by Lisa Daniels
After a while, she stopped sobbing. “Please make it stop. I can’t keep living through it. Just make the pain stop.”
The humming continued as a hand pushed a strand of hair out of her face. Someone kissed the top of her head, then began to lightly run a hand down her head. The feel of warmth and comfort finally won and she feel into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The voice was much firmer when she woke again. Annora had enough presence of mind to know that the person was not talking to her. Instead of opening her eyes and letting the person know she was awake (through a fog, she felt she ought to know him, but couldn’t remember who it was), the dragon slayer remained still and listened to the discussion.
“Thank you, Leonides. As always, you went well beyond the expectation. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You would ask Nicandro for help.” The second voice was pleasant, but very clipped, like the man was in the military. It made her uncomfortable, but Annora fought the urge to shift at the thought.
The other man laughed. “You are right, which is why I am so glad you are here.”
There was a hint of amusement in Leonides’ voice (Why is that name familiar?) as he said, “Indeed sir. Although I dare say the men would be quite entertained to see you two working so closely together for such a long period of time.”
There was another laugh. “They just want to see who would survive it. Who would have believed that we still have not evolved beyond such insipid infighting? The men shall be denied the privilege and you shall bear the brunt of the workload for suggesting it. That will teach you to toy with my delicate emotions.”
There was a snort before Leonides replied, “As you say, sir. Will that be all?” There was a pause and she could almost feel him fighting the urge to ask another question.
Apparently she wasn’t the only one aware of the meaning behind his question. The voice was serious and louder. (He must be facing me.) “I think she is through the worst of it, but she is still so weak that I’m afraid I cannot quite leave yet.”
Even though she did not even know what he looked like, Annora thought she could imagine the look on Leonides face as he asked something that was likely unwelcome. “Sir, with all due respect, you don’t even know who she is. How can-”
Annora had no idea what happened, but the man’s voice died without any hint of anything happening. Daring to open her eyes a crack, she looked at the two men. Leonides’ face was downcast and his expression quite knowing that he had crossed a line. There was no sign that the other man had said or done anything. All she saw was his broad back looking very tense and his arms were folded.
Finally, Leonides, in a somewhat hollow voice, said, “I apologize. I was out of line. Is there anything else I can do?”
The other man was slow to respond. “I apologize as well. I called you here to discuss matters and have ended up making you uncomfortable. You already know the next phase. If you could look for her and see if there is any trace of sanity left. I cannot make the next call without finding out if there is still a way to save her.”
Leonides looked up and his eyes flicked down toward Annora. “Sir.” His voice was hesitant, but it was enough to let the man know that she was awake.
“Thank you, Leo. Please let me know what you find.” The second man bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.
“So, you are finally awake.” The man turned to look at her.
“You.” She almost recognized the face.
“Yes, it’s me.” His eyes sparkled as he looked at her.
“I should know your name, but I can’t seem to…” Her voice trailed off as she looked hard at him.
“How much of that did you hear?” The man did not seem concerned with whatever she was thinking.
“I can’t remember who you are. Why can’t I remember?” She put her hand on her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the man’s face was close to hers, but he was not smiling.
“That is not what is important. How much did you hear?”
Flashes of what happened went through her mind, and she remembered what she was wearing. Pulling the covers closer she tried to move away from the man. “I don’t understand. I thought Nyle…”
Something like a growl escaped from the man, but it caused the bed to vibrate. It reminded her of the sound dragons made when angered. Instinctively, Annora pressed herself up against the wall and grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on. It was a vase with flowers. The water that had been in it spilled on the bed. The water trickled down her arm as she held it out toward his face.
The man looked down at the flowers and vase and into her now stern face. It was thinner than it had been a week ago, and the hollowness in her cheeks detracted a bit from the woman’s beauty. If she did not start to recover soon, there was a good chance she would die. The more skeletal look of her face was evidence enough that she was deteriorating.
Running a hand through his black hair, the man responded, “And what exactly are you going to do with that? I’m not allergic.”
Annora looked at what she held. Without a word, she smashed the vase against the wall, spraying flowers, water, and glass shards all over the bed. Her hand was bleeding as she brought it back around.
The man gave her a scathing look. “Now you are just being childish.”
“Let me go.”
“And do what, exactly? Every time I see you, you are blacking out from blood loss or a concussion. If you walk out of here now, you aren’t going to finish what you started.” He looked her in the eyes. “And then wouldn’t Nyle’s death have been in vain?” The man’s lip curled up in a sneer.
The sound that rumbled up deep from within her throat was like that of a wounded wolf. Before the man could move, she lunged forward, scraping her leg against the glass shards. The dragon hunter almost struck him in the throat, but his reflexes were inhuman. Pressing her hand down, the man forced her to drop the broken vase.
“Gods, you are even more of a mess. Oswald!” His voice boomed out. A few seconds later someone who was clearly a soldier entered the room.
“Sir?” His eyes took in the scene around him, but Oswald said nothing about it.
“If you would please clean up this mess. It seems my stray has managed to get new injuries while she convalesces.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man picked her up and carried her toward a side room. Annora’s strength had not fully returned, but she was not about to let the man do whatever he wanted. She kicked and elbowed him, but he did not seem to notice, almost as if he weren’t carrying anything. When she scratched his neck, though, the man finally looked down on her. His reddish eyes gave her an unspoken warning as blood began to ooze from the scratches her nails had left. One hand gripped her tighter while the other grabbed her wrists. She almost felt like a hog being tied up for the slaughter as he took her into the bathroom.
He placed her down but firmly blocked her only way out of the room. Looking around, she spotted a small window. It was just large enough that she knew she could squeeze through. As he turned on the water, she stepped up on the bath and reached for the window.
Arms wrapped around her and pulled her back down. “I swear… do not make me tie you up, you foolish girl.”
Annora sat and glared at him as the man began to dress her latest set of wounds. She didn’t even flinch as he pressed the disinfectant against the deepest gash. His eyes watched her as if trying to detect any sign of pain. Refusing to show weakness, the woman glared back at him.
Once the wounds were cleaned and new bandages added, he picked her up and hauled her into the bedroom. Oswald was placing new sheets on the bed. Somewhere in her mind, Annora wondered how it was possible that the man could have moved so quickly. They hadn’t been gone five minutes, yet everything looked perfectly in place. It missed only the flowers that had once been on the window sill.
“Thank you, Oswald. A masterful job as always.”
“Sir.” He bowed
and left the room.
Annora glared up at the man. “Elian.”
The sound of his name was clearly a surprise as he stopped lowering her to the bed and looked into her eyes.
“Why are you doing this? I’m nothing to you.”
He dropped her and turned his back on her without a word.
“Let me go.” Her voice was low.
“So that you can go out and get yourself killed?”
“I don’t see what business it is of yours.”
“What would Bree say to that?”
Annora was shocked into silence for a moment. When she finally found her voice she asked, “What do you know about Bree? Are you threatening me?”
The man turned to look at her, his cold eyes looking slightly amused. “Did that sound like a threat? It was you who said that you would be breaking your promise to her. I simply made sure you could explain that one yourself.”
Annora’s mouth felt dry. “You were at the bandit camp. Are you one of the bandits?” She looked him up and down. “You certainly know how to control people.”
Elian almost looked offended.
The young woman shook her head, “No, not a bandit. More like a military man. But I thought you were….” Her voice trailed off. Suddenly she had his undivided attention. Elian took several steps toward her and placed his hands on the bed.
His face was inches from hers. “You thought I was what, exactly?”
Annora’s expression hardened. “Competition.”
Elian’s eyebrows shot up, and then he started laughing as he stood. “Competition? What kind of competition would that be? See who can find the dumbest way to die? I mean, what you did against the orthrus was quite reckless, but your performance in the bandit camp was about the most idiotic display I’ve ever seen. I have no idea what you do for a living, but I think it is time for a change in profession.”
Annora’s nails dug into her hands, but she said nothing.
He looked down at her. “I have things to tend to.” With that he turned and moved toward the door. He stopped in the doorway, a strange smile on his face.
“What?” Her eyes were narrowed as she glared at him.
“There are two guards outside your window, two at your door, and I will make sure to have one stationed under your bathroom window. Thank you very much for pointing out that other potential exit. I don’t recommend trying to escape. It will just prolong your recovery and take up more of my time.” With that he left the room.
After Elian had left, Annora realized that the scratches on his neck had entirely disappeared. Looking at her nails, she wondered if perhaps she had dreamed the whole thing. The new bandages on her legs and hand told her that it had not been a dream.
Rubbing her hands in her hair, the dragon slayer tried to figure out what was going on. The man she had thought was her competition was clearly a part of the military. He had men who answered to him and it was quite obvious that he was accustomed to being obeyed.
Then she looked down at her body. The clothing was all wrong, and she felt naked despite the fact that more of her body was covered by the outfit, nor did many of her curves show.
The only thing that matters is finding a way out of here.
And the only way to accomplish that was to gain a bit more strength. Knowing that Elian was not competition made it a little easier, so she decided to take a day or two before attempting her escape. She absently ate the food on her table as she looked around the room. There were men outside the door and window, but they could not see what she was doing inside. Glad to at least have some privacy, Annora explored the room. A grin spread across her face as she came across a loose board in the wall. That was all she needed.
She crawled back into bed and willed sleep to once again claim her. As the dragon slayer drifted off, her last thought was that Elian had saved her not once, but twice. He wanted her to know that by bringing up the orthrus. She was now very much indebted to him.
“Well, shit,” she mumbled into her pillow. “I would rather thank the dragon that interrupted the fight than the beast that’s trapped me here.”
It took a while, but her mind finally settled, and Annora slept without dreaming.
Chapter 6
A Change of Mind, Then Shift in Thought
Upon waking the next morning, Annora felt well rested for the first time since she had run into Bree. Her mind felt clearer, but it still felt as if it was moving slower and with less focus than she was accustomed to.
At least I can tell that it isn’t working as well as it should. Annora was by no means stupid – dragon hunters did not live long if they were. Her carelessness was entirely uncharacteristic of her, and it all started after the incident in the alley. Of course, the initial choice to ignore the injury had been the first terrible decision, so it could not be blamed on the poison. Her desire to get revenge on the dragon had overshadowed good judgment. Knowing that it had as much to do with her personal history with dragons, Annora realized that she was too old to be taking such a personal approach to her job. Her ability to deal with them was usually very cut and dry. The fact that she had made it personal was her first mistake. It had seemed like the best way to pay back the people of Marked Tree, but it had also made it difficult to stay objective.
With a deep sigh, she sat up in the bed.
“Finally awake.”
Her head turned and she noticed Elian sitting in a chair at the other end of the room. Her response died in her throat.
Don’t react emotionally.
“Thank you very much, Elian. I cannot tell you how much your efforts mean to me. If not for you, I wouldn’t have made it past that first night when we met.”
Elian raised an eyebrow and it looked like there was something he wanted to say. Instead, he simply nodded.
Annora continued, “I never gave you any reason to be so protective, but it seems you have followed me, making sure that my own carelessness wasn’t fatal. I don’t understand why you did it, but I appreciate it.” She looked at him. “Despite your cold attitude, you have been rather caring.” The young woman stopped just short of telling him that he had actually come across as quite charming the night they met. Something told her that he was used to hearing that, and while she was thanking him, Annora had no desire to make unnecessary compliments when it was clear his ego was large enough. After all, what right did he have to keep her locked up in the room? Whatever he wanted from her must be big.
Elian’s expression changed in small degrees as she continued. “Whatever it is you want to ask of me, I will listen and consider it. I am sorry that I cannot promise more, but only a fool would make a promise without knowing the request.”
The shock in his eyes faded as a small grin turned the corners of his mouth. “It seems like something that would be in character for you.”
She gave a curt laugh. “After what you have witnessed since the alley, I can’t expect you to believe differently.” It was obvious that he expected some sort of explanation, but Annora was not about to go into details about her personal life. The man already knew far too much, and that made her incredibly uncomfortable. The thought of Elian and Bree meeting was something that made her feel chilled to the bone. If Bree had any idea what had happened after their last brief discussion…
Elian stood up and walked over to her. “I’m sure you had your own reasons. And I’ve no doubt that you aren’t about to tell them to a stranger, no matter what that stranger has done for you. As you are respecting my decision not to say why I have helped you, I shall respect your right to ignore whatever caused your dangerous behavior for the last week.”
Annora dropped her head in her hands. “It’s been a week?” Her voice dripped with agony and regret.
“Actually, a little more than a week. Do you need to know the current date?” His eyes sparkled as he asked.
“No, dates don’t really mean much in my line of work.”
Elian stood by the bed and Annora could not help but notice the
way his muscles rippled as he leaned against the wall. Not back to fully functional yet, then. The thought was a good sign that she was well on the road to recovery.
“And what is your line of work?”
Annora pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked out the window. “Does it matter?” Her eyes went back to his, and there was definitely defiance in them as she stared him down.
A moment later, his head tilted and he replied, “I would guess an actress who is taking a role far too seriously, but I’ve never met an actress who would survive an orthrus attack, let alone take out so many bandits so quickly.”
The dragon slayer nodded. “You are correct, I’m not an actress. Well, not intentionally.” She remembered the one time Saskia had persuaded them to be in a play as part of a plan she had to get back at a boy that had hurt Bree. It had been brilliant, even if Annora had never felt comfortable. Her part had been pretty simple, she pretty much played herself, but with the weapons on the opposite sides than she was accustomed to using them. It had reinforced the idea that women had no idea how to handle weapons as the change in weight had thrown off her ability to draw them quickly. After the second time the sword clattered on the ground, Annora had opted for looking menacing instead of appearing incompetent. It was the only way to keep her reputation. In the end everything worked out, and Annora got to offer the finishing blow to the man’s ego, a satisfying feeling that more than made up for the humiliation of the play.
Annora shook her head, finally realizing that her mind had wandered again.
“Are you alright?” A barely hidden look of concern fought against the cold demeanor Elian was trying to maintain.
Giving him a faint smile, she replied, “Yes, sorry. I missed what you were saying. Just got a little,” she moved her hand in a twisting motion beside her head, “caught up in some memories.”
Elian was unable to hide his confusion.
She gave a little laugh as she realized he was failing to keep up whatever he was trying to do. It made the young woman feel more at ease to see that even this man could fail at something. She decided to explain a little. “I was in a play once. We were getting back at this guy for breaking my friend’s heart. And-”
