The Crime of Protection

by Gloria Martin

  His breath was hot and ragged as he held her, his head resting on her shoulder. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair while she caught her breath, her cheek resting against his head. She kissed the top of his head.

  Geneva heard him mumble something between his heavy breaths and asked him to repeat it.

  “I said now we’re even.” When he saw her perplexed look he gave her a wink and explained. “You stabbed me and now I stabbed you.”

  Geneva’s jaw dropped in mock anger. The two of them began laughing and play wrestling. Cadmus let her pin him down before she got up and began to get dressed.

  As they descended from the tree house, they heard a horrible shrieking call and Geneva looked up to see a great black bird descending from the sky. Cadmus grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back.

  “It’s a harpy.”

  Geneva looked, and indeed the great bird of prey had the face of a woman. She notched an arrow on her bow but Cadmus turned and held her by her shoulders.

  “Don’t,” he said, “you don’t stand a chance against her, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  He leaned in and kissed her deeply. Geneva opened her eyes after the kiss ended and asked, “And what are you going to do?”

  “Just you watch.” Cadmus smiled and stepped back from her. His whole body seemed to be vibrating and growing as he shifted from his human form into that of the great serpent.

  As the harpy stretched its’ talons towards the ground, Cadmus sprung out into the clearing and attacked her. She let out a harsh shriek of pain as she beat him with her wings, trying to dislodge the grip of his claws in her body and his jaw on her shoulder.

  The harpy was larger than the dragon, and she managed to dislodge him when she discovered his injured wing. Once she gained the upper hand Cadmus found himself incredibly outmatched. Unable to fly, he had no alternate angles of attack and she was relentless with her sharp talons.

  Geneva could not watch this happen. She moved towards the edge of the clearing to get a clean shot. She notched her arrow and aimed for the jugular.

  The shot fell a hair lower, lodging into the base of her neck and was quickly followed by a second arrow. The harpy let out another piercing shriek as she searched for the new attacker. Geneva continued to let loose her arrows on the harpy, even as she was spotted and the harpy made a dive towards her.

  Staring into her eyes, Geneva locked her last arrow onto the harpy and let it fly. It hit the harpy directly in the eye and lodged deep. She screamed and rolled back on her wings, but there was no stopping the momentum of her already initiated attack, and Geneva didn’t have time to get out of the way of the talon reaching for her.

  She felt the bones in her body cracking as the open talon collided with her and sent her flying back against a solid oak tree. The wind was knocked out of her and she saw black spots before her eyes.

  Geneva could hear Cadmus as he let out a ferocious roar as her legs crumpled beneath her and she slumped against the trunk of the tree. She tried to breathe, and after a minute great gasps filled her lungs. As soon as she was able to breathe a coughing fit ensued and she spat up blood.

  Before she knew it, Cadmus was at her side, cradling her gently in his arms. His mouth moved, but she couldn’t discern what he was saying. Her ears were filling with a heavy pressure as darkness encroached on her vision.

  Geneva didn’t try to hold on.

  *****

  Coming out of the depths of the blackness that had enveloped her, Geneva wondered if she had died. She didn’t know where she was, everything felt soft, like a newborn calf. She tried moving and was pleasantly surprised to find that she could. She wondered if she was in the afterlife.

  Opening her eyes, Geneva found that she was in a large bed with soft furs, pillows, and blankets with an ornately gold framed mirror hanging overhead. Long banners of silk billowed out from the edges of the mirror and enclosed the bedframe like a cocoon.

  Geneva stared at herself in amazement. She was clean and dressed in a white cotton gown. Her honey-colored hair was splayed out around her in soft curls. Her mind told her that this had to be the afterlife. Not even kings and queens had such beautiful things.

  The sound of a door opening and closing broke the silence of Geneva’s thoughts and she sat up. Through the silk, she could make out the silhouette of a figure walking towards the bed. If this was the afterlife then maybe…

  They reached out and grabbed hold of the silk draperies, and Geneva called out expectantly, “Winda?”

  Her gasp of confusion did not adequately articulate her shocked disappointment. Geneva backed away to the far corner of the bed. The person who came through the silk was not Winda. Instead, it was the one person she had not expected to find in the afterlife.

  “What are you doing here, Cadmus?”

  “Cadmus?” The man was taken aback for a second before a slow, understanding smile graced his face. “I’m sorry, it’s an unfortunate resemblance. Cadmus is my younger twin brother. I’m Drake.”

  Geneva eyed his outstretched hand suspiciously as she held a pillow in front of her, as more of a comfort than actual protection. Her heart raced as she tried to understand what was happening. Cadmus had never mentioned having family. This man, Drake, looked identical to him except that he was wearing actual clothes. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform with shining silver brocade.

  “Please, Geneva, allow me to explain,” Drake said as he retracted his hand and sat cross-legged on the bed, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

  She felt like a trapped animal. “Where is Cadmus?”

  “We found you after Cadmus had attacked you and tried to kill you. It’s all going to be okay though, we have already arrested him and he’s locked up. He’s not going to hurt you, Geneva. You are safe and a welcome guest among us.”

  Geneva did not relax. “Cadmus didn’t attack me, a harpy did.”

  Drake laughed, “My dear Geneva, why do you think we allowed you to take him prisoner in the first place? We knew of his guilt and were allowing you to try out your human form of justice on him. Obviously he overpowered you.”

  He held out his hand and Geneva was certain she did not trust him. Something about Drake set the hair on the back of her neck on end. Looking into his face she noticed that his eyes were the one difference between him and his brother, they were brown.

  “You’re safe now,” he encouraged. “Come with me, Geneva.”

  Tentatively she reached out. His hand was strong and soft, but somehow she imagined that it should be oily for the feelings she felt in her gut.

  Drake pulled her towards the edge of the bed, and as he pulled the silk out of the way he turned around and asked, “Are you hungry?”

  Geneva gawked in awe at the rooms and halls that Drake led her through. He explained to her that she had stumbled onto the entrance to an entire city of dragons, Althelus. He mundanely began talking about the history of the city and other cities of dragon-kind scattered throughout the land.

  Geneva was only halfway listening to him prattle on. Instead she wondered at her own reflection in all of the shining silver and gold and other precious metals. Everything was either adorned in precious metals and jewels, or plush fabrics and furs. She wondered where Cadmus was being kept.

  Every few steps, she found herself reaching out to touch objects, sometimes to feel the strange softness of a fabric and other times to gauge if it could be a possible weapon if she needed one. This strange decadence was something she had never experienced and she wondered if human kings and queens had anything half as extravagant.

  As Drake continued to talk, she noticed that he had a band on his wrist that was similar to the one that Cadmus wore. She wondered if it was also connected to dark magic. Was Drake the dark magician or just another victim, like his brother?

  They arrived at a banquet hall and the sight was so overwhelming it took Geneva’s breath away. The table was laden with more food than she could imagi
ne. Everything glittered. Geneva followed Drake into the room.

  He bowed deeply and motioned towards the table, “Anything you’d like, my dear.”

  *****

  During dinner and her short tour of the keep, Geneva looked for similar gold bands being worn by other dragons. However, no one else wore them, not even the other royals that she was briefly introduced to.

  On the other hand, what she did see was the way that the other dragons looked and acted around Drake. It was the same way that many of the people of Haven had acted when they first moved there, before they realized that they were truly safe from their abusers. To Geneva it was clear that Drake was not a ruler by the choice of his people.

  She understood their unease in his presence. He spoke in half-truths and veiled threats. After a few hours she had a pounding headache from listening to him. Drake noticed and mistook her ailment as fatigue from her recovery rather than something caused by his nauseating presence.

  As he guided her back to her bedroom, Geneva asked, “Would it be possible for me to see Cadmus?”

  Drake shook his head, visibly disgusted by the idea. “Why do you want to see him? He nearly killed you, Geneva.”

  “That was the harpy,” she insisted.

  As they arrived at her door Drake took her firmly in his arms. “Sweetheart, do you think that wasn’t part of his plan? It was staged so that he could escape.”

  “But-”

  Drake held a finger over her lips to quiet her. “Please, don’t get yourself all worked up, you’re still recovering. Just try to relax and get some rest. If you need anything at all just pull the cord next to your bed. An attendant will be there to take care of your every need.”

  Geneva held her tongue and obediently headed into the room. Her mind was working and pondering half concocted plans for getting around Drake.

  Once inside her room, she shut the door behind her and listened as his footsteps reverberated down the hall as he walked away. Geneva then began searching through the drawers of the tables and dressers until she came across stationary and a charcoal stick for writing. On the stationary, she wrote a list of directions.

  Then she sat on the bed and found the braided cord she had been instructed to pull. Within seconds, a secret door opened up in the corner of the room and an attendant walked in.

  The attendant was a very pretty young girl with a plain face and her hair tucked away beneath a bonnet. Geneva smiled and she smiled nervously back.

  “Here,” Geneva said as she handed the note to the girl, “I wrote down what I need so that you wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting anything. It’s just some medicines to help me feel better.”

  The attendant read her note:

  I do not trust Drake. I need to get word to Cadmus.

  If you can help me get word to him or see him, bring me white willow, lemon balm and peppermint.

  If you cannot, bring me wormwood, whiskey and a glass of water.

  The attendant nodded in understanding and curtsied as she responded, “Yes, my lady.”

  “Please, don’t call me my lady,” Geneva stopped her as she turned to leave the room. “My name is Geneva. What is yours?”

  “Opal.”

  Geneva smiled. “Thank you, Opal.”

  She paced anxiously as she waited for the attendant to return. As the minutes ticked by she began to wonder if Opal had turned her note over to Drake. Then again, what if she had been caught? Every worst case scenario began to run through her mind.

  A short while later, Opal returned with a small silver tray that held three ornate bowls, one with white willow, one with lemon balm, and one with peppermint. Underneath the peppermint dish there was a note for Geneva.

  Risky chance you took there asking the attendant for help. I’m being held in the dungeon, but don’t bother trying to break me out. Even if you could, Drake still has control over me. He has a gold band that is identical to mine that he wears. Unless you can get it off of him, there’s nothing we can do. Don’t do anything crazy, okay? He’s much more dangerous than a harpy.

  I’ll be dreaming of your kiss until I can hold you in my arms again.

  Geneva held the note from Cadmus to her heart. She could only imagine what it must be like for him in the dungeon and she tried to keep the image from forming in her mind. She nodded to Opal. “Thank you.”

  Geneva’s mind set to work again as she tried to think up ways to get the band from Drake. He had to have some weakness, something that could distract him or coerce him into removing it so that Cadmus could be freed.

  She began jotting things down in notes. She recorded everything she knew about him, although at this point it wasn’t much. Still, she reached for every detail. There had to be something that was the key to his undoing.

  Eventually, she gave up and threw herself back on the bed and began daydreaming of Cadmus. She thought of the cave when he had ‘attacked’ her. There was something he had said. The words echoed in her mind and suddenly began to make sense to her.

  He’s been watching you.

  *****

  Over the next few days, Geneva had Opal pass notes between herself and Cadmus. She put on her best face and did her best to remain pleasant and tolerant of Drake. He was eager to be in her company, and she begrudgingly allowed him so that he would begin to trust her.

  He doted on her and offered her presents at every opportunity. He tried to joke with her and Geneva forced the stiff laughs out and smiled until her cheeks ached. She even let him hold her hand as they sat in drawing rooms and listened to courtiers play musical instruments for their entertainment.

  The culture of the dragons was truly fascinating, but it was overshadowed by the fear of the dark magician. Under any other circumstances, Geneva imagined that she would actually have enjoyed her time here. As it was, she constantly felt as if she were going to throw up and her head throbbed angrily with headaches. Something about Drake just made her sick.

  Opal brought her strong headache remedies as often as possible, but they did little to relieve the dull aching pain. Geneva informed the attendant that the plan would soon be set into motion. Opal promised to inform Cadmus and Geneva prayed that it would work.

  That evening, after dinner, Drake walked Geneva to her room as he was in the habit of doing. His hand clasped hers as they walked down the hall and she smiled as he prattled on about how much he enjoyed her company and how he thought the world of her.

  When they arrived at her door, Drake released her hand and bowed deeply. “Goodnight, my dearest Geneva. I hope you sleep well.”

  As he turned away, Geneva grimaced and forced herself to act. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards her. “Actually,” she said, “I was wondering…”

  “Yes,” his face was bright with incredulous joy as he anticipated her request.

  “I don’t sleep so well on my own,” she said bashfully. “Would you find it terribly inappropriate if I wanted to you to sleep next to me? I don’t like being alone.”

  “Of course not,” he insisted, “you have been through so much, my love. If you need me by your side day and night, I am here for you.”

  Geneva forced a grateful smile on her lips. “Thank you, Drake. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

  She opened the door of her room and led him inside. The silk draperies of the bed had been pulled back to make it inviting and Opal had placed fresh flowers on all the tables.

  Drake inhaled deeply as he closed the door behind him. Geneva turned back around to face him and smiled bashfully as he took her hands in his own. The contact made her want to flinch away, but she forced herself to hold steady while Drake spoke.

  “Geneva, you know you are the most precious thing in the world to me. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. It may be sudden, but I want you to know that I’m in love with you.”

  Geneva stiffened. She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate.

  Drake sensed her distress and asked, “Darling, what�
�s wrong?”

  Geneva took a deep breath and tried her first plan, “It’s just, that band on your wrist. Cadmus had one just like it and it reminds me of him. Could you - I don’t want to be a bother, but would it be possible for you to take it off?”

  Drake hesitated and Geneva tried her persuasion tactic. She leaned in and kissed him. Drake smiled. “Of course my love, it’s only a trinket.”

  He took it off and placed it carefully on the dresser. Geneva smiled with relief and led him over to the bed. “Come, hold me while I sleep.”

  Geneva didn’t sleep a wink. In the wee hours of the night, she heard the soft clicks that signaled Opal entering and leaving the room through the secret passage. It was then that she was able to relax just a little bit. She knew that the band was on its’ way to Cadmus in the dungeon. Once he had it, Drake would hold no more power over him and he would be able to escape.

  A few hours later, Drake began to stir from his slumber. Geneva yawned and turned to face him. Drake propped himself up on his elbow and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “How did you sleep?”

  “Very well,” she lied.

  Drake smiled brightly. “Good. Should I ring for morning tea?”

  Geneva shrugged, “Yes, tea sounds nice.”

  “Good.” Drake pulled the cord and leaned over to kiss Geneva on the forehead. She felt like she needed to bathe now.

  The secret door opened, but instead of Opal, Cadmus walked in bearing the morning tea tray and exclaiming, “Good morning, sunshine!”

  Drake leapt from the bed. “What are you - How are - Why-!”

  Cadmus laughed heartily as he sat the tea tray down. “What’s wrong, Drake? Aren’t you glad to see your brother?”

  “You’re supposed to be locked away! How did you get out?”

  Holding up the pair of gold bands, Cadmus beamed with happiness. “Well once you finally decided to take off that magical collar you put on me, it was easy. Especially since I’m the elder brother. People like listening to what I ask them to do.”