Chapter Two
Valora
As soon as I had the pleasant thought of being eaten, the dragon entered a steep dive. Another scream of terror escaped me before I could stop it. I could feel my stomach moving to my throat, my mouth flooding with moisture. My hands gripped my pack in whitened fists as I struggled to hold back my vomit.
We came back through the clouds and I could see the ground once more. The dragon dove straight for the clifftops, towards an entrance high up on the rock face. It was a lone entrance as far as I could see, accessible only by flight. Based on how steeply we dove, that was where he was taking me, and as we approached, I closed my eyes, bracing myself for impact.
My heart quickened as I felt the claws release me. I tumbled to the ground, nearly face-planting on the hard, rocky floor. My knees and arms ached from the impact and my bag flew from my hands as I attempted to catch myself. Several moments passed as I caught my breath, trying to figure out which way was up. As I righted myself, my stomach heaved violently and I spilled its contents all over the floor, a bitter aftertaste left behind. Slowly, I wiped my mouth and noticed a pair of glittering, cobalt claws in front of me. These were different than the ones that had brought me there, but were no less sharp and dangerous. They would easily be able to slice me open if their owner was so inclined.
Leaning back on my heels, I looked up into the imposing face of a dragon. Smoke poured from his nostrils, his silver eyes shining ominously. Spikes protruded from his forehead and continued down his spine, towards a pointed tail that wrapped around his legs. A pair of giant, leathery wings folded against his shoulder blades, a darker hue than his deep blue scales.
From my abdomen, I felt a tug, and I placed a hand on my stomach, trying to calm my insides. In my periphery, I could see a gathering of other dragons, but my attention was fixed on the one in front of me—the one closest who could roast me alive and eat me if he wanted. I felt my mouth open into a gape, never having seen a creature of this size so close before. His glittering blue scales shimmered in the sunlight streaming from the entrance.
“I thought I told you to bring her here unharmed,” he spoke, his gaze shifting to look behind me.
I looked backwards to see a light-green dragon who looked almost ashamed, if I did not know better. The color of his scales matched the claws that had brought me there. His stature was smaller and thinner than the one standing in front of me, his spikes spaced farther apart.
“I’m sorry, my Lord, but I knew that you wanted one swiftly,” the green one said, his eyes averted.
“But not damaged,” the first one spoke again. “You will be punished for this, do you understand? You must be more careful in the future.”
“Yes, Lord Dracul.” The green dragon bowed and walked away, his claws clacking on the stone floor. His head was dropped in shame as he walked past the other dragons, all of whom eyed him with disapproval, except for a darker-green one who whispered a few words before dismissing him.
The blue dragon, Lord Dracul, made a noise, and my attention turned back to him. His gaze fixed on me. “I trust that your trip was not unpleasant?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out.
He repeated his question, irritation creeping into his tone.
I swallowed to dissipate the dryness in my mouth, ignoring the horrible taste left behind from vomiting earlier. “What?” My voice came out as a squeak, and I winced at the sound.
“I trust your trip was not unpleasant?” Lord Dracul repeated once more, beginning to frown slightly.
A sinking feeling entered my stomach, overriding the weird pulling feeling from earlier. It appeared that I had been brought there on purpose. Lord Dracul’s look was almost enough to make me vomit again. I was not sure why I had been brought there, but judging by his growing look of irritation, I was starting to doubt my chances at survival.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said slowly.
“You were not injured in any way?” he asked, a look of exasperation passing over his face. He seemed dissatisfied in some way, and I could not pinpoint why, but his disappointment bothered me.
I paused, taking stock of my body. “I don’t think so. My stomach just seems a little out of sorts.”
“Good.” He nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Now, if you’ll follow me, I will show you to your quarters.” He turned to leave.
“Wait, excuse me!” I said, panic entering my voice. I tried to stand to follow, but fell back to the ground, my legs still weak. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but I forced myself to keep my head held high despite the other dragons exchanging looks of amusement at my actions.
Lord Dracul turned back and raised a scaly eyebrow at my outburst.
“But what am I doing here?”
The dragon’s eyes widened at my question, his tail swishing behind him. “You do not know? Your people should have informed you.”
My heart began to sink. I did not want to believe what I thought he was going to say next. Context clues pointed to me staying there indefinitely. “Informed me of what?”
“This is your new home,” Lord Dracul explained gently, probably in response to seeing my panicked expression. “You were chosen to stay here, and in return, we will continue to protect your village and not destroy it.”
I felt the color drain from my face. I put a hand on the ground to steady myself, a soft whimper escaping. An icy chill enveloped me when he confirmed my worst fear. I was still searching for my brother; there was no way I could stay there. He had the answers I sought.
Quickly, I glanced behind me and made a decision. On unsteady legs, I jumped up and sprinted towards the entrance, not giving myself time to think. My pack was somewhere in this cave, but I could not stay there a moment longer.
From behind, I felt a claw snag my clothing, pulling me backwards, but not before I caught a glimpse of what was outside the cave. Everything happened so quickly that I had forgotten that there was only a steep cliff that fell away completely. The only fate that would await me that way was certain death, and would have been, if I had not been stopped.
“What was that about?” Lord Dracul hissed, leaning towards me. His claw released me once he saw my expression. I could hear the other dragons murmuring amongst themselves in the background.
Maybe I could explain to him that I did not belong there. Surely, he would let me go then. I did not belong to the village I was taken from. “I don’t live in that village. I was just passing through,” I explained, desperation edging into my voice. Looking at his expression, it did not seem like I would be able to leave. “I’m searching for my brother. I need to go.”
Slowly, I began to edge away from him, but the dragon swished his tail around me, effectively blocking any exit. I could feel tears pricking my eyes, but rapidly blinked them away. I could not break down and cry; it would not be helpful. Not right now.
“Be that as it may, the people picked you to be a Dragon Maiden, and this is your new home,” Lord Dracul said. The title sounded vaguely familiar, but I could not recall any details about the position. Living far away from the mountains had that advantage. “Now follow me to your quarters. I won’t ask again.”
A protest escaped from me against my will. “But—”
The large red dragon with a stocky body to the right of us leaned forward and said softly, “You best do as he says. If you don’t agree to be a Dragon Maiden, there are other… alternatives for you.” From the look he gave, it was not too hard to guess what those alternatives were.
Lord Dracul’s tail moved, and I spotted my pack a couple feet away. I walked over and picked it up, clutching it to my chest. Right now, it was the only comfort in this sudden, unfamiliar world. Once more, I glanced behind me at the entrance, towards the sunny skies, before turning and following the cobalt dragon further into the mountain.