Chapter Twenty
Valora
The next morning, I woke to raised voices—Dracul and someone else were arguing. Their voices echoed through the landing, reverberating in my head as the two went back and forth, escalating more as the conversation went on.
“It’s against protocol!” I vaguely identified Lord Verhorn’s voice in my sleepy haze. “She is to be in the Dragon Maiden cavern every night!”
“She is my Dragon Maiden and if I decide that she can spend the night in my quarters, then she can.” Dracul’s tone was even, but his voice was loud.
“She just received punishment for trying to escape. She shouldn’t be spending any time outside of the cavern!” Lord Verhorn screeched. I could only imagine what he would look like in his human form—cheeks red and his eyes bulging. “Don’t you see what kind of message this sends?”
“Why does that matter?” Dracul’s voice dropped so dangerously low, I had to strain to hear him.
I could tell Lord Verhorn could sense the danger he toed, as he paused for several moments before responding, his voice much quieter this time. “Lord Dracul,” he said diplomatically. “I know you are High Dragon Lord and that you are afforded more liberties with the rules, but you might give the other Dragon Lords the wrong… impression if you continue to favor her so.”
I sat up at his words, my face flushing at what he implied. Though there was a certain closeness to the relationship Dracul and I shared, that line had not been crossed. Last night, I had not even thought about the implications of staying overnight in Dracul’s quarters and could only imagine the insults or insinuations Vimery would throw my way.
I shimmied my body closer to the edge of the landing so I could watch from my perch.
Dracul stepped towards Lord Verhorn. “You should choose your next words very carefully,” he growled.
Lord Verhorn visibly paled and took a small step backwards. “I’m just warning you to watch how you behave, my Lord,” he said. “Having her stay here overnight gives the wrong idea. There are rumors already swirling around about how you’ve given her special treatment. I would hate to see your leadership skills brought into question because of this.”
I swallowed at his words, thinking back to what Lord Hiram had said yesterday. If news got out outside the Shadowvale clan, it could give more credence to Borthen’s claims that Dracul should not be High Dragon Lord. I did not know what went into being High Dragon Lord, but it sounded like Borthen would not be a good fit for the position. Though I was glad that Dracul seemed to have good Dragon Lords surrounding him, looking out for his reputation, I did not like the insinuations Lord Verhorn made.
“Your advice has been heard,” Dracul said in a strained voice. “I will take it under advisement.”
Lord Verhorn heard the dismissal in his tone and bowed before leaving the room in a swirl of robes. Dracul muttered to himself before walking over to his desk and collapsing in his chair, his hand on his forehead. After a few moments, I stood and slowly descended the stairs, my gaze trained on Dracul.
He glanced up when my feet hit the floor, a sad look on his face. “You heard all that, didn’t you?” he asked.
I nodded. “Most of it, yeah.”
“I don’t want you to pay Verhorn’s words any heed,” he said, waving his hand.
“Based on what Lord Hiram said yesterday, it sounds like I should stick strictly to the rules,” I said, fidgeting with my hands and averting my eyes.
Dracul stood and walked towards me. “Do I make you uncomfortable?” he asked.
I did not answer, my gaze focused on my feet.
“Valora,” he said gently.
I looked up, staring into his molten eyes that always seemed to set my body on fire.
“Do I make you uncomfortable?”
“No,” I said. “But I don’t know if we are the same as the other Dragon Lords and the other Dragon Maidens.” I paused, trying to choose my words carefully. “Dracul, I don’t want to be the reason that others are questioning your leadership.”
His eyes were impossibly kind as he took my hands, fire spreading further through my body. “I can handle any rumors they throw my way,” he said. “I am High Dragon Lord. That’s not a title that’s easily rescinded—I inherited the position from my father and the other Lords agreed with my appointment. And as High Dragon Lord, I am afforded more privileges than most. Everything is going to be fine, I promise.”
I slowly pulled away, fighting the urge to continue holding on to his hands. “Regardless, I should probably go have breakfast with the other Dragon Maidens,” I said. “I’ll have to face them sooner or later. I might as well get it over with.”
Dracul nodded, taking a step away. “I will work on paperwork in the meantime then,” he said.
Feeling awkward at this wall I placed between us, I left, taking my time heading back to the Dragon Maiden cavern. I could feel a pit in my stomach, only imagining the tension that would be there when I entered. Everyone was chatting as I walked in, and from the snippets I caught, I could tell they talked about me.
A hush fell over the room, all eyes focused on me. Looking at each Maiden, I could see clearly on their faces that any trust I had built in the past months had dissipated completely. I hung my head, walking over to my bed and sitting on it. I did not want to be the first one to break the silence, only imagining what they would say.
Vimery was first with her scathing remarks. “Did you have fun kissing up to Lord Dracul?” she sneered, her face twisting into an unpleasant expression.
A quick glance at the other Maidens, and I could tell she voiced their unspoken opinions.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, staring her down. “I do my duties as a Dragon Maiden should.”
“Most Dragon Maidens don’t try to escape and live,” Vimery shot back.
“Valora, why did you try to escape?” Alonsa asked, holding a hand up to Vimery as a signal to be quiet.
I looked at my hands, gently touching my sleeves where my scars lay underneath. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said quietly. “I’ve already addressed this topic with Lord Dracul.”
“Is it true you were sent to the Whispering Pool?” Bethany asked, her tone somewhat excited.
I nodded. “I was there for three days,” I said.
Gasps filled the room.
“Barely anyone who goes there comes back alive,” Hyacinth said. “The Lords must be furious.”
“Are you going to remain Lord Dracul’s Dragon Maiden?” Bethany asked, inching closer towards me.
“She broke one of the most sacred rules. Why would she get to stay?” Vimery scoffed. “Especially as Dragon Maiden to the High Dragon Lord?”
“Well, the Whispering Pool decided not to punish her,” Bethany said. “Isn’t that enough proof for the Lords?”
“I will be remaining as Lord Dracul’s Dragon Maiden,” I confirmed, aiming my response at Bethany.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alonsa and Vimery exchanging a look.
“Why?” Vimery spat out with such venom that I was taken aback. She stepped towards me, practically spitting in my face. “Why does he still want you ?”
I stood and faced her, staring her down. “Your guess is as good as mine,” I said quietly. “But you’ve been nasty to me since the moment I got here without any reason for it.”
“You tried to escape,” she hissed. “Abandoned your post. You don’t deserve to be his Dragon Maiden. I knew you weren’t going to work out.”
Her words stung. I felt them deep to my core, knowing that she was right. I did not deserve to be by Lord Dracul’s side, not when I had abandoned him. The thought prickled against my pride and I could barely hold back the words that spilled out of me.
“And you think you’re better than me?” I asked.
She looked surprised that I finally fought back rather than letting her insults go.
“At least I still try to be better, try to do my best to serve him. You’re just hateful and rotten. If he had you serving him, he would be more disappointed in having you than me as his Maiden.”
To my surprise, Vimery’s eyes filled with tears and she turned, fleeing the cavern.
The rest of the Maidens stared at me in silence, shock on their faces. Alonsa gave me a withering look before moving to go after Vimery. The other three continued to stare at me until I felt like I needed to defend myself.
“She’s been antagonistic to me since day one,” I told them. “I know you’ve seen that much. Until now, I’ve kept my silence. I’ve kept the peace all while she’s insulted and tortured me.”
The three looked at each other, exchanging a look. I could tell there was more history there that I did not know about, but I did not want to wait around until one of them decided to deign me with an answer.
“I originally came here for breakfast, but I don’t think I’m hungry anymore.” Spinning on my heel, I left the cavern, leaving silence in my wake.
Just outside the cavern, I bumped into Lord Dracul. “My Lord,” I said, bowing. “I did not expect to see you here.”
“I heard everything you said,” he said, mirth gleaming in his eyes. “You certainly gave her a dressing down.”
“I’m sorry if you heard all that, but I was sick of how she treats me,” I explained.
“Oh, I certainly understand,” Lord Dracul said. “As I’ve said before, to disrespect you is to disrespect me. I’ve been waiting for you to finally stand up for yourself.”
“You’ve known what’s been going on this whole time?” I asked, flabbergasted that he would not step in.
“It was a test to see if you had the guts to stand up for yourself or not,” he said. “And you passed.” His smile grew before he gestured me to follow him to his cave.
“You were just testing me this whole time?” I said. I could not believe he had been sneakily watching from the sidelines.
“As I said, it was to see if you would stand up for yourself. The Dragon Maiden of the High Dragon Lord needs to put boundaries in place with the other Maidens. Vimery certainly was not an easy opponent, but she was a good lesson for you,” he said.
When we arrived at Lord Dracul’s cave, I immediately set to work picking up the scattered papers and books, organizing as I went. I briefly glanced over the paperwork as I sorted it into piles, quickly realizing that the issue with Borthen and the Starfire clan seemed far more dire than Lord Dracul had alluded to. More than once, I took several moments, my eyes scanning over the papers to glean more information on the issue. From what I could gather, it seemed that Borthen had been reaching out to other clans more frequently, bringing up concerns with Lord Dracul’s leadership and amassing more military forces. My heart skipped a beat when I read the words, He is beginning to pull more humans to his cause, willing to sacrifice them to reach his goals.
“My Lord,” I said after reading a few more papers that said the same thing. “This issue with the Starfire clan seems to be quite serious.”
Lord Dracul looked up from his desk, frowning slightly as he saw the sheaf of papers in my arms. “Bring those here,” he said, reaching a hand out. I brought them to him, and he quickly scanned the documents. “I’m not too concerned,” he said at last. “Like I said, he’s been trying to do this for years.” He fixed me with his gaze. “And I thought I told you to call me Dracul.”
I bowed my head, feeling the need for formality. “I understand, my Lord,” I said. “I’m sorry for my question.”
He leaned his elbow on the desk, resting his chin on his hand. “What about the other part?” he asked. I knew he would not like my answer.
“My Lord, for now, I think it best that I address you by your title,” I said.
A look of despair briefly crossed his face before he could fix his expression. “I understand,” he said. “If that is what you wish, then I won’t push further.”
He went back to his paperwork, and I could not ignore the pang in my heart at his saddened expression, but the closeness rising between us was growing dangerous.