by Rene Folsom
I don’t know the best plan of action, but when I think back to what Langston said, he’s right. All I care about is myself, but what I should be concerned with is not just me, but everyone around me that suffers in silence. I can’t be the only who wants out of this life.
When I look toward the mouth of the cage, I realize it’s still daylight out. Which means Graham is forced to stay in dragon form. I don’t know exactly where I am, but I need to rely on him to get me back to the stables. I’ve eaten all the food, and there’s nothing left for me to do but look around.
He didn’t say I couldn’t go anywhere, so I take a few minutes to browse the cave.
Even though the walls are clearly made of uneven rock, stalactites and small formations give the ceilings character and life. Still, rock or not, the floors are clean, as if they’ve been polished like marble, their shine intimidating as I take several slow steps deeper into the cave.
I’m toward the back of the cave, examining all the items Graham has stored, when I hear voices. Five distinct voices, and one of them is angry.
“You should have never brought her here, Graham. Greann is pregnant,” Vulcan bites out. The sound of his voice echoes off the cave as the brothers continue their heated discussion.
“Where is she anyway?” Drake asks.
“She’s here; I can smell her. If the rest of you hadn’t become lazy in your ways, you’d smell her, too. No matter of her proximity.” Graham’s voice is smooth. Level. Out of them all, he’s the only one who seems to show any kindness toward me. It’s one of the reason’s I’m more open with him than with Drake or the other brothers. He’s the only one that has taken the opportunity to get to know me—the real me.
“Again, like Vulcan has already pointed out, Greann is with child—Vulcan’s child to be exact,” William warns. “We can’t ignore that.”
“The pregnancy has yet to be confirmed,” Drake counters.
“Greann wouldn’t lie,” Seneca offers up.
She would lie, I realize. They don’t know her like I know her.
But in hindsight, do I want her to be lying about this? Or do I want it to be true?
My initial reaction was pain at hearing the news of her pregnancy. I did feel betrayed by Vulcan, but that could be because he was the first to kiss me and I still harbor feelings about said kiss.
I can tell by their tones Graham and Drake are the only two on my side, while the other three are standing by the selection process.
“It could just mean that maybe we have two chances at this,” Vulcan offers up.
“Two chances at what? There is nothing in the prophecy that mentions a sacred seven. It’s the sacred six. Both have red streaks, so how do we know who is the right one?” Seneca says.
“But Greann came to us that way. Zhavia did not. Her hair started to change from the moment she came in contact with Vulcan and Graham,” Drake explains. “It’s entirely possible Greann has heard of the prophecies and tried to manipulate the selection. Her hair is already red. It wouldn’t take much for Greann to color strands of her hair to match what the guards were told to look for.”
“Zhavia is a servant,” Seneca goes on to say, his voice increasingly impatient with his brothers. I idly wonder what their dragon names are.
I haven’t stepped into the light, but I can see their dragons—all five of them. Seneca is the gold dragon, with thick tufts of platinum hair. Vulcan is red with black horns. Drake is green, but with muted tones of gold, and he possesses a long black beard. William is brown, sporting a long tail with three spikes. And I’ve become well acquainted with the blue hue of Graham, his ivory horns perfect for riding away from all my troubles. It doesn’t go unnoticed their eye colors in human form match the colors of their dragon scales.
All of them have managed to fit themselves inside the cave, though I can tell from my limited vantage point it’s a tight fit. Graham is on the platform, while Vulcan and William are both perched on a sidewall on some sort of cliff. Drake is sitting at the mouth of the cave, and Seneca rests against the back wall. I make my way to the front. No one says a word as I come to stand in the middle of them.
“Graham,” I call just loud enough to hopefully get his attention. “I’d like to go back before it gets dark.”
A large golden wing, that of leather and veins, slides past me and cuts me off when I walk toward Graham’s form. “You will tell no one of this. Do you understand? Not Greann, not any members of the staff,” Seneca warns.
“Why would I say anything?” I question, my voice nearly coming out as a shriek. “I don’t speak to staff. I can assure you I have nothing but foul words to spew at Greann. Hell, I could be dreaming right now for all I know. Don’t you dare forget all of you stood there and watched as the whip slashed through my feet.”
“Because you threatened to leave,” William grunts all too quickly, a puff of smoke leaving his nostrils as he tries to rein in his irritation. Irritation with me.
“That’s no excuse. I should be able to come and go as I chose. All of us should have that right,” I hiss back in anger. Who do they think they are? They’re always on their high horse, trying to control us as if we were dogs.
They enslave us, and I’m sick of it.
Well, I refuse to sit by and watch it all happen, even if I do harbor feelings toward one of the brothers. Graham has been the only one to go out of his way to show me any type of kindness, and there will always be a soft spot in my heart for him. After all, he did heal me when I was at my worst. But I still won’t sit back and let other weeds like me suffer. Not now, not ever.
Graham laughs. It’s a deep rumble that comes from within his belly, but it’s still a laugh. “When she gets like this, why is it I am the only who wants to kiss her?”
Drake chimes in with, “At least you got to kiss her. I’m still waiting my turn.”
These beasts think it’s all a damn joke—they think I’m a joke.
“No more talk of kissing, and no more about this deal with the sacred six. I’m not the one, and I can’t break your curse. If that were the case, all of you would be able to walk around during the day,” I bark back.
“Only after each of us have fucked you would we know if it worked or not,” William offers up.
I swallow my gasp. Fuck me? Is he serious? There is no way that five men are going to insert anything inside of me, especially since I’ve never been touched that way before in my short life.
“Stop scaring her,” Drake admonishes.
“It’s nothing like that. We still need to sit down and have that talk.”
“There’s no reason to talk. Greann is with child. My child,” Vulcan says with gruffness coating his vocal chords. “That’s good enough for me to keep on our current path. I won’t lie, I did feel things when I kissed Zhavia, but I also felt things with Greann. That can’t be ignored.”
“You were feeling with your little head and not your big one,” Drake offers as a way of explaining.
“No, brother. Both of my heads are equally formed in size, and I haven’t had any complaints.” Vulcan laughs at Drake. and a few of the brothers join him.
To say that Vulcan’s words have hurt my feelings is an understatement. I can’t explain why it hurts, but it does. And when my mind travels to Graham being with Greann, my gut sinks even further.
I also can’t understand why they’re ignoring me. I want to go. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to get in trouble again all because of their actions.
I look up at Graham, unprepared for what I see. His blue eyes are trying to reach inside my soul with each and every word his brothers spew from their adolescent, tooth-filled dragon mouths. I don’t speak the words out loud to Graham, but I do think them.
“Did you sleep with Greann?”
Holding my breath, I wait for his answer, hoping the other brothers weren’t able to hear my question. If he answers yes, it will break me, though my hurt won’t be fair to him. Still, an affirmative answer will surely ruin
me and harden my heart further, cementing me in my quest to be rid of this place.
“No, little petal. I have not slept with Greann. Only Vulcan and William have.”
“Why isn’t anyone else picking up on the fact she just spoke to Graham via telepathy?” Drake asks.
“Did you hear her, too?” Graham looks to his brothers for answers, but none of them respond. They all just glance between each other with pure perplexity on their dragon faces.
“I didn’t hear her, but I could tell the two of you were speaking. Have you managed to imprint yourself on her, Graham?” William asks, his voice a near shout.
“Somehow, they’ve established a connection.” Seneca sounds almost thoughtful when he speaks this time. But he’s the one who notices the sun is starting to set. “We need to get her back and figure this shit out later. The sun is setting, and I don’t know about the rest of you, but walking back in human form would be a bit of a problem with her in tow, especially since we’re at the edge of the property.”
Everyone agrees, and it’s about fucking time they listen to me about the setting sun. It’s time for me to get back. Graham said no one would miss me, but I don’t want to take the chance of being stuck here in this cave overnight.
“What about Tempie?” I ask, worried about the horse.
“She’ll find her way home. She’s content to stay by the water if she pleases. No one will question her absence.” While Graham should know about his Shire better than anyone else, I still worry Langston will question the fact I’ve ridden off with one of the horses and didn’t return.
“We will need to make this quick, which means I’ll have to carry you in my claws. You’re not yet an experienced rider. I don’t want you to fall off,” Graham explains, his words making me nervous.
Regardless of how much I trust him, I’m not sure I’m okay with being carried like prey. Then again, I don’t want to fall either. “Fine, just get me back.”
Graham opens up his taloned claws and I step between them, seating myself on his palm. When he takes off this time, it’s quick. My head lolls to the side, and my stomach feels like it’s taken up permanent residence inside my chest. The brothers fly next to him, their soaring synchronized and graceful. We fly together until we get to the garden, each going their separate ways. When Graham lands, it’s right outside the garden’s gates.
The sun is minutes from setting. I idly wonder what it would be like to watch Graham transform from dragon to human form, but I don’t dare press my luck with this monster that assisted me with such a graceful landing. I start to walk toward the stable when I hear Graham inside my head. “I believe in us, little petal. I hope you will believe in us as well.”
Easier said than done.
The only one I have a little bit of faith in is Graham, and again, its miniscule. He wants me to put my trust in something I don’t believe in.
“That’s a tall order, Graham. With Greann being pregnant, I don’t see how any of this is possible. Maybe it’s just a connection you and I share, and we should leave it at that.”
Which wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
“I don’t believe that, and neither should you. The others will come around. You’ll see. They’ve been living with this curse just as long as I have, and for them to not even try to see where this goes is foolish.”
With his parting words, he leaves. I don’t know where he goes or what it looks like when he changes, but I find I’m still curious to know.
“There’s always next time, little petal,” Graham’s voice sounds in my head.
“There will be more meetings like today?” I ask, excitement building inside me at the idea of spending more time with him.
Graham chuckles and then whispers, “If you’re lucky.”
17
With the sun close to setting, I pass through the stables to see Tempie has made it back. I do a quick check of the other horses when I hear voices in the back, one of them being Langston.
“The girl will be here. She trusts me.”
“She doesn’t get on with the other servants. I don’t know why you would think she’d be a good fit.” It’s the voice of a stranger, and one that sends a chill through my spine.
“Her feet are healed. It means that at least one of the brothers has shown interest.”
“Langston, she could be a liability.”
I walk toward the back in time to see Langston shake his head. “You’re wrong. Zhavia is an asset.”
“An asset to what, Langston?” I ask as I step into the light.
Both men turn in my direction. I haven’t seen the man with Langston around the house or the grounds of House Kincaid. Langston hurries over, taking both of my hands in his.
“I’m glad you made it. Follow us.”
As he leads me, I have to keep reminding myself this is Langston, and I am confident he wouldn’t let any harm come to me. I’ve come to think of him as a father figure of sorts, and I can only pray he sees me in the same regard. He’s the closest thing I have to a family. With that in mind, I have only been here a short while and still have come to care for him deeply.
They take me past the stable and down the other side of the house to an entrance I have never noticed before. It’s dark and wet as we step inside. The passageway is narrow, forcing the three of us to walk single file until we reach an opening that has stairs.
“What’s down there?” I question, unsure if I want to make the ascension without knowing what lies beneath.
Langston pins me with his eyes and whispers, “You’ll see.”
Taking a breath, I steel my nerves. I need to grow a backbone if I plan to survive this house.
Before we reach the bottom, I can hear the voices—strange voices. There aren’t many of them, but enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up at attention. When we enter the room, there are about twenty others in the small, drab space, all seated on benches. Langston leads me to the back, and we both take a seat. The others stare at me and mumble. Some even point. It’s then I remember my cap isn’t on my head.
Shit.
“Langston, I don’t have my cap on,” I whisper from the corner of my mouth as I grasp his hand with force.
“Don’t worry. No one here will report you.” He pats my hand in reassurance, but with the amount of people here, I can’t help not trusting a single one of them.
“What is this?” I ask.
“Hush, girl, and listen.”
I’m shocked when I see Admiral Willis come out from a side door, his uniform replaced by vintage blue jeans and a black, fitted t-shirt. Two others stand at his side, flanking him with an air of strength I’d never thought possible amongst weeds. One of his supporters is Talia.
Her eyes meet mine.
Admiral Willis holds his hands up, quieting the surrounding crowd and demanding attention. “Things are being set into motion now that Lady Greann is with child. We will use this time to shore up our defense. Ensure our victory. It is through our vast network outside these walls that we shall prevail. We will defend our freedom to the death. Aid each other to guarantee our utmost strength. United we shall succeed, divided we will perish. We are not animals bred to serve. We are human beings. Once a strong capable race, we ruled these lands. We drove the monsters back—those that call themselves our masters. When the time comes that you realize that something can and will be done to ensure our freedom, it is then you will fight. Rise with me, my brothers and sisters. Rise with me to remind them this is our land!”
The crowd doesn’t cheer, it doesn’t roar, but there are vigorous and quiet head nods throughout the crowd. Everyone, from the kitchen help to Talia, all have a look of determination on their face, yet all stay quiet. I can only imagine they don’t want to be heard. These people feel the exact same way I do, albeit more organized. I glance at Langston who has a satisfied look on his face. He knows how I feel, and he knows just how strongly I agree with this rebellion.
“Do you now understand why I
didn’t want to leave with you, girl?” he whispers.
I nod fervently. I’m starting to understand. This uprising isn’t just about me, and Langston knew it all along despite my self-centered outlook on life. This is about all of us. I realize now I have been going about this the wrong way. With the help of Langston and the others here, we can accomplish so much.
“I get it,” I admit.
“Welcome to the rebellion, Zhavia. Willis wishes to have a word with you.” Langston has a look of pride on his face when he says the words, his introduction clearly important in the grand scheme of things.
He leads me over to the man we all know as Admiral Willis. He’s talking in hushed tones to Talia, and I wonder what could be said to a witch like her that would be of importance. When he notices our approach, he straightens and pins me with his black gaze.
“You sure about her, Langston?” Willis asks, his voice laced with venom.
“If anyone can get close to them, it’s her, sir.”
“What do you mean get close? Close to who?” I ask, gasping as I realize what they mean.
This rebellion is against the brothers, and I’m not quite sure I’m willing to betray them. Still, I try to keep my face neutral. They don’t need to know how I feel about the Kincaid brothers.
Admiral Willis places both hands on his hips and glares at me. “You, girl, are going to cuddle up to the Kincaid men. You’re going to find out everything you can about them. You’re going to help us take them down from the inside.”
A fierce sense of loathing takes up residence in my gut. I don’t really know any of these weeds, and I have no loyalty to them. Deep down, I realize this is the right thing to do, but my chest begins to ache at the thought of betraying the brothers. I can’t pinpoint the source of irritation, except to say it’s painful. Langston pushes me with his shoulder.