by Jessica Ryan
Mara looked to her left to see a rather large woman leaning over her, helping to support her in her endeavor to sit up. This woman had rough, long blonde hair that was tied into two pigtails rolling over her broad, almost man-like shoulders. If Val had wanted a live definition of a shield wife, this woman was the perfect example.
“Thank you,” Mara said, managing a weak smile as she brought herself completely up to a sit.
She glanced around. She was lying on a bed that was raised several feet off the ground. Several heavy wool blankets covered her and protected her from the chill of the mountain’s core. Standing beside the bed were two more women, more beautiful than the shield wife who had helped her. One was much younger, with skin and hair much darker than any Mara had ever seen, contrasted by her emerald green eyes. She was standing nervously with her hands clasped in front of her, smiling at Mara. Beside her was a thin, petite woman. This one had white hair and appeared to have been born on or around the mountain, judging by her pale skin that didn’t look like it saw the sun too often.
“I’m glad you’re awake,” the white-haired girl said. She was the one with the squeaky, higher-pitched voice. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t wake up.”
The dark-skinned woman pinched her on the arm and hissed, trying to silence her companion. “Don’t say things like that. Raylene is a wonderful nurse.”
“I’m Raylene,” the big woman beside Mara said, reading Mara’s eyes as she glanced around, confused. “Tall, dark and beautiful over there is Priya and her friend is Abigail.”
“I’m grateful for your care,” Mara said, feeling at the wound on her chest.
“Don’t touch, dear,” Raylene said, slapping Mara’s hand quickly and harshly. Mara pulled her hand back, feeling the sting of the big woman’s strike radiating across her skin. “It’s healing just fine, but it doesn’t need you touching it and playing with it.”
“Of course,” Mara said, nodding in agreement. “How long have I been asleep?”
Priya and Abigail exchanged nervous glances before looking over at Raylene. Raylene put one large arm around Mara and hugged her tight to her ample bosom. “It’s been at least a fortnight, dear.”
“A fortnight?” Mara said, pushing Raylene away and trying to find her way off the bed. “My father must be worried sick. Is he close? Has anyone alerted him?”
“Your father isn’t of any concern right now,” Raylene said. “You need to recover your strength, dear.”
“But it’s been so long. Surely he’s worried about me. What happened to Val? Did he slay the dragon or did the dragon slay him? Did they just leave me on the side of the mountain? Is that where you found me?”
“You’ll have plenty of answers after you regain your strength,” Raylene said, trying to push Mara back into a lying-down position.
“No,” Mara said. “I need to go. I can’t stay here. My village is in danger. If Val won, they need to know what a snake he is. He could betray them all. If the dragon won, he could be seeking retribution.”
“The master won’t be seeking retribution against anyone,” Raylene said, holding Mara down. “Just getting some sleep and relaxing. He’ll have our hide if you don’t heal up. That wound won’t ever heal if you don’t give it a chance. Do you want a big, ugly scar, honey?”
“I don’t care what your master wants,” Mara said, trying to push past the maid who was holding her.
Who were these women and who was their master? Why did he want to keep her here? She couldn’t remember any rich or powerful men living on or around the mountain; it was mostly the land of barbarians. These women certainly didn’t look like any barbarians Mara had ever heard of. They usually came into the village seeking to trade animal hides and meat for weapons or other metals. They were tall, gruff-looking men with more hair than vocabulary. No, these women were too civilized to be barbarians.
“I wish we didn’t have to do this,” Raylene said, turning to the other two. “Priya, get the dream weed.”
“What’s dream weed?” Mara asked. She’d never heard of that herb, but there was Priya, crushing something with a piece of stone before sliding it into a pitcher. “I won’t drink it!”
“You’ll regain your strength in no time,” Raylene said. “You just have to rest.”
Mara tried to kick and fight, tried to get loose and escape this hell that was being brought upon her, but Raylene was much too strong. Abigail joined her in holding Mara down and forcing her mouth open as Priya mouthed “I’m sorry” before pouring the contents of the pitcher down her throat. She tried not to drink it, but Raylene forced it down and shut her mouth. She had no choice but to swallow or drown.
Within seconds the world around her began to grow hazy and out of focus. She tried to stand and protest, but it was no good. The blackness returned to her and sent her to a land of dreamless sleep.
Mara didn’t know how long she slept—hopefully, it wasn’t another fortnight—but she finally woke up alone in the chamber that she had been in previously. She let the world come into focus and gathered her bearings before attempting to sit up.
She didn’t know how, but she could tell it was night time. Deep in the mountain there was no sunlight, but something about the air and the fire that burned in the corner let her know that the moon was high in the sky. She swung her legs out of bed and stood, nearly falling over as her feet touched solid ground for the first time in weeks.
She had grown weak and soft while she slept, and her legs did not want to work. Holding on to the bed, she forced her legs to bear her weight, then carry her across the room. The room was more clear to her than it had been before. It wasn’t too large, maybe fifteen feet by fifteen. In the center of the room was a small kitchen area complete with a large pit and cauldron to cook whatever one pleased. In the corner was a collection of chairs surrounding a fire that crackled and burned with intensity.
It looked so warm and so inviting, but first she had to know something. Mara stumbled to the kitchen, searching for something. Finally her eyes landed on a large butcher knife, shiny and clean. She picked it up and held it out in front of her, angling it until she could see her chest in the reflection on the knife. There was a faint pink scar that ran across her chest and shoulder, but for the most part her wound was completely healed.
“Thank god,” she whispered.
“I trust my maids have healed you in a satisfactory manner?”
Mara spun around, falling backwards into the kitchen counter. She held the butcher knife up, trying to defend herself from the man who was bearing down on her. He stopped a few feet from her and paused, looking at the knife curiously.
“You cannot hurt me with that,” he said, pointing at the knife. “It may pierce this human skin, but the wound will heal quickly. I am not a piece of dead animal flesh that you can easily chop to put in your stew.”
Mara shook her head. What was this guy talking about? She studied him closely, trying to make sense of his beautiful face. He was so familiar; she knew she had seen him somewhere before. His long white hair, his deep blue eyes, his perfectly trimmed white beard, his rippling, hard-edged muscles.
“The fire,” she finally said. “You were at the fire when I was tied up.”
“Yes, I was,” he said. “I had to lay my eyes upon you without alerting your captor.”
“Why didn’t you rescue me?” she asked. They were the only words she could think of. This breathtaking man had walked up and looked at her before disappearing, leaving her as the prize in a contest between a psychopathic knight and a majestic dragon.
“I did,” he said. “You are here, are you not? You have been healed by my maids.”
“I suppose so,” she said, setting the knife on the counter. “What happened to the dragon? What happened to the knight? Did you pull me away while they fought?”
“The knight returned to his village a defeated man. He retreated when he realized he was no match for the might of an ancient dragon.”
“And the
dragon?”
“I do not understand your question.”
“Where did the dragon go?”
“I admit I do not spend a lot of time around humans, but your line of questioning does not make sense.”
Mara shook her head, trying to make sense of this man’s cryptic words. “Where did the dragon go?”
“Right here,” the man said, waving his hands down the length of his body.
“What?” Mara said, feeling her legs growing weak again. “You’re a man.”
“This is the form I use when walking around my chambers and consorting with my maids. I thought it would be more pleasing to you than my full glory.”
“You’re the dragon?” she asked.
“I am a dragon, yes. The most powerful dragon in the world, to be exact.”
“Oh, god,” Mara said, looking around for escape. “The dragon captured me.”
“I did not capture you,” he said. “You were given to me by the knight. I defeated him in combat and by rights I received the spoils of victory.”
“You what?” Mara said, suddenly feeling hysterical. “Look, dragon, I know you may think I was a sacrifice, but I didn’t know that would happen. He did it against my will. He kidnapped me. Do you understand that? I didn’t want to be used as bait to draw you into a fight. I have a family, a home. I need to get back to it.”
“No,” the dragon said, his eyes narrowing. “You are mine, just like my other maids. You have been given to me as tribute to my glory. The others felt the same way. Eventually you will see the joy in serving a creature as perfect as me, as they do.”
“I don’t want to serve you,” Mara said. “I’m the daughter of a great village elder! They will come looking for me!”
“I doubt anyone could find us this deep in the mountain. My chambers are well protected. Now that you are awake, I will have the other girls return to help you. It is almost my dinner time and I prefer to eat in this form tonight.”
“How can you talk about food at a time like this?” she screamed.
“I’m hungry. It is time for my stew.”
“You’re kidnapping me! Holding me against my will. Let me go, dragon!”
“I do not understand your anger. You were presented to me. I will not stand here and argue with you any longer. I am above having to answer to a human.”
Mara picked the knife up again and brandished it in the direction of the dragon. He looked like a man and probably bled like a man; surely one good shot would take him down. He wasn’t wearing anything except for a white robe that only covered one shoulder.
“Let me go,” she said, trying to sound menacing.
“Oh, good,” he said, looking at the knife. “You are prepared to begin cutting the meat for my stew. I will send the others in.”
“No!” she screamed as he turned to walk away. “I’m not your slave.”
“Of course you aren’t,” he said, turning back to her. “You will come to realize the glory of serving the mighty dragon Aleksander in no time. You will never want to leave, which is good because you will not.”
He turned and left her standing in the kitchen alone as he disappeared through a doorway into another chamber. She put the knife down and turned back to the counter, using it to hold herself up as her legs grew weak.
There was no escape. He was so confident, so assured. How could she argue with that? How could she fight that? A feeling began to wash over Mara as she looked up to see the other maids walking into the chamber, a feeling that disturbed her to the core. Somehow, she actually wanted to fix the dragon’s meal. What the hell was happening?
Chapter 5
Mara finished chopping the deer meat that had been laid out on the counter and slid it into the pot, letting it boil with the potatoes and onions that were already sliced up.
“You are getting pretty good at making the master’s stew,” Raylene said, looking over Mara’s shoulder. “That’s just the right amount of deer meat. He was not pleased the last time I let you put it in there.”
“He’s never pleased,” Mara muttered, watching the stew bubble and churn in the cauldron.
She had been serving Aleksander for a week now. The first night she had done nothing but cry while Raylene, Priya and Abigail tried to teach her how to make stew. They had been sacrificed to the dragon in a similar manner as Mara herself, but now they all enjoyed serving the dragon and fixing his food. They also helped polish the gold in his treasure horde and they kept his human chambers clean.
They’re under a spell, she thought. It’s the only explanation for why they strive to please him so much. They’re too happy for slaves.
Val had told her that dragons could cast charm spells to force humans to fall in love with them or do their bidding. These girls had to be under a spell. Mara had felt a strong desire to please the dragon and do as he bade her, too. She didn’t think she was under the full effects of the spell, but she knew its effects were hanging heavily overhead.
Even so, the dragon’s personality couldn’t be the reason the girls wanted to do his bidding so much. He was as cheery as a snake and as bright and friendly as a goblin horde. The first day he had spoken to her, he had been cocky, arrogant and full of himself, but at the same time he seemed to be pleased that she was awake and unharmed.
If he was happy to have her around, he didn’t show it anymore. Each time she crossed his path, he barely registered her existence. When she did catch him looking at her it was with cold fury in his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes were enough to pull anyone into a trance, but a fire burned in them when he looked at her that made her feel uncomfortable and unwanted.
“Why does he want me here?” Mara finally said out loud.
“Because you were given to him,” Abigail said, busily cleaning the counter next to Mara. Aleksander was a bit of a neat freak and required that every bit of his chambers remain completely spotless. Priya had told her that he had once thrown a fit and nearly collapsed an outer chamber with his dragon’s tail due to the mess they had left.
Raylene had been the first to be sacrificed to the dragon, followed over the next few years by Priya and Abigail. It was like the dragon was building his own personal maid service.
“He’s kidnapped me,” Mara said. “Just like he kidnapped the rest of you.”
“He didn’t kidnap me,” Priya said. “I was given to him so that my village would experience good times and bountiful harvest from the dragon.”
“How can he give your village a bountiful harvest?” Mara asked. “He’s just a dragon.”
“He’s magical,” Priya said. “He can do a lot.”
“This is insane,” Mara said. “Were you all sacrificed so he’d help your harvest?”
“He gives my people strength going into battle,” Abigail said.
“He protects my people,” Raylene said.
“And in exchange you’re happy to be his slave?”
“Of course,” Raylene said. “We’re serving a perfect creature and his love is wonderful in return.”
“What love?” Mara asked. “He barely speaks to any of us and when he does he just barks orders. He looks like he’d rather eat us than speak to us.”
“Dragons don’t eat people, silly girl,” Raylene said.
“I heard him dressing you down for not having his bath the right temperature,” Mara said. “I thought he would strike you.”
“The master would never strike us,” Raylene said. “That was my fault. I should have had the bath warmer.”
“Does everything for him have to be so perfect?” Mara asked.
The other girls stared at her confusedly, like she had said something completely foreign to them.
No doubt, she thought. They’re under a charm spell.
“Stew’s ready!” Raylene said, rushing to the cauldron and pulling out a comically large bowl to begin filling with the stuff. She started to turn and take it out of the chamber before stopping and turning back to Mara. “You know what, dear? You cooked it, why
don’t you take it to him?”
“So he can yell at me?” Mara asked. Raylene just stared at her, holding the bowl out. “Fine, I’ll take it. At least he’ll be saying something to me instead of just staring.”
Mara grabbed the bowl and stomped out of the chamber, trying to remember the way to the dining hall where Aleksander liked to take his meals. It was strange to her that the dragon enjoyed eating like a human by himself so often, but she didn’t question it. A lot of the dragon’s quirks were strange and foreign to her, but she had been used to cooking and cleaning for her father all the time. At least her father had said thank you, and let her leave the house when she asked.
Walking through the corridors carved into the mountain, Mara took stock of where she was at. The dragon’s human home was a maze of tunnels cut into the stone that led to empty chambers and dead ends in many instances. If you didn’t know the way around, you could get lost and easily end up retracing the same route without making any headway. For the first few days, she hadn’t gone anywhere without an escort from one of the other maids, but now Mara had her bearings and could find her way between the kitchen and the dining hall with ease.
She and the other maids slept in a big bed chamber not far from the dining hall. The exit was a long, straight tunnel that actually dipped farther into the mountain and led into a few larger chambers, big enough for a fully grown dragon to move about in. One of these chambers contained Aleksander’s impressive treasure hoard, which Mara had only been lucky enough to lay eyes on once. The dragon spent a lot of his time lying on the coins and thumbing through his treasure.
Val had told her that dragons were very greedy and could not resist any kind of treasure or any gift that was presented to them. She was learning that the hard way, as she had been presented to Aleksander and he wasn’t soon going to let her go—although he seemed to be about as interested in her as he was in the discarded coins and gems that made up his hoard. She wondered if he viewed her like a precious gemstone. She and the other maids were just objects for Aleksander to observe, count and toy with.
