Azlo

by Maia Starr

  I smiled as the group went to work. The Draqua younglings grabbed dried palm fronds and used them as a broom to clean the sand off a large piece of driftwood that was the size of a couch. I understood that this was to be our table and we would sit in the sand around it.

  “Let’s make a fire,” Cylo said to Pila as he patted the elder on the shoulder. They gathered wood and placed it into a deep hole in the sand. Then I saw something that I still found completely unexplainable. Cylo shifted from man to hybrid dragon in a flash. It was impressive, and my mouth fell open as I watched him shift. His large wings spread out behind him and the scales that looked like imprinted tattoos appeared on his skin. I bit my lower lip trying to hold my impressed reaction in restraint. I did not want him thinking that he impressed me. I still thought of him as a complete scoundrel and womanizer. Then his chest began to glow a warm yellow and then white. I knew what was coming because I had seen it before. Soon fire shot out of his mouth and straight onto the pile of wood. The beach fire roared to life. The youngling Draqua cheered. Then everyone went to work cleaning and preparing fish.

  “Here, this is how you do it,” Cylo said as he grabbed my hand and guided me as I learned how to prepare the fish. His hand on my hand made my entire body grow warm. I tried to brush it off.

  Minutes later, we were all seated around the makeshift table and eating. “Here,” Cylo said as he pounded on a sea creature that looked like a crab with his fist. The shell broke open and exposed the steaming white meat inside. I looked over at the younglings that were using rocks to break open the crab. I realized just how strong Cylo was if he was able to do with his hand what others needed rocks to do. He pulled out a piece of meat and held it in front of my mouth. I looked at him. He smirked. I opened my mouth slightly and he sensually placed the delicate piece in my mouth. My palate burst with flavor.

  “Mmm, this is scrumptious,” I said savoring the meat.

  “Scrumptious? I do not know this human word,” he laughed.

  “It means delicious. Excellent. Great,” I said.

  “Scrump-tious,” he teased. “Here, continue to eat the scrumptious,” he said as he pushed the open crab over to me. I was glad that he was going to allow me to feed myself because I did not think I was going to be able to continue to allow him to feed me. It was just too damn sexy. What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I turned on by him feeding me? Then I remembered…

  “Wait, are you doing that thing?” I whispered.

  “What thing?” he asked.

  “You know, the thing where you control my thoughts,” I whispered.

  “No. Do you want me to?” he asked as he arched an eyebrow at me.

  “No. I never want you to. I like to control my own mind, thank you very much,” I said.

  “I will take that into consideration, but I am not making promises. It is just too fun. I cannot deny the use of my gifts,” he teased.

  “These gifts. How do you have them?” I asked.

  “I don’t really know. Some of us have gifts, us hybrids, that is, and some of us don’t,” he said.

  “The others have the power to persuade minds too?” I asked.

  “No, it is different for everyone. My close friend Baca, he is able to see premonitions,” he said.

  “You mean he is able to see the future? That is fascinating,” I said.

  “Well, it is not that simple. He can only see premonitions that concern himself. If he is in the premonition around others, then he will know that future of the others as well. But it only comes to him in flashes, and it changes often. It all depends on the choices that are made,” he said.

  “I see. And how does your power work?” I asked filled with questions. “This is all from mixing with human females? It does not make sense.”

  “Yes, we barely understand it. We did not know that mixing with humans would create these powers. But there are those that oppose it. The older generations do not like it. They have a problem with it and…” he was cut off.

  “Here, Prince Cylo, have more. Feast some more!” Pila said as he placed more fish in front of us that he had just removed from the fire.

  “Thank you, Pila! Your bounty is an honor to eat,” Cylo said with a bright smile. It was a smile that made my knees weak and I was glad that I was sitting in the sand.

  “Prince?” I whispered as soon as the attention was off of us.

  “Don’t call me that,” he said suddenly changing into an irritable mood.

  “But you are a prince? Why did you not tell me? That is kind of a big deal,” I said.

  “Because I don’t think of myself as a prince. My father is king. My brother Greia will be king after him. I do not want to be a prince. It’s not my fault I was born into this family. It’s tough not being able to decide who you want to be,” he said melancholy.

  I realized then that we were more alike than I had thought. I knew exactly what he was talking about. It was how I felt being the daughter of the president. I did not have a choice in it.

  “I understand completely. I understand more than you know,” I said looking at him. We locked eyes. His brown eyes had a gentleness to them that I had never noticed before. I had thought of him as this womanizing abductor of women since he took me from Earth. But now I was seeing a different side to him. I was seeing what he had been hiding behind that arrogance.

  When we walked back from breakfast down the beach, we were both quiet. I was full of the delightful food, and he seemed in deep thought. I wondered if he was thinking about the fact that he did not want to be a prince.

  “What’s it like being a water dragon?” I asked hoping to lighten the mood.

  He turned to me, and his eyes lit up. He smiled. “It is the wildest thing. Being able to swim and fly as fast as we do. It’s an ultimate feeling. It feels very good.”

  “I am jealous. I wish I could do all the things you do. It is so mystical and unlike anything on Earth. I did not know that magic like you existed until you found me,” I said.

  “There is much that you haven’t seen yet,” he said sensually as he winked at me.

  “Oh is that so?” I said.

  “Yes, like this,” he said as we moved to a large tree on the outskirt of the village. I looked at the tree confused and looked up toward the huts in the sky.

  “Is that my hut?” I asked.

  “Yes. It is. And you can get there through here,” he said pointing at the tree. I was confused and followed his gesture. I moved around the side of the large tree. There was an opening in the form of an arch in the tree.

  “What is this?” I asked as I walked in. I was astounded by what I saw. Inside the tree, it was hollowed out. There was a spiral staircase carved out of the wood that went all the way up the tree. Slits in decorative geometric patterns carved into the tree allowed natural light to flood the inside of the tree. “Wow, this is beautiful,” I said in awe.

  “Yes. It is quiet the art piece. I am impressed with it as well. We, the Draqua, started to put them in when the human females arrived. Now, you can use them too. You can explore and not be tied up in your hut. When you get to the top, there will be two bridges. You will be able to see which one goes to your hut,” he said.

  “A bridge, but…”

  “You will get used to the height. You must. Don’t look down. Look straight ahead,” he said.

  “But…”

  “Go get some rest and I will come for you in the noon sun. I will show you the village then. I have duties to attend to now,” he said as he walked out of the tree.

  I took a deep breath. I looked up at the massive spiral of stairs. There were railings all the way up, so it was very safe, but it looked daunting. It was like climbing the stairs of a lighthouse. “Well at least I will stay fit,” I said as I took the first steps. I climbed and climbed. I took a break half way up and sat on the stairs inside the tree. Then I climbed the rest of the way.

  “Just a few more steps,” I said trying to coach myself to keep going. I finally got
to the last step and stood there breathing heavily. I stepped through another arch and out onto a platform surrounding the tree. It was a very large platform, and I was nowhere near the edge of it. This was a good thing.

  “Alright, you did it, Melody. Now just rest here and catch your breath for a second,” I said leaning against the tree. I looked at the two bridges that were out in front of me. One went off in the direction of the village, and the other went straight to my hut. I was not excited to use this bridge but at least it was a short bridge, and it looked solid. It was not a rope bridge.

  “Okay, Melody. You can do it. Don’t look down. Look straight ahead at your hut. It’s just like walking on a sidewalk,” I said trying to persuade myself.

  I took a step out onto the bridge and held onto the rail very tightly. I took very slow steps and did not dare look down. I kept my head up and stared at the door of my hut. If I looked down, I would get dizzy, and that would not be good. I was halfway across when I felt a sudden rush of wind.

  Boom. The bridge shook.

  “What the hell!” I said as I grabbed the rail more tightly and squatted down in fright. Was this an earthquake? I thought. But then I heard the ominous heavy breathing behind me. The sound brought a chill down my spine and I was too scared to look behind me. I slowly turned. There standing on the platform at the head of the bridge was an unbelievable and frightening sight. It was a dragon.

  This wasn’t the hybrid half-man half dragon like Cylo. Instead, it was a full dragon, like a dinosaur. It was massive and its wings spread out wide behind it. The tail was long with spikes on it, and it was whipping in the air. The green scales were hard like armor, and the long white teeth were snapping in its jaws. I let out a loud blood-curling scream. The creature let out a scream of its own that echoed through the trees.

  “What do you want? Leave me alone!” I screamed.

  The creature’s belly began to glow yellow and then white, and I knew what was coming. “Holy shit,” I whispered. It was about to cook me to death. The dragon arched its head in the air and turned to the side. It let out a stream of fire that hit nothing but the air around us. I could feel the heat on my face. This was enough to bring me out of my frozen state. I crawled quickly on all fours toward my hut.

  Whoosh. I felt the air around me. I stopped and grabbed the rail in fear. I did not want to the wind to push me off the bridge. I looked up just in time to see the dragon soaring over my head. It was massive. The long, scaled chest and belly were so close that I thought it was going to crush me. I crouched down lower and covered my head with my arms.

  Boom. The bridge shook again. Tears were streaming down my face. I was more terrified than I had ever been in my life. I don’t know why I thought I could go live in an alien world on an alien planet. This was not a paradise and constant vacation; it was a dangerous place, and I was about to die.

  I looked up to see that the dragon was now cutting me off from my hut. It was menacing and angry.

  “Don’t! Please don’t hurt me!” I cried and screamed at it.

  Whoosh! Suddenly there was another wind. The bridge shook as Cylo landed on the bridge between the dragon and me.

  “Cylo look out! It will kill you!” I shouted. I was happy to see him. I was more than relieved, but I knew that even though Cylo was in half-dragon form, he was no match for the monster in front of him. I did not want Cylo to get hurt.

  “Stop! Leave her alone!” Cylo shouted. Then in a flash, the dragon shifted. I was in shock. The dragon shifted into male Draqua form. He was tall and dark with brown eyes and short black hair. He looked a lot like Cylo, only he was stronger and a bit bigger.

  “Get out of the way, brother,” the Draqua shouted. My eyes widened. This was Cylo’s older brother? Why the hell was he terrorizing me?

  “No. You don’t touch her! Back off or I will hurt you!” Cylo shouted.

  “You don’t know, do you, brother? This human female is a spy. She will tell Earth about us! The humans will come hunt us! She needs to be destroyed!” the brother shouted.

  “What? I’m not a spy!” I shouted.

  “This human female is the daughter of a high president on Earth, brother. Did you know this? Her abduction will ruin us all!” he shouted.

  Shit. I suddenly understood why he thought I was a spy.

  “The other human females that you keep in your bed told me that this human of yours is the daughter of the president of a country on Earth. She cannot be trusted. She cannot stay here, and she cannot leave here. She is a danger to us and our future,” he said.

  “What? She is no such thing,” Cylo said.

  “That’s not true. I am a president’s daughter. But I am not a spy,” I said softly. Cylo turned and looked at me with shock. Then his eyes narrowed, and his look turned to hatred. His brother stood up tall, as though to say I told you so. I suddenly realized that I was no longer a guest in paradise, but an enemy.

  CHAPTER SIX

  CYLO HYDROS

  “What are you saying?” I asked Melody. She was trembling and cowering on the bridge. I hated my brother for doing that to her. She was in so much shock and fear that she was almost unrecognizable. Her mouth was quivering and I wanted to scoop her up into my arms. I understood why. She had never seen a full dragon before, and one just tried to attack her. But even though my brother was wrong for doing so, he did bring to light some new information.

  “I mean that I am the daughter of a president, but I am no spy,” she said. I was filled with anger. I turned to my brother, who gave me a smirk. Then he said, “To father’s chambers now!” He shifted back to dragon form and flew off in the direction of father’s chambers high in the trees. I turned to Melody. She had tears streaming down her face. “Come, we must go,” I said to her.

  “Don’t believe him, Cylo. I am not a spy. You came to me, remember? You brought me here, not the other way around,” she trembled. I scooped her into my arms. She wrapped her trembling arms around my neck. I ran my hand down them trying to calm her. I was angry as hell, but she did not need to be in a state of fear when she was with me. I would not allow any harm to come to her. She pressed her head underneath my neck and then I flew off the bridge toward my father’s chambers. This was not going to be pretty for either of us.

  “How dare you do that to her!” I screamed at Greia’s face!

  “I did what I had to do to get a confession out of her. It is basic tactics of a Draqua warrior. Perhaps if you spent more time out in the battlefields instead of indulging in the flesh you would know this!” Greia shouted back.

  “Sons! Enough!” my father roared as he got between us. “I want to hear from the human female.” We all turned to Melody, who was sitting on the bench with a glass of water in her hand. She still looked terrified.

  “Tell me, Melody, are you the daughter of a president on Earth as the human females have informed Greia?” my father asked.

  “Yes, I am. But I am not a spy as he says,” she said.

  “And how do we know that?” Greia shouted at her.

  “Greia, enough!” I shouted at him.

  “Pay no attention to them, Melody. They have been at each other’s dragon throats since they were born. How are we to trust that you are not a spy? That you were not sent here to gather information on us that can destroy us?” my father asked.

  “Because I was not sent here at all. I was on the coastline walking along minding my own business when your son here came out of nowhere and took me. That is how it happened. I had no intention of coming here, nor did I know that you even existed until I laid eyes on Cylo,” she said.

  “She tells the truth, father. I picked her, not the other way around. How could she be a spy? It is only a coincidence that the woman I took is the daughter of a king on Earth,” I said trying to take the heat off of her.

  “Then you are careless just as we thought! This is why you should not have gone to Earth at all!” Greia shouted at me. I hated to admit that he was right about it, but I was not going
to say that out loud.

  “This is bad, very, very bad,” my father said as he paced up and down the room.” Do you not see that this is going to be a problem, Cylo?” he said to me.

  “It will be fine, father, as it has been since we have been taking human females from Earth,” I said.

  “No. This is different. We usually take human females that we have watched for a week or so and found that they are not a person of notoriety. This woman is of importance. Right now there is probably a massive search on for her. This means that the top human minds will be investigating the area where she was taken and putting together pieces of the puzzle. They will not stop until they find her,” he said.

  “Yes, father is right. That is why we must return her. We must do it in secret, and we must do it in a way that will allow the human to go on living her usual life,” Greia said.