Page 5 of The Dragon Maiden

Alonsa motioned me over towards one of the wardrobes and handed me a light-gray dress. I quickly put it on. It hung off my frame, the hem heaping at my feet. Alonsa clicked her tongue in slight displeasure before going to a different wardrobe and picking out a smaller dress from the back of it. It was midnight blue, so dark it almost looked black in the right lighting. To my relief, it also had long sleeves to cover my scars. Though they were healed, they were not even close to fading, and I felt self-conscious about them.

“This is one of the smallest ones we have,” Alonsa said. “Hopefully it’ll fit.” She reached into a chest and pulled out a pair of matching silk slippers.

I put it on and it fit perfectly, hugging my frame well. Looking around, I noticed all the other women fixing their hair at the mirrors. There was only one left available, but it was so ornate, obviously the best quality out of all the mirrors. Using it felt wrong. I did not want to presume it was mine so I braided my raven hair by touch instead of sight.

My stomach growled with a vengeance and I clutched it, realizing that in the shock of everything yesterday, I had not eaten. Now it was empty and angry, and a new wave of nausea passed over me. Before I could ask about breakfast, a girl in a well-worn gray dress rushed into the cavern carrying six bowls on a tray. She set them down on a table before rushing back out, her head bowed the entire time. The disparity between her clothing versus what the rest of us wore did not escape my notice. She was even barefoot.

“Ah, breakfast!” Bethany exclaimed, her expression brightening as she walked towards the tray and picked up a bowl.

All the others came forward and took bowls as well, scattering about the cavern to eat. I waited for them before moving to grab one. In it was what looked to be lumpy porridge, and after I swallowed a mouthful of the tasteless lumps, my stomach gurgled happily, glad to finally receive sustenance. While this might not be the tastiest breakfast, I knew it would keep me full for most of the day. I quickly began to scarf down the rest of the porridge, my first real meal in days.

My back was to the door, but I felt a presence approaching. My suspicions were confirmed when everyone went pale and dropped their empty bowls, gazes fixed on the doorway behind me. I swallowed my last mouthful before turning around. Immediately, my stomach churned at the face staring back at me. I swiftly regretted eating breakfast so quickly, feeling it wanting to come back up. That pull, that knot from yesterday, was back once more. I heard the swish of fabric from dresses as the other Maidens knelt to the ground, but I remained frozen. After a moment, I was able to break free from the trance that Lord Dracul had on me, and knelt as well, bowing my head.

“How may we serve you, my Lord?” Alonsa asked. I was glad that she was the spokesperson, as I was not sure I would be able to work any words out. “If you came for the newcomer, we expected to have at least a few days to begin her training.”

“I would rather train her myself before turning her over to your care,” Lord Dracul said. “But I do appreciate your willingness to help.”

From behind me, I could hear slight murmurings from the other women. Apparently, that decision was abnormal and not how things were usually done around there. That fact made the knot in my stomach tighten. What could he possibly want with me?

Lord Dracul’s head turned towards me, and even from across the room, I could feel the heat from his gaze. “If you would follow me,” he said.

Numbly, I stood and followed him through the stone halls. The sound of his four clawed feet scraping against the floor tortured my already frayed nerves. I kept my head high, but could feel tears spilling down my cheeks. I tried to surreptitiously brush them away, but when I looked up, Lord Dracul glanced away quickly. Great, just great. This dragon who controlled my fate had certainly seen me at some of my lowest points in the span of less than a day.

I struggled to swallow past the lump in my throat as he led me through more hallways, further inside the caves. The huge cavern he led me to seemed more secluded from the others we had passed. My mouth dropped open, as it was bigger than the giant cavern I now lived in, and was filled with golden trinkets and treasures. Everything sparkled in the light of the sconces, and my mind went blank. I could not fathom how much all the gold here would be worth.

“Here we are,” he said, taking in my silence. “Today, I want you to get started on polishing everything in here.” He lifted a claw and dropped a polishing cloth into my hands. Immediately, my heart sank. “I’ll be checking in on your progress throughout the day.” With that, he turned to leave.

Finally, unbelievably, I found my voice. “How is this supposed totrainme?”

He turned back to me, an eyebrow arched. “I expect that the others explained what your duties are?”

Silently, I nodded.

“Polishing my hoard is one of your duties. It’s best you get started on that now. You can see how much there is.” A wry smile stretched across his lips, revealing his many sharp teeth. Once more, he turned to go, but before leaving, said, “I’m very sorry if you don’t agree with how you were brought here, but I hope you learn to accept this place as your home.”

“And if I don’t?” The words came out unexpectedly and much sharper than I had intended.

His expression was sad, which surprised me. “I hope you do,” he said. “I really hope you do.”

As he left, I once more felt that knot loosen. I turned my attention back to the mountains upon mountains of gold. The thought occurred to me that there was no way to get this all polished in a month, let alone a week.

I gritted my teeth, gripping the polishing cloth in hand, and grabbed the nearest object to set to work.

Chapter Five

Dracul

Around midday, I went to check on the newest Dragon Maiden, to see what she had accomplished and bring her lunch. No one was allowed around my hoard except for my Dragon Maiden, so there was no one else to bring her food. Yesterday, her arrival had certainly been a surprise. No Dragon Maiden had tried to escape before—most were ecstatic to be chosen. It meant their families were to be well compensated and taken care of for the rest of their lives. I could not imagine what the Sherok villagers had been thinking when they offered up a complete stranger to become a Maiden. Perhaps this year, no one had wanted to volunteer.

But by far the biggest surprise was that the newest Dragon Maiden was mydragaria—my mate, the one the stars chose to be mine. From the moment Verlak had unceremoniously dumped her on the ground, I’d felt the pull to her. Even now, I could feel a rope-like presence tugging me towards her. She would feel it, too, in time, once the shock of everything wore off. Right now, she was sad, hurting, and confused, but I could sense a resilience underneath, a hidden strength.

Never before had a Dragon Lord had a human as hisdragaria, at least not to my knowledge. Such a fact would cause ripples throughout all the clans, and I could only imagine the rumors my enemies would come up with if this fact became known. They would say this was proof that I was not meant to be High Dragon Lord, that I was too weak to even handle a female dragon as mydragaria. Already, they used my age as a reason, being the youngest High Dragon Lord to ascend to the position, despite all the elders agreeing to it. I could only imagine the scorn and insults they would direct towards Valora. Even the thought of imaginary insults being thrown at my mate made steam escape my nostrils in anger.

Upon entering the cavern, I was surprised to see the amount of progress Valora had made. To the side was a small pile of items that she had already finished, shining brighter than the rest of the hoard. Though it was meager compared to what was left in the cavern, it was more than what I had seen any other Maiden accomplish in the same amount of time. Right now, she was sitting cross-legged, vigorously polishing a golden vase, oblivious to my presence. As I watched, she set down the vase in the pile and grabbed a nearby cup, attacking it with the same ferocity. I knew her arms must be aching, although she did not show it. After watching her for a couple more moments, I cleared my throat.

Immediately, she whipped her head up, a strand of hair falling out of her braid and across her forehead. Her face paled and she scrambled into a bow. “I’m sorry, my Lord. I didn’t see you there.”

My heart clenched. Of course she was still afraid of me. “It’s quite all right,” I said. “It seems like you’ve been busy.”