by Serena Rose
“Surely this isn’t a matter for the great, warrior prince. Perhaps there’s a battle, or futile raid you should be focusing your energy on.”
“Your input is noted, Myrik, and ignored.” The light-haired man nodded to me. “Unless our guest finds the thought of my company distasteful?”
“No! Not at all!” I answered probably a little too eagerly. It wasn’t that I thought the Prince was a pushover, I had read far too much about him to assume anything of the sort. It was just that sense of danger that rolled from Myrik’s body in waves. Like he was a self-satisfied cat eyeing up a mouse for dinner. Except that mouse was me. I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked with the Prince, so I kept my gaze straight forward, no matter how much I wanted to look back in worry.
We strolled down the hill we were on, following a cobblestone path through what appeared to be open fields. Except it wasn’t open at all. It was a bit disconcerting to be in such a wide, well-lit expanse but still be in a cave. It was my first real experience with anything sort of magical since I had arrived, and it made me wonder what else was in store for me.
“So, Mercedes, was it?”
I nodded, busy taking in everything I could. Who knew what minute detail would be instrumental in my escape. Because even if the Prince seemed polite as he gently held my arm, there was no dodging around the fact that humans were being used for breeding stock by the dragons. That was not a fate I wanted in the least, and was pretty sure not what my Abuela had in mind when she had written her journal for me.
Her journal!
I panicked for a moment, reaching for my side and fearing the worst. Relief flooded me when my fingers brushed against the aged leather and brittle edges. I still had it. I didn’t know when I was going to get a chance to read it now considering I was a dragon prisoner for all intents and purposes, but I was sure I would find a way.
“Something wrong?” the Prince asked, his voice pleasantly laced with concern, the deep baritone of it curling around my head and coaxing me to pay close attention. It was easy to see how he was such a commanding force over the winged army. Even though he was one of the beasts holding me prisoner, I felt drawn to him. Like a naive pray animal being lured in by the beautiful camouflage of a dangerous predator.
“No, just worried I had lost my bag. I have some…mementos in there that would make me quite sad to lose.”
He looked to the now very tattered and dirty messenger bag at my side. I’m sure it seemed quite alien to him considering I had dragged it through from another world. “I will make sure to request you a sturdier way to carry your belongings. I am glad that you were fortunate enough to have them with you when you were—” He cut himself off and I saw the muscles in his jaw tightening as he tried to find a tasteful word. “…Taken.”
“Yes, that’s me. Fortunate.”
“Again, I apologize. If I could have my own way, this terrible idea would have been left dead and buried on the court floor. But extinction makes many of us scared, and you’ll find that scared animals are often the most dangerous.”
I didn’t know quite what to say, so I just stayed quiet. The Prince didn’t seem to mind, falling into silence beside me, only to occasionally point out landmarks that he appeared to think were interesting.
It took a surprising amount of time to exit the meadow area where the humans were being held, but I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the sight of the dragons’ living quarters.
The high, arching ceilings of the fields suddenly lifted upwards, too far above my head to even see. It was like a hive of rock, gems and glow stones, resulting in a beautiful, interconnected tapestry of city life.
My jaw dropped and my eyes grew wide as I took in the sculptures dotting the sitting areas, and the elegant, decorative vegetation that dotted the scape. Once more, I found myself having difficulty grasping that I was encased within solid rock.
“How is this possible,” I whispered, mostly to myself, but the Prince still smiled sweetly at me and answered.
“Long ago, when our people first came to these lands, the mountains were guarded by great and ancient spirits. Our ancestors befriended them, offering their respect and kinship. It is said the spirits opened themselves to us and taught us how to carve shelter deep within their earthen hearts. After so many generations of partnership, we began to take on features of our benefactors, and thus the first scaled dragon was born.”
“What happened to them? The spirits that is? Are they still here?”
He shook his head, and I saw the sadness creep across his face. “They left, long ago. The arrival of the humans and their gods chased much of the fey, and old powers from the land. Perhaps we ourselves are being stubborn in remaining. But if the humans are not stopped here, what is to prevent them from continuing their unending journey to conquer and devour everything?”
He seemed to realize who he was talking to, and his lips tightened in what I guess was mild embarrassment. “Pardon. I realize that you, as a person, are no doubt lovely and just want to live your life.”
I shrugged. “I understand what you meant. A lot of us are just existing, hoping to just be happy at the end of the day. Unfortunately, we aren’t the kind of people who seem to end up in power. Maybe that’s because we don’t feel the need to seek it, or perhaps that’s just what power does to regular, everyday people. Either way, no apology is needed.”
“That’s a particularly…enlightened point of view.”
“Is it? I just like to think of myself as acutely aware of just how awful everyone can be.” I realized how dark that sounded and gave a little bit of an awkward laugh. “Of course, it’s important to remember that people are also capable of great kindness. Many things in life have a very strong duality to them.”
“Is this common teaching on the Shimmering Isles?” I tilted my head, pondering for a moment. “No, not particularly. But the matriarch of my home was very traveled, and very wise. She has taught me much.” I was proud how I was starting to pick up the vernacular. My normal exclamations of ‘gonna,’ ‘dude,’ and ‘totes’ were probably not going to go over well here. And although Leryk and Maryana had been very doting in their treatment of me, I doubted these fanged folks were going to be as forgiving.
I needed to fit in. I was positioning myself as some sort of seer now, so it would be best for me to act like it if I wanted to survive.
It took another good half hour of strolling along, arm in arm, before we reached our destination. We went up intricately carved steps, through sitting areas with crystalline reflection pools, under archways and along meticulously kept paths. When we finally halted, I saw a wall of gleaming gems, each one reflecting prisms from the glow stones tastefully peppered everywhere.
There was a single door at its center, and it looked to be cut from pure marble. I would never have a hope of opening that on my own. But the Prince, he just gripped the gilded knob and swung it open. Disentangling himself from my arm, he bowed and gestured me in.
“After you, Lady Mercedes.”
I felt my face flush at the impressive show of strength, and his charm. It was easy to daydream about what else he could do with those muscled arms of his, but I couldn’t afford myself to get distracted. I wasn’t in my old world, where I could flirt with cute men then return to my bed at night to scroll through dating apps on my phone. I was in a world of swords and sorcery. I needed to keep my wits about me if I was going to survive.
The door closed and suddenly his hand was gently resting at the small of my back. Heat licked up my spine, whispering of all sorts of ideas and fantasies, and it took everything in me to stomp those down.
“I have guest quarters farther in. I will send a hawk to fetch you a wardrobe. But first, are you hungry?”
I was going to say no, but I realized with a low rumble from my stomach, that I was indeed starving. I had no idea how long I had been out, or even what day it was, so who knew when I had eaten last?
“To the kitchen then. I think I sho
uld have something suitable for a human’s palate.” He guided me through an ornate hall, lined with both weapons, paintings and other fineries. As best I could tell, his entire home was carved into the rock like much else of this place. No walls, no carpentry. Every bit of infrastructure was hewn into the mountain like some sort of negative space art concept. How did it not collapse on everyone?
The thought made me nervous, but I was soon distracted as we stopped. It wasn’t a kitchen in any sense a modern one, but I could discern where things were cooked, and prepared. Obviously, there was no refrigerator, and I wondered where all the food was, but the Prince crossed to a corner without me and lifted a door from the floor.
I could make out the sound of rushing water, and he reached down to fish around for several moments before pulling out a slightly damp bag. I watched, utterly fascinated as he crossed to the table and unwrapped the thing to reveal a head-sized wheel of cheese. He nodded in satisfaction, before returning to the still open square and pulling out two more smaller bags. Once that was done he lowered the covering then returned to me.
“Please, sit. It’s not often I have guests who are not political in nature.”
“Really?” I murmured. “Because you seem to be quite the host.”
He smiled, and it was kind of adorable how sheepish the large man looked for a moment. “This? This is nothing. You should see what the Queen goes through when she wishes to honor someone. I’ve seen them prepare for a week simply to celebrate a day of birth situation.
“I mean, it’s no longer like that. But when our people return to prosperity again, I think I will look forward to those revelries the most.”
“Yeah, they sound pretty nice.” I sat myself across from him at the wooden table, and he opened the other bags to reveal hard, squared bread and a skin of what I assumed was wine. Right, water was probably not commonly served during meals with the rich. I would need to watch my head and see if I could request the non-alcoholic liquid.
I looked over the delicious treats and wasn’t quite sure what to do, until the Prince pulled a dagger from his belt. I flinched back in surprise, and his brows came together worriedly.
“Apologies, Lady Mercedes. I did not mean to frighten you.” He placed it on the table and carefully slid it to me. “It’s for the food.”
“Oh, of course. Right. What else would it be for?” I breathed, blushing fairly hard myself. What was I thinking? If this Prince wanted me dead, I would be dead. I had nothing to worry about.
“You know that you are now in my care, Lady Mercedes,” he said, voice low and soft. I could tell that he was trying to be comforting, and I felt myself becoming slightly less worried. If this was Stockholm syndrome it was certainly coming on fast. “I will never knowledgeably allow harm to come to you. It is not my way. As long as you are my responsibility, you are safe.”
I was certain that this conversation would be going a lot differently if I had ended up in Myrik’s clutches, so I smiled gratefully. “Thank you. I hope I did not offend. You do not put me ill at ease, but I’m sure you can understand that a woman in a strange land might be somewhat…apprehensive.”
He smiled back, and I would be damned if it wasn’t one of the most charming expressions. This dragon shifter was just plain unfair, point blank. “I do understand, and I will try to be mindful of my actions in the future.”
I decided that was a good place to leave the conversation, and instead busied myself with cutting off some cheese, slapping it onto some bread and voraciously tearing into it. The flavors felt like heaven on my tongue, but also reminded me that I was equally as thirsty. I eyed the wine cautiously, then took a careful sip.
The Prince noticed my trepidation, and sent me another dazzling smile. “Do they not have spirits on the Shimmer Isles?” he teased. “It’s not poisoned, I promise.”
“It’s not that.” I quickly tried to think of a lie. “I just have never been very strong in my stomach. My mother said it was best I only enjoy libations in small quantities.”
“How boring,” he said with a smirk. “But I will fetch you water from the well-stream.”
He stood again, and began to cross back to the corner. “Is that what the thing that keeps your food cold is called?”
“Yes. I suppose this is not something you would be familiar with, given the heated lands you were born in. Snow at the top of the mountain falls to the base, where it melts. From there the ground absorbs the cold, cold water and filters it through the earth into the underground streams that feed the entire land. It is from this water that we drink, store our food, and other necessities of living.
“You need not worry about it being foul, we clean ourselves and take care of our waste in a different way, far from the sources that nourish us.”
“Oh good, so no chamber pots being dumped into the drinking water?”
He shuddered. “I have heard that humans are fond of such measures in their crowded cities. I cannot imagine the filth.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to.”
“I imagine you’re right.” With that, he lowered a tankard into the water, then set the cool, refreshing glass in front of me. “There you are. Let no one say I don’t provide for those at my table. Weak stomachs and all.”
“I can drink to that.” I took a deep swig of the water and it was exactly what I needed. My mouth stopped feeling like sandpaper, I was a little less anxious and my head cleared a bit. I continued to help myself to the fare, and it took everything in me not to gorge myself. I had to pace myself, give my poor stomach time to adjust to eating after depriving it for at least half a day, at worst two days.
After I was sure that I wasn’t about to disintegrate into a skeleton, I started paying more attention to my surroundings. I had already noticed the abode was much more opulent than the already fairly impressive quarters of Leryk. But one thing that was surprising was that actually dragon royalty was serving me himself.
“Where are your servants?”
“Servants?” he asked, sounding confused.
“You know, the people who run your household for you.”
“Why would I need anyone to run my household? I am a grown dragon; I reached maturity far too long ago to need help surviving day to day.”
“So, you don’t have other people who live here? Help you take care of things?”
He laughed heartily at that. “I have citizens that I pay to work for me when needed. A cook comes in when I require a special fare, there’s a housekeeper who comes in once every week or so to keep things in order, and most importantly, a seamstress. But I would not consider them servants. That would imply hierarchy, and I am no greater than them.”
“But you’re a Prince.” Now I was the one who was confused. I tried to think back to the book I read to recall if there had been any mention of royal staff.
“Yes, but I think perhaps the term here might be different from yours.”
“So, you’re not the son of the Queen?”
“What? Of course not. Children of the Queen, while respected, cannot serve in the Court. It would be an egregious conflict of interests and you cannot truly represent the will of the people with one family holding so many stakes.”
“Oh, that is very different from human royalty.”
“I see. It seems we have much to learn from each other. Now, if you would excuse me, I will attend to the matter of your clothes. Please, help yourself to anything in the well-spring, should you desire.”
I nodded agreeably and watched him go.
I knew I probably should have run, or found a way to escape, but instead I just propped my elbows on the table and continued to slowly munch.
I had wound up in a very precarious, dangerous position, but I was curious as to where it could go.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I fidgeted nervously as I walked next to the Prince yet again. I knew people were staring at us, but I tried to keep my eyes focused on my resplendently slippered feet.
Gael had been true to his wo
rds about finding me clothing appropriate for the court. It had only taken about an hour or so for a tall, willowy woman to arrive at his door, two men carrying a large case for her.
From there I was tugged into a three-hour tailoring session that ended up with me in a gorgeous, lavender gown with all sorts of jewel accents. It was long, flowing, and definitely meant for summer. Which made me wonder, how did they regulate the temperature here, so far below the sun? Glow stones provided light, but not heat, and as far as I knew, I didn’t notice any rivers of lava flowing through the place to give it warmth. Or giant air conditioners, for that matter.
I didn’t ask, though. There was a time and a place for everything, and this did not seem like one of them. Instead, I risked a cursory glance at my surroundings.
People were still staring, yes, but I was a bit disconcerted at how few there were. From what I had seen so far, the city could hold thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of their kind. And yet at best I had seen a couple dozen. I guess the Prince was very serious when he said extinction was on the brink. There weren’t enough of the scaled shifters to fill a football stadium, let alone the ancient structure their ancestors had provided for them.
What a terrible idea. An entire species with so much to offer the world, wiped out mercilessly. Seeing such loss, such emptiness up front almost made the breeding humans idea understandable.
Almost.
My train of thought was becoming entirely too depressing, so I went back to staring at my feet. I could worry about the injustices of the world later. I had to survive meeting the Queen first.
Much like everything else, the court was not what I expected.
Although I had read about it several times, in depth, there was nothing that could prepare me for seeing it in person.
It was an open-air meeting place, with several raised podiums for each member of the Court to stand on and present their stance on whatever issue was scheduled to be discussed. At the head of it was a massive throne, built of what looked like crystals and obsidian, winding throughout each other in breathtaking designs.
