by Deb Sartoris
……
Sofia and Roberto rested on their bed. Roberto has his arms around his wife. So much time had passed and yet she looked exactly the same. Roberto found his hand was resting on Sofia swollen belly. A tiny nudge occurred just then as if to tell Roberto that the child knew he was touching it. He had a SON growing in there that is what Sofia had said. A SON? Just how did she know that?
Their lovemaking had worn both of them out and Roberto also found that his eyes could close now with his wife warm and snug wrapped in his arms under the blankets in their bed.
Sofia had fallen asleep first. She was happy and the child in her belly was resting. Her mind however was not resting. She was sure she felt danger. She could sense that someone or something required her assistance but she could not figure out what she needed to do. It was like she was part of the creature below on the planet but that did not make any sense to her. All that she could remember from her past from Armis was that the planet had many creatures on it. Perhaps there is some connection in that but of what Sofia was not sure.
Sofia lay very still so as not to disturb her husband. He was resting now also. His face was at rest. She could see just a hint of a smile on his lips. Sofia was sure that her husband was glad to know that a SON grew in her belly. She was sure he did not understand that knowledge but in time all that would be explained to him. For now she just wanted time to understand this planet and help the creatures below that were in danger.
* * * * *
Chapter 16:
“Tusk you must wake up now. Can you hear me? The witch is coming for us. Please wake up; she will not be happy to see you here with me. You must chain me to the wall before she arrives! Tusk! Can you hear me? Wake up!”
“What…who are you? How did a girl get down here? No wait how did a naked girl get down here?”
“Tusk, it’s me, Algamight. I will explain everything after the witch leaves, now turn around and put your shirt back on.”
Suddenly a shirt was tossed in his direction and as Tusk raised his arms up to pull the shirt over his shoulders he realized that his back seemed better. He was a little stiff and sore but he no longer felt the burning that he felt when the witch had whipped him.
A soft moan came from Algamight and when Tusk turned around the Emerald dragon was once again standing in front of him.
“Tusk, please put the chain around my leg. Hurry! The witch is almost here now. Turn around let me splash some water on your back and on that shirt it will look like your still bleeding to the witch and with that smell. She will not come near you are me – at least that is what I hope will happen.”
The witch strolled into the room. “Tusk where are you? It has been 3 days since I punished you. I need you upstairs to help with an experiment I’m working on. Crap! What is this that I just stepped in? Oh no there goes another pair of shoes. TUSK? I’m getting mad…where are you? Do you need another whipping? I can’t see a thing and WHAT is that smell?”
“Coming Master – I was cleaning out the stalls.”
“Tusk…finally! Well you look like your whipping went well; still bleeding I see. I think next time you will obey me without question won’t you? Now where is that dragon baby you brought down here? How has she done without any food or water for 3 days? Hmmm… she is skinner then I thought she would be.”
Algamight pulled on her chain just then and made a whimpering sound.
“I see the creature is learning to suffer right along side of you Tusk. Bring the dragon with you and come upstairs to the main chamber. I have something I want to try on that dragon of yours.”
Tusk pulled the chain from the wall and started walking with the dragon up the winding stair case. Thankfully the witch had decided to just vanish and was no longer with them. Tusk noticed the little cage that held the small red bird. He stopped to see if it was ok and it was laying down on the bottom of the cage.
Algamight peered over his shoulder. “I do not think your little bird will survive having so many feathers pulled out. It is cold and drafty down here and you were out for 3 days. I’m sure no one else has given it food or water while you were out.”
Tusk reached into the cage and placed the little bird into a bird nest he had built high up on the window ledge. It had a dish for food and water. The sun was just coming in and you could feel the warming rays on the bedding. “There now little one. I will be back in a little while. Eat, drink and get warm. I will see if we can get you healed when we return. The little bird could only turn its head and look at Tusk.
“Ok, dragon, spill the beans! Just what happened in the 3 days since we came down here? I can barely remember getting here. I noticed when you were a naked girl in front of me that you had a long gash down your leg. Sorry, it was hard not to notice that.”
“I know Tusk; I was sure you noticed. Do you remember anything after the queen whipped you?”
“Little things – like I remember practically crawling down here. My back felt like it was on fire.” Tusk reached behind himself and felt – no pain but the skin seemed to be pulled tight and he felt a little stiff and sore.
“Do you remember what I asked you to do?”
“No dragon, I don’t. What did you make me do? How do you think I got that gash along my leg? Kinda matches yours now doesn’t it?”
“What, do you mean I did that to you? I’m so sorry! I was out of my head with pain; I would never hurt you! Please forgive me.”
“Tusk, hang on. I asked you to cut me. I needed the blood from my body in order to heal you. When a dragon uses its own blood and combines it with our own salvia it makes a healing salve. If a dragon gives this freely to save another person something happens to the dragon. Each instance is different and unique with each dragon. In my case – somehow when I helped you my reward – or punishment, I’m not sure which is the case at the moment – it caused me to become a WOMAN – not a girl as you so bluntly put it earlier.”
“Well it was dark and I had been passed out for 3 days without food and water. I thought I was dreaming or something – opening my eyes and there was a naked WOMAN in front of me.”
“Listen, old man…let’s keep this between us. You do not want to tell anyone that I can change between a dragon and a woman. I’m not sure how long it will last anyways; there is no history of a dragon being able to transform into something other than a dragon.”
* * * * *
Chapter 17:
“It’s about time you both made it up the stairs.” The witch’s voice was full of scorn. “Takes you both long enough. I wonder how long it will be until that dragon of yours can fly? That will cut the time it takes me to experiment on her quite a bit I think. Tusk, bring the beast over here near the window. Chain it to the wall. I want to see what happens after I give it this potion.”
“Master, just how do you think to give the dragon something to drink?”
“Tusk you have it all wrong! I’M not going to give it the potion, YOU ARE! Force it down its mouth, I don’t care – but get it down.”
Tusks hands were shaky as he approached the dragon. Algamight pulled on her chain and reached out with her foot at Tusk, stomping it hard. The weight of it made a few vials fall off the shelves behind them. Hurry up Tusk, we are loosing daylight. The potion works best at high noon in the bright sun.”
As Tusk reached the dragon he whispered “I’m sorry, Algamight, I must do this. Please don’t fight me.” Algamight did not wish to see Tusk whipped again as she was sure she would not be able to heal him again. Algamight opened her mouth and hoped that the nasty smelling vial did not taste as bad as it smelled. She was wrong – it tasted worse then it smelled.
As the liquid ran down her throat she started to gag and have spasms. Algamight felt like tiny needles were being pushed into her body. Her wings felt like they were being cut off. She now understood how all her sisters felt when their wings were cut with swords in the hatchery only a few days ago.
“Good – it appears to be working. The poti
on is designed to cause internal pain to anything that drinks it. I’m working on just how long it lasts, so let’s go work on something else for a while and come back later to see your dragon. She can deal with the pain for a few hours. We have to work on the smell. I think you and I will go for a walk in the forest and see if I can locate a few herbs that we can mix into it and make it smell like fruit or something.”
* * * * *
Chapter 18:
The witch and Tusk left the room. Just a few minutes later the potion wore off. Algamight felt her body returning back to normal. The witch is wrong, Algamight thought, she thinks the potion lasts a long time, but for me at least only a few minutes. Perhaps that is because we can bend time. Whatever the reason, she does not need to know I can resist it now.
Algamight was alone in the witch’s chambers. A little snooping around would do her good and maybe she could find out where all the other dragons had been taken. Algamight tugged on her chain and realized that she could not get out of the iron bars. Unless? Guess we’ll see just how long this ‘whole transform into a woman’ thing lasts.
Algamight thought about the woman she saw in the water in the dungeon. She had long white silver hair – almost to her waist. Her legs were long, and her face was white as newly fallen snow on the ground. Suddenly, without any warning Algamight felt like her insides were being torn apart. At first she thought it was the potion still causing issues but then she realized it was just her body transforming into the woman once again.
Plop! Well that took care of the chain. I’m guessing my leg, now as a woman, is smaller than a dragon’s leg – good to remember!
Wow drafty…oh yea…point to remember…I’m naked following the transforming. Best not to try that in mixed company. Tusk already had an eye full. Not to worry about him – he is just an old man. Ok, Algamight, keep thinking that – having a naked woman around any man is something to worry about.
Algamight found a cape that the witch had discarded on one of the chairs and put it on. Then she started her search as best she could, always mindful of any sounds should the witch and Tusk return.
Algamight found a notebook on one of the tables and just as she started to open it she heard a noise. She stood perfectly still. As she turned her head toward the door, she realized that the noise was in her head. A bird chirped…outside the window? Can I really hear that? Great…super hearing…what else can I do. Maybe if I can find the queen dragon she can answer some of my questions.
Algamight looked through the book and other things in the chamber. She found no hint about the other dragons. She found nothing useful at all. After some time, Algamight realized that she should return to dragon form before the witch came back to inspect her progress.
Off with the cape…brrr…we are going to have to work on that. Now what did I do in the dungeon. Think. Picture the dragon just like you did the woman. Concentrate. Algamight screamed this time; the pain of transforming back and forth was not easy to bear.
She heard the door open – just as she was stepping back into the chain.
“Tusk did you hear that? Your dragon was still screaming even after all this time has passed! I think my potion works great now. With these herbs I can make it smell and taste like wine. No one will know when I pour this into their drinks now. What fun that will be to see them all flopping on the floor, screaming in pain. This will make it much easier for the royals to take care of all their enemies. They will be in so much pain, they won’t be able to defend themselves” the witch cackled distractedly.
Then she gave a start. “I’m done with the both of you for today. Off with you; take that beast back down to the dungeon. No, wait; take it out to the lake first and give it a bath. That goes for you too, Tusk. You smell about as bad as that beast does.”
* * * * *
Chapter 19:
“Steven, are you alright? Wake up son. You were screaming in your sleep. Can you hear me son wake up.” Wisteria gently touched her sons shoulder trying to get him to wake up.
Just then his eyes popped open. “Water…lake…cold!”
“What did you say Steven?”
“Nothing…nothing mom – just a dream I think.”
“Well you had us worried. We were sound asleep and we heard you tossing and turning so much, you knocked something off your shelf. Then you screamed. It was like you were in pain.”
“I’m ok mom, dad. It was just a dream.” Steven mentally checked all his body. He felt no pain now, but before he was awake…he felt…needles all over him…he could swear he felt needles.
“Mom? Dad? Do you smell pine trees and water?”
“What Steven? No, we don’t…do you?”
“No, I don’t, really. It must be the Kryo tube vapor still in the air then...never mind.”
“Son you really do need to get something to eat and drink. Your body has been through a lot while we slept for 50 years. Your training and mental exercises that the computer did for you have only helped you so far.” Ely tried to rationalize. “You must accept what has happened to you and try and embrace the changes that were made while we slept. I’m sure your head is filled with stories from the computer. I’m not surprised that you are having a hard time adjusting to being awake.
“Give it time. You will adjust soon enough” Wisteria interjected. “Now let’s eat and get changed. We are to meet Sofia and Master Roberto in the main docking area soon.”
“There were others who were woken up early like you son” Ely added. “I’m hearing stories that they all had dreams while they were asleep also. There must be something going on. It is very odd that you transformed so much. Usually this happens gradually but not so fast. We were not frozen so long that you should have been woken up a grown man – at least in body form anyways.”
“What about the others, were any of them infants like I was?”
“A few, yes. They are like you are now – adult in body form without any explanation what so ever. Many of the others also have been having odd dreams. Some woke up saying that their bodies had been injured and many felt as if they were connected to something but did not know what the connection was or to whom it belonged to.”
Wisteria sighed. “Steven, you should also know that one of Roberto’s species, Mesquil, was awoken too. He thinks it was only the process of our Kyro tubes. His dreams were of being in a great battle with flying creatures all around him. He claims to never have done this in his past so he is blaming the vapor from our tubes – claiming it messed with his mind or something. We have not spoken directly with him only heard stories from others who were around him when he woke up. Seems it took several people to get him calmed down and then only after he had fed on 3 people did he seem to pull himself together.”
Ely hesitated. “Even the computer can not understand what happened to you and the others. It has no record of your sudden growth or when exactly all these changes took place. It is like we only left old world Earth yesterday and yet 50 years have passed. If I did not know better I would say that something happened with the time fragment but that is not possible. Even in our oldest record on our home planet – time was only controlled by a few beings – and none of them are part of our original species now so we are all at a loss as to what is going on.”
Wisteria broke in, “Enough of this speculation. Steven, let’s get dressed and finish our meal. Your Aunt Sofia does not like to be kept waiting long.”
* * * * *
Chapter 20:
“Sofia, love, you must wake up.” Roberto traced his hand down his wife chin. His fingers lingered a little longer as they brushed across her red lips. They were still a little swollen from all their kisses the night before.”
Both Sofia and Roberto lay on their mattress on the floor – seems they ended up on the floor sometime during their lovemaking. Roberto pulled a piece of Sofia hair across his hands. Dry now, of course, but it was wet last night when they fell out of the shower onto the bed.
Sofia was slowly waking up.
Her eye lids flickered once, twice, three times and then open at last. “Husband – I see you are awake now.”
“Yes my love, wide awake. You should eat now Sofia it is almost time for us to meet everyone in the docking area. I know you don’t typically consume food, but with my feeding upon you several times yesterday and last night – and with the baby growing in you – don’t you think that a little food would be in order this time?”
Just then Sofia’s stomach made a mad growl as if to answer the question. “Yes, I think you might be right.”
“I will clean up. You get dressed and head to the kitchen for some food. I need to go meet with Mesquil; I did not have time yesterday and your needs in the shower outweighed my desire to see him then. So now I must go find him and find out how he is doing. Your computer commented while you were asleep many hours ago that it took 3 people to calm him down and I want to hear what he has to say.”
Sofia relented. “Fair enough, you go to the hunter and I will go find something to eat. Meet me shortly at the entrance to the docking area.”