Soulbound to a Dragon

by Kurtis Eckstein

  Selfish bastard!

  I barely managed to hold my tongue as my eyes narrowed in rage. I immediately whipped my head back around and marched forward to escape this stupid hell. He called out to me again, but I just ignored him, knowing he wouldn’t follow. So much for a friendly goodbye. I didn’t have any friends anyway. I was just a worthless piece of garbage whose feelings didn’t matter to anyone.

  I seethed as I hurried across the empty meadow, forgetting to be cautious of my surroundings. At least nothing seemed to be around in broad daylight. I still had most of the day before dark, so I needed to try to cover as much distance as possible. I wasn’t even sure exactly where I was going. My godmother had just said to head west, but she had given no specific reason why, other than the fact that it was safer for me. It made me wonder if the elderfel lived more towards the east. I knew the elvish forest was in the south, which meant I was currently facing north and needed to head towards my left slightly. That’s where I should find humans, and as far as I knew they wouldn’t try to kill me on sight like an elderfel would.

  I had considered trying to hide my tail and ears, but it was too hot to wear the necessary clothing. I’d die of heat stroke before I died from someone seeing my non-human features. My black clothing, as little as it was, didn’t help either. It was certainly a tradeoff. In the end, I wasn’t sure I was really accomplishing anything. Maybe I should have just gone with lighter colors so that at least I wasn’t dying of heat.

  Once I cleared the meadow, I paused to look back, my anger having finally dissipated enough to glance one last time at the elven forest.

  But it was already gone.

  What should have been trees was a massive outcropping of rocks, going up as high as I could see. It was an illusion of course, but the magical barrier made it feel real enough if someone were to try to touch it.

  When I had first been told about how the elves kept outsiders out, it had made me curious about my mother – how had she managed to get in?

  But no one had an answer for me. Either they didn’t want to say, or else they sincerely didn’t know. Only elves could proceed through the barrier – everyone else faced an impenetrable wall. Including myself now.

  Suddenly, movement in the distance caused my cat-ears to flinch, the black fur on my tail suddenly sticking up. I began turning in alarm just as a stabbing pain pierced my thigh, forcing me to stumble. Instinctively, I used the only power I had available at this range. I activated my magic, visualizing what I wanted, and heard something heavy drop to the ground as my assailant was bound by my blue ethereal chains.

  Trying to stay upright, I looked down to see an arrow sticking through my thigh.

  Someone attacked me? Already? Why?

  My mind was racing as I tried to avoid passing out, the pain just now starting to hit me. But I didn’t have time to think. Even though the first assailant was still restrained, two more appeared out of the brush on either side.

  Elderfels.

  Both of them resembled tigers, although the one to my right had bluish fur whereas the one to the left was more gray. They both were wearing dark brown leather armor that covered their upper torso and waist. Fear gripped my chest as I realized they had been waiting for me. I hadn’t just been exiled from my home, I had been sent to my death.

  I immediately pulled out my short sword, ready to defend myself. I wasn’t sure how I’d manage though. I was strong, but so were they. I had skill, but so did they. And if I bound all three of them with my magic, then I’d immobilize myself from the strain on my mind. One was about all I could handle and still move.

  Unexpectedly, vines erupted from the ground and ensnared both of my immediate threats, dropping them to the forest floor. I instantly cleared the distance, despite the horrible pain erupting from my thigh, and readied myself to slice the throat of the first one.

  I hesitated briefly, watching the humanoid gray tiger struggle against the vines. I didn’t have time to waste, but I had never actually killed an intelligent creature before – only animals. The elves had a high respect for life, but they weren’t opposed to hunting for food.

  I had certainly killed before, but not something like this.

  I grimaced as I instinctively safeguarded my mind by thinking the same prejudice I’d grown up with. The same prejudice that had always been directed towards me.

  It’s just an animal.

  I stabbed my midnight blade into its throat, trying to ignore the gurgling sound it made as it gasped for breath, and quickly hobbled over to the next one to do the same.

  Just an animal, just an animal, just an animal.

  I then glanced back at the stone wall, knowing Regulus had been the one to save me. For him, he could see me across the meadow unhindered, though he would never step foot out of the forest to help me in person. Still, I was glad to know he was watching. I wasn’t sure if I would have survived this attack by myself.

  I suddenly regretted not giving him that kiss, but then chastised myself for thinking like that. He didn’t really care about me. Not to mention he had someone. I shouldn’t have to give someone a kiss in exchange for saving my life – it should just be something people do as a courtesy to their fellow…

  Elf? Human?

  I supposed I didn’t fit into any category that deserved saving based on a common decency for life.

  Despite my complaining muscle, I quickly limped over to the last elderfel still bound by my ethereal chains. The arrowhead scraped my other leg on the way.

  I stood over the panther-like creature, shocked to see that his black fur was the same shade as mine on my ears and tail.

  He spat at me, cursing in a language I didn’t understand. But then, as I held my blade up to his throat, he spoke in the human tongue, which was something I had been taught. His voice was full of spite and disdain. “Filthy pantherian! You’re an obscenity to our kind! A disgrace to us all! The sun will not set before you are dead. We will assure of that.”

  Fear gripped my chest again. I quickly glanced around to make sure I didn’t see or hear anyone else.

  The elderfel laughed at me. “They will come soon enough and hunt you down. We have been waiting for eighteen years to destroy you. Finally, we will end this mistake.”

  I stared into his hateful eyes, surprised to see slits instead of normal circular pupils like mine. He looked so sinister. Truly a monster.

  But that’s not what I was focusing on now. My mind was racing.

  Had they really had elderfel camped out here consistently for eighteen years? They wanted me dead that badly? I knew the elderfel were prejudiced, but I didn’t know they were that prejudiced. Why did they want me dead so desperately? It didn’t make sense to waste so many resources on killing one person.

  I tried to get answers, but the elderfel just laughed and spat at me.

  Knowing I might pass out from the pain at any moment, which would automatically release the monster from my chains, I slit his throat to be done with it. I then hobbled about six feet away and leaned up against a nearby tree.

  Thinking about them as animals or monsters made it easier to kill them. This panther was just a monster, who only happened to be capable of intellectual speech. That’s all.

  I felt like I was losing a piece of myself by thinking that, but the alternative was distressing.

  Glancing at my leg, I wondered if I should risk taking the arrow out. Right now, it was the only thing preventing me from bleeding to death, the wooden shaft blocking the wound. However, I couldn’t walk like this either, and I was as good as dead if I didn’t get into hiding quickly.

  Clenching my teeth, I used my sword to slice off the ends of the arrow. I tried not to scream in agony, but I couldn’t help it. I was gasping for breath by the time I sat down on the ground, leaving the shaft in my leg for now. Once I recovered enough to think clearly, I quickly began going through my pack for anything that might help. But I had nothing. Doubtful anyone had foreseen me being attacked this soon, if at all. I sti
ll couldn’t believe that they had stationed assassins here to kill me whenever I reappeared.

  For eighteen years, there had always been someone here watching. It just didn’t make sense.

  Almost giving up, realizing I would probably need to tear up my small jacket to stop the bleeding once I removed the shaft, I pulled out the heavy leather pouch given to me by my godmother.

  As I felt inside, I gasped when my fingers grasped a small glass vial, hoping it was what I suspected it to be. The clear rosy liquid gave it away – it was a magically imbued serum that accelerated healing. I quickly took a small sip and capped the tube. I then clenched my teeth and hissed as I ripped the arrow out of my leg.

  An excruciating pain erupted up my thigh and into my core, lasting a few seconds before the warmth in my stomach began to seep throughout my body and reach my wound. I almost cried as the pain began releasing, replaced with a burning sensation. I relished in the moment for a few seconds, gasping for air, before forcing myself to focus again.

  I placed the thick glass vial back in my pack, noting that I had maybe four sips left, and decided to find out what other unexpected gifts my godmother had given me. I knew it was dangerous to stay here, but the potion required a few minutes to fully work and I needed to know what resources I had available.

  Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much though. The elixir alone was possibly the most valuable item I had ever owned other than my sword.

  Reaching in the leather sack again, I grasped the heavy object inside and heaved it out, my eyes widening. It looked like a sphere of pure onyx, but I knew exactly what it was. It was a summoning crystal – the most valuable item my godmother had in her possession, because the method for creating them had been lost long ago. The value far eclipsed both my sword and the potion combined.

  Granted, it wasn’t like I knew how to use it, nor did I understand why she would have given it to me.

  Maybe she wanted me to sell it?

  I carefully set it down in between my legs and reached in to determine if there was anything else valuable. At the bottom was a piece of old parchment. I pulled it out to see that it was a page torn from a thick tome written in the human language. My godmother had also scribbled in the corner, inscribing a message.

  I focused on her words first.

  “Riella, I have done all that I can to prepare you for this day, but I fear it may not be enough. The elderfel are a malicious race and may know of your existence, though I cannot be sure. With this page you should find my summoning crystal. It is extremely dangerous and can only be used once more. Study this page carefully before you consider using it, because the monster you summon might kill you if you are unable to permanently bind it to yourself. There is binding magic imbued in the crystal, so you aren’t required to use your own, but you still must exert your will for it to work. I know I have never said it to your face, but I didn’t want you to leave without admitting I have grown fond of you over the years. I love you, and I wish you the best.”

  My throat suddenly felt tight, my eyes stinging at the last part. She was right, she had never told me she loved me. I suspected it of course, due to her actions, but I never realized how much I needed for her to say it until now. I just wished it had been in person.

  If anything, her having written her message in the human tongue seemed a little impersonal, like it wasn’t good enough to write in elvish, but I decided not to focus on that. No matter what language she had written it in, she had still said it nonetheless.

  Fighting back the tears, I placed the small bag down and shifted my weight as I began stroking my tail absentmindedly, trying to comfort myself. It was one of the many soothing habits I’d developed over the years to take my mind off whatever was bothering me. After a few seconds, I sighed and picked up the paper again to study it while I had the chance.

  The crystal would summon a being based on the summoner’s needs, ripping the creature from their current location and instantly transporting them. It was absolutely essential that the summoner focus intently on what they needed as they activated it, and just as important that they maintained their focus when the monster arrived out of the portal. I was glad to learn that I didn’t have to do anything special for the binding magic to work – the process would start automatically, but it could fail if I didn’t stay focused.

  I had to be careful not to falter if the creature I summoned was scary.

  But that’s what I needed right now. Something scary and lethal, like a dragon. I scoffed at myself as I admitted what I really needed was a friend, something I had never had. Granted, that wouldn’t be very helpful in keeping me alive.

  Unexpectedly, a sizzling noise between my legs caught my attention. I looked down in horror to see a second drop of my blood from my leg splash onto the onyx sphere. My wound was mostly healed now, but it was still occasionally dripping. I had unconsciously readjusted myself, allowing the wound on my inner thigh to hover over it.

  I stared as the sizzling blood disappeared, seemingly absorbed into the crystal. For a moment, nothing else happened, but then I realized the sphere was beginning to glow.

  Chapter 2: Summoned

  The black sphere between my legs glowed brighter, intensifying until it was a vivid red. Sparks began to fly out of it, startling me.

  Horrified, I threw myself to the side, rolling away as arcs of red energy began crackling into the ground all around the sphere. I was afraid my pack was going to catch fire, but then recalled that magical energy didn’t usually contain heat unless it was being used to create flames.

  As I scrambled to my hands and knees, a blue glow on my right forearm caught my attention. I looked down to see thin ethereal chains similar to my own appear around it. They abruptly shot towards the bright red orb, seeming to grow out of nothing, just as a massive shadowy void appeared in the air above it. The chains instantly curved upwards and went taut the moment it entered the portal.

  Something strong pulled on my arm, jerking me forward. I immediately pulled back, throwing my weight into it as I sat back on my heels, afraid I was going to get yanked straight into the black hole.

  Much to my surprise, a shadowy figure fell out when I pulled, landing on the ground next to the sphere. A blue ethereal collar was already around its neck. But it wasn’t over yet. The shadow monster glared at me with piercing blue eyes.

  It startled me, because the eyes were humanoid, though I couldn’t see what lie behind the shadows. The creature used the opportunity to wrap the chain around its arm, yanking on it so that the collar around its neck snapped off.

  Terror gripped my chest again as I felt the ethereal chain snake up my own arm and wrap around my own neck.

  The spell was backfiring! This monster was going to enslave me!

  I focused as hard as I could, knowing the spell was going to end soon, but the chain wouldn’t advance to the monster’s throat again. The shadows were fading, revealing skin, but I had to focus.

  Finally, I gave up and just forced a collar into existence on its forearm, trying to yank my own collar off. The chain on my own arm had unraveled, and now it was linked directly from my neck to the monster’s wrist.

  Just as I managed to get a collar to form on the creature, I felt my own magical collar begin to crack. I could feel my will fighting fiercely against the thing I had summoned, but we were at a standstill. I couldn’t fully break the collar.

  Abruptly, the spell climaxed and sunk into my skin.

  I cried out as I felt it burn all along my throat, like someone was trying to strangle me with a rope made of fire. I was shocked to hear the monster cry out too, stunned that the noise didn’t sound like a beast. It sounded more anthropoid, humanoid even.

  As the burning sensation slowly faded away, I looked down at my right hand to see a black marking resembling a chain that wound up my arm where the magic had been. It went all the way up my shoulder and onto my neck. However, the mark rapidly disappeared, leaving behind only the sensation on my throat.

&n
bsp; I had failed.

  While I had managed to enslave it in time, it had also enslaved me. I didn’t know what that meant – didn’t know what would happen now.

  My head snapped up, fear gripping my chest again, to find those piercing blue eyes staring at its own arm. A similar black marking ran up its wrist to a black tattoo band around its muscular forearm. Except the chain pattern didn’t disappear like mine had. The whole tattoo remained.

  The black collar was surprisingly pretty to look at, enough so to distract me for a moment, appearing like it had snowflakes set within an elegant fencing. I wondered if it was how mine looked too. I had never actually seen snow, but my godmother had a book that illustrated what snow supposedly looked like up close.

  Reminding myself of the seriousness of the situation, I tore my attention away from the enchanting marking to focus on my potential enemy. The creature I had summoned was humanoid – very humanoid, except for the massive black wings hovering in the air behind it.

  And, as I glanced down, I realized it was naked…he was naked.

  I immediately looked up, my cheeks flushed red, only to be horrified again when I realized those infuriated sapphire eyes were glaring at me now. I fell backwards as he leapt on top of me, pinning me to the ground. I instinctively shoved my hands against his bare chest, trying to force him off, but even as strong as I was being half-elderfel, I wasn’t nearly as strong as him. Not to mention he was so heavy, like the weight of ten people shoved into one body.

  I tried to grab my blade, only for him to wrap his hand around my wrist and slam it into the ground. I didn’t want to risk trying with my other hand, keeping it on his chest to try to prevent him from crushing me to death with his weight alone.

  “Stop!” I finally cried out.

  It was my last resort, hoping the enslavement ritual would make him obey. But he didn’t stop. He just stared at me with hard eyes. His face was scary because of his anger, but also because it was so breathtakingly beautiful. Even more so than the elves. I had no idea what this creature was that I had summoned, but I was sure it wouldn’t matter in a moment when he killed me.