Page 83 of Consumed By Fire
It isn’t long before we turn a corner. I’m so shocked that I stop walking, my mouth gaping open as I crane my neck to look up at the castle before me. It is vast and impressive. Nothing like I imagined. I’m not sure what I envisioned, but it wasn’t this.
Its construction is grand, made of solid stone blocks. It is adorned with intricate carvings and tall towers with turrets and spires reaching toward the clouds. Many flags wave in the wind, the banners displaying a crest of arms – a large white, fire-breathing dragon against a fitting red background.
“Welcome to Stonefire Castle,” someone sneers, and I get an elbow in my side, telling me to get a move on.
I hold back a grunt of annoyance rather than pain and pick up the pace again.
We are led up a steep incline, marching for the castle. Massive wooden doors are thrown open as we draw near. Two large stone pillars stand on either side of the entrance. They’re adorned with carvings of dragons in various poses, their scales glistening beneath the setting sun.
Guards, all dressed in black leather armor and bearing long swords, stand at attention before the doors. They are also wearing the same black masks as our captors. It must be a thing here.
As I pass through the doorway, I can't help but feel like I’m stepping into a world that is vastly different from my own. The cold stone floor echoes my footsteps, and the high ceilings feel like they stretch up to the heavens. Nope, the Reds are certainly not feral beasts living in the jungle.
There is a wide staircase with gold railings. We are marched past the stairs to a door where we are led down…down…down. Into the bowels of the castle, to the dungeons.
It’s all well-lit and clean. The floors are polished and gleaming, as are the bars of the cells. We pass an infirmary. Finally, one of the cells is opened, and Trinity is pushed inside.
“I’m sorry I got you into trouble, female,” I tell her, putting emphasis on the word “female.” I hope she understands what I am trying to tell her. Namely that we are strangers.
“Quiet!” I get another elbow, harder this time.
Trinity’s eyes are filled with fear. She nods once, swallowing thickly.
“Don’t tell them anything,” I quickly shout and am rewarded with a punch to the kidney. This time I grunt. It hurts like a bitch.
I half expect to be placed in a cage as well, but it doesn’t happen; instead, I find myself ushered into a dimly lit room. There is a table and two chairs. I’m pushed down onto one of the chairs.
My shackles are undone, but before I can feel any sense of relief, I’m shackled to the table through a round ring. Two guards stand behind me. Another stands at the door. I’m sure that there are more out in the hallway. There is a large mirror to my left. It is a certainty that I am being watched. Studied like a bug under a microscope. Then I sit and wait…and wait…and wait some more. It’s all tactics to get me nervous. To put me on the back foot. It won’t work with me.
My ass has started to go numb when the male with the golden dragon crest on his armor walks in. He looks down at me through the eye slits in his mask. Then he finally sits, his back ramrod straight. His gaze never leaves mine.
The mask is crafted from a dark, gleaming metal that’s twisted and shaped into the eerie likeness of a human face. Its sharp angles and smooth curves seemed to mock the natural features it mimics. If they think a silly mask is going to intimidate me, they’re wrong. Dead fucking wrong. He looks like he belongs in a circus.
The silence in the room is deafening as he looks me up and down. I’m in a vulnerable position, stuck in this chair with shackles digging into my skin. I can feel the weight of judgment in the air like a thick fog. I don’t give a shit! Let him judge me all he wants.
I keep my mouth firmly shut.
After a time, he breaks the silence. “Why are you on Mistveil soil?”
I’ve had time to think things through. I pray that Trinity keeps quiet. I pray that they didn’t see too much of our exchange before coming at us. I need to protect her at all costs. They won’t go easy on her if they find out that she has been fraternizing with a Draig Dragon. It could very well cost her her life. I plan to avoid that at all costs.
“It came to my attention that males from Mistveil have been using the tunnel to come onto Draig soil. I had to put a stop to it.” I try to stick to the truth as much as possible.
“A fancy tale.”
“It’s the truth.” I fight to keep my temper in check. “They abducted a human female a month or two ago. They’ve harassed another of our Tributes since then. One of your males tried to rape her.”
The male chuckles, leaning back in his seat. “You expect me to believe that? You think I’m that gullible? Red Dragons wouldn’t dare use the tunnel. Our king ordered it.”
It’s my turn to laugh, and he doesn’t like it. I hear his breathing pick up a notch or two.
“Someone clearly doesn’t give a shit about your king’s orders.”
“Blasphemy!” he growls.
“It’s the truth. It’s Reds who have been using the tunnel to come onto our soil. Not the other way around.”
“And yet, we responded to a tip-off and found you, a Draiger, on our soil. We didn’t find any Red males entering the tunnel. How strange.” It’s clear from his tone that he doesn’t believe a word I am saying.