Arria stepped inside, studying the naked body of her sister. Her body had been scarred and bloody from being abused. A part of Arria felt happy for her sister’s torment, yet another part made her fists clench. She grew angry with the creatures for treating her sister with such cruelty, yet Arria knew she had given them the orders. Arria remembered telling the creatures they may do as they wished with prisoners as long as they didn’t kill.
Arria hoped they didn’t do anything disturbing to her sister yet, but her sister’s present condition concerned her. She stumbled over to Starlyn, stroking her hair gently. Starlyn stirred. Arria could see their mother in Starlyn’s eyes and face as she awoke. Starlyn often complained she couldn’t see the resemblance, but Arria saw it. It had been in her cheekbones, nose and smile.
Starlyn awoke suddenly, staring blankly into Arria’s shaded eyes. Her face jerked back from Arria’s touch as she cowered into a corner. Tears broke into Starlyn’s eyes as she shook.
“What are you doing in our territory?” Arria asked.
Starlyn’s brow furrowed. Arria masked her voice, but she noticed Starlyn’s surprise at her voice. Arria imagined it was because she had a woman’s voice and not a dragon’s slither. Starlyn studied her for a long moment before cradling herself in her arms.
“I was exploring,” Starlyn said.
“A very unusual place to explore.”
“Yes, now I wish I would have explored elsewhere.”
Arria chuckled, reaching into her cloak for a canteen and cloth. She dampened it. “May I?”
Starlyn nodded, reluctant to trust. Arria understood, putting one hand to steady Starlyn’s bosom as she cleaned. Arria carefully moved the cloth across Starlyn’s body, cleaning it of dirt, grime, and blood.
“What is to become of me?” Starlyn asked.
“You will be executed … most likely hung for trespassing over these creatures’ territory.”
“Then why go through the trouble to clean me up?” Starlyn asked.
Arria stared into her sister’s eyes, remorse on the edge of her tongue. “It may be months before they grow tired of their new toy.”
Arria hoped the creatures wouldn’t defile her sister, but she feared they may. She planned on doing everything she could to prevent it. They listened to her orders outside of their caverns, but inside was their domain, and she worried her leadership wouldn’t carry underground. Arria hoped she could find a way to get Starlyn out of the dungeon. The dungeons were something the creatures considered sacred. Arria hadn’t been allowed to explore them.
Starlyn gulped. Arria could hear her sister’s heart racing.
“How many kheshlars have you captured?” Starlyn asked.
“You are the first. Usually these creatures catch humans, but they don’t last long. You will be a treat.”
Arria saw a few humans in the dungeons. They preferred to capture females. Arria had discovered why. There were no female dragons because they reproduced using other species. No woman ever survived the birthing. Once it may have disgusted her, but instead she became intrigued. She even watched a few times—when she had been permitted.
“Where are my clothes?” Starlyn asked.
“Your clothes have been removed. A kheshlar can use many things as a weapon.”
“There has to be something I can do,” Starlyn whispered.
“There isn’t. I am sorry.”
“Then do something about it,” Starlyn pleaded. “Help get me out of here.”
“I can’t do that,” Arria said.
Arria’s head tilted in defeat. She knew she couldn’t do much to help. It would be best if her sister remained a prisoner, not a threat. Starlyn’s stubbornness may be the only thing that could damper Arria’s plans.
Arria remained silent until she stood up. Starlyn blocked her path.
“They follow your orders don’t they? Why else would you be permitted entry. You don’t seem a slave, you walk as a leader,” Starlyn said. “Why do they follow you?”
“They trust me,” Arria said.
Starlyn strode around her, turning with the door behind her. Torchlight shone through the barred hole on top of the door, illuminating her hair while casting her face in shadow. Her expression remained stern as she stared at Arria.
“If they trust you, why can’t you convince them to let me go?” Starlyn asked.
“Trust only goes so far,” Arria said. “They won’t let you go. I must leave now.”
“Wait,” Starlyn said.
Arria reached the door. She paused, glancing back to her sister. “You shouldn’t have tried seeking answers.” She sighed, wishing her sister had never come looking for her; she slammed the door shut behind her.
Chapter Nine
Starlyn awoke to water dripping into a puddle on the ground, echoing through the room. She wished she had her hammer or armor. She sat naked on the cold, stone floor with her hands chained. She had to roll over to pick herself up. As she stood, she unsteadily strode over to the door, peeking through the hole. Torchlight illuminating the empty hallway. Sighing, she dropped to the floor with her back against the door. As she sat, she glanced around the room once more. The room was small and dark, had a stone bed and a dirty commode bucket. Water dripped from the ceiling in the back corner which she drank from the floor. She bowed her head with a sigh before resting it on her knee.
Starlyn estimated she had spent at least a fortnight inside of the prison. She grew weak. Next to the door sat a pile of bowls with raw meat. Flies nosily circled the bowls of filth. She refused to eat meat, she would much rather starve than resort to barbaric habits. Starlyn wondered if even the savage humans would eat the scraps consisting of eyes and intestines.
There hadn’t been much rest for her in prison. Mouse scurrying throughout the night continuously woke her. It became habit for her to sleep on her back so she could keep an eye on her surroundings, although the chains made sleeping uncomfortable. She missed her hammer dearly.
She wondered about the woman who visited her cell. Her skin appeared soft rather than scaly. She had been the only female creature Starlyn had seen. She wondered if it was how their females appeared, or if she had been something different entirely. Something about the woman seemed familiar, but Starlyn couldn’t place it. She acted as if she wanted to help her, but seemed incapable of doing so.
Footsteps echoed in the halls, pounding against the empty hallway. Starlyn froze, heart racing, before bolting to her feet away from the door. She sat on the cold, stone bedframe, waiting. The door slammed open as three creatures stepped through, snarling as they closed the door. She studied them, looking for a weakness, since she didn’t have the protection of her blunt hammer.
Now that Starlyn wasn’t battling the creatures, she was able to get a closer look at their appearance. Their hard scales appeared rough and their elongated snouts held sharp teeth. They reminded her of a lizard, except much larger with two legs and two hands. Their feet were twice the size of hers with only four toes, each with sharp black claws. They had large hands with five fingers and claws several centimeters long. They had sharp claws and hard scales, making weapons and armor impractical in combat.
One swaggered toward her. She shifted back when she saw its black eyes with red flame surrounding them. The creature grabbed her right arm, pressing her against the wall. She flinched, kicking the creature in the groin. The dragon released, collapsing to the floor. Within seconds the other two rushed toward her. Reacting on instinct, she reached her hands as high as she could to grab her chains. When the two dragons neared, she pulled herself up, kicking each creature in the jaw. All three dragons lay on the ground, struggling to rise.
Starlyn slid her left foot under the chest of the closest creature to raise it to its feet. She swung her cuffed hands at its temple. The metal bashing its skull echoed through the room as it collapsed to the ground. She pounced to the next who crawled toward her, kicking it in the snout. The third rushed at her. She dodged to its side. She swung the
chains binding her wrists in the air around the creature’s neck. She pulled the chains tight, feeling its life drain away as it fell limp in her arms. The last got to its feet, lunging at her, forcing her to leap into the air to dodge it. The creature became tangled in her chains, dragging behind her. When they fell, she scissored her legs around its neck. She squeezed hard until it ceased its kicking.
Starlyn got to her feet, staring at the three dead dragons. A feeling of relief overcame her, followed by tiredness. She thought she had been safe until she heard noises outside the door. There had been no time for her to relax as the door sprang open with four more dragons stepped in, equipped with copper hammers. The beat Starlyn until she lay on the ground, whimpering. Silent tears streamed down her face, mixing with the red blood which covered her body.
Two of the dragons lifted her by the hair, tossing her on the stone bed. One of them held the chains at her arms, while two others held her legs. The fourth treaded up, smiling, sharp yellow teeth glowing in victory. Even though they pinned her, she continued kicking and screaming. One of the creatures covered her mouth, she bit its hand, but succeeded in causing her teeth pain. To her revulsion, the creature groped her naked body. Her stomach turned. She no longer needed to wonder why there weren’t any female dragons. It became obvious to her that the creatures didn’t reproduce amongst themselves, but used others.
If they touched her, she wanted her life to end, whether they killed her or not. Tears poured out of her eyes. Her helplessness filled her with shame and rage. She became unable to move, she couldn’t stop them. She promised herself that if she survived, she planned to make it her lifelong goal to kill every one of the creatures.
An explosion shattered the door inward, crushing the dragon who held her against the bed. The remaining three creatures let go of her, charging toward the doorway. Her vision blurred through tears, but she glimpsed green spheres of light crash into each of the three creatures, blasting them against the wall. A lone figure strode toward Starlyn, surrounded by green tinted white light. Starlyn’s remaining energy faded as she plunged into the darkness.
Chapter Ten
Arria stood in the doorway of her sister’s cell, surveying the scene. Blood scattered throughout the room from the creatures slaughtered by her sister’s hand. Arria had known it would be a bad idea to hold Starlyn in the dungeon. Though even she didn’t realize her sister would prove to be so strong. She knew what must have happened for her to become so enraged. The creatures must have disobeyed her, trying to rape her sister like they had so many humans before. They still didn’t understand how strong kheshlars were compared to humans. She had promised them as many female kheshlars as they desired, as long as they didn’t touch her sister. They disobeyed her. She wondered if they would ever learn, if there would ever be enough pain she could cause them, enough discipline to force upon them until they finally obeyed her wishes.
Two creatures stood on each side of her as rage pulsed through her body. She unsheathed her flamberge, decapitating each one. Arria knew she needed the creatures to attack the kheshlars, but if she could do so without, she would. She knew an example of some of these creatures must be made before they fully understood her power.
She stormed from the dungeon, not bothering to move or clean anything. When a few creatures got in her path, she cut them down with her flamberge. Most got the hint, retreating from her way, but it hadn’t been enough. If they were in her sight, they saw the close end of her blade.
Arria sat on her throne, alone, pondering on her next course of action. Her sister would be resistant, which made her escape troubling. If Arria had been able to contain Starlyn, instead of letting her escape, victory would have been imminent. Arria must tread a careful path not to draw too much attention from her sister.
“Bring forth the generals,” Arria demanded.
The remaining dragons quickly dispersed. Within moments three generals stood before her. Each had mixes of colors under their snouts to their toes on their front. One had orange and black spots on its front. The other two had similar patterns, one with red spots and the other with blue. Arria didn’t know why they had spots when the rest had solid black underbellies, but she realized the spots meant something. They were hardly more disciplined than the others, but the rest of the creatures looked up to them, and they feared her.
“We need to expand, this camp is getting overwhelming. Are there many more settlements north of here?” Arria asked.
“Hundredss misstress,” the dragon with orange spots said.
“Hundreds?” Arria paused. “All the creatures who guarded the dungeons need to be punished.”
“Of coursse.”
“Scout the area. Keep an eye out for kheshlars. Since you’ve let one escape, more may come. We need to be ready when they do.”
“Yess misstress.”
“Leave me,” she said.
The three creatures scurried from her tent. She sat, wondering how her sister escaped.
Chapter Eleven
Starlyn awoke shivering under a strange, comfortable wool blanket. She sat up, struggling to remember what happened. A dark green blanket covered her unlike any she’d ever seen. She peeked around, discovering a man in evergreen robes sitting on a rock by a fire. He rotated the branch sticking through the raw meat over the small smokeless fire.
Starlyn stood before sitting on the rock across from him. His hair fell straight, blond, hanging over his shoulders. He had long ears, bushy eyebrows, and a firm pointed chin.
“Thank you,” Starlyn whispered, staring into the fire. “For saving my life before—”
The man continued to stare at the fire in silence. He didn’t look at her, but nodded his head once.
“Are you a human?” she asked, curious.
Starlyn had never met a human. His ears were rounded instead of pointed at the tip and his skin white. Even though he was clearly not a kheshlar, there seemed to be something familiar about him.
“I am a mage. My name is Shronan Onderon.”
“A mage? I thought mages were myths,” Starlyn said.
“And you? Pale blue skin, pointed ears—what are you, a kheshlar? I thought kheshlars were supposed to be the myth.”
“Yes, I am. My name is Starlyn. I am grateful for you saving me, Shronan.” Starlyn shivered as a cool breeze swept by her.
Shronan reached into a bag at his feet, pulling out a thin green silk robe, tossing it to Starlyn.
“Please … put something on. It’s getting terribly hard not to stare.”
Starlyn blushed, completely forgetting she was bare as chill bumps came across her body. She hadn’t noticed the wool blanket slipped off of her, even though the temperature around her had dropped. The past fortnight as a prisoner, she had grown comfortable without clothes and putting on the silk robe felt odd. When her hands rubbed across her body, she noticed her wounds were healed.
“Did you heal my wounds?” she asked.
“Yes, and after—I wished I hadn’t. I did not predict without the scars and blood, I would reveal a body who tempts even a mage.”
She blushed, hiding her eyes underneath her long blonde hair. “Where are we?”
“Five days north of Sudegam.”
His knowledge of the kheshlarn capital surprised her. “Have you been there before?”
“It has been several decades since I’ve set foot in Sudegam. The last time I was there, I spoke with King Elsargast about the dawn of a war approaching. I wish it were under better circumstances this time.”
“The dawn of war? Are you talking about the war of dragons?”
“I was there.”
“Are the creatures who captured me dragons?”
Shronan snorted as he chuckled. “No, no, those are far from dragons. They are a lesser creature. The kheshlars killed all the dragons a long time ago, or at least, all of them who dwelled on this land.”
“What are they?” Starlyn asked.
“They are called draeyks. They are reptilian
like the dragons, but quite different. Dragons are at least fifty times as large, walk on four legs, have gigantic wings, and breathe fire or ice. Draeyks are pathetic when compared to dragons.”
“Have you ever seen a female draeyk before?”
“A female?” Shronan asked.
“Yes, I saw one in the prison with soft black skin. She wore a hooded cloak. I could barely see her.”
Shronan’s eyebrow raised as his eyes crossed. “Female draeyks do not exist. They mate with other species, creating eggs in the womb which kill its host. They are parasites.”
“What do they mate with?”
“Humans … animals … it does not matter.”
Starlyn gasped. “But there was a female with them … I spoke with her. She wasn’t human or kheshlar.”
“Describe this woman in detail.”
She paused for a long moment. The woman had soft dark skin, gloves, and a cloak to hide her appearance. She seemed to care about Starlyn’s wellbeing. Everything came together in her head. She knew.
“My sister,” Starlyn whispered, her eyes growing wide.
Chapter Twelve
Arria perched in a tree, watching below in the shadows of twilight. Snowflakes glided to the ground all around her. Underneath her stood a hundred kheshlars. They celebrated the winter solstice with the land’s first snow.
None of the kheshlars wore heavy armor. A few wore leather armor, but most wore cotton and silk. Arria wasn’t affected by the cold like she once had been. She wore plate mail, but the metal failed to chill her. She had a quiver at her back which she prepared to use. The celebration looked fun. She almost wanted to celebrate with them. She expected to celebrate with their own food and wine when she finished her attack.
She didn’t recognize any of the kheshlars. They appeared different. Their ears were wider and their skin hue showed a light green rather than blue. Even their hair appeared different, they had darker hues with no blonds. Their clothes were greens, browns, and silvers blending with the forest better instead of the reds, blues and golds Arria grew accustom to.
The Chronicles of Starlyn (Calthoria Chronicles Book 1) Page 5
