by J. E. Taylor
I looked up and the mural on the ceiling captured all of my exhausted attention. I laid back on the steps to get a better view and nearly laughed out loud. It was almost comical to see a mural with humans and dragons living side by side on the ceiling of the castle of the Kingdom of Light. I wondered how many times my father looked up at that ancient mural and cringed. After all, he had been the one to cause the last twenty years of hostilities.
“The dragon prince?” Autumn asked after the last of the staff had left the room, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I shrugged and my cheeks heated as I sat back up. “Yeah.” I couldn’t meet their inquiring gazes.
“There have been rumors that he is a cruel, cruel prince.” Autumn crossed her arms.
I scoffed at her. Of course the rumors would paint the royal dragon family as horrible, but with the wall, there really wasn’t any viable source of information beyond speculation. “Does anyone have proof of that?” I glanced at each of them. They all slowly shook their heads but opened their mouths to speak. I put my hand up to stop whatever further arguments they were about to launch. “He saved my life. End of story.”
I let out a heavy sigh and stared at the giant hole the dragon queen had carved in the castle wall.
“Do you think...” I waved to the destruction.
“We need some rest before we do another large spell,” Felicity said.
I gave them a tired smile. “Well, if that’s the last casualty of the night, we should count our blessings.”
Chapter 13
My hopeful thoughts went straight to hell a few minutes later when a rider on horseback barreled into the castle through the wall. He drew the horse to a stop a few feet away from us. Both he and his steed had wild eyes, as if they had seen the start of a bloody war.
“The barrier is gone, and dragons are burning the fields!” he whispered with a ragged voice and then fell off the horse, landing at my feet. His entire back was singed and bloodied. I glanced at the horse and what I had thought were streaks of mud was actually the young rider’s blood. He had ridden all this way to warn us of the chaos at the far side of the kingdom.
I moved to his side, but there was nothing I could do. His injuries, along with the hard ride, had taken everything from him. A lump formed in my throat at the senseless loss, and I glared at the opening. I had to stop them before anyone else was harmed.
I didn’t even turn back toward the fae. Instead, I jumped on the horse’s back and slammed my heels into his side. He took off as if dragons were chasing him again and I steered him out of the castle doors.
The fae called after me, but I needed to stop any escalation in hostilities before it got to the point my father retaliated.
I drove the horse faster and held tight to the reins. My heart pounded in my chest and my mouth dried of all spit at the plumes of smoke in the distance. It took hours to reach the farmlands and the sun had not been kind on my exposed skin, but I didn’t care. I only had one thought circling in my mind: protect the innocent souls.
I drove the poor horse beyond normal limits and the beast complied, seeming to understand the urgency of the situation. When I rode past a huddled group of farmers toward the terror in the skies, they screamed for me to hide, but I ignored them. I passed several dozen people and every last one of them oozed fear at the flying flame machines wreaking havoc all around them.
I kept going almost to the line of blackened soil and stopped. I climbed onto my feet on the horse’s back and held my hands up, screaming “Stop” like I had authority to make the dragons cease their warlike behavior.
I did not think this through at all. These were not like the creatures in the enchanted forest that would stop and listen to me and do as I said.
Talons wrapped around my waist and yanked me into the air. I struggled in the grip as the dragon brought me higher into the sky. High enough to see bodies broken in the fields below. This was their game, and I was now at their mercy.
Even with the knowledge that my life could end just like those below, I kicked and screamed, clawing at whatever purchase I could get on the dragon’s talon. I wasn’t going to go quietly, and I certainly was going to draw blood, too, if I could.
The dragon tossed me into the air, laughing as he did so.
“Asshole!” I screamed at him. Another talon snatched me out of the air, jerking me to a stop. I punched at his grip around me.
“None of those fools even thought to fight us.” He chuckled ruthlessly. “You are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.”
“You are an idiot!” I snarled and reached behind me to claw at the talon with my own fingernails. The talon tightened and I cried out at the pressure.
“She’s a pistol.” The dragon tossed me to another dragon as if I were nothing more than a toy.
Each impact jerked the air from my lungs. However, they were flying away from the fields and the innocents below. Somehow, I had diverted their attention enough to stop the destruction. Although the volume of land blackened—along with the number of bodies strewn in the fields—made me fear the consequences.
I got a clear view of the Dragon Realm between my jaunts of fighting and being tossed from one dragon to the next. At least their talons hadn’t pierced my skin, but I was going to have some serious bruises. My entire body ached, but I still fought. Their lewd comments sent a chill of dread through me. If they got their way, I would be their chained concubine until they tired of me and ended my life. And my death was described in horrifying detail.
My breath caught in my throat as I was tossed yet again. This time, I hit stone and tumbled across a rocky floor until I hit a wall hard enough to make me see stars. Rough hands grabbed me, yanking me to my feet. Two men with the same glittering eyes as the dragons who snatched me off the horse pulled me farther into a large interior cavern filled with people who didn’t even give me more than a cursory look before they continued mining rocks from the walls with scrapped and bloody fingers. Each person looked half-starved and their exposed skin sported bruises. Every single person was also branded with a dragon symbol.
The men dragged me toward a fire pit with half a dozen brands glowing red. I renewed my struggle, breaking free from the two thugs. I bolted through the entrance and skidded to a stop when four men turned toward me. Their eyes shimmered with interest.
“Spitfire,” one said, and I recognized the voice. My heart dropped just before a body tackled me from behind.
“This one needs to be tamed. Chain her in here,” the biggest man said. He was the one I had called an asshole.
I struggled in the grip of the man, even after my right wrist disappeared under the bite of a shackle anchored into the right wall. I pulled my left arm against my chest, resisting the guard as he tried to yank it free. The others gathered close and the largest man held another shackle out for my arm. The clasp pinched as they slapped it on and stepped back, huffing just as much as I was.
I snarled and yanked but it was futile. When the men got within kicking distance, I lashed out, connecting with one of their shins. That earned me a slap across my cheek. Heat bloomed where his hand connected, and I glared at him, blinking away the stinging tears.
“I promise, you will pay for this,” I said.
They laughed at me and when I kicked out again, one grabbed my leg and put a leg restraint around my ankle. I kicked my free leg and was rewarded with a grunt. I smirked until they forced that leg into a fourth shackle.
I was totally screwed, and fear finally showed itself in the form of trembles. These were not merciful beings. Their minds had been poisoned by their queen and some war pact seemed to have been initiated at her death. The barrier between our kingdoms had perished with her, and now her people were hell bent on destroying the Kingdom of Light.
I knew if I revealed I was the lost princess, my chances of survival would diminish. But I also had heard their vile banter in the skies as they carried me here. Their version of taming me into submission did align with th
e complete helplessness of my current state. I had no defense against anything they wanted to do to me, and the spark of interest in their eyes made my blood run cold.
Footsteps approached from behind. One of the men reached a sharp claw out and tore the shoulder hem of my dress, exposing my right breast and my back. Then he grabbed my hair in his fist and pulled my head forward. I struggled against his grip, but there was nothing I could do.
He stood close enough for me to see the outline in his pants. His free hand reached out and pinched my breast. For a moment, nothing registered and then the smell of burning flesh reached my nostrils. My body reacted, arching away from the source of pain burning my shoulder, and I screamed. The man holding my hair pressed against me, and I guess he decided branding me and pinching my breast wasn’t enough of a punishment for interrupting their fun in the fields. His clawed fingers dug into my skin and his breath quickened in my ear.
I pulled away from him and the burning brand bit deeper into my shoulder. I gagged on bile and swallowed between cries. The others laughed at my reaction.
Metal banged on the floor behind me. “You are our slave now,” the man who scarred me whispered in my ear. His claw raked down my back, shredding the silk dress, along with my skin.
I tried to pull away, but that pushed me into the bastard standing in front of me. My hair was released and the man in front of me stepped away, yanking his nails from my skin.
The man behind me sniffed the air around me, and a low growl formed in his throat.
“You smell like dragon blood.”
My heart thundered at the accusation filling his voice.
“You killed our queen,” he said.
“No,” I whispered through the debilitating pain. But it wasn’t convincing, not when every muscle in my back was singing with acute agony and the man in front of me was reaching for his pants. His expression had changed from interest to one so full of hatred that I shivered.
The man behind me grabbed a handful of hair and yanked my head back, forcing me to look into his feral face. “I’m sure the prince will want to have a word with you once he is done grieving. Until then, we will see what kind of spitfire you really are.”
When he released my hair, I slammed my head back, right into his nose. The connection left me dizzy. “Perhaps you should get your prince before you sign your own death warrant,” I said through gritted teeth.
A hand came from behind and gripped my neck so tight I could barely breathe. “If I had my way, I’d mount you and shift just so I could watch as I tore you apart from the inside,” he growled.
Someone cleared their throat and the men stepped back.
“The prince gets first rights,” an elderly voice said from behind me. “You know this rule,” he added in a chiding manner.
The two men closest to me sneered at me. One pointed. “I will get my turn with you.” He turned and took flight out of the cave, along with the rest of his friends.
“Thank you,” I said before the shuffle of feet got too far away.
“I wouldn’t be thanking me, young lady. They may have been the more humane end considering you reek of the queen’s blood.”
Chapter 14
I had no idea how long I stood with my legs wide and my arms pulled almost too tightly to the sides. My shoulders ached. My back still felt as though I had been doused in hot coals despite the shivers that the cold wind blowing through the caverns created. The pool of blood below me had all but dried, even though it still felt as if hot trails worked their way down my back and legs. It was maddening and I more than understood Zachary’s pain in the dungeon.
My eyelids felt as though rocks had been tied to them. I fought to keep them open, but I was losing the battle. The jerk of my head falling forward shocked me awake again, and I blinked the sleep from my eyes. But again, the darkness beckoned.
I coughed and tried to draw a breath or at the very least swallow, but that was getting difficult.
Coolness met my lower lip and I jerked away. My eyes widened at the young woman holding out a small tin cup.
“Water.” Her voice was as weak as I felt.
“You will be punished for giving her water,” a voice hissed from behind me.
The girl scoffed and held the cup to my lips. Cool liquid slid into my mouth, quenching the dryness. I swallowed it and drank the rest, letting it provide me with a small second wind. “Thank you,” I said, meeting her gaze.
“I have never seen anyone fight the dragons before,” she said with awe. “Usually they are blubbering fools who beg for mercy.”
I gave her as much of a shrug as I could muster in my position. Begging wouldn’t work with those men. And reasoning wouldn’t work either. Dropping Zachary’s name would have only done more harm to his crusade.
The woman started to go.
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
She bit her lip and glanced over my shoulder at the woman who I couldn’t see. “I don’t remember.” She met my gaze. “Too long,” she said under her breath and stepped away.
“And the prince knows about this?” I asked before she disappeared out of my range.
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Anyone who falls into the prince’s favor dies a horrific death.” She scurried away leaving me with more questions than answers.
Time stalled and the aches in my body started to gain traction into blinding pain that brought black spots to the edges of my vision. My knees finally gave out, but the shackles around my wrists held me fast. My head lolled forward, and my hair hung over my face.
Wind whipped through the cave. It took my muddled mind a moment to realize it wasn’t wind, but the pounding of wings I heard. I wanted to raise my head, but I didn’t have the energy.
The scratch of several talons filled the space and then the sound of footsteps approached.
“This one needs breaking.” A man grabbed a handful of hair, pulling my head back enough for me to see shapes before me. “If you do not want the honors, I will gladly take that role.”
One figure stopped in the middle of the group of men. Someone held a torch out close enough to illuminate my face and blind me. I turned my head away from the heat.
“Let go of her.” Zachary’s voice was colder than the wind.
The hand holding me released my hair and my head dropped forward again. A hand cupped my cheek and raised my face. I tried to pull away, but I was too weak. I met Zachary’s gaze.
“Unchain her!” His voice barreled through the room and everyone froze in place, and then people shuffled around.
Both my arms released, and I collapsed forward. Zachary caught me and lifted me off my feet. I didn’t even realize my ankles had been freed until I was in Zachary’s grip.
“You fools,” he growled and turned away, carrying me out of the cave.
“Let the slaves go,” I whispered.
Zachary looked down at me. “We will discuss that when you are better.”
I found the last of my energy reserves and pushed against his chest and nearly tumbled to the ground. “Let them go. We are not at war. You should not keep humans enslaved.”
He glared at me. “We will discuss this later,” he said through gritted teeth.
Before I could wage another argument, he transformed and gripped me gently in his talons as he took off into the air.
“Damn it, Zach,” I whispered.
The beast huffed and glanced down at me with his green eyes blazing.
Soon after his shut-up glare, I faded into the black.
WETNESS BATHED MY BACK, followed by acute agony that knocked me back into the darkness.
I woke with a gasp and sat up in a strange bed, disoriented. A hand landed on my back and I jumped.
“It’s okay.” Zachary’s tired voice came from next to me. “You’re safe.”
I glanced in the direction of his voice and reached out, cupping his cheeks. “Did you let them go?”
Silence followed and he pulled from my
grip.
“Zachary?” I reached out and only found an empty bed. The curtains across the room pulled back, framing his form in moonlight. He glanced back at me.
“I had a difficult time pulling the dragons back into our kingdom after the thorn wall disappeared. They wanted revenge for the queen. I finally won that argument. You were another explanation that did not go over well.”
He left the curtain open and crossed the room. “You were more of a fight than pulling the troops back was.” He ran his hand through his hair and took a seat on the bed with his back to me. “They still don’t know you are the princess, but they do know you saved my life. They also know my mother saved both of us before she was killed.”
“But you are imprisoning innocents,” I said.
“Yes. And right now, they are safer where they are. With your disappearance, your father is bringing the fight to us.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I need to know if you will stand with me.”
I reached out and touched his back, running my fingers over his smooth skin. My heart squeezed. I had more of an alliance to this man than my own blood. I wished it was more of a struggle for me to choose a side, but as long as Zachary was fair and just, I would stand in his court.
“No one else dies.”
Zachary met my gaze and held it for a full breath before he nodded.
“And once a peace treaty is signed, you will release those prisoners.” I poked his back.
“Once we marry and peace is certain, I will release the humans.” He turned my way, pulling me into his arms. When his hand brushed the back of my shoulder, I winced.
“Sorry.” He kissed the top of my throbbing shoulder. “The brand didn’t heal.” He sighed. “I’m told it will take a while.”
Fantastic. I was branded as a slave. “What will this mean to your people?” I asked, remembering the degrading way the dragons had treated me. With this brand, I might never be treated as an equal.
