by Tara Gill
“Oy, here you are!” The emerald cave loomed, glimmering faintly in the reflected light of my Candle.
There were several spots across many lands that would serve as an adequate hiding spot but somehow this place called to me. Setting the candle down, I arranged the sleeping bag lined with fur against the wall after checking the cave to make sure there were no creepy crawlies. Pulling off all clothes except my chemise and short pants, I made myself ready for the land of nod.
A quarter of an hour later I was still awake. It was so quiet. Never having spent a night in this plane before, I didn’t know if this was the norm here, but it was certainly unusual. No wind sounds or animal sounds.
I tried to remember what I knew about this place.
Goblinhaeme was full of deep, winding caves hewed by goblins of old but they had all fled when the dragon attacked them and taken their treasures for its own. Now the caves lay empty and no one lived here. Having settled on other lands, goblins refused to return home, even centuries later. It was said among them that the dragon was still here, even though no hide nor hair had been seen of the beast in that many years.
It was the Djinn we had transacted with today who had suggested that we meet here, away from prying eyes. When Father had expressed concern about the dragon, he had shuddered and said that as long as we took care not to wake the sleeping menace then it should be fine.
I wondered what he meant, it almost sounded as if the Djinn thought the dragon was asleep somewhere here. I snickered—that would be one hell of a long nap, one that lasted centuries.
And it wasn’t as if the dragon could remain unseen even if it was lying around dozing away. Dragons weren’t tiny and if a giant centuries-old dragon was to be found here then people would have noticed. There were even some thieves—not me but the reckless ones—who would try to hunt a dragon for its Dragonheart—an elusive gem that resided at the heart of every dragon. It was supposed to gift mysterious magical properties that included healing and immortality. There were wealthy customers that would pay a resourceful thief a fortune for a gem like that.
As I turned over, adjusting myself for comfort against the hard-stone floor, my necklace clinked. My thoughts turned to the past evening. It had been fun—lots of potent wine, delicious food, dancing. A great way to bring in a birthday.
Kayla had loved my necklace. She had also sensed I was a bit mopey and had dragged the reason out of me. Some of my hazy concerns were now allayed because of her.
“The connection I feel with Xander is something unmatched. I don’t think I could’ve ever felt this with anyone else. The mate bonding is intense. You become interconnected at so many levels—your thoughts, emotions, your very lifeforce—life would become unbearable away from your mate. His touch assuages needs that I can’t even articulate. It takes a lot of strength for a woman to be able to have such a connection with another person and remain true to herself, Lena. You’re still growing into your strength. Its hard for me not to completely give into Xander at all times. I want to so make him happy, you see. But Xander makes it easy for me. I give in a lot nevertheless when it matters to me, he encourages me to stand up for myself, which only makes me love him more.
“You will be an adult tomorrow. I found my mate in my twenty-third year. Maybe you will too!”
Kayla had hugged me and handed over a giant glass of my favourite purple wine.
I sighed. Over the years, I had stolen so many strange powers and let it reside in my body before passing it on. Ones that manipulated the very air, created illusions of the mind—even nightmares, made gold out of inanimate objects, extended lifetimes of creatures, found soulmates of other beings, helped infertile couples become parents, even helped hex a deserving few. None of those powers felt right in my body—I was glad to pass it on to the clients who paid so much for it. Often, I’d envied those who enjoyed abilities of their own and nurtured it. I’d wanted an ability of my very own—not just to be a thief—but to be an original. But for this birthday, I didn’t want any magical ability.
All I wanted was not to be alone anymore. I was young, but I felt lonely. Hidden away in disguises, I had escaped a lot of attention. Still a part of me ached to be seen, to be known.
For my next birthday, I didn’t want to be alone like I was tonight. Hiding and far from everyone I cared about.
All of his years I had seen Father alone, always on the edges of society, never forming a true connection to any other person, never truly living. I didn’t want that for me.
I decided starting tomorrow that I would find a way to seek companionship, even to find a mate. Yes, it would require change, involve taking risks perhaps. But so did my current path. And anything worthwhile took effort.
Tomorrow I would figure out a plan. With a smile on my lips, I fell asleep.
Chapter Two
I dreamed that I was trapped. Something hot and living swirled around me. It felt like a giant rough-skinned snake climbed round and round my body and held me in its coils.
It wasn’t so bad though. The warmth was so nice, like a hug. I didn’t feel so lonely anymore.
I moved restlessly, my hands reaching out trying to grasp whoever it was.
“It is you.” A male voice said. The voice was weighty; it echoed all over. My whole body seemed to clang like a bell on hearing him. I shivered.
“I had lost hope. Was sleeping my lifetimes away and yet here you are. So beautiful, so untouched. What is your name?” Something ropy bound itself over and over my thigh. I couldn’t move away now—not that I wanted to. My fingers went to the ropy thing —a tail?—and stroked it lightly.
“I am Lena.” I murmured
The male voice seemed a bit thicker now. “And how long have you walked upon the world, Lena?”
“I am but a score and three today.”
There was a pause, then the rope unwound from my leg. Where did he go? I sat up, blindly reaching for him.
“You are but a babe. How came you to be here, little one? I have not seen signs of life on this world an eon?”
“Uh…” I blinked and looked around. It was really bright everywhere. Orange flames encircled me, toasty but not roasting hot. Surrounding me was what felt like the coils of a large being, reverberating with every word of his. Which way was up? I raised a shaking hand to my temple, feeling anxious and disorientated.
“Never mind, little one,” the voice soothed.
Something entered my mind. An entity that was intimidatingly vast and radiated intense magic. He wound round and round, entwining me securely within himself.
The male entity poked and teased out images, secrets—ones I hid even from myself. He slid into all the crevices of my memory and stole thoughts from when I was tiny till today. Like a thief, he crept into my soul and examined every embarrassing moment, every fear, every longing before hoarding it away carefully.
Hazily I wondered why he was doing this. Maybe it was more efficient than asking me questions and expecting answers. Divinity knew I didn’t feel at my most alert.
A part of me, the self-preserving part that lived in constant vigilance reminded me there was something not quite right about allowing this powerful being unfettered access to my mind.
I don’t care, I ignored that voice. It felt so much less lonely in my head when he was in there—maybe he’d like to play a game? Drunk me nudged his mind and fled from him giggling a little. I hid in the deepest corner of my mind trying to supress laughter while he chased me through the convoluted passages of my brain. Somehow, I knew he understood, was amused and wanted to play with me too.
He almost reached me when he came to where I’d stored the memory of the time Kayla and I had been playing, and I’d accidentally set the house on fire. We had been a mischievous eight at the time. He stopped and studied the memory. Why had I hidden that memory so very deep? I couldn’t remember.
Instead I was irritated.
Why wasn’t he playing with me?
I tapped his shoulder, he was sud
denly far away, and I had to chase after him. He was examining my memory earlier in the day when Kayla’d had that talk with me.
Laughing, I flung myself at him. “Caught you!”
With a rumble of laughter, he caught me in his strong arms. Warmth surrounded me as I revelled in a possessive, gentle embrace that I never wanted to leave. I didn’t care if this was only a dream—it felt so good that I wanted it to be real.
When he pulled away and exited my mind, I was sad. Fat tears plopped down my face. Something large and smooth nuzzled my cheeks, brushing away the tears.
“Sleep little one. It is late, and you need your rest. We can play again tomorrow.”
“Don’t leave me,” I said my throat tight, somehow unbearably alone.
“I won’t.” He stroked my hair. “I promise. Sleep.”
The repeated motions made me drowsy. As I slipped into slumber I was aware of someone rolling my hair round and round and holding it tight, so I couldn’t leave.
***
Utter darkness met my eyes on awakening. I rubbed my eyes—hadn’t I just slept the night away in the emerald cave? It should be daytime now.
My head felt heavy and my mouth fuzzy. I had imbibed heavily to celebrate my coming of age and was feeling the price. Oh well, it was worth it.
I sat up with an effort only to find that I was wearing no clothes and my bed was a thick bundle of furs. I blinked. Maybe the strong wine had impaired my memory of the past night’s events?
Slowly, bits and pieces of my dream came to me. Was it truly a dream? The wine they had in the Underworld was surely potent if dreaming felt so real. I felt bereft and as if something vital to me was missing.
Getting to my feet, I discerned that I was in a vast cave. The roof stretched beyond sight. A large fire at the far right of the cave shone a dull orange. Through that light I thought I could see a still lake stretching away to my left. The lake was so immense that I realized that the cave must be the size of a small village. My jaw dropped. How had I ended up here?
Pinching myself confirmed that I was indeed awake. “Whaaa…,” I mouthed utterly confused.
I couldn’t see another living thing here. While it was not cold, I still went back and wrapped a fur around me, unused to being unclothed, and made my way towards the fire. Someone must have lighted the fire surely. Maybe I could get a clue there.
I stopped. A clinking sound accompanied every other step of mine. I searched for the source and identified a small gold chain at my ankle.
Fear shot through me. “What in divinity?!”
I tried to pull the golden band off my foot—it was slim and comfortable, beautiful even, but it wouldn’t come off—even when I smashed rocks into the chain.
In distress, I searched for the other end which was nailed to the rock floor near the furs and didn’t look like it was coming loose anytime soon. I pulled at it hopelessly. The chain had power, I could feel it. However when I tried to absorb the power, as I had done often enough, the magic behaved strangely.
It seemed to welcome me, even embrace me in delight as if I was a long-lost friend. But the magic of the chain wouldn’t free me nor would it lend me its aid. Magical objects had auras however and as far as I could sense the chain wasn’t a threat to me. I breathed a little easier.
Thirsty now, I made my way to the lake—the chain seemed to grow longer accommodating where I wanted to go—drank the cool water, and then made my way to the fire.
The closer I was to the far side, it appeared as if the cave wall was covered with glowing coals. A wall of pure magic battered at me. I walked faster, hypnotised. This magic called to me at a soul deep level.
Something of great significance to me lay here; something I had been waiting for all my life. I just knew it. Almost at a run, the fur now wrapped around me like a towel, I came to a stop. My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Before me, the floor spread out, covered with burning embers. In the gaps in the stone, lava pools simmered, emitting hot fumes and sulphurous gases. The cave opened into the very core of the earth! It should have been insanely hot, but I was pleasantly warm.
Beyond the burning floor, there was another small cave, the entrance a barely visible dark hole. Only one who could fly or had extreme heat tolerance could enter that cave. However. there was no sign of any other presence here.
“Hello?” I called out and then chewed on my lip. Maybe it wasn’t safe to do that. My lack of clothes or the chain around my leg weren’t benevolent gestures. I decided not to yell for help. I would explore a bit more, then try to figure out a way to free myself from the chain. My bag contained a useful magical object or two that could be of assistance. Maybe it was in here somewhere along with my clothes.
I should search for food, it was surely time for breaking my fast. Possibly the lake contained fish. But taking a moment’s respite, I sank down where I was. I just wanted to gaze at the burning lava for a little while. The fire was so beautiful, and my body felt so…charged. It felt like I was waking up from a very long sleep.
There was magic everywhere in this cave. I could sense it. I tried to absorb it. Other than making me feel good, it wasn’t any use, just like the chain.
The effects of my hangover hit me, and my eyes drooped. I was in a semi-daze when there were sounds of something very big above me, moving. As I stirred, a huge dark body dropped on to the burning lava and embers with an explosive crash.
“Oh, Goddess!” I shrieked and scrabbled back. A long sinuous neck wound towards me. Golden-yellow slitted eyes glared at me from a black leathery face, faceted with glittering black scales that changed color with the light. Menacing spikes lined the back of his neck and spine. The dragon—yes, a dragon!—shook his wings out and stalked me slowly. His belly glowed as if filled with glowing coals too.
Mouth open, I gazed up, up up. My heart pounded like mad. Warm liquid dripped on my legs and I looked down to see blood. The dragon held in his mouth something very large and dead which was leaking on to me.
“D..d..dragon,” I stuttered, terrified.
The dragon dropped the dead cow on the floor and turned to me with a flick of its tongue. One eye came to face me. It blinked, continuing to regard me consideringly.
“Hmm,” the dragon rumbled. It prowled towards me and my teeth chattered. It was so huge, the floor shook with every step of the dragon.
“You’re Lena,” the dragon said, “the little thief.”
Though I would never have done something so stupid, I tried to remember feverishly if I’d ever stolen from a dragon or if any of my jobs were related to a known dragon hoard.
“What! How could you possibly know who I am? This must be a dream. My head hurts so bad.” I pressed trembling hands against my temples. Hungry and hungover, my head pounded.
Something soft and yet hard pushed against my forehead insistently. I fell on my back winded. When I looked up, the dragon was standing over me. I could see his—yes, it was a he—monstrous appendage, his smooth scaled belly that still glowed. His powerful legs were each thicker than my waist. His tail had horns at the start but was smooth and whip-like at the end. Seeing it, I was reminded of something that escaped my memory just now.
The dragon’s snout snuffled over my face. I lay very still. It reached my temple, and something passed from it to me, a tiny spark, and my headache was gone.
You should never suffer any pain. The male voice reverberated in my mind.
Was that another voice in my head? I must truly be inebriated to imagine all this. After a second of thought, I decided to answer the voice. What was there to lose?
Are you my conscience? If so you picked a really strange time to talk to me. And why do you sound male?
A rich male chuckle answered me. It is me, little one. The dragon before you.
“You are in my mind?” I yelled out loud. “Look, I don’t know what happened. I was just sleeping the wine off last night and now I’m naked and in chains and here in this place. Th
is must be a mistake.” As I spoke to the dragon, I wiggled back stealthily, trying to get away from him.
My insides felt strange though. Warm. Melty. The dragon’s voice resonated deep inside me, feeling really familiar.
I frowned. It was possible, I was going cuckoo with everything that had happened this morning.
The dragon chuckled again. He seemed to think I was funny.
The one thing this is not is a mistake, little one. I have been waiting so very long for this day.
“Maybe you have me mistaken with someone else. I don’t know you, I’ve never even heard of you. Obviously, I should have listened to the rumors about this place and should have stayed away. It’s not too late—if you let me go, I promise I’ll do whatever you like—like telling everyone to stay away or even sending over regular …food…. I could be useful, Dragon.”
That is true. You will be useful. Now shush. His voice sounded sinister now. He bent his head again and started to sniff me all over.
“Ugh.” I jerked back. I hope he didn’t rub the blood on me. Shivers invaded my body as he smelled me. At least he had eaten so maybe he wasn’t hungry right now. That was a good thing. I searched my mind frantically trying to remember if dragons ate people.
The dragon scrutinized me closely and lifted his head, neck stretching over me. I held very still—his feet were so near that I worried about trampling. When he raised his head again, I saw that he had only taken a drink; his snout was damp, and he was licking his lips.
Had the dragon cleaned himself for me? Those slitted eyes seemed to gleam. Stay still.
Not being dense, I stayed unmoving while the dragon examined me. He sniffed my neck, something touched my ear—was it the tip of his tongue? It felt damp and rough.
Breathe, little one.
I obeyed reluctantly, not just because he told me to, but because I needed air. The movements of my breasts seemed to tantalize him. Within a fraction of a second, talons whipped my fur covering away so that I lay naked before him.