Pete fumed at him. "I'm warning you…"
His captor laughed. "You're so easy to manipulate. Enough. Much as I like outmanoeuvring your mind as easily as we outsmarted you yesterday, I'm getting bored of your feeble responses. I'll have a little nap now; be quiet or I'll have to give you something to help you sleep." He lifted a heavy stick and smiled meaningfully.
Pete shrugged and turned away. He hated talking to this arrogant fool anyway, and had no interest in talking to him any more. He looked over at the two sleeping girls, Anna and Butcher. Butcher. He didn't even know her first name. She looked young. Too young to have to look forward to a life of ill treatment at the hands of this fool. He wondered how much of what he said was true. He was right about the children. That was unforgivable. That smouldering corpse would be forever burnt into his mind, and would probably haunt him for the rest of his life. But the Blues were in no position to criticise. How old were the captives that they stole away from their homes? He doubted they waited till they were adults before abusing them. He would give anything to be able to reach that sleeping fool's neck; even with his hands tied together he would be able to choke the life out him before he could get his tenth victim. And there was something strange about this man. He was much older than any of the other Blues, and his eyes had an intelligent, sly look about them. He was clearly playing games with him. Pete's thoughts turned back to how he could get to him, and he continued to sit silently, lost in his angry dreams of revenge and violence until a group of men approached the two of them. Unlike the men he had fought yesterday, these men were older, like the leader, and were dressed in smart uniforms, which probably implied senior ranks within the Blue Army. They spoke with his captor briefly, and as Pete struggled to hear what they said, someone approached him from behind and put a damp cloth over his mouth. He struggled futilely for a few seconds before lapsing into unconsciousness.
When he woke again he was lying on a bed in a dark and gloomy cell. The cell was poorly lit, the only source of light being two small lamps standing on shelves sunk into the cell walls. As his eyes grew accustomed to the dim light he realised that his hands were no longer tied together, and he rubbed his wrists where the rope had left its marks. He raised his hands to his neck tentatively, but was disappointed to find that the metal collar was still in place. Wherever he was, the Blues still feared him and were not going to risk allowing him to transform.
He sat up to look around the cell; he could see the door opposite the bed which had a narrow slit at about head height, and a wider opening half way down, presumably for passing food into the cell.
"So you're awake at last." It was Anna, who was sat on another bed barely a metre away from his. He hadn't noticed her sitting there so silently in the half light.
"Hi, Anna. Do you know where we are?" he asked.
She shrugged, her face hidden by the shadows. "No idea. When I woke I had a blindfold on and they walked me in here before taking it off. They carried you in later and dropped you on that bed. I tried to wake you but you were dead to the world. You've been out for hours."
Pete nodded, wondering what they had given him to knock him out for so long. "So what about Butcher? Was she with you when you woke?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so. I had a blindfold on so I couldn't be sure, but I think I was the only prisoner. I didn't hear anyone else."
"Any idea where they took her?" Pete was almost afraid to ask.
Anna turned her face away from him. "I don't want to think about where she is now, or what they're doing to her," she replied coldly. "I expect I'll share her fate."
Pete looked away himself, a little embarrassed. "But hold on, why have they put us in the same cell? We're not chained to the walls here."
"What are you suggesting?" Anna asked suspiciously. "We can't fight them—not with these things around our necks."
"I'm not suggesting anything, but think about it. Consider what they do with their female prisoners. Rape them and use them to breed soldiers; red haired, but still Blue Dragons. At least that's what we've been told."
"Yes, thank you," Anna replied. "We've all heard the rumours. I really wanted to be reminded of that."
"No, you miss the point. If you're locked in here with me, how would they be sure that we hadn't had sex; that you're not already pregnant?"
"Perhaps because when two soldiers are captured, sex isn't usually the first thing on their minds. Most of us would be thinking of escaping."
"I know that, but as you said, we all know the rumours. If you were pregnant already it would spoil their plans."
"So you're suggesting that I sleep with you to try and get pregnant with a Red Dragon baby instead of a Blue Dragon? That plan seems to work very well for you."
"No, of course I'm not suggesting that. I'm saying that they wouldn't know if we had done that. They must know it's a risk."
"It's a risk anyway," Anna replied. "I could have been pregnant when they caught us."
Pete shook his head. "Of course you couldn't have been. You can't transform when you're pregnant. You couldn't have flown over here."
Anna looked a little surprised. "Really? I never knew that."
Pete shook his head. "They taught us that at school, and in basic training as well. The Blues would know that as well. So why would they put us in the same cell?"
"Sorry, I still don't get what you're saying. It sounds like either way I'm going to spend the next nine months in a cell carrying a baby I don't want to have."
"No, that's the point, I don't think you are. They've put us in here together, knowing that risk. They wouldn't do that if they wanted you for their breeding programme. They'd want to be sure you're going to be carrying the right child."
Anna shrugged. "When it was born, they'd just kill it if it wasn't a Blue Dragon. I doubt they'd really care."
"No, they couldn't do that. When they're born there's no way of telling what it is—not for sure."
"What about skin colour? I thought babies were born with red hair and blue skin?"
"Not always," Pete replied. "Sometimes they take the coloration from one parent, sometimes the other. You could have two babies from the same Blue Dragon, and one might have your skin and hair colour, and the other might have his blue hair and skin."
Anna shivered. "What a horrible thought. I'd want to strangle it at birth."
Pete regarded her coldly. "You could do that? Murder a baby?"
Anna stared back at him challengingly. "Not just a baby. A monster. Destined to rape and murder our daughters when it grows up. Why wait till it is old enough to be lethal before getting rid of it?"
Pete said nothing in response. The image of the burned child was still fresh in his mind. He wondered if she would have thought the same as she did now had she seen what he had.
He shook his head. "Look, you're missing the point. I don't think they plan to use you like that. If they did, they wouldn't have left you here. You'd be with Butcher, wherever she is."
"So what do they want me for?" Anna asked. "There's no other reason to keep us here."
Pete shrugged and smiled coldly. "More importantly, what do they want me for? They killed Hill and Farmer. Why not me?"
"Whatever it is, it won't be good," Anna declared, sitting back and closing her eyes.
Hours passed by in the cell. The two young Red Dragons really didn't know each other, so they hardly talked at all. At least not at first. Anna was cold and hostile towards Pete, which he put down to fear and uncertainty regarding what lay ahead. The situation was certainly strange; they appeared to have been completely forgotten about by the Blue Dragons. Still, the Blues were planning on keeping them alive for the moment, as food was still provided at regular intervals. The lamps were small and didn't have much oil, so eventually they burned out, leaving them in complete darkness. They had no way of knowing the time or anything about what was happening outside their cell, so they reluctantly resigned themselves to sleep.
In the morning, at least when they assumed it
was morning, four guards armed with short swords burst into the room without any announcement, accompanied by the man who had spoken to Pete the day after they were captured; the same one who had commanded those that had captured them.
"Ah, hello," he said by way of greeting. "I hope you're enjoying your new home. Stand up and hold your arms out."
"I demand to be told what's happening," Pete insisted, not moving from where he was sitting on his bed.
The man sighed, shaking his head before nodding to one of his guards, who calmly walked over and punched Pete in the face, knocking him backwards.
"Hold your arms out," the man repeated dully, as if a little bored. "You're to be bound, so I can talk to you without these guards. It can be done with you conscious or unconscious. I have no preference."
Anna and Pete held out their arms, and two of the guards approached them and attached chains to their wrists.
The man nodded at the guards, who left the cell.
"Right, I will tell you what I know. You will be staying here for some time; how long, I couldn't say. This will be the only time you'll be getting visitors so you won't see me again. Each morning you are to pass out those two buckets through the hole in the bottom of the door. In case you hadn't worked it out yet, the one with water in is for you to wash, and the other is your toilet. Being Red Dragons, I can see how that might confuse you, so I'll ask the guards to label them for you." He smiled cruelly at them as he spoke, watching them to see their reaction.
Pete ignored the jibe, determined not to react to anything he said, and just looked over at the door, and saw that there was a small door within the door, large enough for a bucket. The Blue Dragon continued his monologue.
"Your food will be given to you on trays through the door; as will fresh oil for the lamps. You will pass out the previous trays when you are given the next meal. It's a simple arrangement that even you should be able to follow. You won't see or hear them, but there will be guards stationed here at all times. They are instructed to not speak to you at all, although I can't think why they would want to anyway. If you have something you need, just write a message on this paper, and pass it to the guard. I assume at least one of you can read and write. The guards are under no obligation to pass anything along though, so I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a reply. If you want to scream, or shout, or break anything in here, no one will care, or hear, other than the guard, who is authorised to beat you, so do as you wish. It's your home now. Any questions?"
"Yes," Pete replied. "Why are we being kept here?"
The man shrugged. "No idea. Don't care either and I don't intend to find out. Next question."
"Am I going to stay here?" Anna asked. "Or am I going to join Butcher?"
The man smiled. "Butcher? Is that her name? Seems about right for a baby killer. She wouldn't tell me, so I had to give her a name of my own. See, they let me count both of these two, so I reached my lucky ten, and I chose her, the other one. See? I'm not that bad. I could tell you liked this skinny one, so left her for you. You'll like the name I have given her. Little pig. Get it? Speaking of which, I only have her for another day. Better go back and give her some more attention. I think she will be looking forward to me visiting, don't you?"
Pete stared at him coldly, wondering if he could kill him while his hands were chained together.
"No, you won't be joining Little Pig, to answer your question. You two will be staying here a while longer. That was your last question. Enjoy your new home. Once I've left, stick your arms through that hole in the door. The guards will unchain you. If they feel like it. You may have to wait a while."
He rose and backed out the door, which slammed shut after him. The room was lit by two lamps again, the guards having refilled them without them noticing.
"What's funny about the name Little Pig? Is it because her name is Butcher?"
Pete shook his head. "No, it's because I suggested that he would like having sex with pigs. He has her, or at least he wants me to think that. To think about what he's doing to her."
"So he had a choice between the two of us?"
Pete looked at her. "If you believe a word he says, you were lucky to be overlooked. I suspect Butcher would happily swap places with Hill right now if he's telling the truth. But I bet he's probably lying just to spite me. I doubt he said anything that was true."
"He said that you liked the skinny one. Did he mean me?"
Pete turned away, a little embarrassed. "It doesn't matter what he said. You can't trust anything he said. Just be grateful it's not you with him. Come on, let's eat. They've left us breakfast…"
Chapter 25: Beginning the lessons
"I take it John's back," Jenna commented to Crystal. They were seated together in the classroom, waiting for their teacher to arrive.
Crystal looked up from the book she had been trying to read, and scanned the classroom. "Where? I can't see him."
Jenna shook her head. "He's not in the classroom. I'm talking about little Daisy. She's been on the verge of tears since the weekend. Now look at her."
Crystal looked over to where Daisy was taking her seat next to Arthur. The anxious, strained look was replaced by a radiant happy glow.
"Oh yeah," Crystal agreed. "Wow, she looks very different. I wonder when he got back."
"Hmm, you know, I get the feeling that she's happy about more than just John being back. Look at Arthur's scowl. I think little Daisy has nabbed John. Look at her dreamy, vacant expression. She's in love," Jenna said scornfully.
"Can't you be happy for her just this once?" Crystal pleaded. "You must have felt a little sorry for her these last few days."
"No," Jenna lied. "And I know why you're happy for her. You get to lose the stalker."
"Jenna! That stalker, as you call him, saved you from becoming dinner. You were that close from being eaten."
"Yes, yes, I know. I'll thank John when he gets back if I can pry him from Daisy. I doubt she'll want him talking to us. Especially you."
Crystal shrugged indifferently. "Doesn't look like he's coming in this morning anyway. Class is about to start and he's never late."
The Professor entered the room. "Settle down students…."
It was a beautiful sunny day, and unusually warm considering the season, so Crystal declined the invitation to eat indoors with Arthur and Jenna, and took her food outside to eat in the sun. A shadow settled on her as she laid out her food, and she looked up to see John standing in front of her.
"So you're back? I didn't see you at registration. Where were you?"
"I had to explain where I had been," John said. "I had a bit of a grilling over my absence. After the incident with Daniel, the headmaster has taken a greater interest in my well-being."
"Great," Crystal said flatly. "So do we all have to explain what happened?"
John shook his head dismissively. "They're satisfied with my answers, and there will be no more questions. I don't think they were even that interested. The matter is closed."
Crystal breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't told her parents anything about the incident, and no one other than her friends at school knew about it. With hindsight, they had all come to the conclusion that they'd been pretty stupid to have not investigated what lived in the valley before going there. Plenty of remote spots in the Kingdom had wild pigs that could be very dangerous, and there was no reason to assume that they didn't live in the valley. Unfortunately, nothing dangerous lived in the west, or near the capital, so it hadn't occurred to Arthur or Seth to check.
"So, what are you doing out here?" Crystal asked. "I thought you'd want to be with Daisy."
"I do want to be with Daisy. But I thought we might talk for a bit. If now is convenient?"
Crystal frowned, remembering that she had intended to go a little easier on him since he had risked his life to save them. "I suppose so," she agreed rather reluctantly. "I was planning on eating lunch on my own. What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well, I wonde
red how much you know about the military council?"
"John!" Crystal snapped, scarcely believing what she was hearing. "I don't want to talk about the council. I really thought that now you're with Daisy you would stop pestering me with all of this nonsense."
John shrugged. "Daisy understands that I need to do this. She doesn't understand why, but she trusts me and accepts that it is important to me."
"I don't understand why!" Crystal exclaimed in frustration. "Mainly because you haven't told me why you want to do this. I mean, this can't be rewarding for you. I'm clearly not that interested in any of this or a keen student generally. Surely there must be someone else you can impart your wisdom to?"
The sarcasm was lost on John. "No, it has to be you. The reason why will become clear only when you have learned enough. Look at it as a gift. I'm offering you knowledge; a powerful tool. It's a gift with only one thing asked of you: that you accept it and wait till I am ready to explain why I want to teach you."
"But I don't want to accept that! I want to know why first. I don't find what you are trying to teach me interesting."
"How do you know that?" John asked politely, ignoring Crystal's angry tone. "You don't know what I am trying to teach you yet."
"So far all you have done is just babbled on about boring politics and history. Is there going to be anything else?"
"Good question; there are ten things I want to teach you, some of which you know a little of already, some you know nothing of. Shall I tell you what the subjects are?"
Crystal sighed in defeat, realising that he wasn't go to give up. "Go on. I'm not really interested though."
"Alright. The subjects are transformation, flying, combat, red dragon history, politics and culture, your neighbours and other races, war, other foreign relations and a final lesson."
"Final lesson? That's not a subject," Crystal pointed out. "And I still didn't hear anything about what the point of doing all of this is; when are you going to tell me why you're doing all this?"
"That is what is covered by the final lesson," John replied cryptically.
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