snake, he was poisonous, and yet he was offering to let me examine that which was different.

Checking his face again, I dared to touch the vibrant skin of his tail. It looked like it was covered in scales, but when my fingers slid over the edge, it was soft, almost like satin. My jaw dropped open in surprise, and I stroked it again, this time with more bravery, letting my fingers move up the length. When he shifted, I quickly pulled my hand back, but he didn't look upset.

He simply looked curious. Flicking his eyes to mine, he lifted his hands to my temple and twined a loose lock of my hair around his finger. " Orin, " he said softly.

I shook my head, showing I didn't understand. Once again, he smiled, then shifted back, gesturing for me to lie down again. Unconsciously, my eyes flicked to the darkness over his shoulder. He simply lifted the blade and flicked his tail, proving he would handle the defenses. Uncertain, I looked at him, not convinced I actually understood.

The Wyvern, the most feared of the Dragons, had just tried to explain he'd willingly protect me? Why? He didn't act like he planned to eat me. Did he think I'd act like some wild woman and play the part of his wife if he pretended to be a gentleman? Or maybe, just maybe, this Dragon wasn't actually a monster.

Not that it mattered. My body was exhausted and I needed to rest for a moment before I made my escape. I had to at least try. When he moved away to lean against the tree again, I lowered my head to the uncomfortable pillow. The bugs no longer harassed me. My skin didn't burn as badly. I intended to simply relax, giving my body a minute to stop moving, but before I knew it, I was asleep.