Ten years and Avalee would be free, but not to return home, never there. She remembered the endless sands, the baked earth, and the blistering sun. No, never home, not without wings of her own. Whatever freedom she would someday gain, she knew she would never see her family again, nor her friends. Ten years and she would be free, or perhaps simply abandoned. Would she know the difference? Would she even care?
And the next young maiden would come. Would she nurse that one to health as Elisa had done for herself? Would Avalee soothe and tend her, fully knowing the fate that awaited the young woman. Fully knowing that Avalee herself would be leaving her behind with the beast. Not caring. Avalee hoped not. Despite the new knowledge, that she wasn't doomed to be the beast's dinner, Avalee decided that she would not make it so easy for the dragon to keep to this cycle. She would destroy it, or she would stop it in any way she could think of. There would be no more maidens taken.
That she was considering allowing the beast to live was beside the point. She wasn't heartless, and she recognized the same in the dragon now. She'd heard the disappointment in the dragon's voice, disappointment that yet another young woman would so easily leave him behind. Avalee could only guess at the sense of betrayal the beast felt. But she couldn't understand, not fully, why the beast should be surprised that a young woman taken from her family and forced into its service would be eager to leave it. Perhaps when it returned, if she hadn't managed to make her escape by then, she would begin to learn why.
~~~
Chapter 8
The next morning, Avalee awoke to the firm shaking of her shoulder and turned to find Elisa bending over her from beside her bed.
"Awaken, young maiden. I must instruct you." Elisa straightened with a fist on her hip. "Hurry, there is no time to waste."
Avalee knew why there was no time, and she didn't blame Elisa for her impatience. But that didn't mean she felt any obligation to hurry. She readied herself carefully, noting the complete absence of injury, not even a trace, as she slipped the dress from the festival back over her head. She would need to make a new one, and soon, as this one had not been made with durability in mind.
Elisa had left a basin of water and an old brush on the floor next to the doorway, and Avalee used both to freshen up and tame her hair before stepping out into the passageway. Surprisingly, she found Elisa just at the end of the tunnel leading into the cavern, waiting.
"Come, we must talk, child." Elisa beckoned to Avalee and led her down towards the fire pit. There was no sign of the dragon; though Avalee knew not to expect it. The beast was above, waiting for its passenger.
"Elisa," Avalee began, "I know what you need to tell me. I heard."
Elisa turned and looked at her and then looked away, her face turned towards the low flames. "I see. Then you know of the bargain?"
"Ten years and then freedom?" Avalee said.
"Aye, ten years," Elisa said and then looked back at Avalee sternly. "You must learn to do as you're told, no more running away, no more attacking. He is patient, but he isn't perfectly so. Do you understand?"
Avalee nodded, then asked, "Are you ready to leave, then?"
Elisa nodded in return and gestured towards another pack, neatly tied and ready to go, leaning against the low bench. "I wished only to speak to you before I left. Janessa, the girl before me, she didn't even do that. She was gone before I awoke on the second day. Brought me food and drink, said not a thing, and left with the dragon. My lord told me about her later. She never accepted the bargain, though she served him best she could. She never spoke a kind word, nor a cross one either. He was not sorry to see her go, despite that he tried to hide it from me."
"I see," said Avalee, remembering the dragon's disappointment in Elisa's plans to leave. "He will miss you, I think."
Elisa looked up from the flames, which had once more drawn her eye while she remembered. "What? What makes you say that?"
"I heard it in his voice. You may not have been close to him, but he seems fond of you. He will miss you."
Elisa nodded and looked back at the fire. "I suppose so. Still, I must leave. I promised ten years, or perhaps, ten years were promised for me. I have met my obligation. I will leave now before he changes his mind."
Avalee sat on the bench and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what had possessed her, telling Elisa all she'd heard, and particularly about how she suspected the dragon felt. Who was she to make such an assumption? She'd only just met the beast. Then again, she'd always had a way with people. Always been able to sense how they felt, despite the face they displayed to the world. Empathy, her mother called it, but Avalee always suspected it was something a little more than that.
"Young one," Elisa touched Avalee's cheek and turned her face towards her, peering into her eyes. "Take care. And remember, ten years will come quicker than you may think. Be patient. There is a whole world out there for you. Your whole life awaits. Remember that, and hope."
Avalee nodded wordlessly as Elisa released her and turned away. She watched as the woman took a deep breath and then strode away towards the far end of the cavern. Above them, the sunlight was already filtering in through the cavern entrance, lighting her way. Avalee watched as the last person she would see for the next ten years made her slow way up and around the ramp. Made her way to a long awaited and hard earned freedom. To that whole world she'd dreamed of and yearned for over ten long years.
Avalee watched until she was gone and a gust of wind swirled around her, even this deep, from the dragon's departure. Avalee was alone.
Promises and hopes were one thing, but Avalee hadn't promised anything, not yet. When she was sure the dragon was gone, she leapt to her feet and sprinted back to her room. The pack was on, the sword already tied in place, wrapped in the blanket that had been tied to the top of the pack before she'd repurposed it. Not pausing to look around, Avalee began to run. Knowing the way helped immensely; the light did as well. No more feeling her way, or wondering at the possible drop off, she knew what to expect. It took only ten minutes to reach the cave opening this time. Instead of fatigue, she felt exhilaration. Strength seemed to sing through her veins; it left her giddy.
She took the rough steps on hands and feet, the angle making it easier that way, and reached the top in another ten minutes, peering over the edge of the cliff before climbing the final few feet, just in case the dragon had returned, not that she expected it to do so that quickly. Looking back over her shoulder, she squinted over the horizon, looking for signs of land in the far distance. She saw nothing, nothing but the glare of the sun, only three fingers above the line where water met sky. At least she knew which way she faced.
That being determined, however, she wasted no more time in thought or doubt. She had to move, and move she did. She headed west, directly into the trees. The underbrush was thick, but she found a way through that, if not well traveled, was at least passable and had likely seen foot traffic before. She decided to follow it, and soon found herself enjoying the trip. The small sounds of life infused her with their energy, and she hummed along with them softly. Birdsong rose and fell in chorus with her own personal melody, almost as if the two had been composed as one, meant to be sung together. No longer hurrying, Avalee breathed the earthy air and reveled in the patches of sunlight that burst through the foliage at uneven intervals. The journey was no longer about escape, it was about experiencing this magical place. This forest was nothing like the one bordering her village; it was more alive. Even the trees seemed aware of her passage, welcoming.
The idea was odd, but not frightening for her. Avalee's skin hummed in tune with the forest, tingling and energized. She didn't understand it. The path ended in a small clearing, only ten paces wide, but haloed in sunlight and speckled with more wildflowers than seemed possible in such a small space. With her hands held out, palms facing down to either side of her, she waded in amongst them, their delicate petals tickling her fingers. Avalee couldn't help but laugh aloud and smile. It was delightful. She n
ever wanted it to end.
Still, she kept moving, despite that desire. Her goal not forgotten, merely set aside in favor of the unexpected joy she'd found in this place. As she passed out of the clearing, she looked behind her longingly once more before turning back to the path. This section of it was not nearly as well trodden as the part leading to the clearing, and Avalee guessed that Elisa must have come to look at the flowers at regular intervals, particularly since it was becoming clear that Elisa and the dragon had been the only inhabitants. No one else would have made such a path.
Now, the trail seemed to grow cold, the way overgrown. The underbrush caught and tore at her dress, at first, and later her flesh. Avalee began to consider turning back. Even the song of the forest seemed to change the farther she went: more wild, less welcoming. The energy she sensed seemed wary of her, as she was becoming of it, the cycle of mistrust feeding itself and building with every step she took. Avalee's hand twitched, craving the comforting feel of the sword's hilt, but she didn't stop to fetch it. Despite the less than friendly feel of this part of the forest, it wasn't truly threatening. She'd seen no signs of any animal larger than squirrel or rabbit, and birds still flitted from branch to branch above her; they just didn't seem interested in joining her in melody as had those before.
Avalee walked on for some time, and gradually she began to notice a different change. The energy began to fall away, the awareness she'd felt from the trees and creatures faded, and before long, Avalee realized that this was no different than the forest back home. Something was lacking that she'd never known to look for, some fundamental element. A sense of overwhelming sadness stopped her in her tracks. Loss. She felt as though she'd lost someone close to her, but all she'd done was walk through some trees along a path.
The scratches on her legs stung—though she hadn't noticed before now, so caught up in the web of life—and weariness pressed down upon her, draining her of the will to move on. Hunger gnawed at her belly, and thirst scratched her throat. Avalee decided to stop and take a meal, rest and think about what she'd experienced this morning. As she ate, she thought of the dragon.
It would return soon to find her missing, and she wondered what it would do. Her thoughts took her in a dark direction, fitting the deadened feel of the woods around her. Perhaps the dragon would burn the forest, destroy the clearing. Or maybe it would find her when she emerged from wherever this path took her. Then again, her sneaking off before it exacted her promise to stay might make it feel she had violated the pact between it and her people. Maybe it would become angry and take vengeance on her family.
Avalee held a half-eaten roll in her hand for many long minutes imagining worse and worse outcomes, none personally dangerous to herself, but all horrendous for those she loved, those she'd left behind. Abruptly coming to her senses, she made a difficult decision. She decided to return to the cave. She wanted to make sure it would do none of the sort of things she imagined, one way or the other, before she left it. Avalee realized that leaving now was both careless and cowardly. She had an obligation, no matter that she hadn't chosen it for herself. Her people were relying on her; though they had no idea what she was to face.
Avalee stood and finished the roll with one bite, then brushed the crumbs from her fingers. She peered once more in the direction the path had been leading her, promising herself that she would try again one day, and then turned her back on it and began the journey back to the cave. Back home, though she hated calling it that.
In reverse, the growing livelihood of the forest was just as entrancing as it was the first time through, though the transformation was gradual when approached from this direction. When she reached the sweet-scented clearing, she found that the sun shone directly down upon it. It was mid-day, and she had no time to delay, though she wanted to stay and breathe in the aroma and listen to the comforting drone of bumblebees. Still, she forced herself to move on, and the path on the other side was easier than she remembered, likely because she now had a frame of reference to compare it with; the last leg of the path could hardly be called so now that she thought about it.
She reached the tree line, but not exactly where she'd entered it. Cautiously, she looked out across the ledge for the dragon, but she saw no sign of it. Perhaps she'd made it back first. After a quick glance up, just to make sure it wasn't circling, she strode over to the rock stairs and began to make her way down. About three steps down, she decided she would much prefer to face the stairs than away from them and carefully turned her body around and climbed down that way. It was way too steep to take them as one would do normal steps. As her foot left the final step and touched the ledge, a billow of wind swirled around her, tugging on her pack and whipping her hair into her eyes. She held on tightly to the stair she'd been using to brace herself as she climbed down and held perfectly still. Her face turned towards the rock face and away from the source of the wind.
Heavy wings blasted the wind down and pressed her into the stair, and she tried to make herself small against the rocks. The dragon had returned.
A crunch of claws on gravel announced its landing, and she flipped her hair out of her eyes and looked over at it. The beast was perched on the platform right at the entrance to the cave, watching her but making no move towards her. She sighed and wordlessly finished her descent and turned towards it.
Her back straight, she approached it and tried not to let her nerves slow her steps.
"You were leaving?" the low voice stopped her cold. It held menace.
Avalee's heart skipped a beat before she could bring herself to look the dragon in the eye. "I was returning. You were gone for a long time."
She watched as the expression seemed to soften, far from human, but she couldn't quite figure out what was going through the dragon's head. She forced herself to turn away and enter the cave and began the much slower trip down the ramp, taking her time to allow her eyes to adjust. The dragon didn't follow her down, which confused her. She would have thought it would want to exact her promise immediately. When she finally reached the fire pit, its flames nearly gone, she shrugged out of the pack and allowed her legs to crumple beneath her. There she sat in the darkness until only a few embers remained in the pit and the sun outside no longer provided so much as a hint of light.
She sat and wondered why she had ever decided to return. She sat until a swirl of wind fed those dying embers and the crunch of claws on the cavern floor announced the arrival of the dragon.
~~~
Chapter 9
"Young one." It spoke softly, as though it was afraid she was asleep and didn't want to wake her if she was.
"I am here," Avalee responded. She stared unseeing at one of the coals in the pit, but she felt and heard the approach of the beast. It settled very close, and its breath in her hair and on her neck was hot as it settled its snout beside her.
"What is your name, young one?"
"Does it matter?"
"It does to me."
If Avalee ignored the way the air vibrated around her when it spoke, if she ignored the acrid tinge on its breath, she could almost imagine that she spoke to a man, not a dragon.
"If I tell you my name, will you tell me yours?" she said, having no intention of calling it my lord for ten years as Elisa obviously had. It was not her lord and she had no intention of being its servant.
"Perhaps," the dragon mused, and she heard the laughter in its voice.
"That isn't enough. I will tell you my name if you tell me yours. That is the bargain I am willing to make with you."
"You speak of bargains?"
"Yes, you have one to make if what Elisa spoke was true."
The dragon seemed to consider this, though Avalee couldn't see it at all to gage for sure. "Ten years. It was agreed upon."
"Indeed, but I have terms of my own. And I never agreed to anything." Avalee turned in the direction she thought the dragon was in, though it was shrouded from her. "I will not be your servant, and I will not remain in this cave. This
is no way to live."
"It is—" the dragon began, but Avalee cut him off.
"No, it isn't. Do you accept my terms?"
Silence met her, but she sensed the dragon as it shifted towards her—the heat of its breath and the scent of it, not completely unlike the scent of the flowers in the clearing. It was an odd mixture of sulfur and wildflower. Avalee had a hard time suppressing a sneeze, and tried to hold her breath. Then she saw it.
The dragon wasn't moving towards her, but towards the dying fire. It leaned forward and she heard a gurgle and hiss come from deep within it before a burst of flame bloomed from its jaws to reignite the timber. In the light, she saw it reach forward and drop several thick branches into the pit, and it gently fanned them with its fiery breath until they caught and burned of their own accord.
Then when it was finished it looked in her direction.
"I have no name to give you, young one. I would give it though, had I yet one to give. Do you promise to stay for the allotted time if I give you such small freedoms as you request?"
Avalee looked the beast in its eye and nodded slowly, intimidated despite herself. She could no longer pretend it was a man, not with the light bathing it in flickering orange and yellow. Not with the shadows driven back by the renewed flames revealing tooth and claw alike.
She finally swallowed her nerves and spoke. "I will stay. You may call me Avalee."
The dragon showed its teeth in what Avalee truly hoped was a smile and nodded. "Avalee, I believe I shall enjoy your company."
Then it withdrew slightly and rested its head back where it had been, and Avalee tried not to look at it. She watched the flames and tried to ignore the dragon as it seemed to watch her.
Avalee and the Dragon Page 6
