Touching Fire: Sacrificed to the Dragon (Dragon/Monster Erotic Romance)

by Vanessa Cox

  Touching Fire: Sacrificed to the Dragon

  By: Vanessa Cox

  Copyright © 2013 by Vanessa Cox

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Please note all persons portrayed are 18 years of age or older.

  “436! The number is 436!”

  Celia didn’t have to look down at her paper to know what it said.

  Every girl’s number is burned into their brain the moment it’s assigned to them when they turn 16. You just hoped and prayed that you would never actually hear it spoken by the town mayor.

  She slowly glanced down at the little piece of paper that was shaking in her hands. ‘436’ was written on it.

  “Oh my gods,” she whispered quietly to herself.

  She barely noticed the murmurs and relieved cries that surrounded her as the other women wept in relief from not having the selected number. The whole crowd stirred with excitement, a harsh contrast to the stifling fear that everyone felt before the number was announced.

  “Who has ‘436’? Come now, come up!” the man on the platform yelled out to the crowd. More voices could be heard in the crowd, calling for the selected person to come up.

  Celia looked up at the town mayor and then quickly glanced back down at her piece of parchment. This can’t be right, she thought to herself. How can this be? This was to be her last year in the lottery. She just turned 19 and was to have an arranged marriage in the fall, this couldn’t really be happening.

  “Hey! It’s Celia! Celia has the number!” a loud shrill voice said next to her.

  Celia’s eyes shot up to see who the owner of the voice was and saw Milla waving her hands and pointing at her. It took all Celia had to not grab Milla and punch her in her nose right then and there.

  The people surrounding her started to step away, making a large circle around her, as if she suddenly caught the plague. Celia looked around in shock, unsure of what to do next. But mostly, she was upset that everyone was so quick to send her off to her doom.

  “Come, girl. Step up, my dear,” the mayor yelled towards her.

  In silent response, the crowd stepped away and made a pathway for her towards the wooded platform. Her whole body shook with fear as she took her first step. All eyes were on her as she slowly made her way towards the stage.

  As she looked around, she saw that some had regret and sadness in their eyes, while others weren’t even able to look at her, but most had a look of curious excitement. As if they were eager to see a show.

  Celia smirked bitterly to herself, and these were people that she grew up with?

  Once she reached the wooden platform, two men grabbed a hold of each of her arms and helped her onto the stage. Her knees were knocking uncontrollably and her legs were weak, so she didn’t fight them when they grabbed her. She could barely stand, much less climb stairs.

  As she walked across the stage, the only sound that could be heard was the clanking of her shoes on the floorboards. The entire crowd had fallen silent, with the exception of one person. Celia’s eyes swept across the crowd and found her father and mother looking at her with miserably sad eyes. Her father was holding her mother while she sobbed in his arms. Just seeing that brought a knot to her throat. Her poor parents.

  “Celia Smythson, I, Mayor Jeremiah Bloom, hereby declare you to be the 50th sacrifice to the Great Dragon on this day of Spring Solstice – “

  “No!! Please! Not my Celia!” her mother yelled through desperate tears in the crowd. She reached for Celia with outstretched arms, while her father tried to hold her close and keep her still.

  Celia’s jaw tightened as she looked at her parents. She wouldn’t cry and she wouldn’t scream, no matter how badly she wanted to. The other girls who were selected always cried and it always made it harder for their families. She wouldn’t do that to her family.

  The Mayor coughed as he attempted to pick up where he left off before the interruption. He continued, “As I was saying, on this day of Spring Solstice, you are anointed as the 50th sacrifice for the Great Dragon! Effective immediately, you will be prepared and dressed in the sacrificial robes and then be brought to the dragon’s lair! Do you have words that you wish to say for the record, Celia Smythson?”

  It felt like hundreds of thoughts were running through her mind, how could she pick just one? She had thoughts of pleading for everyone to see reason, pleading for mercy, but mostly she wanted to hurl insults at everyone for their cowardice.

  Unfortunately, her voice was too shaky to allow her to speak. If she actually tried to talk, she would run the risk of breaking down altogether and that was last thing she wanted to do. Instead, she just quickly shook her head ‘no’.

  “Very well. Bring the robes!” the Mayor yelled.

  Celia froze and her stomach filled with dread. She had forgotten this part. Her pulse quickened as two older women from the side of the stage stepped forward, holding a beautifully white silk robe. It was long and luxurious and spun from the finest silk.

  If it were any other time, Celia would have been thrilled to wear such a fine robe, she thought bitterly to herself.

  The women gently, but firmly, began undressing Celia. In front of everyone. She was too numb to fight or struggle, so she submitted as they untied her tunic and slipped her out of her dress.

  Her cheeks burned fiery red as she stood completely naked in front of the entire village. She had always gotten a lot of attention from both boys and men ever since she was 14 or 15. With her long, thick blonde hair, lean curves and firm but plump breasts, it was no surprise that she had so many interested suitors inquiring on marriage contracts.

  Celia smirked as she realized that they finally had their chance to get an eyeful. She hesitantly glanced up at the crowd and saw the men in the front row openly gaping at her nakedness with their mouths wide open. Most were looking at here round breasts while others were trying to soak in as much of her body as they could before the robe came on.

  Fortunately, the two older women were not fans of men gawking at naked flesh, so they quickly placed the silk robe on her shoulders and tied the leather knotted belt around her waist.

  Once she was fully dressed, two men led her over to the stairs on the side of the stage. They walked her towards the horse and wagon that they were going to use to transport her to the dragon’s cave.

  “Please? Can I say good-bye to my parents at least?” Celia asked quietly to her guards.

  They both looked at each other and then stiffly shook their heads ‘no’. She knew that was going to be the answer. That was always the answer. As soon as the girl is chosen they are immediately taken to the dragon. They aren’t allowed final good-byes or allowed to speak to anyone, lest they run the risk of someone trying to get away.

  Rightly so. She most certainly would have tried to get away.

  Her pulse quickened as she stepped into the wagon. She was one step closer to the dragon. The reality of the situation was finally crashing down on her. Up until that point, she was numb, but now the gravity of her circumstances was finally sinking in. And she felt anger.

  She was angry at the townsp
eople, the people that she grew up with, her neighbors, her friends. How could they throw their young women at this dragon to be killed and eaten every year? What type of savages were they?

  As the wagon jerked forward and began it’s trek to the cave, Celia stood up and faced every passing person.

  “You all should be ashamed of yourselves! How could you do this to your own people? People that you love and care for!” she shouted accusingly.

  Some had the decency to look away in their shame, others watched with what was probably morbid curiosity.

  “Celia!”

  Celia glanced up and saw her mother, father and little brother pushing through the crowd, trying to follow the wagon.

  “Mother! Father!” she yelled back.

  “Celia! Be strong!”

  Celia stiffened her back and forced a reassuring grin. “Don’t worry! It’ll be fine!” she yelled.

  It’ll be fine? Why did she say ‘it’ll be fine’ for?! Nothing about the situation was going to be fine, she thought sarcastically. There was nothing ‘fine’ about being eaten by a dragon.

  She continued to keep her strong face on as her family’s crying faces disappeared into the crowd and her wagon reached the outer limits of the town. Once they were safely out of sight, she lowered herself into the wagon and crumbled weakly onto a barrel to sit down.

  She looked around the wagon and almost chuckled to herself when she realized that there were four grown men guarding her, ensuring that she didn’t try to escape.

  They all looked forward in silence, eager to not have contact with her. She didn’t plan on making it that easy for them. She wanted to make them as uncomfortable as possible.

  “So, do you go to these often?” she asked matter of factly.

  Silence.

  “Okay. So, do you guys get chosen for sacrificial guard duty or do you volunteer?” she asked casually.

  More silence.

  “I see. You don’t want to talk. Okay that’s fine, I can just –“

  “Celia, don’t make this harder for anyone than it has to be,” one of the guards said softly.

  Celia looked at the man who spoke. His name was Edward. They knew it each other from when they were kids. He was the smith’s son and she went to school with him. She remembered sharing a chaste kiss with him many years ago during a May Day festival. How things have changed since then.

  “’Harder for anyone’? Anyone other than me, that is? The person who you’re sending off to their doom?” she snapped back.

  The man flinched slightly.

  Another man in the wagon then spoke. “Celia, you know the story. You know why this is done every year. This is the only way to keep the dragon happy and away from the village. It’s our duty. No one likes doing this,” he said.

  “Oh? Well then, if that’s true, I’m sure you would have no problem swapping out clothes and you can wear the robes and be the sacrifice while I stand guard?” she asked. “He’s just a dragon after all, he shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a man and woman, right?” she added sweetly.

  His eyes bulged ever so slightly, as if the prospect of that being the case sent a jolt of panic through him.

  Satisfied, Celia smiled. She then quickly realized that she had nothing to smile about and the smile quickly disappeared.

  Silence fell on the group for a while, leaving Celia to her thoughts, which wasn’t a good thing. Eager to break the silence, she asked, “So where exactly are we going? Where is the great dragon’s den? No one ever speaks of it.”

  “Who would want to? Who would want to know where it is?” one of the four men snapped.

  Celia shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe if the location was general knowledge a collection of brave men would actually do something worthwhile and fight the dragon?” she replied with accusation dripping with every word.

  The man’s face turned a slight shade of red, but remained silent.

  “I just think that –“

  “Celia, I think it would be best if you remained silent for the rest of the trip,” Edward said quietly.

  She barked with laughter. “Am I offending you with my questions?”

  “We mean it, otherwise we can just gag your mouth shut. You choose,” replied the man with the red face.

  Celia shook her head in frustration, but answered with silence.

  Unexpectedly, Edward chose that moment to answer her question. “And we don’t know where the cave is. Miles knows where we have to leave you, but that’s all,” he said as he nodded to the driver at the front.

  Celia absently nodded her head, acknowledging his answer. For the rest of their journey, she and the other men sat in silence as the wagon rocked and jerked towards their unknown destination.

  Celia wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it felt like hours. The sun was only a few hours from setting and they left the village at mid-day.

  As the men clambered out of the wagon, Celia tried to take a look at her surroundings. She had never been this far from the village before and she had no idea where she was. They were deep in the woods.

  “Alright, this is as far as the wagon can take us. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way,” Miles, the driver, said somewhat loudly.

  He was one of the oldest men of the village and had a habit of speaking louder than necessary. It’s said that he has been the driver for every sacrifice since the sacrifices began 50 years ago. She wondered how that sat with him, driving young women to their death year after year?

  One of the guards sighed loudly. “Are you serious, Miles? It’ll be dark soon. We’ll be driving back in pure darkness!”

  “Hey now! I know these roads like I know my own house! Don’t worry about ol’ Miles’s driving, eh,” he snapped back. “Now let’s get going,” he ordered as he walked off the road and stepped into the woods.

  The men shrugged and then followed the old man. Edward reached for Celia’s hand to help her out of the wagon. She rolled her eyes, but accepted it. The robe was a lot longer than it needed to be, so she needed the help.

  Celia looked into dark woods and shuddered uncontrollably. A dragon was somewhere in there. Waiting for her. Her stomach knotted up in fear.

  “Come on. Get a move on,” one of the guards ordered.

  Taking a deep, unsteady breath, Celia lifted her robe and took her first step into the forest.

  They walked for quite some time and their ‘path’ was more than a little unforgiving. The path was full of ditches and fallen trees that they had to climb over. It didn’t help that both her robe and hair kept getting caught on all sorts of bushes and branches.

  “It’s a bit ridiculous that I have to work so hard to get to my own sacrifice,” she yelled to no one in particular while stepping over a fallen tree.

  As if she said that right one cue, Miles abruptly stopped and looked at his surroundings. “We’re here!”

  Cold fear coursed through her body and panic gripped her chest. Her pulse quickened as she looked over at Edward, hoping that he might be able to offer some sort of help. She knew he couldn’t, but she was scared.

  “W-we’re here?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Yep!” he replied almost giddily.

  She could have throttled the old man.

  Miles eagerly pushed some old brush off to the side and walked through an opening in a wall of bushes and trees. Celia watched in fascination as he disappeared.

  “Come on, let’s go,” one of the guards ordered as he gave her a quick push.

  She ignored the guard, but swallowed deeply as she was led towards the opening in the bushes.

  Once through, Celia saw a giant oak tree sitting at the center of a giant clearing. In fact, the clearing was huge. Celia suddenly realized that the dragon probably needed an open area to land in. Her heart quickened at the thought.

  “Here! She needs to be tied up here,” the old man instructed as he pointed at the large oak tree.

  Celia gazed nervously at the tree and saw lodged a
nd nailed deep into the thick, monolithic trunk were two circular iron rings. She wasn’t sure what they were used for, but she had a feeling she was about to find out.

  Without realizing it, she started to drag her feet as the men walked her towards the tree.

  “Please, you don’t have to do this. You can just let me go and no one will know! I can just try to take my chances in the forest!” she pleaded as they dragged her to the tree.

  Her pleas fell on deaf ears though. No one moved towards helping her and no one acknowledged that she even spoke.

  The men proceeded to unceremoniously tie her to the tree. They wrapped each wrist with rope and then fed it though the two iron rings, securing her to the giant trunk.

  Wonderful, that’s what the rings are for, she thought to herself.

  Satisfied that she was completely secured to the tree, they all turned and began to make their way back through the wall of bushes.

  She couldn’t believe her eyes. They were just going to leave her like that? Without even saying a word?

  “Cowards!” she yelled bitterly as her heart drummed violently in her chest.

  At this Edward unexpectedly turned around and faced her.

  Her breath caught in her throat.

  “I’ll catch up with you guys in just a minute, keep going,” he said to the other men. They shrugged and continued, eager to get back to the wagon and as far away from the dragon as possible.

  Not sure of his intentions, Celia eyed Edward cautiously as he walked back towards the tree. Celia saw him reach for his belt as he approached. She held her breath, waiting to see what he meant to do.

  “Here,” he mumbled as he extended his hand.

  She looked down nervously and was surprised to see a dagger in his hand. She glanced back up at him questioningly.

  “I know it’s not much, but if nothing else, maybe you can give him a cut or two?” he said quietly. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll even slay him?” he added with a weak smile.

  Celia stared at the silver dagger in shock. He was offering her a weapon?