The Dragon Maiden

Chapter Fourteen

Valora

Now that a plan was in place, time passed slowly. I could feel myself growing restless and impatient waiting for the day to arrive, but did my best to hide my apprehension from Lord Dracul and the other Maidens. One moment, I would feel confident about the plan, and the next, I would question if it was a good idea, my mind rapidly changing on a regular basis. I could tell that the other Dragon Maidens had noticed a change in me, but so far, no one had questioned me on it, which I took as a good sign.

A couple days later, Lord Dracul was sitting at his desk when he stopped writing and looked at me where I was cleaning the bottles used for his potions. I could feel the restless energy building up within me, my foot tapping quickly.

“Valora, what is it?” he asked. “You’ve seemed tense the past few days.”

I set the bottle I was cleaning down in the basin and turned to look at him. “I’m feeling a bit cooped up,” I admitted, the first excuse that came to mind as to why I had been acting this way.

“I see,” he said, a thoughtful expression coming over his face. “I suppose you have been stuck inside for quite a while.” He continued to think before an idea hit him, his mouth spreading into a grin. “Come with me,” he said, standing and gesturing for me to follow.

Lord Dracul led me through the tunnels, towards a different part of the caves I had not been to before. We came across a set of steps winding upwards and he took my hand, guiding me up them. The staircase stretched high up into the mountain and I was winded by the time we reached the top, where there was a small landing leading into a wall. Lord Dracul paused before the wall, pressing a hidden mechanism on the right, causing the wall in front of us to slide aside, leading outside. My mouth dropped open as he led me onto a flat stone balcony surrounded by a waist-high barrier, the wall behind sliding back into place after us.

From our vantage point, I could see the forest and the expanse of the mountain below us. We were high enough up that I could not see any animals from this height, but I could tell that the foliage had changed and fall was on its way. It was a stark reminder that it had been half a year since I was taken. Looking further up the mountain, I could see snow-capped peaks, further affirming this fact. Wind whipped through my hair. At this altitude, it was so strong it ripped my hair out of its braid. Lord Dracul moved to the edge of the balcony, and after a couple seconds, I followed him, standing at the barrier. Together, we gazed out at the surrounding area, red and orange hues filling the forest as far as the eye could see.

“I hope this helps,” he said, loud enough to be heard over the wind. “This is the most I can do at this time.”

I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself, not dressed enough to combat the chill of the air. Lord Dracul shrugged off his velvet robes, placing them over my shoulders, and I instantly felt warmer.

“What about you?” I asked, watching as he stood bare-chested, placing his hands on the stone barrier and leaning out over the edge of it. Immediately I was distracted and did my best to ignore his muscles. His long, deep-blue hair whipped behind him in the wind. “Won’t you get cold?”

He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that I could hear over the wailing of the wind. “I’m a dragon, remember?” he said, turning to look at me. “I don’t need anything to keep me warm.” Lord Dracul reached out his hands and gently placed them on my wind-whipped cheeks, warmth transferring from his touch to me. I could feel my face growing redder, though it had nothing to do with how cold it was outside.

“I suppose that’s true,” I mumbled, looking away from his intensely warm gaze. His eyes looked like pools of melted silver, which they resembled more often these days. I remembered the first day I had arrived, and they had looked like metallic shards, ready to pierce me. Now I felt like I could disappear into them, surrounding myself in their warmth. The thought flitted through my mind that I could always stay and continue to stare into these eyes forever.

I cleared my throat and took a step away from him, suddenly far too aware of my thoughts. This little excursion had distracted me enough, and I almost felt a pang of sadness at the thought of escaping in the next few days. Moments like that, moments of Lord Dracul’s kindness, tethered me there, but I knew that I needed to move forward and continue trying to find Ronan. That familial bond, that pull to know what had happened, drove me onward, and no matter how much I enjoyed my time with Lord Dracul, it was almost time for that to come to an end.

“Are you ready to head back inside?” he asked, looking once more out at the forest.

Slowly, I nodded. Despite his robes surrounding me and the previous warmth of his hands, I suddenly felt cold, frozen by the knowledge that this would soon be ending. The thought turned my stomach to ice.

Lord Dracul walked over to where we had come from and pressed the mechanism, the wall sliding open again. Carefully, we descended the stairs, and once we reached the bottom, I handed him back his robes.

“Thank you,” I said softly, trying to ignore the sadness that overwhelmed me. “I needed that.”

He smiled and my heart skipped a beat. “I needed a break too. It was a pleasure to have you join me.”

We walked back to his cavern, my mind in turmoil. The more time I spent with the Dragon Lord, the more attached I became. The new moon could not come soon enough. I needed to get out before I could no longer allow myself to leave.

* * *

Later that night, as I ate dinner with the other Dragon Maidens, they shared stories of their towns’ fall festivities. Most had a sort of late-night fall market, filled with comforting baked goods. A couple carved squashes and traded homemade boiled sweets with other villagers. And a few others had an annual bonfire with music and dancing. The stories and laughter made me feel homesick. The fall harvest bonfire had been the last festivity I had been able to celebrate with my parents. Only a few weeks after that was when we had been attacked and my life had changed forever.

Tonight, we had spiced pumpkin tarts for dessert, the smell warm and welcoming. We all huddled together in a circle, the steam from the heated pool warming us from the mountain’s chill. Gwen and Hyacinth had blankets wrapped around their shoulders. Vimery sat as far away from me as possible, avoiding my eyes as she glared at her tart.

“Vimery, you’re awfully quiet tonight,” Alonsa said. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine,” the other Maiden said, her tone short.

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Bethany prodded.

Vimery let out a huff of frustration. “ She gets all sort of special treatment and I’m sick of it!” she shouted, pointing a finger at me. “She breaks rules and doesn’t get punished for it. And then Lord Dracul took her topside today. It’s not fair!”

Alonsa let out a sigh. “She is under Lord Dracul’s guidance right now,” she said. “And that affords her certain benefits.”

“But she shouldn’t be! She’s not even a full Dragon Maiden yet. She hasn’t gone through the ritual!” Vimery wailed.

“Vimery, that’s enough,” Alonsa said firmly. “None of this is Valora’s fault. You need to let this go.”

The other Dragon Maiden continued to glare at me in silence. I felt the anger simmering beneath her gaze. I remained silent, knowing that any word from me and she would explode further. Though this shed more light on why she hated me, it still did not explain her immediate animosity when I had arrived.

There was a slight noise at the entrance of the cave and we all turned to look. Lord Dracul appeared in the doorway in his human form, an eyebrow quirked and his mouth set in a grim line. I knew immediately that he had heard Vimery’s outburst. I stood to bow, hoping to delay any punishment he would burden her with.

“Is there anything you need help with, my Lord?” I asked.

“Valora, please come with me,” he said, his voice serious. As I crossed the cavern to meet him, he directed his attention to the other Dragon Maidens. “Valora will be coming back after curfew,” he said. “Do not wait up.”

My stomach dropped at his words, worried about what was going to happen. Had he found out about my escape plan? I could practically feel Vimery’s smirk focused on me.

Lord Dracul led me to his cavern in silence, my heart growing heavier with every step.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked, trying to think through my actions from the afternoon and if I had done anything wrong. But nothing came to mind.

He smiled at my tone of concern and shook his head. “You have not,” he said, heading up the stairs along the wall to the landing that held the telescope. “But I figured tonight would be a good night to look at the stars. You indicated your interest a while ago.”

My eyes widened in excitement, he remembered my comment from months ago. “Really?” I breathed, rushing to follow him up the stairs. “I can stay up late to look at the stars?”

Lord Dracul laughed at my reaction. “Yes,” he said. “You can stay up late to look at the stars. The reason I picked tonight,” he said, looking through the telescope and making a few adjustments, “is there is a comet passing by later tonight. I thought you might be interested.”

I nodded eagerly. “That sounds wonderful,” I said.

He moved out of the way, gesturing for me to take a look, and I peered through the telescope. He had focused it on the Drake constellation, the stars forming the shape of two dragons circling each other.

“Wow,” I whispered. “I’ve never seen it look like this before.” I moved back for Lord Dracul to take a longer look.

“There’s a legend about the Drake constellation,” he said. “Have you heard about it?”

I smiled, knowing the answer to this question. It was one of the stories in my father’s book. “There was a dragon that was so obsessed with the stars that he flew as high as he could until he joined them,” I summarized.

Lord Dracul’s smile grew. “That is the commonly told tale,” he said. “But the story told among the clans is a little different.” He paused, almost as if waiting for me to ask him to continue.

I did not want to disappoint. “Would you mind telling it to me?” I asked, sitting amongst the pile of cushions that was arranged on the landing. Lord Dracul came over and sat down next to me.

“Dragons are said to get our powers from the stars,” he said. “A star fell and landed on a lizard, who absorbed its power and transformed into a dragon. And that was how the dragons were born. Each dragon is told this story as a youngling, and one of the High Dragon Lords took that story to heart. One day while he was stargazing, he saw a star falling to a location nearby. He flew to find the star and found that a special dragon had appeared directly from the star, a glowing dragon. He fell in love with her immediately. The two of them spent their days together, filled with love and happiness. Eventually, she had to return to the sky. Despite wanting to keep her by his side forever, he let her go. When she flew back to the sky, she became part of the constellation. The High Dragon Lord was so heartbroken that he started wasting away. One day as he was staring up at her in the sky, he noticed the winking of the star that was her eye. Inspired, he flew up to join her and became stuck in the sky with her. They were finally together forever.”

“That’s a much better story than the one I’ve heard,” I said softly, my face heating up as he stared at me warmly. “Very romantic.”

“I think so too,” Lord Dracul said, his eyes molten. He was so close.

I looked away, my face on fire. There was an unexpected heat in my stomach. I thought my body was going to burst into flames. Along with that was a burning desire to touch him, feeling a pull I could not explain to be near him. Wind from the window blew in, dousing the heat that consumed my body. A shiver ran down my back at the sudden chill.

“You’re cold, aren’t you?” Lord Dracul asked. “Let me get something for you.” He stood and went down the staircase, giving me much needed time to collect myself. My fingers fiddled with the necklace he had gifted me, giving me something else to focus on.

What felt like seconds later, Lord Dracul returned with a plush blanket and two steaming mugs. He drew the blanket around me before handing me a mug. From the smell, I could tell it was a spiced tea, quickly confirmed by a tentative sip. The warm liquid slid down my throat and I felt it re-warming my belly, though this warmth was different than the one from earlier.

“That’s delicious,” I said, snuggling into the blanket. “When does the comet come by?”

Lord Dracul paused, thinking for a moment. “It should be here soon,” he said, standing to calibrate the telescope. “Do you want to see more constellations in the meantime?”

I stood, drawing the blanket around me to block out the cold. I looked through where he had directed the telescope next and smiled at the Mariposa constellation, one of my favorites. “I love this one,” I said, staring at it for several moments before stepping back.

“It’s a favorite of mine too,” Lord Dracul said. “Although I think this next one is my absolute favorite.” He moved the telescope once more, taking a few minutes this time to make the necessary adjustments.

With anticipation, I looked through the telescope. Immediately, tears blurred my vision as I recognized the constellation. It was the first one my father had shown me, the first one I had memorized, and one of my favorite stories. It was the Amor constellation, shaped like two hands clasping each other. My father had shown me the arrangement of stars when he told me about how he and my mother had met—they had been stargazing on the same hill. It was a pastime that they both had shared with me since I was young.

“This one is my favorite,” I said, my voice clogged. “Do you have a story for this one that’s different from the commonly told tale?” The tears began to fall, though I tried to hold them back. But with the anniversary of their deaths fast approaching, I was suddenly filled with lots of memories.

“No, both dragons and humans share the same story for this constellation,” he said, looking curious as to why I wiped away tears. “Valora, is everything okay?”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t mean to ruin tonight, my Lord.” The tears fell faster and I tried to hold them back.

“When it’s just the two of us, you can call me Dracul. You don’t need to address me by my title,” he said, moving closer to me. “And you aren’t ruining anything. It’s fine.” His voice was kind. “Do you want me to tell you another story?” He gestured back towards the pile of cushions, and I nodded, moving to follow him.

I settled back into the cushions and Dracul began to talk, his deep voice soothing. “Back before the world was created, the gods of the universe figured out how to occupy their time. They decided to create our world and busied themselves with their creations. Two of the gods loved each other dearly, but their duties took them away from each other. The daytime god, Solaris, was charged with bringing the sun, and the night goddess, Nosha, was to bring the moon, so they never got to see their love. Solaris worked with the god of the sky to create the Amor constellation so his love would be able to see the image of their clasped hands at night and know how much he loved her. Once a month, on the new moon, they are able to be together.”

I closed my eyes, listening to the cadence of his voice. The way he told the story was so soothing and reminded me of my childhood, of my father reading from his book of stories by the fireplace. As the story came to a close, I opened my eyes and Lord Dracul stared at me, his eyes filled with that molten silver once again. I felt that fire begin to grow inside me once more.

“Do you feel better?” he asked, his voice soft and husky.

I nodded silently, my voice caught in my throat.

“The comet should be visible now,” he said, moving away to stand.

Immediately, I felt the cold rush in from the absence of his body. He held out a hand and I took it, but he pulled me up harder than I expected, causing me to fall into him.

“Sorry,” he said quietly, helping me right myself, his cheeks turning red.

“It’s okay,” I said, my face aflame once more.

The thought again crossed my mind that my escape could not come soon enough. I just continued to embarrass myself.

Lord Dracul moved towards the telescope, looking through it again, sucking in a sharp breath. “I found it,” he breathed, standing still for several moments before moving aside. “Come look.”

I stepped forward, and when I looked through the glass, my mouth dropped open. A brilliant burst of light moved through the sky, leaving behind a trail of twinkles. Never before had I seen anything so beautiful, the bright colors taking my breath away.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed. It seemed almost a sin to speak any louder than a quiet whisper. I could feel Lord Dracul moving behind me, and I jumped when he placed his face next to mine, trying to look through the telescope too. “I can move so you can see more, my Lord,” I said, starting to move out of the way.

His hands gently rested on my hips as he held me in place. “Dracul,” he prompted.

“Dracul,” I repeated, the word feeling strange leaving my lips without his title.

“There’s enough room for both of us to look,” he said, his voice tickling the back of my neck.

I leaned down once more to look through the telescope, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. His hands remained on my waist and I felt warmth radiating from them, spreading through my body. He settled his head on my right shoulder so we could look through the telescope at the same time, but I tried to focus on breathing normally, my heart racing. This was dangerous.

We stayed still for several moments before I stepped away. “Thank you for the evening of stargazing,” I said, studiously avoiding his gaze. “But I-I think I should go.” I moved towards the stairs.

“Valora, wait,” Dracul said. “Please.” I turned to look at him, and his expression filled with confusion and sadness. “I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”

“I-I…” I was at a loss for words. “I think I need to go. Good night.”

I practically ran down the stairs, heading for the cavern entrance. Dracul remained frozen on the landing, his gaze burning into me.

I was not sure what had just happened between us, something that had been building all evening, but I knew I needed to get out of there before I did something I would regret. Quietly, I ran back to the Dragon Maiden cavern and slipped under the covers, my heart beating wildly. Luckily, the other Maidens were asleep and no one was awake to interrogate me.