Page 2 of The Dragon Maiden

“Yes, Lord Dracul.” The green dragon bowed and walked away, his claws clacking on the stone floor. His head was dropped in shame as he walked past the other dragons, all of whom eyed him with disapproval, except for a darker-green one who whispered a few words before dismissing him.

The blue dragon, Lord Dracul, made a noise, and my attention turned back to him. His gaze fixed on me. “I trust that your trip was not unpleasant?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out.

He repeated his question, irritation creeping into his tone.

I swallowed to dissipate the dryness in my mouth, ignoring the horrible taste left behind from vomiting earlier. “What?” My voice came out as a squeak, and I winced at the sound.

“I trust your trip was not unpleasant?” Lord Dracul repeated once more, beginning to frown slightly.

A sinking feeling entered my stomach, overriding the weird pulling feeling from earlier. It appeared that I had been brought there on purpose. Lord Dracul’s look was almost enough to make me vomit again. I was not sure why I had been brought there, but judging by his growing look of irritation, I was starting to doubt my chances at survival.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said slowly.

“You were not injured in any way?” he asked, a look of exasperation passing over his face. He seemed dissatisfied in some way, and I could not pinpoint why, but his disappointment bothered me.

I paused, taking stock of my body. “I don’t think so. My stomach just seems a little out of sorts.”

“Good.” He nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Now, if you’ll follow me, I will show you to your quarters.” He turned to leave.

“Wait, excuse me!” I said, panic entering my voice. I tried to stand to follow, but fell back to the ground, my legs still weak. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but I forced myself to keep my head held high despite the other dragons exchanging looks of amusement at my actions.

Lord Dracul turned back and raised a scaly eyebrow at my outburst.

“But what am I doing here?”

The dragon’s eyes widened at my question, his tail swishing behind him. “You do not know? Your people should have informed you.”

My heart began to sink. I did not want to believe what I thought he was going to say next. Context clues pointed to me staying there indefinitely. “Informed me of what?”

“This is your new home,” Lord Dracul explained gently, probably in response to seeing my panicked expression. “You were chosen to stay here, and in return, we will continue to protect your village and not destroy it.”

I felt the color drain from my face. I put a hand on the ground to steady myself, a soft whimper escaping. An icy chill enveloped me when he confirmed my worst fear. I was still searching for my brother; there was no way I could stay there. He had the answers I sought.

Quickly, I glanced behind me and made a decision. On unsteady legs, I jumped up and sprinted towards the entrance, not giving myself time to think. My pack was somewhere in this cave, but I could not stay there a moment longer.

From behind, I felt a claw snag my clothing, pulling me backwards, but not before I caught a glimpse of what was outside the cave. Everything happened so quickly that I had forgotten that there was only a steep cliff that fell away completely. The only fate that would await me that way was certain death, and would have been, if I had not been stopped.

“What was that about?” Lord Dracul hissed, leaning towards me. His claw released me once he saw my expression. I could hear the other dragons murmuring amongst themselves in the background.

Maybe I could explain to him that I did not belong there. Surely, he would let me go then. I did not belong to the village I was taken from. “I don’t live in that village. I was just passing through,” I explained, desperation edging into my voice. Looking at his expression, it did not seem like I would be able to leave. “I’m searching for my brother. I need to go.”

Slowly, I began to edge away from him, but the dragon swished his tail around me, effectively blocking any exit. I could feel tears pricking my eyes, but rapidly blinked them away. I could not break down and cry; it would not be helpful. Not right now.

“Be that as it may, the people picked you to be a Dragon Maiden, and this is your new home,” Lord Dracul said. The title sounded vaguely familiar, but I could not recall any details about the position. Living far away from the mountains had that advantage. “Now follow me to your quarters. I won’t ask again.”

A protest escaped from me against my will. “But—”

The large red dragon with a stocky body to the right of us leaned forward and said softly, “You best do as he says. If you don’t agree to be a Dragon Maiden, there are other… alternatives for you.” From the look he gave, it was not too hard to guess what those alternatives were.

Lord Dracul’s tail moved, and I spotted my pack a couple feet away. I walked over and picked it up, clutching it to my chest. Right now, it was the only comfort in this sudden, unfamiliar world. Once more, I glanced behind me at the entrance, towards the sunny skies, before turning and following the cobalt dragon further into the mountain.

Chapter Three

Valora

As I followed the large dragon in front of me, I paid close attention to the twists and turns we took. Maybe later I could try to escape, once I figured out how to get down the cliff. It did not escape my notice that the tunnels were vast enough to fit a dragon, but I was mostly surprised at how smooth the walls were. Certainly, it did not look like the tunnel system had been clawed out by dragons. Maybe this was the reason they needed human labor? Every few feet were lit sconces, intricately carved vines holding the light sources in place. We moved too fast for me to take a closer look, but it did not look like it was flame that kept the sconces lit.