The Dragon's Prize

by Sophie Park

  Gurgling, he collapsed to the ground and bled out his last into a carpet bought with the blood of his people.

  It seemed, somehow, fitting.

  Sandra wiped her blades off on the back of his shirt, leaving bloody smears on the expensive fabric. She nodded and headed back to the dining room to figure out what to do with the two daughters.

  When she got there, it looked like the decision was already made for her. Mira stood covered in fresh blood with the two daughters lying on the ground. One had her throat cut, and the other had a dagger sticking out of her chest.

  “They tried to escape?” Sandra nodded at the two corpses.

  “They brushed my hair and fed me poison.” Mira’s eyes were distant, looking at something not in the room.

  “What?” Sandra must have looked as confused as she felt by that statement, because Mira made a backward motion with her head.

  “Not now. Earlier.”

  “I… oh.” Sandra nodded in understanding. That was how Mira ended up in chains. “Mira, I… I’m so sorry.” She went over and wrapped Mira in a hug. Mira’s body was hard and full of tense energy, but she melted in Sandra’s arms and rested her head against the warrior’s shoulder. “I never should have left you.”

  “I should have realized something fishy was going on…”

  “They caught us both unawares. Working with the trolls to exploit their own people… I… I can’t imagine it.”

  “Right.” Mira took in a deep breath, unsteady but not yet full of tears. “Well, it’s over.” She paused. “Right?”

  “Yeah. It’s over.” Sandra almost believed it. They still had to wait and see if the rest of the mercs cleared out like she wanted them to. She had no intention of leaving the city to their tender mercies, and although she had no more appetite for death she would uphold her promise. “This is may be a bit random, but do you know where I can get my armor clean?”

  “I don’t… yeah, it should probably be this way. Come on, maybe they kept my stuff too.”

  “Let’s hope.”

  Sandra fell in step behind Mira, although she kept one eye out for trouble. Some of the mayor’s servants might still be loyal to him, although she couldn’t imagine it. She’d seen the state of the stable boy; while the mayor surrounded himself with riches he spared none for the staff. If she were them, she would be busy stuffing expensive trinkets in a sack.

  “This should be it.” They entered a much less opulent area of the house. The wood walls had no paint or wallpaper, and the floor was bare dirt . The servant area. Mira held open the door to a small room that definitely had clean clothes hanging up in a corner. “I don’t see a basin, though?”

  They entered the room and looked. There were no pipes, no well, no obvious way to draw or use water. The only things in the room besides the clothes line were two metal boxes. A little more than waist high, they each had hinged doors on the front and a small crystal on the top. Mira opened the doors, but the interiors of the boxes were empty.

  “Umm, m’lady?”

  They both jumped. Sandra spun with her short sword in front of her, crouching into a defensive stance as she did so. A frightened servant wearing basically rags backed up a step, but didn’t flee. Sandra let out a breath of relieved air and stood up.

  “You’re free now. They’re dead. The mercs are gone. You can make a life.”

  “With what?”

  “This mansion is full of riches.”

  “I couldn’t steal…”

  “It’s not stealing.” Sandra shook her head. “What the mayor did to get these things, that was stealing.”

  “I… okay. I’ll think about it.” The servant still looked unsure. Sandra didn’t want to speculate about what kinds of horrors the girl might have experienced in this house. Hopefully it was nothing more than deprivation while watching the mayor and his daughters indulge in excess. “You’re looking for a way to get your armor and weapons clean?”

  “Yes. Is this the washroom?” Mira came forward, wanting to know the answer. “Where’s the basin?”

  “The, uhh, boxes m’lady.”

  “I’m not a lady. I’m Mira.”

  “Oh. Okay. Mira. The boxes. A wizard enchanted them for the mayor. They clean things much faster than normal washing, and it means he has to pay less servants."

  “Oh. Oh!” Mira went over to one of the boxes and looked it over. With the crystal on top, it certainly looked magical. She opened it again and peered inside. “How does it work?”

  “I don’t know. I think. I think he said it is a small portal to the realm of water?” The servant shrugged, then moved forward to show Mira the inside. “That screen in there keeps items from falling through to the other realm while its on. Here, put your things inside.” The servant gestured at Sandra. Sandra peered suspiciously into the empty metal box.

  “Alright…”

  She took off her armor and threw it into the box. Then she threw the sword, the short sword, and basically everything that was stained with blood inside. She ended up with nothing on but her smallclothes and some daggers. Normally she would be embarrassed by that, but not this night.

  “Okay. Then you press this here.” The woman rattled the door to make sure it was closed, then pushed on the crystal. Immediately there was a loud whoosh from inside the box and then the gurgling sound of water. Both Sandra and Mira looked at it in surprise. “It will take fifteen or twenty minutes.”

  “Okay.” Mira raised a curious eyebrow at the box. “You know, we don’t even have things like this in the castle.”

  “Truly?”

  “It’s a wonder.” Mira shook her head. “How much has he stolen from this city?”

  “Too much.” Sandra’s voice was cold and hard. “Don’t you want your dress clean too, Mira?”

  “No. No. Do you still have my clothes?” She directed the question at the servant.

  “Your clothes?”

  “After they… after they drugged me, when I woke up I was wearing this and not my travelling clothes.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I don’t know what they would have done with them.”

  “Hm. Well, come on! Let’s raid the daughters’ closets. I’m sure they have to have something reasonable to wear!” Mira’s eyes lit up and she immediately started to leave the room.

  “But that’s…”

  “Stealing? Sandra already went over that. Now, come on.” Mira was out of the room before she stopped and looked back. “But first, where can Sandra and I get cleaned up?”

  “Oh, that I can do.” The servant nodded vigorously. “In the mayor’s room, come on.”

  The servant lead the way through the labyrinthine house. They only passed one other servant on the way, and the one who was leading them stopped briefly to give instructions to put Sandra’s equipment in ‘the dryer’ when it was done in ‘the washer’, then headed off again. They went up the stairs and into the mayor’s room.

  Sandra stopped and stared at the bed in shock. It was huge! Five people could sleep in it comfortably! It was surrounded by gilded wood carved in fanciful forms of naked women, and even the canopy around it was silk. The blankets were plush and dyed extraordinary colors, while there were more pillows than Sandra could count. Such luxury!

  “Whoa.” Mira also stopped and looked around. Everything was like that: the dressers, the wardrobes, the desk, the closet. Everything was made of rich, dark wood inlaid with precious metals and gems, worked into fanciful and sometimes lewd shapes.

  “The mayor like his fine things.” The servant was quiet, but Sandra could see the latent rage boiling behind her eyes. Now that everyone knew the truth behind the troll attacks, perhaps they would start to see their mayor in a different light. Once he was the savior, with an army of mercs trying to stop the trolls from ravaging his beloved city. Now he was nothing more than a common crook, bleeding the town dry while he lived in extravagant luxury.

  “This rivals the queen’s suite!”

  “You
’ve been in the queen’s suite?” The servant turned to look at Mira, admiration replacing the rage.

  “To dust…”

  “It must be lovely. I’ve heard she’s a wise and fair ruler.”

  “Oh, she is that indeed. She balances out her ruthless husband well.”

  “What was it like serving for royalty?”

  “I imagine it was a lot like serving your mayor, only in a bigger house made of stone.” Mira shrugged. “The rich are all the same…”

  “Oh, it can’t have been so bad.”

  “Probably not as bad as here.”

  “Probably not.”

  The two servants shared a moment of companionable silence at the thought. Sandra looked at them, and hoped silently that Mira didn’t feel that way about helping her on this quest.

  “So, right, this way!” The servant lead them to a room on the side of the mayor’s bedroom, which was a large and expansive bathroom. In one corner was a smaller room, lined with stone and separated by a lipped edge and a curtain. “In there.”

  “What is it?” Sandra approached it cautiously, wondering what it could possibly be. It looked like the showers at the guard barracks, although those all had buckets above them that you had to fill yourself. Then you could slowly tip icy water over yourself while scrubbing off the dirt from the day’s training. She didn’t see any such buckets in this, only a small abstract bit of art attached to the wall at the top and in the middle.

  “He called it a ‘shower’.” Well, at least that matched with Sandra’s initial thought. “The wizard built it, too. It opens another portal to the realm of water, and one to the realm of fire to heat the water.”

  “Heat the water?” Sandra regarded the fixture at the top of the shower with curiosity and concern. “Why?”

  “He said it feels better than a normal shower.” The servant shrugged. “He… invited me to join him once.”

  “He… oh! Oh. I’m so sorry.” Sandra made a move to hug the woman, then realized that her hands were still quite bloody. Mira might not mind, but she bet the servant would. “He won’t be able to do that again.”

  “I know. I know.”

  “Okay. Mira, do you want to go first?”

  “Umm…” Mira gave Sandra an odd look. “You should probably go first.”

  “What?”

  “Hair.”

  Sandra ran a hand through her hair. It was caked with dried blood and felt stiff to the touch. She wrinkled her face in disgust and nodded. Mira had some demure splashes of blood on her face and hands, but most of it ended up on her dress instead of her body. Since she was planning on throwing the dress out anyway…

  Sandra shooed the other women out of the room, then stripped off her small clothes. She kept the daggers strapped to her thighs and upper arms just in case, then got into the shower. Now that she knew what it was, the crystal to activate it was obvious. She touched it, and there was a loud gurgle behind the fixture. Sandra looked at it with suspicion…

  Wouldn’t that be funny. She killed two trolls and countless mercs, only to be taken down by a shower.

  Then a hot stream of water hit her in the face. She spluttered and leaned forward so the water was hitting her hair instead, and an involuntarily groan escaped from deep inside her as knots of tension she didn’t even realize were there eased and released.

  “Ohhhh wow.” The hot water seeped into her muscles and enveloped her in a thick cloud of warmth. She was struck by the thought that she never wanted to leave this place. “Mira!”

  Bare feet slapped on wooden boards, and Mira ran into the room. Her dress was gone, and so was the servant’s. They were both in the middle of trying on some fancy tunics.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Mira was looking around to try and find the threat.

  “What? Nothing. You have to try this.” Sandra leaned her head back and let her mouth hang open. Hot water sprayed across her face and rinsed out the inside of her mouth, which felt scummy from a week on the road and the night’s exertion. “It’s so good!”

  “Here I thought you were dying.”

  “I am dying! Of pleasure.” Sandra laughed. “Screw the dragon, let’s just live here.”

  “Really?”

  Sandra turned, and saw something akin to disappointment written on Mira’s features.

  “No. No, of course not. I’m just talking.” Sandra laughed. “But if you change your mind after experiencing this, let me know.”

  “Sure.” Mira gave Sandra an odd look, then headed back out of the bathroom. The servant let a hungry gaze linger on the cloud of steam billowing out from the shower before turning to go.

  “Hey, wait. When Mira’s done, you should try this too.”

  “Me?”

  “Of course!”

  The servant nodded, then fled. She clearly was having trouble processing the reversal of roles, and Sandra didn’t blame her. Most people would go their whole lives without things changing as drastically as they had in these last hours. The city of Velmar would never be the same, but that was probably a good thing.

  When Sandra finally finished washing the blood off and got out of the shower, there was a towel and armor waiting for her. Sure enough, the armor was spotless. Even the chain was clean, which was an amazing feat. When blood got in between the links it could take hours of scrubbing to get it back out again.

  “Mira! Mira?” Sandra toweled off quickly and started getting dressed. She was in small clothes and working on the leather under-armor when Mira appeared. She wore what, by the standards of the mayor, was a modest white tunic and sturdy pants. Both were made of a material that Sandra did not recognize, and both were heavily embroidered with gold thread. “Nice. Your turn.”

  “Sure!”

  Mira stripped and got into the shower while Sandra finished buckling on armor and re-arming herself. The servant stood demurely at the entrance to the bathroom. She was wearing a fine dress from the mayor’s daughters' collection. She had a strange look on her face as she considered the pair of pants Mira discarded.

  “Do you both… always wear men’s clothes?”

  “What?” Sandra looked up in surprise.

  “That was from the mayor’s closet.”

  “Oh. Well, yes, I suppose so. It’s hard to fight in a dress, you know.”

  “Ah.” The servant nodded, considering that. “You are not what I expected the savior of our city to be.”

  “Oh?”

  “I… thought you might be taller.” The servant blushed. “And a man.”

  “I get that a lot.” Sandra laughed. “Sorry to disappoint.

  “Oh! No! No, you didn’t disappoint… I mean, look at all you’ve done for us!”

  “I… you’re welcome.” Sandra considered it. Despite the horrors of the night, despite nearly dying many times, she could say they’d done a good thing here. “What he was doing to you all was wrong.”

  *

  In the morning, Sandra and Mira stood in the town square with Lightning and Annie. It seemed like years since they first rode into this ghost town, looking for supplies and a night’s rest. It seemed like months since they carved a bloody path down and then back up that alley. And, for all the evidence of their time here, it might as well have been months. The bodies were gone, piled outside with the rest of the piked corpses and burned. Black smoke still billowed up into the dawning sky from the pyre. The blood was gone, too, washed away in the night.

  “We’re leaving soon, but I intend to keep my promise.” Sandra addressed the servant from the night before and the owner of the general store who Mira haggled with just yesterday for supplies. It turned out the servant was his daughter.

  They were both wearing much finer clothing this morning than they had the night before. Many people in town were, which was heartening. Their money paid for those things, it was only fitting they should benefit from it.

  “You won’t stay for the celebration?” People were bustling around town, preparing for a feast to celebrate the death o
f the trolls and the mayor. “You’re the guests of honor.”

  Sandra shook her head, wordlessly. She was still working through what happened in her mind, but celebrating it was not currently on her list of things to do.

  “Alright. How do you intend to find any mercenaries who are left? You’re only two.”

  “I need your help.” Sandra nodded. “Search the town in teams of five and ten. Look for any of them who may still be hiding, but don’t try to fight them. They’re dangerous. Just keep your distance and raise the alarm. If they don’t run, I’ll come get them.”

  “Okay… okay, if it will help us be rid of this scourge, we’ll do it.”

  “Scourge?”

  “It sounded brave.” The man winked.

  “Yes it did. Make sure everyone who is searching carries a weapon. An axe, a knife, anything you can defend yourselves with. Cornered wolves are the most dangerous.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The man nodded and headed over to a knot of people who were gathered in the square. Apparently he had the same idea she did, because they were all armed and looked ready to hunt wayward mercs.

  Good.

  Sandra was worried about sending civilians out to do this work, but there was no way to do it fast enough otherwise. Even if she did search the entire city, which would take days, they could manage to hide from her while she was at it. This was better, if more dangerous.

  “They’ll be okay?” Mira looked concerned, although she agreed with the reasoning.

  “Ten men with wood axes against a mercenary with a blade?” Sandra considered it. “I hope so.”

  “Me too.”

  “You could stay here if you like, you know?”