Chapter Thirty
Valora
I awoke with a pounding headache and my vision was foggy for several moments. Looking around, I took in my surroundings. I was in a fairly large, domed enclosure, with a large opening at one end. A rough blanket lay underneath me and to my right was a pail of water and another bucket that I could easily guess its purpose. Slowly, I moved towards the opening, pausing to check for any movement. I looked out and my heart dropped. The dome I was in was attached to the wall of an enormous cavern, high enough up on the wall that if I was to try and jump, I would surely perish. Along the walls of this cavern were other domes similar to mine, but from what I could tell, they all seemed empty. Sconces lined the walls, two on each side of every dome to light up the cavern. At the bottom was a large entrance leading to a hallway.
As I took in my surroundings, trying to figure out where I was, a bronze dragon entered the cavern, his eyes going straight to me. His mouth morphed into a smirk and I scrambled backwards into my dome as he began to fly towards me. When he reached the entrance of my dome, he transformed into his human form, stepping in with me. His skin was bronzed, his hair a reddish-gold hue, and his eyes were a glittering gold as he stared at me hungrily. To my dismay, he only wore pants, and I looked away, wanting to crawl as far away from him as possible.
“So you’re Dracul’s Maiden, huh?” he asked in a gravelly voice, swaggering towards me.
I said nothing, continuing to look at the wall. My skin crawled as he got close enough to grip my face, forcing me to look at him.
“I was talking to you,” he said roughly. “And I expect an answer when I ask you a question, is that understood?”
“Yes,” I whispered, fear flowing through me. The coarseness of his eyes instilled a primal fear in me. I knew how easily he could kill me and he showed no restraint in his gaze. More than ever, I wanted Dracul to be there. “I’m Lord Dracul’s Maiden.”
He let out a harsh laugh. “I can’t believe the bastard finally got himself one!” he crowed, pushing me away. “I never thought he had it in him. If I had known, I would have tried something different to off him.”
My heart stopped at his words. “You’re Borthen?” I asked in disbelief.
His brows furrowed into a thunderous frown. “Watch it! That’s Lord Borthen to you,” he growled. “Your precious Lord may have stolen everything that was mine, but I will not have you disrespecting me.” I bowed my head, and he cackled. “Oh, if only he could see how easily you submit to me,” he said. “I would love to see the look on his face once he realizes what I’ve stolen from him.”
“What do you want with me?” I asked, attempting to keep a tremble out of my voice.
Borthen stepped towards me again and I flinched, much to his delight. “It was a shock finding out that he had a Maiden,” he whispered, once again coming close to my face. I could feel his breath stir my hair. “But once I realized what happened, I immediately started my plan to kidnap you. That way, he will feel as helpless as I did when he stole everything from me.”
“Are you going to kill me?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. “And maybe not. Either way, you will be good bait to get Dracul to come here for you. Sources say he’s very attached to you.” His eyes darted up and down, surveying me. I hunched myself into a smaller ball, disliking the look in his eyes. “Yes, I can see why,” he murmured, licking his lips.
Once more, I looked away, feeling sickened. “Lord Dracul didn’t steal anything,” I said loudly, surprising myself. A quick glance at Borthen and I could tell he was surprised too. “He was rightfully picked as High Dragon Lord.”
Borthen laughed once more. “Is that what he told you?” he asked.
Slowly, I nodded, a sinking feeling filling me.
“What a pack of lies! There is a special ring that unlocks a Lord’s power without a Maiden,” he said. “Something that would be very useful for a High Dragon Lord with no Maiden. Usually, a High Dragon Lord is not inducted until he has a Maiden, but he falsely claimed he had this ring. A few years ago, I actually found it in our clan’s vaults. When Dracul found out, he sent humans to come and steal it for him. He knew I would never hand it over willingly. These humans ingratiated themselves to me and I welcomed them in with open arms. For almost a year, they worked enthusiastically for me until one day, they gained access to the ring and stole it away.” He stopped to laugh. “Even though I couldn’t get revenge on Dracul, I was able to get revenge on those humans.”
His words had an edge of truth that I did not want to believe. “What did you do to them?” I breathed, unable to speak any louder.
Borthen’s face twisted into a wicked smile. “I sent my men to their homes to kill their families and burn their houses,” he said quietly, leaning his face towards mine.
I could feel all color drain from my face, feeling lightheaded.
“And your brother was one of the men who stole from me, Valora Marchton,” he hissed.
My blood ran cold.
“How ironic that your brother’s work for your current Lord happened to be the reason that your parents were killed.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. “You’re lying,” I said in a choked voice, but by his eyes, I could tell he was not.
He tsked at me, shaking his head in mock sadness. “Poor little Valora,” he said in mockery. “I wish I was.” Borthen turned to leave now that he’d had his fun with me. “I will see you tomorrow,” he said before jumping out of the dome. I could hear the flap of wings as he transformed midair.
All I could do was collapse into sobs, my heart breaking at the truth. After all this time, after all my travels, I finally found out what happened in the cave of my Lord’s greatest enemy. And the fact that Dracul was the reason behind my trauma made it hurt all the more.