And nothing was going to hurt Serek.
She leapt over gnarled roots and wove between twisted trunks, charged through foliage and across slippery stone. She’d never run so fast in her life. Her aching muscles, thumping heart, and labored breath warned that her weary body was already beyond its limits. Whether it was a small blessing from Mother Eurynome—the great spirit who watched over the forest—or simple luck that prevented Leyloni from falling, she could not guess.
But the sound of the creature’s pursuit drew ever closer. Even with all Leyloni’s will bent toward escape, she would not be able to outrun the treestalker. And there was no hole or hollow anywhere in this forest in which she could hide that the treestalker could not follow her into.
If only I had a spear.
If only I had not invoked Mother Eurynome as though in challenge.
Her knife would be almost useless against this creature, but what choice did she have? She could not run fast enough, could not run far enough. When it had come down to it, when all had seemed lost, her tribe had fought. Her friends, her sisters, her mother and father—they had fought to the bloody end. Had fought to give Leyloni and Serek a chance.
“I am so sorry, Serek,” she whispered.
Leyloni shifted the baby’s weight onto her left arm and drew her knife with her right. Images of those sharp mandibles, scurrying legs, segmented carapace, and black, soulless eyes flitted through her mind, but she would not allow fear to make her hesitate.
She skidded to a halt, feet sliding across the carpet of fallen leaves. The air seemed suddenly charged, and a faint, tingling sensation that had nothing to do with the cold rain arced over her skin.
Lightning filled the forest with blinding white light. The thunder came before that light had even faded, so loud and powerful that it felt as though it would tear Leyloni apart.
Gritting her teeth, she growled through her disorientation and discomfort, tightened her hold on Serek, and raised her weapon. Dark blotches trekked across her field of view, left in the wake of the lightning flash. She spun toward the treelurker, positioning the baby so he was shielded by her body.
Her wet hair slapped into her face, further obscuring her vision. Leyloni swung her knife blindly, releasing a raw, primal scream that tore up her throat and chest but which her ringing ears could barely hear.
Still swinging the blade wildly, she flipped her hair aside and blinked rapidly to clear her vision.
The heavy drumming of the rain, the pounding of her heart, and her ragged breaths were the dominant sounds as the ringing in her ears slowly diminished.
The treelurker was gone.
She halted her arm and stared at the spot where the treelurker should have been.
The ground a few paces away was blackened and smoking, the dirt free of leaves and debris as though it had all been blasted away. But that wasn’t right. Even if Mother Eurynome had chosen to smite the creature with lightning, there would’ve been something left of it—a charred carcass, a heap of ash. Something.
Leyloni’s breath caught in her throat. There was movement overhead, distinct from the leaves thrashing in the wind. She tilted her head back.
The treestalker was dangling from high above, water dripping from its carapace. A few of its legs were twitching, but it was otherwise limp. Tendrils of smoke, barely visible in the rain and gloom, wafted from its body.
Yet Leyloni’s eyes did not linger on the treestalker—they were called higher to the huge maw clamped over the creature’s middle, holding the carcass aloft. Her eyes rounded as she took in a scaled snout, a powerful jaw, and a long neck that led back behind a large tree.
Her gaze finally stopped on the big, impossibly vibrant purple eyes staring down at her. Glowing, reptilian eyes.
That jaw flexed, producing a wet, crunching sound. Dark ichor oozed from the dangling treestalker, and its legs curled inward toward its belly. The scaled head snapped aside, flinging away the dead treestalker like a child might toss away a toy that no longer held their interest.
Leyloni could only stare as this new monster moved into the open. Rainwater streamed off its scales in little waterfalls, accentuating the shape of its huge, powerful frame. The beast walked on all fours, and its front paws—which looked closer to hands—were big enough to wrap fully around Leyloni’s body. And those black claws…
Instinct screamed for Leyloni to run as fast as she could and never look back, but it was overpowered by a deep, instinctual fear. A paralyzing fear. Her feet refused to move, rooted as firmly as the trees around her.
Lightning pulsed across the sky, illuminating the beast’s scales—they were teal with blue and green sheens—and making the double set of backswept horns atop its head gleam.
This beast couldn’t be real, couldn’t possibly be standing before her. No one in her tribe had seen one for countless generations. These beings existed only in old stories; they had died out long ago.
But she knew what it was.
“Dragon,” she whispered as icy terror spread outward from her heart.
Those violet, reptilian eyes fixated on Leyloni again.
2
Leyloni stared up at the dragon, deaf to Serek’s cries, barely feeling the cold penetrating down to her bones. Her extended arm shook, and the knife clutched in her fist looked smaller and more ineffective than ever. Her terror and awe were so intertwined that she couldn’t tell one from the other.
She was staring at her imminent death, and she doubted it would take the beast more than a couple bites to be done with her.
The dragon reared back, opened its maw wide, and angled it toward the sky. Runoff from the canopy poured into its mouth. The beast closed its mouth, shook its head from side to side, and turned to spit the water out into the jungle foliage.
“Those creatures have a foul taste,” the dragon said in a voice as low-pitched and rumbling as thunder.
Leyloni’s brows creased, and she blinked rapidly to clear the rainwater running into her eyes.
Did…did the beast just speak?
Serek wriggled against Leyloni, his cries growing louder as her shock faded and her awareness of everything else returned. The storm was still raging, she and Serek were soaked, and her skin was going numb with cold.
Finally, her legs agreed to move, carrying her backward a few staggering steps. Her knees were wobbly and weak, and her extended arm was still trembling.
The dragon dipped its head toward her, regarding her with those glowing eyes.
Leyloni froze.
The dragon’s long, forked tongue flicked out of its mouth—a mouth full of long, sharp teeth. “Have you been harmed, human?
She shrank back and screamed.
The dragon’s eyes narrowed as though it were pain, and it flinched away, lips peeling back to reveal its teeth. “What is wrong, human? Are you broken? Are you injured?”
She scrambled back, her boots slipping on wet rock. After a brief battle to regain her balance, she clutched Serek against her chest with both arms, reassuring herself she still had hold of him, and thrust her knife toward the beast.
But what beast had such intelligence in its gaze, such depth? What beast could talk?
“You are a…d-dragon,” Leyloni said.
“I am.”
“You are real.”
Lightning arced across the sky.
The dragon twisted its neck to look back at itself. Vegetation rustled behind it, and Leyloni caught a glimpse of its tail swinging back and forth, skimming the forest floor. “I would hope so.”
“But you can talk.”
Thunder rolled through the heavens, slow and resonant.
Serek’s cries stopped long enough for him to take in a big, shuddering breath before he wailed even louder than before.
The dragon moved closer, tongue flicking out again, and looked at Serek.
Leyloni twisted, placing her body between Serek and the beast. She bared her teeth. “I will not let you eat him!”
Narrowi
ng its eyes, the dragon let out a huff that sprayed excess water from around its nostrils. Leyloni felt the air released by the beast sweep over her despite the wind and rain. Though it was surprisingly warm, it made a chill skitter up her spine.
Had there been any chance of escape, she would have run, but she knew there would be no escaping a creature so massive.
“Eat him?” the dragon asked. “Is that what you think of me? A ravenous beast come to devour you, flesh and bone?”
Leyloni ran her gaze over the dragon, scarcely believing his size and apparent strength. If her knife would’ve had trouble piercing the treestalker’s carapace, it wouldn’t stand a chance against the dragon’s thick, armor-like scales. Even the smallest of the dragon’s pointed teeth were longer than her hand, and its sharp, curved talons could undoubtedly tear her to shreds with ease.
She’d never felt so small, so soft, so insignificant.
But she would not submit to those feelings. Leyloni squeezed Serek a little tighter and steadied her arm, keeping the point of her knife directed at the dragon, as useless as the weapon would’ve been.
The dragon shifted its head away, providing Leyloni with some blessed space. It shook itself to shed excess water. Vibrant blues, greens, and purples rippled across its scales, the colors unmistakable despite the gloom. “Your hatchling’s cries will only attract more predators, human.”
“Like they attracted you?” She brushed water and hair out of her face with the side of her hand before jabbing the knife back toward the dragon.
But she knew the beast was right. She had never traveled with a baby, had never cared for one on her own, and her inexperience—her inability to keep Serek calm—was placing them in more danger.
The dragon released another huff, this one decidedly more exasperated than the last. “Indeed. But I am not a predator interested in your flesh, human, else we would not be having this conversation.”
Leyloni’s arm faltered. She glanced beyond the dragon. Between the mist and the gloom, the surrounding forest had been reduced to dark shadows thrashing in the wind. “You…you will not hurt us, then?”
“I will not harm you or the hatchling.” The dragon lowered his head again—somehow, Leyloni was sure it was male—and leaned closer until his snout was just out of her arm’s reach. “You have my word.”
Her gaze shifted from the dragon to the tip of her knife and back again. With him so close, she was sure she could strike him, perhaps even thrust her blade into his eye. But what would that get her? A few measly moments to turn and flee before he retaliated?
How much trust could she place in a dragon’s word?
He killed the treestalker before it could hurt us. Is that enough to earn some trust?
After another moment of staring, Leyloni finally lowered her knife. She tucked the weapon into its sheath and wrapped her arm around Serek, cupping the back of his head and holding him closer. She wished she could provide him more protection from the rain.
“Thank you,” she said, barely keeping her teeth from chattering.
“You are cold.” Though it was not evident upon his face, the dragon’s concern was clear in his tone. He raised his head and eased closer still, his large body blocking some of the wind and rain. “My lair is nearby. You may take shelter there with your hatchling during the storm.”
Leyloni’s knees nearly buckled with relief.
Serek turned his head, muffling his continued cries against Leyloni’s chest. The baby didn’t need words to convey how frightened, exhausted, and uncomfortable he was.
Leyloni looked up into the dragon’s eyes. “Are there other dragons who—”
“There are no other dragons nearby,” the dragon replied quickly, his powerful voice bearing a hard edge. That edge softened when he continued. “And there are certainly no others in my lair. You will be safe there. I promise you, female.”
Leyloni licked her lips and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Follow me, human. I know you are cold and weary, but it is not far.” The dragon turned away, lifting his tail and swinging it high over her head as he began walking. Despite his immense size and the great amount of foliage his body touched, Leyloni barely heard his movement.
She offered silent thanks to Mother Eurynome, though she would have preferred to wait until she knew without doubt that this dragon would not eat her and Serek. She didn’t know if that was a wise choice, but how much worse could it get? She already seemed to be on the goddess’s bad side—how else could she account for the events of the last few days?
Of course, her people had suffered far worse fates than Leyloni.
Please allow us a little rest before the next trial, she thought as she followed the dragon.
Though he could have covered a huge amount of ground with his every step, he kept his pace slow and easy for Leyloni to match, even in her weary state.
Under normal circumstances, she would’ve studied every feature of the land through which they traveled, locking her current path in her memory. Now, all her willpower was bent toward keeping her body from shivering. Shelter was more important than anything else—shelter and warmth. She could determine her route when it was time for her and Serek to move on.
“Here we are,” the dragon rumbled.
Leyloni lifted her gaze and blinked water away from her eyes as the dragon moved aside. A tall, wide cave mouth loomed ahead of her, filled with unsettling, impenetrable darkness. The earth surrounding the opening was cluttered with faded stone, exposed roots, climbing vines, and dangling moss, and rivaled the towering trees nearby in height. Runoff poured from above the opening in numerous streams, but what little she could see beyond the entrance seemed dry.
Shifting Serek to her opposite arm, Leyloni glanced back at the dragon.
The dragon stared at her expectantly, his eyes glowing with their own faint light. He dipped his head toward the cave and, with a gentleness that shouldn’t have been possible in such a mighty voice, said, “It is safe, female.”
Without further hesitation, Leyloni walked forward. As soon as she crossed into the cave’s shelter, it felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Were it not for Serek, she would have sagged to the ground right there, muttering her thanks to Mother Eurynome or whatever power had finally granted her this respite.
It is the dragon who deserves my thanks. It is because of him that Serek and I are alive.
She pushed deeper into the cavern even though her legs were heavy and uncooperative. Each time she put a foot down, it felt as though it would take root and lock her in place forever. But she only had to go a little farther. A little farther, and she could rest. She drew in a deep breath and kept walking.
The air was laden with the smells of damp earth, fresh plant growth, stone, and rain, but one scent stood out above the rest. It was reminiscent of the sweet spices her tribe used as incense, but had a crisp, clean edge to it that turned her mind toward the storm—toward the lightning.
Serek’s cries, though diminished by his exhaustion, echoed within the cavern. Somehow, Leyloni found the energy to gently bounce him and whisper soothing words. He quieted, if only a little.
The dirt, roots, and fallen leaves scattered on the floor grew sparser as she moved away from the entrance, giving way in places to hard, oddly smooth stone. The walls and ceiling of the cavern were lost completely to shadow. It grew only darker when the dragon entered, his body blocking all the meager light from outside.
A shiver crept up Leyloni’s spine. She told herself it was due to the cold, that the dark didn’t bother her at all.
She turned toward the dragon. His eyes were even brighter in contrast with the shadow, casting a soft violet glow that highlighted the scales of his snout. Though she could not tell how large the cavern was, his huge body seemed to fill the space even more wholly than the darkness did, and he was close enough to Leyloni for her to feel the warmth he radiated.
Had she made the right choice in coming here?
You are a huntress. Trust your instincts; they are what will keep you alive.
But her instincts seemed at war—one part of her wanted to ease closer, to bask in his heat, while another recognized him as a predator that could kill her in an instant. Nothing she had experienced, nothing the elder huntresses had taught her, had prepared her to be face-to-face with a dragon.
Leyloni forced herself to take a couple steps back, twisting again to keep her body between the dragon and Serek.
Her gaze locked with the dragon’s. Those violet orbs swirled with impossible intensity, and she felt them urging her closer, felt their pull as surely as if there were a rope around her middle and he was tugging on it gently. Heat sparked low in her belly, a tiny but undeniable flame.
She could not guess at what forces had been at work to put her in this dragon’s path, could not guess at what fate or Mother Eurynome had in store for her. But somehow Leyloni knew this was where she was meant to be.
3
Arysteon extended his tongue, sampling the familiar scents of his lair—but his focus was on the new scents. The human scents. He pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth, savoring the female’s sweet, floral flavor, which bore just a hint of exotic fruit. That had been what lured him to these humans initially. Her fragrance, at once so in harmony with the others of the forest and so unique amongst them, had been the bait that attracted him—not the hatchling’s cries.
Those cries persisted even now. They’d weakened significantly and had thankfully lost the piercing quality they’d possessed at their height, but the lair’s stone walls had granted them a new resonance.
Arysteon’s mind swiftly returned to the female’s scent. Something about it being present here, about it slowly permeating his lair, produced a warm, tingling sensation in his chest—a sensation that pulsed straight down to his loins. There was a female in his lair. What did it matter that she was not a dragoness? He’d not seen a female of his own kind in over two hundred years.
To Love A Dragon; Venys Needs Men Page 2
