Chapter Twelve
Valora
One day, bright and early, Lord Dracul came to the Dragon Maiden cavern to fetch me in his human form. I followed him, curious where he led me as we walked further through tunnels I had not explored before. After a few minutes, we came to a doorway. On either side was a dragon guarding the entrance. They nodded towards Lord Dracul as we walked through.
“Where are we going?” I asked at last when it seemed he would not elaborate.
“I’m going to show you where the rest of my clan lives,” he said. “To give you an idea of everyone I’m responsible for.”
He led me through more winding hallways before we reached another doorway. As we stepped through, my eyes widened. The cave system there was much more complex than I could have ever imagined. The doorway we just came through opened into an enormous circular cavern that stretched multiple stories high with the center completely open. I could see dragons walking around on other levels, completing their daily activities. Some were in their human forms, while others remained as dragons. There was a general volume of noise that I would expect from a small city.
I turned to Lord Dracul. “Everyone lives here?” I asked.
Smiling, pleased by my reaction, he said, “Yes, everyone except for the Dragon Lords and their Maidens reside in this area of the mountain. Different levels have different purposes. The lower levels are more residential, while the higher levels are used for the shops, workshops, storage, and stuff like that. There are also a few different spots on each level where they can fly outside if they so wish.”
“Why are the Dragon Lords separate from everyone else?”
“Security purposes,” Lord Dracul said. “Those guards we passed earlier? There are always two guarding the entrance to our section of the mountain, every hour of every day. Occasionally, we’ll come out and interact with the rest of the clan, but for the most part, we stick to our area of the mountain. We’re usually too busy for anything else.”
“Are you going to show me more of what’s down here?” I asked. I had spotted a food vendor a couple levels down from us and my mouth watered at the thought of skewers of roasted meat.
Lord Dracul chuckled. “I certainly can,” he said.
He led me down a flight of stone steps, to the level below us. Immediately, the volume increased as we got swept up in the throng of dragons. Quickly, Lord Dracul grabbed my hand, clutching it tightly so we would not be separated.
A stall nearby caught my eye and I tugged him towards it. Willingly, he went along with me and we stopped to look at the wares.
The merchant, a purple dragon based on the color of her hair, eyed me strangely before noticing Lord Dracul. Her eyes widened and her gaze shot between the two of us multiple times before she caught herself and bowed deeply. “I did not realize, my Lord. Please accept my apologies.”
Lord Dracul waved away her apology. “Do not worry,” he said. “I was just showing my Dragon Maiden around the mountain. She took a liking to your stall here.”
The other dragon looked at me once more and her face broke into a smile. “Your Dragon Maiden, of course!” she said, sounding somewhat surprised. “Is there anything that you fancy?”
I looked over her wares, shiny trinkets and silken fabrics. I pointed to a necklace, silver with swirls carved into it. In the center was a blue stone, the color of a clear summer sky. “This one is pretty,” I said. I looked to her. “All of your wares are beautiful.”
“Thank you, my dear,” she said. She turned to Lord Dracul. “Will you be purchasing anything for your Maiden today, my Lord?”
Lord Dracul looked over at the necklace before nodding, taking it and a blue silken wrap. “These two, please,” he said. He passed her a few gold coins and she bowed in gratitude.
“Thank you, my Lord, for your generosity.”
Turning to me, Lord Dracul stepped behind me to fasten the necklace. Once he was done, he draped the wrap over my shoulders. “You seemed a little cold,” he said in response to my questioning look. I realized he was right. It was chilly this deep in the mountain.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s the least I can do for my Maiden,” he said with a smile.
The two of us set off again, looking into the nearby stalls and admiring their wares. None caught my interest like the first one did and Lord Dracul did not buy anything else. Once we had exhausted looking at all the stalls on this level, we went to one below, where all the food carts were. Stepping onto that floor, my nose was assaulted with all sorts of delicious aromas. My stomach grumbled and Lord Dracul looked at me, a grin splitting his face.
“We should get you some food,” he said. “Is there anything in particular that you want? There’s just about everything you could imagine here.”
“Are there any foods that are dragon specialties?” I asked. I was curious if there was a huge difference in the cuisine. So far, the food served to the Maidens was fancier than anything I had eaten before, but it certainly was not unusual.
Lord Dracul laughed. “There certainly are, but most are known for their spiciness,” he said. “There’s one food in particular, but it might be too spicy for you. It usually is for most humans.”
My curiosity was piqued. “What is it?” I asked.
“It’s a crispy dough ball soaked in a spicy sauce,” he said. “We can get one for you to try, but should probably have something as a backup.”
“There were meat skewers I could see from up above that looked tasty,” I said.
Lord Dracul thought for a moment. “I know where you’re talking about,” he said. “They’re beef skewers, and are actually near the dragori stand as well.”
We walked towards the two food stalls, only stopping once to grab a few sweet cakes for after our meal. Lord Dracul bought the beef skewers first, then the dragori. He handed the skewers for me to try first.
“Give this a taste before you burn off your taste buds,” he said.
I took a bite, the juicy beef melting in my mouth. “It’s delicious!” I exclaimed, quickly taking another bite.
Lord Dracul insisted I finish the entire skewer before trying the dragori. It was bright red and I could smell the spices, causing my nose to itch.
“Having second thoughts?” Lord Dracul asked with a smirk when he saw my hesitation as I picked up one of the fried balls.
Immediately, I took a large bite, enjoying the crunch from the crispy shell. The taste was smoky and savory, but I was unable to identify the intricate flavors. Then the spice hit. My eyes began to water and I could feel my face turning red from the heat. My tongue felt like it was on fire and as I swallowed, I felt the heat trailing all the way down to my stomach.
Lord Dracul let out a sympathetic chuckle. “I did try to warn you,” he said. “Here, try this. It should help.” He handed me a tall glass of thick, white liquid.
I drank the liquid, quickly realizing it was some sort of milk. Immediately, I felt a bit of relief. The milk helped with the pain from the spice, but not completely. “I guess I should have believed you,” I said with a gasp, having finished the entire glass.
“Try one of the cakes too—it should help a bit.” Lord Dracul took out one of the intricately decorated cakes, holding it to my mouth.
Upon taking a bite of the tiny cake, I could taste sweetness and vanilla. My family had been too poor for sweets, except maybe once a year. The flavor reminded me of the cakes they would buy when they had saved up enough for a little treat. I smiled fondly at the memory.
“That is delicious,” I said.
Lord Dracul took the rest of the dragori that I had not eaten and popped it into his mouth, finishing it in one bite. I was not surprised when he had no reaction, but he smiled at me smugly. As a response, I shoved the second small cake into my mouth. He let out a bark of laughter, grabbing the third and final cake for himself before I could eat it too.
I tried to ignore the way my stomach flipped at his laugh, at how naturally we were able to tease each other. It was too easy to imagine the way we would grow closer if I stayed, how effortlessly I could acclimate to his world. I was filled with guilt at the thought of abandoning my quest to find Ronan. But maybe I could forget about that just for today—one day spent enjoying myself did not mean I gave up on my brother forever.
For the rest of the day, we wandered along the various levels with Lord Dracul pointing out different areas of interest. My favorite spot was a gorgeous fountain, encrusted with all sorts of blue and white gemstones reflecting light from nearby sconces. The whole fountain looked ethereal, and a few dragons tossed in coins. Lord Dracul said they were making wishes. He gave me a coin to toss into the fountain as well. Silently, I made my wish—that I would find my brother and be happy. I desperately hoped it would come true.
When I returned to the Dragon Maiden cavern that night, no one mentioned my two new presents that Lord Dracul had bought me. And for once, I fell asleep with a smile on my face. Lord Dracul certainly knew how to have fun, and I was blissfully happy for the first time in a long time. It was truly a wonderful day.