“That is impossible.”
“They’ve already taken out nearly a hundred dragons. That’s only in one night.”
I turned to Sebastian whose clothes were stained from the blood of the dragons he had killed. “How was your hunt?” I asked.
“The hunt was good. It was very good actually. We got about a hundred dragons.”
“Dragons?” I tried my best to hide my disgust and emphasized my curiosity.
“Of course.”
He smiled, looked up to order the others of where to place the corpses. When his orders weren’t enough, he left us and helped them bring in the dragons. One by one, I watched them pile into the cave on top of one another.
“I know why he is killing them. Dragon fire is his weakness. He can’t take chances to encounter one that breathes fire and one that doesn’t. He will kill every last one of them.”
“We have to make our move, Mistress. We can’t sit around as hundreds more get slaughtered.”
“We have to wait. We will get him another time, not now. We still need his trust or else his suspicion may lead to your death.” I looked up nonchalantly making sure Sebastian was not listening in on our conversation to find that he was oblivious. He was running his hands along the scales of the first dragon he had brought in. “He’ll make a profit too by selling the scales.”
Sebastian now returned to us. “Half of the dragons will get stored in this cave and the other half will be in the other cave, where everyone else will seek shelter.”
“Did you get us anything to eat?”
“Is it blood you crave Chenille? Or does fresh meat sound more appealing to you?”
“I want food and so does Minx.”
“Your dragon can hunt on his own time.”
“How can I let him hunt when an army of creatures is lurking in the woods killing dragons? How do I know if I can trust you and if Minx is safe?”
“As long as your dragon has chains on his wings he will not be mistaken.”
“Why are you sparing Minx?”
“Why do you question me? Isn’t it enough for me to tell you that I will be generous enough to spare your dragon?” I looked down to avoid his hot gaze as he took off his bloody jacket. “What do you want to eat? I will get it for you.”
“I will take anything you can find.”
“Fine.” He turned and left the cave. I turned to Minx.
“Go hunt now since I know it’s safe.”
“Yes Mistress.” He left, leaving me alone again.
I looked at the dead corpses. Limbs and bones jutted out strangely from the pile in a pool of blood where their heads lay. Their mouths were open; their eyes were glazed, once with the terror they had felt, and now with death. Their chests all had gashes, but their scaly bodies were without marks and were to remain so in order to get top dollar.
I had to look away from the dreaded sight. I tried to move away from the cave wall to relieve my aching back, but I couldn’t move. My body ached in pain, though it was my stomach that burned with hunger. Sebastian was back before Minx. He dropped his kill into the fire before my face, all the while biting my lip as he did so. If he hadn’t thrown it into the fire, I would have eaten it raw.
“It shouldn’t take too long to cook,” he assured me, warming his hands before the fire. He looked at my leg, slowly running his hand along the scaly cast. “How do you feel?”
I shrugged my shoulders. I could only think of the cooking beast sitting in the fire. “Did your dragon go out to hunt?”
“I sent him.”
“Good.”
He reached over and grabbed a stick to poke the cooking meat. When it was finished, he stabbed the stick into it and pulled it out of the fire. When it was cool enough to handle, he ripped off a piece for me and had a piece for himself.
“It’s good isn’t it?”
“I didn’t know how hungry I was until now.”
I quickly ate my piece and begged for more until I had my fill, leaving Sebastian with the rest. I closed my eyes with content before the pleasing fire. My eyes opened to reveal Sebastian right before me. One hand reached out to touch me and I remained paralyzed, knowing that if I stopped him he would portray me as untrustworthy. His hand slowly moved down my arm, causing a chill to brush over the surface of my skin. I looked down, catching a glimpse of metal that was a ring. I grabbed his hand in panic. It was Fitzray’s ring. I pulled it off his finger and held it in my hand to have it pried from my fingers, and put back on.
“Give that back, it’s mine!”
“But you threw it down my throat so I claim it as mine now. Besides, it’s valuable to you and I could use this to my own advantage.”
He smiled, moving his hand away. Before it was out of my reach, I grabbed it again and took the ring from his finger. I placed it back on my own where it belonged before he could grab it from me. My defense turned to innocence.
“You wouldn’t understand if I told you about this ring…you wouldn’t understand what trouble it caused.”
He moved away, his lips pressed, his jaw tight. He did not launch at me. He just respectfully left me alone. He did remain beside me just close enough for me to hear his pulse that quickly put me into a trance. I listened to his breathing until he moved away to examine his dragons again. He sat at the base of the pile, removed his knife, and began to cut the scales from the lifeless bodies.
Minx returned late that night and finished his kill by the time I woke up. It was pouring outside and our fire that once warmed the cave had died. Sebastian wasn’t with me, his work of cutting scales remained untouched from the night before. I was sure he had gone hunting with his army. Minx remained asleep at the cave entrance.
I tried to pull myself upright so I could sit beside him out of the darkness. When I neared him, I was faced with the horror of sitting beside the pile of carcasses. I saw that whatever parts uncovered by the cave had become soaking wet from the rain. The blood mixed with water that blew into the cave from gusting winds, causing a stream of red disgust to run back into the cave and pool around the entrance. I couldn’t bring myself to look any further to the innocent expressions the dead muscles still held. I couldn’t comprehend how Minx could stay too close to his fallen brethren.
I watched him sleep, waited for Sebastian’s return. I still needed time to prove my loyalty to him. After all, he had spared my life this long and Minx was still beside me without question. There had to be a way to repay him.
He returned late that night, for his hunting became longer each day. I had sent Minx away to hunt and I was glad he didn’t have to see the ever-growing pile of carcasses stretching along the cave wall. When Sebastian was finished loading more dragons into the cave, he came over to me and gave me some cooked meat. He sat beside me only to gaze up at me now and again.
“You should be walking a bit every day. You can stretch your muscles and your leg will heal faster. I will walk with you outside if you’d like.”
“If you have enough time I will go with you.”
“All right, after our hunt,” he said and then he got up and returned to his work of removing the scales from the dead.
So went another restless night trying to sleep when all that was accomplished was tossing and turning. I was surprised if anyone was getting any sleep being on the hard ground or in a tent. I sat up and stretched, astonished to find Sebastian hadn’t left.
“What are you still doing here?”
He looked in my direction, giving me a friendly smile. “I’ve decided to postpone our hunt until later. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to help you walk around.” He bent down, offering me support with his arms. As he helped me up, I was uneasy and unbalanced.
“It looks nice outside.”
“Yes. The rain hasn’t frozen over yet, but I’m sure it will tonight. You won’t be able to get around with ice covering everything.”
He took me out of the musty warm cave into the chill of late morning. The low sun still warmed me and ga
ve me strength. He even dared to walk me in the presence of his followers who simply stared. The rest of our walk was in silence and when we finished he asked if I wanted to sit outside until they returned.
“How long will you take?”
“We’ll only be a couple of hours.”
“Put me down here.” It felt so good to be out of the cave. I didn’t feel like his captive so much anymore.
“If you need anything just send your dragon for me.”
“I will be fine as long as you don’t take all day.”
“No I won’t. I promise.”
He left me on my rock and rallied his followers. I watched them as they gathered their weapons and took their place behind him. I then realized Minx hadn’t returned still. I couldn’t even be sure if he had returned from his night hunt or if he had left without telling me. I raised my head in alarm, casting a wary glance toward the woods, holding my Dragon’s Soul. I could feel him nearby. I called him and he came out of the woods to meet me.
“I’m sorry Mistress. I left this morning and I thought I’d be back before you woke.”
“I’m sure you had a good hunt.”
“Yes, I hunted last night.”
“You weren’t hunting before?”
“No. Last night I went out to hunt and I stumbled upon a hidden dragon nest in the brush. Four eggs were in this nest and I could not smell the dragon within my surroundings. The eggs were cold and I could barely smell the scent of their mother on them anymore. I suspected that the mother might have been killed, but I couldn’t be sure. I checked again and sure enough they were still there.”
“Are the chicks still alive?”
“I think so. I carried them back with me.” He bent his head down, opened his mouth, and two brightly colored eggs rolled out from a pouch he had at the back of his throat. The other two were safely carried in his front left claw.
“Get them inside. Hide them.”
“I will start a fire and warm them. Warn me when you hear Sebastian returning and I will hide them.”
Minx gathered the eggs and went to the cave where his instincts told him how to care for them. The very day I hoped Sebastian’s army would spend the entire day hunting, they only spent an hour. Sebastian walked up to me slowly.
“Why aren’t you still hunting?” He helped me up to my feet.
“We haven’t found a dragon in sight and Marzipanne hasn’t smelled any either. The woods are clear.”
Marzipanne flew into the cave and let out a hiss. I was sure she could smell the eggs. Sebastian called to his dragon as he helped me inside. He didn’t want any more confrontation between her and Minx and was trying his best to keep them separated. I didn’t even have both of my feet into the cave when Marzipanne came bounding toward us.
“Master, look at what I found at the back of the cave.” She held out her claws where she clutched onto the prized eggs. Sebastian nearly dropped me. I couldn’t see Minx from where I stood though I knew he had the other two eggs safely tucked away in his throat pouch.
Sebastian put me down and grabbed the eggs from his dragon. He studied them in the light of the fire. “They are perfect and due any day now.” He rolled them each over in his hands and his dragon stood over his shoulder trying to nudge him curiously.
“Marzipanne get out of the cave!”
His dragon obeyed and left him to speculate his treasure. He grabbed his knife and made a crack in each of them. He then brought them over to the pile of bodies, cut into one of them, and allowed the blood to run over the eggs, letting it seep into the cracks. When they flooded over, he brought them back and tossed them into the fire. Slowly the blood turned the outer shell black, to which Sebastian marveled. I couldn’t even question him for I feared he would throw me out of the cave.
“The eggs will hatch tomorrow, so I will not hunt. I will not miss this great opportunity.”
I wanted to talk with Minx, but I was sure he could see everything that was happening from where he was. I wondered if the other two eggs would hatch tomorrow too and how I would hide the chicks if they did. This anxiety kept me awake while I watched the eggs in the fire. I hadn’t slept another night and without food too. When Sebastian woke he didn’t hunt, only joined me to stare at the eggs. It seemed we waited hours and then we heard rejoicing peeps. They were hatching.
Sebastian used a stick to push them from the fire and he huddled over them. I remembered how excited I was when Minx hatched, though nothing could bring me to think of why Sebastian was so overjoyed. After all, he was killing dragons. Why would he feel delight in watching them hatch? I could only wonder if he was going to torture the young chicks. That was the only thing that made sense.
I watched the eggs rock back and forth, the shell breaking piece by piece. They rocked into each other, creating even more deep cracks. A black snout broke through its membrane and it cried, struggling to break loose. Moments later the other chick followed and slowly chipped away at the shell around it. Sebastian helped them by breaking away the shell and eventually they fell out of their eggs. Panting, they stared up at Sebastian while he mumbled to them. This imprinting was the most crucial part of a dragon chick’s life and made the difference between a tame and wild one.
Their appearance was different from Minx when he was young. They were black as licorice, their snouts were short and they had long, slender bodies. They had small feelers near their hidden ears, by their head and neck. Their claws were massive and spikes ran down their backs. Their scales were large, like plated armor and appeared to be almost metallic by the way they reflected light.
Sebastian ran his hands over them and they made small noises in delight. I was convinced he had done something to these creatures.
“What nice gargoyles you are,” he said while he continued to pet them.
I had never seen a gargoyle before and never even heard of their existence here. I only thought they resembled an ugly, odd statue with a hunched back.
“Galena and Narooma,” he said. He repeated the names again.
“Sebastian, what have you done?”
He smiled to himself. “I turned them into gargoyles. All I needed was a little bit of dragon’s blood to seep into the cracks. They are mutations.”
“They are dragons. Why won’t you kill them?”
“They are chicks, chicks that can be used to my advantage. I won’t kill them. As adults, they will be able to withstand fire and ice on their skin without harm. That is a power no other dragon possesses and now I know, since they are young, they will not hurt me. They can’t breathe fire or frost, so they are no threat to me as other dragons are. When they grow up they will be loyal and strong, with their only weakness being a sword. I have been hoping I could get a couple of eggs. Even in the beginning of winter, it is so rare to get at least one egg. And now I have two chicks.”
“What will you do with them?”
“For now I will let them rest. In the meantime, I need you to watch over them. I still have to hunt.”
On that note, he said no more and left me with the chicks. Even though I knew they would need milk I couldn’t even bring myself to tell Sebastian. They were his dragons and he would have to figure out what they needed. I couldn’t waste any of my time being a babysitter. I had more important things to do.
“Minx, you can come out now. It’s safe.”
Minx came over to me, opened his mouth and let the eggs fall into my lap. He flicked out his tongue as I studied them.
“When will they hatch?”
“I’m not too sure.”
I ran my hands over them and looked up nervously. “Sebastian’s eggs have already hatched.”
“That’s because he broke them. It forced the chicks to hatch.”
“I can’t let them hatch here. I can’t have them. I won’t be able to hide them from Sebastian.”
“I’m sorry Mistress. This is my fault. I couldn’t hide the other eggs well enough. I didn’t know Marzipanne was near the cave.”
&
nbsp; “It’s all right Minx, we have only lost two. We have to save these two before Sebastian finds out.”
“Where can I bring them? Where is it safe enough?”
I looked down at the eggs and back up to him. “I need you to leave me. The only place safe enough is the hideout. If you give the eggs to my father he will know what to do with them.”
“Sebastian will question my long absence and you…I can’t leave you alone. I don’t trust any of them.”
“If you leave and bring the eggs back safely I will wait here. When the time is right I will leave Sebastian, but you must warn the others. Sebastian will probably follow me and I can’t risk him seeing the others. We are not ready for a war yet.”
“You will not fight Sebastian?”
“I can’t. I don’t have the strength or your power to fight him. I can’t do it alone. The wolves can help me and so can their dragons. I am nothing alone. I am a captive alone.”
“I will make sure the others are ready. When do you think you will escape?”
“I will let you know. When you feel me clutch my Dragon’s Soul that will be my signal to you. Then warn the wolves. It will be a hard escape for me, but I might want to wait until I can walk easier before I attempt it.”
“When do you want me to go?”
“Go tonight before Sebastian comes back. When you’re deep into the woods, break the chains on your wings and fly the rest of the way. Make sure you dispose the chains somewhere the army won’t find them or our plan will be ruined.”
“Yes Mistress. Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”
“I will manage as best as I can.” My dragon pressed his nose to my head and flicked out his tongue to kiss my face.
“You will be safe as long as you are my Mistress.” With one claw, he held my entire body and nudged me with affection. “I hunted for you and I have stored food at the back of the cave so you don’t need to rely on Sebastian. Do you need anything else before I go?”
“No, I will be fine. I just need you to leave before Sebastian gets back.”
“I will. For now I will stay with you and rest before I have to journey back.”
Candescent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) Page 12