Just inside the dark entrance was a lamp. Ash had several lamps now stashed all over the labyrinth and at each entrance she had discovered.
Ash unrolled a piece of paper from inside her shirt. It was one section of the labyrinth. She had started mapping it almost from the first day. She had thought it the height of stupidity to not have a map. Maybe none of the priests had known how to make one. But her father had been a merchant and a captain before that. He loved maps and had taught her to love them as well.
She glanced to a part of the map she was still working on to orientate herself. Then with quick steps which echoed in the large space. Some of the tunnels were large and spacious and others were like caves cut out with rude tools and shored up with planks of wood. Most were lined with a grey brick which was seamless. There were a few made of square red bricks in interesting patterns. This one was made of the smooth grey brick and it had a curved floor.
Water dripped making patterns of tapping sounds. When she came to the end of her map she pulled it out and started making notes. Then she turned all her concentration on this new area. She came to the end of a long tunnel. There had been a grey wall but it had been broken down and now there was an entrance. Beyond it was stone.
Ash was amazed. There were other openings like this but the walls were made of dirt and shoring. To cut through stone like this was amazing. She climbed over the opening and looked around before she stopped to mark this on her map as well. The stone tunnel opened out into a natural cave. She had never heard of the labyrinth having anything natural. Everything she had seen so far had been artificial.
Intrigued she moved deeper. She stopped when the sound of water was interrupted for a moment then there was a distinct scrap of metal on stone. She doused her lantern and left it on the ground. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the dark then crept forward.
There was a curve in the cave system. On one side was a large cavern. A waterfall tumbled down one wall. There were smaller caverns coming off the larger one. Just outside one of these was a large man. His skin a dark colour. He moved slightly to cup his hands under the stream of water to drink. When he moved she saw that there was a chain around his ankle. The chain snaked into a small cavern where she assumed it was attached to something.
Ash watched him for a long moment curious how he survived down here. He moved to the pool and cursed when the chain came to its end. So, he was chained to a wall she thought and she knew the outside edge. Feeling brave with this knowledge she made her presence known.
Ash stood up and moved into the cavern. He hissed and spun to look at her, then crouched ready to attack. She held up her hands and said, “I do not mean harm.”
When he didn’t move she approached slowly. “I am Ash.”
She was fascinated with him. He wore little, a leather loin cloth around his waist. Despite his imprisonment he had curved muscles over his chest and arms. His legs were like trunks. When she stepped closer he growled low in his throat making her stop.
She tried again “Do you have a name?”
He growled again. She wondered how long he had been down here. She moved a little closer to the stream. It became very deep at the base of the small waterfall. Within the water there were darts of silver light, little tiny fish. Her mouth dropped. The man must be catching the fish to stay alive.
She glanced back at him. His muscles were jumping with the strain he was putting them under. She went to a stone that she knew to be out of his range and sat down.
After a while he settled down. He crouched, moving back very slowly. He settled with his back to the wall and watched her. She smiled at him and he growled. It was like he was feral. With the stream and the fish he could have been here a very long time.
Ash curled her knees up to her chin and said “You poor thing.” She started talking about some of the other people in the basilica. She didn’t know how long she was there, but she was blinking tired eyes when she left. He hadn’t moved the whole time she had been there.
Ash came the next day bearing gifts. The man was standing at the edge of his chain. This time she hadn’t been quiet or hidden her lamp. His eyes blinked at the light. She could see him better now. He might look like a man but not like any man she had ever seen. He had eyes which reminded her of an animal as they were gold. With a gasp she asked, “What are you?”
He growled again.
It seemed his only response to her. She motioned to the package she had brought and said, “I don’t know what you have but I thought you could do with another blanket and some food. Fish everyday must get boring very quickly.”
She had wrapped the food in the blanket and she swung it towards him. He snatched it out of the air with one hand. She stepped back and went to sit on the stone she had used as a seat before. He watched her for a long moment then untied the knot in the blanket.
When he saw the food he started gulping it down in gasps. She had seen some of the orphan boys like that. She started talking while he ate. She explained about her uncle and how her parents had died. She didn’t expect him to listen. He must be so lonely she thought.
When it came time to leave she stretched and reached down for her lamp. She turned when he said, “Light.”
Ash blinked. It was the first word she had heard him say. His voice had been low and it had shivered down her spine. If a wolf had stood on its hind legs and started to speak that was what it would have sounded like.
She looked down at the lantern. She hesitated then said, “I’ll leave the light but the oil won’t last much longer. I’ll bring some more tomorrow... and some food but I’m not sure about that. They watch the food with all the new orphans. Good night.”
She put the lantern down and moved away. She waited for her eyes to adjust before counting out steps all the way back to the entrance.
Ash looked out the window at the snow that was falling. It didn’t often snow in the Basilica, maybe once a year so the cold seemed even more bitter. Children laughed as they jumped around in the snow. This would be a treat for them, snow they didn’t need to fear.
With the snow though she was given extra chores and she hadn’t been able to get into the labyrinth in two days. She was worried about her man trapped in the cave.
He had come to expect her visits though he didn’t speak much. When he did it was one worded and terse. He still hadn’t told her anything about himself. Not his name nor what species he was. Though she had some idea. There were not many creatures with gold eyes and who could hold the shape of a human. What she didn’t understand was why he was there in the first place.
It took her another two days to get time to go down to him. This time she had a treat. With the weather the cooks had made a sticky date desert and she had managed to get some for her man.
Ash called for him as she entered the cave, apologising for taking so long. She stopped when she didn’t see him. She called out again, her steps faltered. Her heart beating fast, she stepped closer to his smaller cave. She angled around until she could see inside.
She could see his feet and some of his legs. He moaned softly and she stepped closer. He twisted a little in his bed of blankets and small furs. They looked like the skins of rats, hundreds of them. He was sick and with that thought she moved into the cave. He turned his head and moaned again. Gingerly she crouched next to him and slowly pressed her hand to his forehead.
He moved like lightning. He yanked her underneath him and growled. His eyes bright with fever as his heat radiated over her. She tried to shift out from underneath him. His muscles bunched and he pressed into her more, making it hard for her to breath.
She must have made a noise as he shifted a little and she found it easier to breathe again. He tilted his head down and she wondered if he was blacking out. Instead, he pressed his nose to her throat and took a deep breath.
His hand next to her head moved so his fingers buried in her hair. She was still wondering what he was going to do next. She knew he was dangerous, especially if he was f
evered and was hallucinating.
He massaged her head and tilted her head up. His teeth nipped at her chin. His lips finally hovered over her own. Her eyes wide she stared at him. His own eyes were closed as he savoured the moment.
He growled out “Mine.”
Before he lowered his lips and kissed her. Shock and pleasure shot through her, confusing her. She gasped and he slipped his tongue into her mouth and she gave up trying to understand and tentatively returned the kiss.
Her mind slowly turned over what he had said and the circumstances. Surely he didn’t mean her. Maybe it was the fever. With that thought she pulled back and pushed at him. He rolled away without a fight and sighed. She sat up and muttered something about him dreaming or some such.
Ash was still very confused and it didn’t help that she was tingly all over and missing his weight. He must have been confused as well, thinking her someone else. He was sick after all.
She went to the stream and brought him some water and wet a cloth to wipe his brow. He was so hot. He moaned in his sleep. She stayed as long as she could and hesitated when she had to leave, he needed her.
He growled at her as Ash sat down next to him. The growling no longer made her stay away. He wouldn’t hurt her. She stirred the stew she had brought down and reheated over a small fire she had made in the larger cavern. She smiled at him and said, “Settle my strange man you are still too weak to be running around.”
He surprised her by saying, “I’m not a man, I am a dragon.”
She blinked and asked, “Dragon? You mean with wings and such?”
Dragons were no longer going around and eating people any more. Not since they had made a treaty with humans but they were still very dangerous. What she didn’t understand was how he could be trapped here. Dragons were said to have great power.
She gave him the spoon. After that first day he had refused to let her feed him but he was still very weak. She held the bowl close to his mouth so he didn’t spill too much on himself. It didn’t take long before he couldn’t hold up the spoon.
Considering that he had told her about his species she asked, “Do you have a name then, beside Dragon that is?”
There was a long silence then he said, “I don’t remember.”
That made her heart ache “Just how long have you been down here?”
He shrugged seemingly self-conscious. She brushed her fingers over his forehead and said, “Don’t worry about it. I had a look at your chains. I’ll be able to bring something down to break the lock.”
He went very still. “You are willing to release me?”
This made her realise he might have been in here from before the treaty. “Only if you promise not to hurt anyone.”
“I cannot make that promise,” She frowned at him and he added, “but I will promise that I will not hurt anyone unless they mean harm.”
That would have to do. She put the food aside. He had managed most of the bowl which pleased her. He was getting better every day.
She said, “I don’t know where I’d hide you though. It would not do to have you wandering around. You’d sure to stand out.”
“I will not hide.”
She shook her head “There hasn’t been a dragon in the Basilica ever. It is one of the things they are very proud of since they fought off Gerhard the Great almost a thousand years ago. They might get the sudden urge to kill you in some fit of fervor.”
His hand went to her wrist and he said again. “I will not hide.”
She sighed.
The dragon was out of his bed when Ash came down a few days later. She had been surprised he had stayed in bed as long as he had. She smiled when she saw him sitting by the water fall. His hair was wet so she assumed he had been washing.
She lifted the metal bar she had brought when he turned to look at her. He rushed towards her. The chain clattered on the ground as he moved. She moved so she was within range of the chain. She was amused by his eagerness as he took the metal bar and stormed off to his small cave.
She had only managed to get to the entrance of the cave when she heard a loud crack and then smaller ones. He had managed to break the chain from the wall and with some work he unthreaded the long chain. He still had a metal cuff around his ankle but now he was free.
She leant against the entrance of the cave and with a smile said, “I see you are feeling better.”
He stood up and turned to her. He ate up the space between them. He caught her up and yanked her against his chest. His mouth descended, scolding her lips. She melted into his passion. He pressed her up against the wall and his hands slid over her waist. He cupped her breast and pleasure and shock went through her.
She panicked and pushed him away. He pulled back a little but he still had her trapped against the wall. He rested his forehead against hers. She could hear his uneven breathing.
Ash tried to explain. “I... it’s just I didn’t expect.”
The dragon shook his head cutting her off. His voice was soft as he said, “No, this is better.”
She wasn’t sure what he was talking about. He reached down for her hand as he said, “Give me your hands.”
She did as it seemed such a small request. He took her hands solemnly and almost instantly pain raced up her arms. She tried to pull away from him but with the wall to her back she didn’t have anywhere to go. The pain didn’t last long. There were now delicate lines on her arms and on his as well.
Still staring at her arms she asked, “Why did you do that?”
“Because you are mine. Come, I wish to see sunlight and the sky again.”
Ash blinked and followed him out of the cave. She said, “Wait, I got you some clothes.”
She had hoped covering him up would hide him from a passing glance once they were out of the labyrinth.
Nerves made her jittery. She was surprised though when her dragon put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close against his side as they stepped out of the hidden passageways into the main corridors.
Ash swore softly under her breath when she saw Mya coming towards them. Ash tensed and her dragon’s hand tightened on the metal bar that he had brought back up from the caves. She didn’t want him to hurt Mya so she tried to calm down and said, “Don’t worry it is just Mya.”
Mya smiled when she saw her, then her mouth dropped as her eyes took in her dragon. “Oh my goodness, Ash, who is this?”
Ash cleared her throat first before she said, “This is ah...”
“Sebastian.”
Ash glanced up at her dragon. She blinked surprised that he had given a name. Not his own though. Her father’s first mate had been called Sebastian.
He seemed to understand her look and said, “I liked the sound of it.”
So that was why he had chosen it.
Mya smiled and batted her eyelashes. Ash wanted to sigh, Mya was notorious among the people at the basilica. “Aren’t you a handsome one, and so dark. Deliciously dark.” Mya drawled. She seemed to notice Sebastian had his arm around Ash’s shoulders.
Mya’s eyes darkened and she said to Sebastian, “I’d be a better lay.”
Miffed Mya stormed off without another word. Ash sighed and Sebastian said, “At least she didn’t try to kill me in a fit of fervor.”
She stared at him shocked. “Was that a joke?”
He didn’t answer and he hadn’t cracked a smile. She shook her head surprised by his unexpected humour and said, “Mya is also a gossip. Everyone in the basilica will know by sundown that you are here.” She motioned to a doorway and said, “I suppose now is a good a time as any to go see the elders.”
Elder Murphy was sitting in an inner garden of contemplation. Ash was reluctant to approach him. But if there was any hope that they would let Sebastian live in peace they would have to settle things with the elders. Elder Murphy was the leader of all the priests and hopefully also open minded. Sebastian didn’t seem to have any reservation as he approached with confidence. Elder Murphy jumped a little when
they approached. He asked confused “Child?”
Ash was wringing her hands but winced in pain at the brands on her arms and said, “Elder I’d like you to meet Sebastian. He is a Dragon.”
Elder Murphy breathed out. “A dragon.”
Sebastian bristled at that and she had to smile, at least he didn’t growl. Sebastian had a low opinion of dragons. The elder motioned for him to sit and said, “Thank you child, you may leave.”
Wyvern's Trim and other stories Page 5