“I don’t want to die! I am too young. You can take Lilac. I’ll just go get the doctor,” Mingway said, running out of the barn; the blue tails of his cloak flowing behind him.
She wanted to scream she had a name, and it wasn’t Lilac. She tried to move her jaw back and forth, but it was no use. Then a thought struck her: Her sisters! What had this maniac done with them? That must have been why they weren’t at the party – they couldn’t come. Were they okay? She used her claw, as best she could with the hobble restraints binding her, to etch sisters into the stone floor.
“You want to know where your sisters are?” Zhao asked with a curl of his upper lip, then his sneer dipped as his gaze met hers. “You want to know if we took them too. You’re worried about them.” His tone of voice changed from cocky to something else—like he realized something had just gone wrong with his plan. The color drained from his face. “They are at the castle.” He half-heartedly pointed over his shoulder toward the Northwest.
She nodded with tears running down her face and snout. Father would be so angry with her because she endangered her sisters by sneaking out. He had always told her never to leave her chambers, that it wasn’t safe. She glanced down at the ground as shame took over. All she had to do to avoid this was to have listened to her father. He would punish her, probably by grounding her from the library.
“Look Lilac, I am beginning to see your sisters were wrong about you. I am sorry to tell you this, but it is they who sold you to me. It cost me almost everything I own to make the contacts to get to them and be able to make this deal. They were to slip you the note to lead you to the empty garden, where your eldest sister’s betrothed helped us get you out of the castle. They want you gone, but you’re just a scared little pup. I was also amazed to see the effect you have on that battle-hardened butcher of a father you have. The way he treats you, it doesn’t match the way he, and that butchering rider of his rule. But you aren’t a military recruit, you’re crying.” His voice trailed off. His brow furrowed as he looked over his shoulder – like he expected someone to be there. He sighed, “Ut-oh.” He didn’t elaborate on what ut-oh meant.
She snorted at his boots causing him to dance out of the way of the heated breeze. She did not believe what he just said about her father; he was not a battle-hardened butcher, and Ja Hua hardly even spoke, let alone hurt someone. Her sisters wouldn’t go against her father.
“Hot!”
She watched him dance out of the way of another super-heated breeze, which was all she could muster with her snout belted. Only one thing kept sneaking into her denial – the reality of the way her sisters treated her at the party. The way they had always treated her on the few occasions she had seen them.
He smirked, and folded his arms. “You know; I was hoping you would refuse to take a rider so I could torture you to death like your father ordered my family. I was told you were being groomed as a terrible military leader and would make your father look like a pussy cat.” He scoffed, kicking at the floor. “You’re just someone who has lived a sheltered life. Do you even know that there is a war and an illegal military occupation raging?” He put a hand on his forehead, and the other on his hip, allowing his cloak to spill back over his shoulders. He looked very unsure of himself at the moment.
She shook her head no; more tears flowed. She hated crying. She struggled to recompose herself and stared at him as something he said a second ago finally sunk in. Did he say he would torture and kill her? But, he talked about taking her as a rider; he’s crazy! She worried he didn’t mean for either of them to live through this. She put her ears back, trying to snarl, but it came out as a ‘psst’ sound.
He smiled, “I think I have a better idea.” He went to the back of the stall and picked up a saddle, walking back over to her with it and holding it up. It was an expertly made and fashioned dragon rider saddle, with a set of matching rider leg braces. The coloring matched her scales perfectly, down to the striping on her back.
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head no. Father had nearly bitten Salma at the suggestion of a rider. She didn’t want him to be any angrier with her than he already would be. She needed to do something-anything.
She frowned as she looked Zhao up and down. He was a skinny boy, but what he had was all lean, long muscles. He didn’t look like a murdering wildling. She swayed and leaned hard against the restraints like she was passing out, laying down on her side and closing her eyes; maybe he would loosen the restraints to check on her.
He opened her eyelid, “Are you serious? Is that the best the Lilac Princess can do? Perhaps a tea party would help?” He snorted.
She narrowed her eyes at him; lesson one for dealing with people outside the castle: crazy and stupid don’t have the same meaning. She would have to find a way to use a logic he would understand.
He swore under his breath. “Trained military leader, I have been duped, by those short-horned, no good….” He rolled his eyes and stood up, running his hands through his hair so tight it distorted his facial features. “Oh no… they are the ones taking over, in particular, your oldest sister and her betrothed. No, you are the…. no. Oh boy. I have messed up, terrible. Oh, no…. Elemental gods no!” The color drained from his face again, leaving his lips so pale she could hardly tell he had them.
She stood up and glared at him, snorting hard, concentrating on leaving the Fire magic out of her breath. It knocked him back against the wall, pinning him there until she ran out of breath, which took less than two minutes. She had been training hard to reach the teen goal of three minutes, but was still in the pup range. Why did she have to be hatched so little? Everything about her was like a china teacup, one for humans to use, not a proper dragon’s teacup to lap out of. She sighed, her sisters were right about her being a runt.
“Alright, Lilac. I get it, you don’t want to be saddled,” Zhao said, leaning back against the wall. “That is too bad.” He picked up the saddle, again, and with one heave he set the saddle on her back, just above her wings, which were strapped to her side with ropes.
She stifled a smile. If he wanted the under strapping for the saddle secured, he would have to untie her wings. She was lucky and had her father’s wings, with sharp claws on the tips. Once her wings were free, she could escape and fly home.
She could free herself just like Shestafa had when she escaped the evil Bread Crumb Witch. Shestafa had been the founding queen of their nation. She had been kidnapped as a pup, and her front paw cut off by an evil witch who used it to make a powerful wand. It was said to make non-magical humans as powerful as dragons. It was also one of the biggest sources of the rumor about dragons being the foundation of human magic.
Her studies had included the study of literature, a lot of it. It gave her many ideas of how to escape, and, she frowned; zero experience to execute them. Not only that, but he’s a Water apprentice, that’s an opposite power to Fire – and complimentary to Air. If his magic was strong, he could easily counter her Fire magic or turn her Air magic back on her.
He patted her neck. “Look, I may have misjudged you, and your whole situation. But, if you will listen to me, we may be able to help each other. I can tell you have a kind heart. I can see it in your eyes.” He caressed the side of her horn and down to her face. “You are so mesmerizingly beautiful with those silvery lilac eyes.” His eyes turned softer. “I think…I think, what the other princesses told me was wrong. It couldn’t be true. You’re not what they said. I need you to help me figure out what they actually mean to do. The last thing I want to do is seat a ruler who will be worse than the Blood King.”
Was there a coup underway? Was he part of it? She looked at the other boy, he looked like he wanted to run away.
He stepped back to look at the striping on her back, being careful to stay away from her tail. She didn’t have tail horns yet, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hurt him with it. She arched up her back and growled at him. She needed a plan to escape. If she could just get fifteen feet of hei
ght between them, then she would be home free. There would be no way for him to keep up with her once she was in the air. She also wanted to know what her sisters were up to. She could hardly wait to tell mother about this.
He patted her shoulder, leaving his hand there. “You have never been outside the Blood King’s castle walls, have you? You’ve never attended the Royal Military Academy… or any other training. You’re chamber-schooled by tutors in academics, not generals and war strategists, or even at a Fire or Air Temple.” He counted everything that she wasn’t off on his fingers.
He made her sound so inadequate. She shook her head trying to nudge the saddle off, wondering if she should leave it so he would have to untie her wings. But, she couldn’t shake her father’s distaste for her having a rider. She couldn’t get it off, so she looked at it feeling very pathetic with tears running down her snout. It matched her scales, almost like he had it made for her. The measurements were correct. The only way he would know that was if someone told him – someone like Salma. How else would he get that information?
“I have him,” Mingway said, running back in with an older man carrying a small bag. His black robes suggested he was a professor.
The man’s eyes widened. “Zhao! What have you done? The Blood King will burn the village looking for her. What were you thinking? You have heard the rumors, that she calms him, keeps him grounded to the castle at North Dragons Ridge. Why would you call him out to begin killing again?” He looked as though his eyes might pop out, as he ran his hand over his gray beard.
Zhao let go of Agne and walked up to the man. “Priest Dailee, when I was a boy…”
“You are eighteen; you are still wearing your student robes from the Water Temple; you are still a boy.” Dailee folded his arms, taking in a deep breath. “Let’s at least, keep that straight.” He looked like he was trying to restrain himself from smacking Zhao – hard.
“When I was a - small - boy, I had seventy-two members in my family. Did you know…”
“Yes, everyone knows, Zhao. You are the only one left because the Blood King and his army killed them all when your village was sacked, six years ago. To add insult to injury he used his Earth magic to bury them in the ground in an unmarked grave, no one can trace. It’s tragic, but it’s starting to get tedious. How many times have I told you that to engage in a plot of revenge is to dig two graves? One for the one you seek revenge on, and one for yourself. Let’s just hope the rest of the village isn’t buried alongside you!” He walked over and looked at the saddle. “You intend to ride her? You’ll be tortured for this. He’ll bite all four of your limbs off, just like old Rio Jun. You’ll be flopping around like a fish out of the water.” He pointed to Zhao’s arms and legs.
She shook her head, no that couldn’t be true. This adult was crazier than these boys. Her father would never do that. It was disturbing that they would suggest it. She wondered if all humans were insane. Perhaps that is why father wouldn’t let the come around?
“Poor Rio Jun, that is so sad. He can’t do anything but poop and pee, and he can’t even clean up after that.” Mingway shook his head, and then nodded, “We were going to kill her to hurt the Blood King, but she is perfect. She just needs to be tamed.” He placed both of his hands on her side.
“It’s her female Air and Fire magic combined affecting your Water magic. Did you spend all of your time plotting revenge and none studying Dragon Magic?” Dailee looked like he wanted to slap Mingway. “This is a royal dragon. Not only that, but she is the quintessential royal one. Do you think for one instant that the Blood King would share her with her future mate…let alone a human rider? And as a side note to the introduction of dragon training, royal dragons choose their own riders. They are not tamed. That is how you get eaten by your so-called chosen dragon. Humans must be the ones tamed to ride dragons.” He fanned his arms out. “Never the other way around, not even for Common Dragons. It is always humans who need the training to be a rider.”
“But, I am going to be…” Zhao started to say.
“Zhao this is a suicidal mission that is going to take down the village with you. The Blood King will make the roads of South Dragons Ridge run red with the blood of our people. Did you ever consider that?” He pointed in Zhao’s face.
Zhao shook his head. “I did not consider anything except hurting him, but she is perfect---look at her. I am going to get her to help us defeat him. She will choose me as her rider.” He lifted the saddle off her back and set it down next to her. “She will help me overthrow the Blood King.”
Agne let both ears lay against the back of her head. He’s a bloody lunatic, and she seriously doubted she would willingly help him cross the street, let alone stage a coup.
“I seriously doubt she would help you cross the street, you bloody lunatic.” Dailee frowned. “I assume you called for me and not a Water Dragon for a reason?”
Agne stared at Dailee. He had said the same thing she just thought.
Mingway nodded, “A Water Dragon would return her to the Blood King to gain favor.”
Dailee glared at him. “And I have apparently made some error as a Water priest that you think I wouldn’t free a young kidnapped dragon. I have been so incompetent in my instruction that you would think I would support your treason.”
“Treason is a bit strong.” Zhao also frowned at Mingway, and then nodded at Dailee, “She seemed a bit over-groggy as she woke up. We were worried she’d overdosed.”
“You mean - you overdosed her - because I am sure she didn’t do this herself. And. No. Kidnapping a princess is most definitely treason.” Dailee leaned over her with a small lighter. He lit it and shined the light in Agne’s eyes. “Silvery lilac eyes, so rare. Scales polished with gold dusted wax, her diamond claws expertly faceted by a master jeweler.” He gently pinched up her lip. “Polished teeth…My guess; she has never been drugged and dragged from her home in the middle of the night, so her body isn’t used to a sedative.”
Agne frowned and shook her head. She hadn’t been drugged, ever. But she also did not like the way Dailee described her. It made her sound so petty, like a dress-up doll and not a young female dragon who would soon come of age.
He looked her in the eye. “Great Lady, will you talk to me, without burning me, if I remove this snout belt? I am sure you realize I am not part of this, and that the local government of South Dragons Ridge did not order this.”
She considered it for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she could resist. She nodded: she wanted to know why she was brought here, and then she could escape. Whether or not she burned anyone depended on what she had to do to get out of here.
Dailee loosened and removed the belt. “I guess I should be thankful you are more consumed with revenge than with your studies, or you may not have needed to call me at all. Meaning, no one would have been able to stop you.” His hands seemed shaky as he patted her snout, and let go of her. “Boy, revenge, and blind hatred make you blind to the riches of your life – the life that is now over. If the King doesn’t come after you, the village elders will. All your promise and potential are now gone. You have wiped out the last of your family line. Zhao- I can’t keep this secret. I have to tell the elders so they can get her home.”
She noticed he feared her, and it wasn't just what the two boys did. She realized she did not understand the power of her public image. She would have to ask around and see what people know about her versus what they believe about her. “Why are you doing this?”
Zhao folded his arms. “I already said…to hurt your father.”
“There is no way my sisters sold me. They just threw a…”
“Party for you? Or a party to gain your father’s trust, and be able to slip you the note without suspicion? Or, to present Salma’s betrothed as trustworthy to her coup. I feel sorry for you that you want to be accepted by them so badly that it didn’t even occur to you they would do this. Pathetic. You are a member of a royally dysfunctional family. One that fights its own members for pos
session of that which gives them your butchering father’s approval. I would literally kill to get my family back, while your….”
Dailee smacked him in the back of the head. “You’re talking to a princess…One that you just kidnapped – by mistake. One that didn’t ask to be hatched to the Bloody, Blood King. Show respect for the innocent. It is a core principle of the Water Temple. You honor nothing of our teachings. That is why you are stunted.”
Dailee’s statement shut her up better than the belt had. He knew the whole story. Zhao planned this with her sisters. She stared at the ground with more tears welling in her eyes. The thing that burned most at her was that Zhao was right, again. She was a pathetic idiot. Her sisters had been nothing but bullies to her, yet she chased after them like her happiness depended on it. Why did she feel the need to be accepted by them when they treated her so poorly? She felt a heat rise in her cheeks and her heart beat faster as a crushing ache set into her soul.
Zhao leaned over to her and wiped the tears away. “Eyes as beautiful as yours were never meant for crying, Lilac.”
She stared at him. “My father used to say that when I was little; when my sisters were…”
“Mean to you? Everyone knows the tales and legends of the Lilac Princess, but no one outside the Blood King’s staff has been able to see you. You’re kind of a myth…really.” Zhao smiled, with much more kindness in his face than before. “We heard that of his eight daughters you are the only one he loves because you have the powers of two Elements. Boy, Lilac, I’ll bet they hate you. I am sorry. I am so sorry.”
Dailee untied Agne and moved to stand outside the stall. “I am sure she has a name?”
“Princess Agne.” Mingway nodded, following the doctor out of the stall.
The Lilac Princess and the Blood King Page 3
