by Lucas, Naomi
But will he still want me once he knows there are others, more worthier females?
My heart quakes. I don’t know why I’m worrying about it so much.
It doesn’t feel right. That I have lucked into this bond when others have died for it…
I will have to prove that I am worthy of it.
I glance to the right and behind me toward where the fire should be—but I no longer see it. It gives me a moment of panic. Then I find a distant glow dancing behind some large rocks, one that’s barely perceptible. But it is there and he is safe.
Moving full circle, I scan my surroundings, realizing I’m much further into the cavern than I have been before. Checking my weapon, I place my back to the fire’s light, and continue, keeping an eye on the ground for kindling.
The cave around me slowly changes. Each step is chillier than the last. The coastal tribes only have a short cold season, so we rarely wear our shawls and high sandals, but right now, I wish I had them. Being cold is not something I’m used to.
Something moves in the corner of my eyes, and I twist toward it, stilling, as I watch a long centiworm scurry across the ground. A small shriek escapes. The worm vanishes into the dark. I shake out my body in disgust.
Waters, I hope Drazak didn’t hear. I shake again and continue forward, now watching the ground more diligently. The ground is now dirt and roots, differing from the rocks and slate near the fire. There’ll be more critters here. The soles of my sandals sink in the softer ground.
The wall I follow turns inward toward me, ending in a bend. The ceiling has lowered and it’s right above my head now. I press my palm to it, moving forward. In a few steps, I have to hunker so I don’t brush the rocks above.
I’m crouching when I see the edges of rootlike shapes appear. A pile of them. Thrusting my torch toward the roots, my brow furrows.
Dirty and pale, brown and gray, I realize what I’ve found aren’t roots at all, but bones. Bones in an array of decay. I stop, listening to the sounds of the cave.
The naga’s den? Or something else’s?
I wave my light closer.
The bones are small, with only a couple unintrusive larger ones. Femurs, thighs, wing shards. Most look like bird bones with a couple of cockatrice mixed in. Maybe some reptilians. There are several spines I’m certain are lizards and one small crocodile skull. Nothing that would pose a threat to a predator, not even a small one.
The naga boy is small. This could be his home.
I pull away and wave my torch about the den to get a better look. There are more bones scattered ahead of me, and I carefully step over them. Deeper in, I see that the cave comes to an abrupt stop. It’s also much cleaner back here, even the ground is level and packed tight. There are shadows of things further in.
I crouch even lower to reach them. Stopping once to cautiously peer behind me before I do.
There’s a small nest of giant jungle leaves with large sticks walled around them. Dead flowers are weaved into them, probably with scents that repel bugs, as I recognize a few. There are feathers from the birds stuffed among the leaves, as well as poorly shorn hides of small creatures. Thankfully, the hides have mostly dried out, even if they haven’t been cured correctly.
It’s crude, but it’s a naga’s nest. A small one. There’s only one. The nest is only big enough for one.
He’s alone.
I don’t know why that makes me sad, but it does. He was no bigger than Haime, and his upper humanoid body was thin. What happened to his parents? There’s no sign of any other creature living here but him.
Nagas rarely nest this deep in a cave. They preferred the undercrofts of the giant jungle trees, and sometimes, they nest high up in the wider branches. But deep in a cave where they can’t easily lure prey or drag kills to their nest? It was strange.
Maybe he feels safer here, I wonder. If he’s alone, he probably is… as long as he keeps the cave entrance hidden.
Which it probably was before Haime barreled after him.
Beside the nest are clothes and old baskets—stolen from my tribe. I recognize the patterning. I rummage through the pile.
There’s shells and broken ropes, frayed bags, and plants. Plants, like the flowers in his nest, they all have medicinal or otherwise aptitudes. There are also some pretty rocks and stones, ones I know my more creative sisters would love to have for their jewelry and armor.
Up against the wall is a long, thick stick with a crudely sharpened end.
He’s making a spear?
Other naga’s use them, but not often. Most aren’t smart enough.
I grab the spear, pull out my dagger, and sharpen the end to a better point. Several minutes later, I place it back against the wall and retreat. It’s not much, but it’s the least I can do. He hasn’t attacked us…
Yet.
I debate taking the spear but shake my head, leaving instead. I wish I’d brought a ration with me.
I’ll come back later, I decide. Feed him.
We may need each other yet.
My newfound kindness to the naga surprises me. I hadn’t cared before—I’d feared he was with family—but now that I know he is alone…
A short time later, I find the roots I was looking for and hear the boy hissing just beyond my torchlight, having returned from wherever he’d been. I hesitate but he doesn’t step into the light so I keep moving. The hissing follows me. I wonder if it’ll follow me back to the camp.
He must know I hear him.
If he does follow me, I can offer him that ration. The campfire reappears in the distance.
Drazak suddenly steps in front of me.
I stop, lips parting as I catch my balance, and grab my dagger.
“Human,” he growls, glaring at me with such intensity it steals my breath. “You will listen to me now.”
12
Nothing Left but Embers
Milaye. Mil-aye. Mil-ay-e.
I test the strangeness of her name in my mind as I roll it on my tongue. It takes away some of the disgust of her human food, the tang of the cooked meat she has given me. I ate it because she provided it, and I know better than to turn away from something that might speed my recovery.
I prefer my meat raw and fresh. I glower at the burning roots, which are quickly fading out now.
My tongue snaps to the roof of my mouth. Disgusting. I hope I am not cursed to eat cooked meat for the rest of my days. I will do it if I must, but I will be fussy about it.
“Milaye,” I whisper her name aloud, wanting to hear it.
I enjoy it. The names we dragons give ourselves are rarely songlike. We choose what speaks to us as mighty beings of the land, what would threaten other dragons away—what might compel a femdragon to seek us.
My human’s name is not threatening.
She says she is a huntress, and I hear fierceness in her voice, but it does not make me comfortable—not anymore. At first, I was proud. If a human female could bind me, of course she would be a warrior. But now that I am moving again, feeling the tug of this bond, this mate—whatever it is—fear has crept in for her safety. I cannot lose her.
What if this is all a dream? What if she goes away and I lose everything? Again? I could not bear it.
I watch her scout the cavern, following her movements as she makes her way over uneven ground and around rocks. While my gaze trails after her, her body, her curves, I greedily breathe in the last remnants of her scent.
Nectar. Female—human—nectar. It keeps my shaft stiff and aching. It makes my hands curl into fists because all I want is to grab her and throw her under me, to run my nose over her soft flesh and find the scent’s source.
Would she have let me, if she found me on top of her?
Watching my human sleep was as comforting as it was painful. I had never wanted to engorge myself on another like I had then. But I could not move. I had this feast of flesh—my mouth salivating for a taste—and I could barely flop to my side and lift my hand. This blasted poison! If
I could kill that poison dragon all over again, I would.
He has made me a weakling. Hundreds of years as a weakling.
He has made me weak in front of my mate.
My tails thump. The tips of them harden to points. I bare my teeth, hissing between them.
Milaye stops in the distance, and I notice her peer my way before turning back to the shadows.
Come back to me, human. Once she is near, I will grab her and not let her go. I will take hold of her and show her who is the alpha of this union.
It should be me finding fuel for the fire, not her. My jaw ticks. I press my palms into the ground and lift myself, sitting straighter against the boulder.
It will not be long now.
I test my legs, bending my knees. I bring my feet closer to my chest and dig my soles into the ground. Pressing my weight down, I raise my hips off the ground, just for a moment. My tails press into the rocks, giving me more leverage.
My recovery is quickening.
Soon my human will see a strong dragon as her mate, and I will be so ferocious she will forget all about my shame.
I glance in at her direction, but she is no longer in view.
She is gone.
I drop to the ground and search, finding I can move my head.
My heart thunders. No matter where I turn, the glow of her torch has disappeared—her body is gone. She has vanished out of sight, and I did not even notice. A growl tears from my throat. I could forgive myself many things, but this? If something were to happen to her?
I try to rise but am unable to. My elbows catch me. I stop to listen for her, for her footsteps, for her breaths.
The cave is silent, deafeningly so, like it has been many of my long years. I do not even hear the hissing of the naga. Am I alone? Again?
To have a female so near, only to lose her?
A shriek fills my ears.
It sounds human.
“Milaye!” I bellow, but my voice does not carry. Worry careens through me, and my vision goes dark. I clutch my chest, sensing our bond. My fear surges, knowing it is not just my fear anymore, but hers too.
She is afraid. My teeth grit. I must go to her. I listen for another shriek, another sound, but there is nothing. A single shriek. Would that be the last noise I ever hear from her?
Using the rock, I palm my way up. My tails balance me. It only takes a minute for me to stand, but it seems like an eternity. Finally, I bear my weight on my two feet for the first time, and the sensation is strange. Gone are my scaled toes and claws. Instead, my feet are soft and sensitive.
Every part of this human body is sensitive. Tingles shoot up my nerves as I rock back and forth. Balance does not come easy, and my muscles spasm. I lock my knees when they buckle. Luckily, I have my tails.
“I am coming, female,” I grunt as my hand claws the rock.
I jut out my jaw and shuffle one foot forward. Relieved that I keep myself upright, I lunge it forward with courage.
I topple over, the ground smashing against my knees. I howl, grunt, and snarl. My hands flatten, catching me, and I dig my claws into the rubble, furious. Red fills my vision, a dirty, dark red that blends in with the deep shadows of the cave. I smell my blood.
Prove your worth, you wretched beast. I smash my teeth. My anger grows and bleeds out. I’m furious with my human for making me feel so. Our fire might be dying, but I can see in the dark.
Once my full strength has returned, we will not need light to survive! She will need nothing but me!
One of my claws breaks against the rocks.
Shifting my tails, I brace to stand again. Taking my time, I rise to my full height and steady myself. I grunt in triumph. Keeping one tail behind and the other ahead, I slide my foot forward again. This time I stay upright.
Three slow steps later, my lips twist into a smile. I pull my eyes from the ground and toward the direction where I’d heard my human’s screech.
With each step, my confidence grows. My tails swipe the cave floor, and with only the occasional wobble, I make progress.
The firelight fades behind me, and I inhale, searching for my human’s scent. Fear has a powerful smell. Catching a whiff, I shift slightly to the left, but there is another familiar smell in the air: the naga’s. I thought it was the aroma of the cave—the undergrowth and soil and faint petrichor—but I know now that it is him as well.
He has been living in this cave with me for a while, I realize. He came with the rain.
The smell of Milaye’s fear deepens and my chest constricts, but she is nowhere to be found. Relief and annoyance fill me. She is not hurt. Wherever she is now, she did not come to harm. But I hate that she is not here at all.
Where the skies has she gone to? I narrow my eyes and glare into the shadows.
Then I see it, the faint orb of golden firelight. It glints off the dull and dirty rocks in the distance. It is nearing.
The outline of her body appears next as she ascends an incline.
“Milaye,” I breathe her name as her features come into view, but she is too far off to hear me. She is carrying a load of roots to her chest, her eyes flicking about as she waves her torch slowly.
I move to the wall. She does not see me. The dark pulls itself toward me and like my old self; it absorbs into my flesh and feeds it. My scales get harder, and my horns bulge. My nostrils flare. She gets closer, not seeing the predator I truly am.
I thrive in darkness. There is nothing like a giant monster with teeth the size of small trees hunting you down in the dark.
Her sweat blooms the air. My shaft tightens and rises, chafing upon the rough cloth tied around me. She is all I know. My prey.
Almost upon me now, I ready to strike. If she thinks she will leave me again…
Her torchlight glimmers over me, but I consume it, repelling the glow. Her eyes go through me as if I am not there.
One more step, female, and you are mine. She steps into my reach—I grab her.
Her body jerks, the roots falling from her hold as she reaches for her weapon. Her eyes widen in shock, in recognition soon after, but I already hear her blood rushing through her veins.
“Human,” I rasp, pulling her to me and knocking her dying torch. It falls to the ground and rolls away, throwing us back into shadow.
“Drazak,” she stammers.
I lean into her, swing my tail around, and push her against the cave wall, trapping her there with my body.
“You can move.” She is nearly breathless. Her hands come between us, pressing into my chest.
“I can move,” I warn. “You will not leave me again.” I pull her from the wall so I can look at her and steal her eyes. Now that I am no longer prone on the ground, I discover she is much smaller than me.
This is good. I hear her heart thrumming wildly.
“I didn’t leave you,” she whispers, finally lifting her chin, meeting my eyes.
I snarl. “Going out of my sight is leaving me, human. You do not know…” I trail off. She does not know how messed up I am from all the years alone… I snarl again.
“Do not know what? That the bond becomes uncomfortable the farther we are away from each other?” She removes one hand from my chest, placing it over hers instead. “You’re not the only one bound by invisible strings.”
Some of her hair falls into my hand. I wind my fingers through it, luxuriating in its silken feel. “What we have is called a curse for a reason,” I say, my voice softening.
She flinches.
“It is a curse,” I continue, “because whether you like it or not, this is final. It is the sacrifice for stealing my immortality and might. The red comet has never given something without first taking something away. You and I will be together until one of us dies, and even then… the other will follow.”
My human licks her lips, it makes me hungry. I wish I was licking them myself.
“No wonder your kind avoids us,” she says with a hush, her eyes lowering. “I should have done more not to… fall u
pon you. I’m so, so sorry.”
She sounds sad? Why does she sound sad? What in the skies is she saying?
I bristle. So she is unhappy to be with a disgraced creature such as I. Is that it? Any female would be. My hand grabs her hair and tugs, making her look up at me again. “I am more than what you have seen,” I growl. “I will prove as much to you. You. Will. Never. Leave. Me. Again.” I do not care if she is saddened by our circumstances; I’m the one with the right to anger here.
She is mine, and that will never change. Not for all the world, my wings, my body.
A glistening drop forms on her lashes and falls down her cheek. I cock my head, studying it, knowing what it is without ever experiencing it, this is a tear. Dragons do not cry. They do not show sadness in such a way.
But I have not had water in so long… and I now find I am thirsty, aching for it on my tongue.
Shaking, I dive in. I lick it from her face but miss. My head falls besides hers as my knees give out. Fury—shame—unlike I have ever known erupts while I fall, sliding down her body, dragging my claws, scraping the wall as I go.
“Drazak?” Her hands come up to catch me.
I roar against her stomach and frighten her away, feeling her body going rigid. I slam my fists into the rock, again and again, needing the pain from their impact.
“Drazak! Stop!”
I do not hear her, pummeling the wall.
The next thing I know, my hands are covered in hot blood, and Milaye is next to me, trying to lift me up. I push her away. “Do not help me!”
“You’re hurt!”
“Skies! I want the pain,” I rasp, clenching my fists. If I cannot have her, at least I can have this.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snaps. Her arms come around me again. “Let me get you back to the fire.”
“I said don’t!” A bark leaves my throat. “Leave me.”
“No.”
“Leave! I will not have you see me like this!”
Suddenly, warmth cups my cheeks, a soft heat that forces my chin up. My human is on her knees in front of me, cupping my face. The faintest of lights halos her face.
