Page 19 of The Dragon Maiden
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.
Chapter Thirteen
Valora
The next day I met back up with Henrick, slipping away from Lord Dracul with the excuse that I was eating lunch with the other Dragon Maidens. Earlier, I had managed to take a piece of parchment and scribble out the message that I wanted Henrick to deliver.
The young boy waited for me, shifting from foot to foot, obviously nervous. He nodded in greeting as I approached.
“Do you know how to get out of these caves? Other than the way you mentioned the other day?” I wasted no time on greetings, my heart beginning to pound. For the last couple of days, my thoughts had been consumed with escape, running through ideas every night before I went to bed.
Henrick hesitated before nodding slowly, his eyes growing big when he realized what I wanted. “If you get caught, you’ll be punished,” he said. “Probably killed.”
“I need to escape,” I said, my voice quiet. “I was taken against my will. I have family to find. Answers that I seek. In a week, it’ll be the new moon—I’m planning to escape then. In the darkness, it should be harder to find me.” I held out the note to him, along with a bracelet for his payment.
He paused, staring at the note, easily guessing its contents before his gaze flicked to the bracelet. I could tell he weighed the consequences of if he got caught and implicated with helping me against the price that the bracelet would fetch.
“Please, Henrick, please help me escape,” I begged. He was my only hope. I knew that everyone else was too scared of the dragons to even think of helping me. Though I hated the thought of using him, I needed to find my brother.
“It’s dangerous,” he said at last. “Very dangerous what you’re suggesting.”
“I know, but I can grab more items to pay you with,” I said. “I’ll make sure you aren’t caught. If this somehow fails, I won’t tell them you helped me. Please.”
The boy considered it for several moments, my heart pounding as the time dragged on, before taking the note and bracelet, sticking both in his pocket. He stepped towards me, motioning for me to get closer. His look of apprehension did not escape my notice and I was grateful that he was willing to risk his life to help me.
“I’ll see it gets picked up, and leave a pack by one of the back entrances that night,” he whispered, his voice dropping as he spoke. “But you shouldn’t come back here. People are getting suspicious. I’ve already been questioned about last time.”
For the next five minutes, we talked through the logistics of my escape and Henrick gave me instructions on how to exit the caves. It was not going to be easy that night, but it was my only hope to escape and see Ronan again.
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.