“She is like us, Boshk. She is trapped against her will. I could see it in her eyes. She is forced to a task that is against her nature. She needs our help.”
“Yes,” Boshk replied softly. “I asked only to see how far the Instinct has dampened your thoughts. Yes, she does need our help. However, her rescue does complicate my initial plan, and having a human by your side would only slow you down.”
“Boshk, you need to trust me on this. I know what I am doing but cannot… these humans.” Maerek showed his teeth and snarled. “I can’t find the words.” Maerek’s skin flushed with frustration. The Instinct was growing within him. He assumed it had grown even more within Boshk. If they were both well fed, and the Instinct deeply suppressed, a few words might have been exchanged and been enough for the two dragons to track each other’s thoughts. In absence of unity was confusion. But at least, within the confusion, there was a need to trust.
“I trust you,” Boshk said. “And thank you. After you save my daughter, and if you two are found suitable to one another, and grow fond of each other, then you have my blessing.”
“I feel that I should be the one thanking you,” Maerek said somberly. “My freedom means your death. I will remember that when I find your daughter.”
“Do not mourn for me Maerek,” Boshk said with a comforting growl. His chains shook, and the cuffs and collar clanged on the ground. The sound of slow, shuffling, human footsteps followed. Boshk walked out of his cage and slipped into Maerek’s cell.
Weak. Tired. Those were the first two words that came to Maerek when he saw Boshk. Old, dried blood was caked all over his shoulders, wrists, forearms, hips, and neck. He had thin, sandy blond hair that came down to his shoulders and frayed out in all different directions. Even though he was unshackled, Boshk kept his arms in the same position. He stretched his arm out in front of him and his shoulder gave an audible pop. Bones creaked as muscles strained to pull hardened limbs that had been kept in captivity. Maerek bowed to the elder dragon and Boshk placed a hand on Maerek’s head.
“You have my blessing,” Boshk said, and then pulled back his hand and his shoulder popped a second time. “You see now?”
“Yes,” Maerek replied. Maerek needed to be the one to escape. Boshk wouldn’t have the strength survive the trip or rescue his daughter. Though he was only a generation older than Maerek, the life, the will to live, had been beaten out of him.
“I’ve waited long to sink my teeth and claws into Simmons. Each dragon that has been killed by his order, each life he wrongfully took, each drop of blood that was spilled and drank will be answered for. Yes, Maerek, you see now my death is imminent. But it has only been until now, that my death will have purpose. My death will be the safety of my daughter.”
Maerek bowed again.
“Lift up your hands and keep very still.” Maerek lifted his hands and shackles up so they were in front of his face. Boshk scratched on his wrists, drawing fresh trickles of blood from the wounds. Then he lifted his arm and extended one frail finger down on the cold metal. The warm blood slowly dripped from his finger and into the thin gap between flesh and metal. Slowly, Boshk traced his finger around Maerek’s fist, allowing drop after drop of blood to coat the restraints. After Boshk finished one shackle, he started on the other, then the neck collar, and finally the chain link on the wall.
“Keep your arms up,” Boshk said. “The circles somehow imbue power into the metal. It wasn’t until my wrists were worn raw that I noticed the restraints weakening.” Maerek held his arms up, watching intently for the bead of red to slide down his wrist. “Once you see a blood trail, put your wrists down and turn them back and forth as much as you can. You need to coat that circle you felt. Somehow, our blood, untainted, negates whatever incantation that circle creates.”
Maerek felt the blood, warm and sticky, slowly sliding down his wrists. The thin layer of warmth cooled and began to coagulate on his skin, adhering to both flesh and metal. He waited patiently, desperately wanting to shake his wrists loose of the annoyance but waited until Boshk’s blood dripped completely down the metal.
Once the blood covered his wrists entirely, Maerek growled and flexed his arms. He snapped his wrists apart, ripped off his collar, and yanked the chain free from the wall. The cuffs and collar shattered. Metal pieces and shards bounced and slid on the floor like freshly broken ice. Maerek wrapped what was left of the chain around his shoulder and shimmied out of the cage.
“Steel yourself, Maerek,” Boshk cautioned. “Do not let it consume you.” Maerek acknowledged him with a grunt.
Maerek glanced to the left, staring briefly at the tunnel that sloped upward, toward the surface. He was tempted for a moment to leave, to honor his promise to Boshk and save his daughter, but he couldn’t ignore the stirring in the back of his mind. He needed to save the girl, take her with him, free her from whatever mental prison the hunters placed her in. He smiled at the fact that though the venom, or poison, from the cockatrices dampened his mental prowess, that there was still a portion remaining that he could trust. Something about her, the healer, was important, something he could not see or explain, but she needed rescuing.
The passageway to the right slopped down and then turned deeper into the cave. Maerek sniffed the air, but couldn’t smell Simmons, the cockatrices, or anything else from within. The air was being sucked in from the entrance into the cave, across the cell doors, and down the hall way.
“How is that possible? Is the entrance facing a wind?” Maerek asked.
“No. In most of our keeps, the air internally is much warmer than the external air. With the addition of a ventilation shaft, fresh air is always in supply. Here, the cave system must be so expansive that the temperature stays fairly constant. When it is warmer on the surface, air flows out of the cave. When it is colder, air flows in.”
“Regardless, the cockatrices will smell us coming closer to them before we figure out where the, what did they call her, a Conduit?”
“Yes, a Conduit,” Boshk replied. “I doubt that the girl will have such resilient chains laid upon her as we had. Take her and go. I will cover your escape. We must be quick.”
The passage that slopped down to the next chamber was rough and uneven but clear of rocks and debris. Evenly spaced torches lit the wall, giving light to jutting surfaces, and showing the cracks and chasms in the wall that disappeared further and deeper into the cave. Strangely there was no smell of smoke. Maerek and Boshk snuck speedily from shadow to shadow taking caution from light to light. Maerek noticed that above each torch, there was crudely carved circle with marks etchings its circumference and interior. Those symbols were similar, but different to the circles that were on the chains.
The tunnel turned and sloped further down. It became clear then why Simmons’ robe was torn and tattered. Though the start of the passage was clear, this part was full of large rocks and boulders jutted out of the wall and floor, some too large to climb over, leaving just enough space to shimmy through. Claw marks were visible on the stone where the cockatrices jumped from or pushed off of to navigate through the tunnel. The rocks in the firelight seemed to be a light rust color, and judging by the claw marks, were fairly brittle. As Maerek followed Boshk in-between a large boulder that was split in two, he placed his hand on a small portion that jutted out. Then he jerked his arm, wrenching the jutted piece of rock. Crack! It snapped off like a twig and the sound echoed down the chamber. Boshk turned and glared at Maerek.
“Sorry,” Maerek whispered.
The tunnel made a hard-right turn that curved sharply down and further into the cave. Off to the left side of the cave, there was a rope with knots spaced every few feet. At the bottom the slope was a natural archway. Even with the air flowing into the tunnel, the smell of beef and bread, and the stink human sweat and cockatrice filth swam up from the archway. Maerek looked at the rope, and then at Boshk. Already, the cockatrices started to cluck and chirp at each other. They knew the dragons had escaped or were not where they
were supposed to be. Maerek looked at the rope again and shook his head. Maerek took the chain around his shoulder and clenched it tightly.
“We will need to be quick,” he whispered and then nodded to the slope.
“Wait!” Boshk hissed, but he was too late. Maerek jumped and slid down the cave floor.
As soon as his feet hit the ground, Maerek sprinted into the cavern. The first guard was sitting next to the door, staggering to his feet. He reached for a weapon that wasn’t at his belt. Maerek grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. The ringlets in the guard’s chain-link armor tinkered as the man squirmed and hammered down on Maerek’s forearm with clenched fists. The dragon was firm as unyielding. Another guard, with a sword in hand, yelled and ran toward Maerek. Boshk rushed in and tackled him.
“Get the girl!” he yelled. Maerek growled at the guard and squeezed tighter. Some thought reminded him that these guards would heal, but he held on. “Maerek!” Boshk shouted.
Maerek tossed the guard and then whipped the chain around. He scanned the area for the girl. She sat against a wall within a small alcove. Someone else was running. Simmons, still in his black robe, with the metal club in hand, ran toward the Conduit.
“You will not take her from me!” he yelled. Simmons stopped next to the girl and held the club over her head. “She…” he spoke softly, “is mine. I own her.”
Sword pierced through flesh, and metal bit into stone. Maerek glanced back toward Boshk. Black blood pool around the guard. The sword run through the guard’s neck and jammed against the stone.
“Your guards will heal,” Boshk said as he let go of the sword and made his way toward Simmons.
“Stop where you are or the girl dies!” Simmons cried out, raising the metal rod. Boshk stopped and glanced at Maerek and then the girl.
“Trust us,” Boshk whispered.
“Her life is mine!” Simmons cried out again. Maerek clenched the chain in his hand again and growled at Simmons. “One move dragon, and she dies. I do with her what I will.”
Maerek growled again and blew grey smoke from his nose.
“It’s too late for reason, Simmons,” Boshk said, backing away from Maerek.
“Stop!” Simmons ordered. “She will die!”
“You can’t reason with him now,” Boshk said, circling around Maerek, toward Simmons. “The Instinct has taken him.”
“Then you must contain him.” Simmons was shaking and backed away from the girl. “He will kill us all.”
A chain shot out of the cloud, pummeling Simmons in the chest. Simmons doubled over and wrapped his arms around himself. Maerek rushed out of the smoke toward Simmons, still in his human form, but Boshk stepped between them.
“Get the girl. I’ll take care of Simmons.” Maerek stared at the doubled over human, gasping for breath, struggling against cracked ribs. “Hurry!” Boshk yelled.
Maerek ran over to her. She still stared at the ground, dirty tear lines traced her flushed cheeks.
“No,” she whispered.
“Get up!” Maerek yelled. Boshk had shifted and spat fire at the cockatrices. “Come, run! Freedom!”
“No!” she yelled back.
“Take her Maerek! Hurry!” Boshk yelled over his shoulder as he batted away one of the guards. “You’re running out of time!”
“I’m sorry,” Maerek said as wrapped his arms around her waist and put her over his shoulder. The girl didn’t resist.
The slope up to the tunnel and their escape was too steep for him to run up while balancing the girl at the same time. He had a feeling that if he put the girl down, he would only have to pick her back up again to save her life.
“You want to live, don’t you?” Maerek asked as he made his way to the rope. The girl didn’t answer. “I don’t have the time to pull both of us out of this hole.” The girl remained silent. “I either leave you here or you come with me.”
“You’re no better,” she said under her breath. She squirmed down from Maerek’s shoulder and started climbing up the slope, placing hand over hand above each knot on the tether.
“Better than death,” Maerek replied just as shortly.
The girl replied, but whatever she said was lost in the sound of Boshk’s roar. A wave of scorching heat erupted from the cavern. The guards screamed. Metal struck against dragon scale, and Boshk roared again. The girl, rhythmic and practiced in her motions as she climbed up the slope, paused and looked back at the cavern for a moment as Boshk’s roaring and shouting continued. Then, with seemingly newfound strength, she scurried up the rope, letting out short cries of panic with every grab and step.
Prey, fear, weak. The Instinct continued to grow within him. The girl’s frantic movements triggered a predatory response pattern. For a split second, he saw the girl not as someone to rescue, but someone to eat. Once the girl reached the top of the slope, she toppled over and scurried backwards, kicking away from the slope on her back and exposing her belly. Feed. Maerek reached down for her neck. Kill, feed. The Instinct continued to grow. It would be easy, this frail, fearful human.
Maerek growled, regaining his composure and forcing the Instinct down by sheer will alone. The girl started to put up her hands. Maerek could feel her skin tingling with some inner power. Now that he was close to her, Maerek noticed faint bruising in the shape of fingers around her neck, as well as old bruises and cuts on her face.
“You can self-heal?” Maerek asked. The girl nodded. “Get to the surface. Run and hide. Don’t look for me.”
“You, you’re, you’re letting me go?”
“RUUUUUUUUUUUUNN!!!” As Maerek screamed, the word transitioned into a primal yell. The girl bolted. Maerek held himself back, fighting the growing warmth in his gut. He had to wait, he had to hold out as long as he could.
He opened his eyes, making sure that the girl was indeed running. He could smell her fear, adrenaline, pheromones, hear her panicked breathing and taste her sweat on the stale air. His vision tinged red. He blinked hard again, fighting back the Instinct, when at last, his willpower broke.
CHAPTER 5
Not far ahead, the prey scurried, tripping, slipping across rocks and over boulders. Weakness. Behind him, one of his kin was feasting and taking down its own prey. The dragon sniffed the air, smelling the flaring musk of his kin, overpowering the smell of rot, fire, and blood. His muscles tensed, and he scratched at his arms, shoulders and stomach. His skin was too tight, and this form was too feeble. The prey would lead him to the surface.
The dragon bent low and sniffed the ground again, memorizing every faint trace of the human girl. The sweat was salty and slightly acrid, and there was a pungent taste. The scent would be easy to track. Maerek growled and sprinted ahead, easily clearing boulders and sliding between rocks. More roaring echoed up from the chamber behind, followed by loud, sharp cracks which thundered against the stone tunnel. The other dragon roared again, shorter, repeated tones that turned upwards. It was a call of caution, a call of retreat. Maerek recognized the call and paused, looking back down the tunnel. Boshk gave the same call again, interrupted by the same powerful blows. He was coming closer. It was not a hunt behind, it was… something else, something Maerek only knew instinctually.
Maerek continued forward, now fleeing from the warning call. Survive, space, flight. The girl was still ahead of him, but prey and feeding were now secondary. This cave, and whatever was behind him was becoming more and more of a death trap. The surface, flight, open spaces, and fresh air, that was his territory. He scratched at his skin again, drawing blood on his forearms, shoulders, and chest. The dragon growled and he tensed his muscles.
As he leapt onto one of the boulders and then jumped down, he could smell the fresh air. Boshk roared the warning call a third time. Just ahead was the open cavern. Maerek remembered the place, remembered that he was held in that room in his true form. Maerek roared, his voice and anger filling the prison. Smoke billowed out his mouth and nose like a fuming volcano. The roar deepened and grew, and a second la
ter, he raced out of the cloud and ran up the second tunnel, toward freedom.
Light shown down through the tunnel entrance. In the red-tinted vision of the dragon, the light was somewhat blinding. The visual pain lessoned and the dragon filled his mouth with saliva. Then he jumped out of the cave and flapped his wings as hard as he could. Once he was in the air, the dragon made wide, long arcs, flapping harder and harder and climbing in elevation.
The warning call of his kin stopped, and he feared that whatever had hunted one of his own, would hunt him as well. He made another pass around the entrance, scanning for the slightest movement. Something did move, though not from the cave. From the corner of his eye, the dragon saw his initial prey running through the woods, frantically looking behind her and looking upwards. She turned up and saw him and continued to run. The need to hunt, to taste flesh and blood turned his eyes to her. But then there was another smell, the smell of rot and feathers, the smell of the cockatrice.
Within him, he knew if he fed on the girl, that he would be exposing himself to the threat that was beating back his kin. The hunger turned to fear, and the fear turned to anger. Smoke plumed out of the cave, and the other dragon flew up and out toward Maerek in the same circular pattern. Blood trickled down from broken scales on the dragon’s neck and back. Long scratch marks covered his face and one eye.
Not far behind the older dragon, one cockatrice flew out with a human rider hunched down on the bird’s back and another shortly after. Feathers and scales were singed and one leg of the second cockatrice was bent abnormally. Bare spots of bloodied flesh shown where plumage and hide were bit and scratched. The cockatrice screeched and raced toward the other dragon, gaining on him.
The older dragon gave the warning call again, but this time it was much weaker. Protect, defend, kill! Maerek didn’t change his pattern. He waited until his back was to the sun, his shadow beneath him, downwind from the fight, and the cockatrices and the human rider in front of him. The human carried a metal rod that touched a memory within Maerek. Power, unnatural, threat. Maerek focused on the two birds, one behind the other. The more weakened cockatrice would stay close to the other, afraid of diverting and being singled out. Boshk roared again, arcing his voice from low, to high and then back to a lower pitch, ending with an audible bellow. The call, more complex, but still decipherable, meant one thing. Wait, stay, kill weakness, on my move.
A Dragon's Betrayal Page 6
