Spoiler
Second chapter of The Dragon Tamer 
The next 10 months were the closest to hell on earth Sre believed there ever could be. In order to "repay her debt," as Jeboc put it, he would sell her company to whoever had the money to pay. He kept her always busy, barely letting her sleep, feeding her only when he thought she deserved it. To add insult to injury, not only did he use her for his own twisted pleasures, but his two nieces who helped him run his tavern would often torment her, blaming her for anything they broke or stole. The only kindness either had shown her was about a week after Jeboc had sprung her slavery on her, Malissa, the older, had inserted an anticonception device into her to save her the trouble of having a child, particularly one from Jeboc. It had only taken a single day for Jeboc to take Sre to a metalsmith and have a collar made for her. He made sure it was fused, thus it could not be removed but by another metalsmith or a special laser.
Now, leaning against the bar, Sre idly ran her fingers over it, not paying attention to the noise going on around her. A dragon talon had landed early that morning. Jeboc had kicked Sre wake, shoving her hurriedly into the tavern from the barn where she slept so she had not even gotten so much as a glance at the beasts.
All week the business had been slow, but now the tavern was full with the soldiers. They had all been on the front lines for long months and now they had some leisure time. The cousins, Malissa and Jerassa, showed their gratitude of the soldiers' bravery and sacrifice in every way imaginable. The noise in the tavern was almost deafening.
With a sigh, Sre tried to stay out of sight. She had no doubt Jeboc would try to get as much money out of the soldiers by offering her as he could. The longer she could avoid it, the more grateful she was. "Sre! Ye lazy bitch, get yer ass out to the well and bring some water 'fore I belt ye!" Sre jumped and lowered her head, hurrying away from Jeboc, just barely avoiding his belt which he swung at her.
As she headed out the back, three of the soldiers were coming in from there as it was where the dragons were tied down. She lowered her head, hoping to brush past them, but that just wasn't her luck. One of the soldier's put a firm hand on her shoulder, pushing her back out into the tavern, cornering her against the wall. "What's the hurry, there? Why don't ya stay 'while?"
Shivering, keeping her head down, Sre spoke quietly. "My-my master told me to fetch water. Please, I have to go, sirs."
They chuckled as their hands started to wander on her. "Oh, I think the water can wait a bit...."
"Derkal, Tafis, Kurt, I'm sure you all have far more important things to do." The stern, clear voice behind them made the three quickly turn and salute a tall, lean older man. "For example, you three should get some sleep for pulling night shift." The soldiers looked at each other with distain in their eyes, but they saluted again, yessirring before heading upstairs to the bedrooms. The older looking soldier looked down at Sre. "I'm quite certain you have more important things to do than stand there."
Sre glanced up at the soldier with a look of gratitude before scurrying off. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against it, sighing sadly. How her life had gone downhill. She headed for the well slowly, not looking about. She dropped the bucket into the well and brought it back up, struggling. She didn't have a lot of strength or energy due to lack of nourishment, but she would rather struggle and ache than get a beating. She'd placed the bucket on the ground when she heard the War dragons that were being housed behind the barn. They grunted and groaned, their scales hissing and clicking, wing leather creaking.
A powerful instinct took hold of Sre, which she figured was just an intense curiousity. Glancing about the yard, seeing no one, she figured it wouldn't hurt to take a look at them. The dragons gave her a sense of calm and inspiration. Sneaking around the barn, she saw them all tied down, several eyeing each other suspiciously, others dozing on their backs in the sun, still others staring at nothing. A dark blue male slept but a few feet from her. His great breaths filled the air like a blacksmith's bellows. He lay on his back, soaking up the warm rays of the early summer sun. Slowly, Sre reached out carefully, wanting to know what they felt like.
She had gotten only inches from the snoozing dragon's head when its eye, golden and piercing, opened and constricted, looking straight at her. She suppressed a scream and backed away as the dragon rolled to its feet with a roar, going for her. Sre squeezed her eyes shut, figuring it was the end. Not that it really mattered if it was. She figured anything after death had to be better than this hell, so she didn't even bother trying to dodge the beast.
A strong hand grabbed her arm and jerked her out of the way. The dragon gave a pitiful sound and reared back as a man's voice began commanding it in a spidery language. It backed off and bumped into another dragon, who snarled and turned to snap at it. The blue male yelped and hunkered down, showing weakness. Immediately the whole talon was up in roars and they were all attempting to kill each other. The chains that held them to trees were snapped, and some of the trees themselves shattered. The noise was deafening as one large female pounced on the blue male. With a mighty roar, a huge black beast lumbered into the brawl, grabbing the female by the back of the neck and tossing her like she was toy. She went crashing through the trees, her cries of surprise turning to pain as her wings were torn by her thrashing to gain her feet.
Sre, stunned by the power and brutality of the creatures, backed away before turning to run back into the tavern before anyone noticed that she had been the one to start the viscious brawl. Her only thought was not have Jeboc find out about this. Soldiers were running toward the battling beasts, even though the giant black dragon had already cowed all the others into noisy submission.
She had just reached the door when the same gauntletted hand that had saved her took a hold of her wrist and spun her around, slamming her against the wall of the tavern, slightly knocking the air out of her. She looked up in surprise and fear.
"Do you realize how much trouble you just caused, wench?" The voice was so familiar and so was his face. Tears swelled in Sre's eyes and she looked down at her bare feet. Jeboc gave her barely enough clothes to cover herself with and certainly no shoes. Roscrow's eyes narrowed in annoyance. He gave an angry growl, moving as if he meant to strike her.
"I-I'm sorry!" Sre cried, cringing, squeezing her eyes shut, holding up her hands to deflect the blow she expected. Jeboc would certainly give her a concussion for this. She trembled as she felt his hard body against her shift in obvious irritation. "I... I just... I thought...." She really didn't know what to say. Nothing seemed like it would be a good enough excuse to save her.
Roscrow moved, making a sound that stopped all her thoughts about saving herself. She realized that he held the tag attached to her collar and, risking a quick peek, saw him staring intently at it. Only then did any emotion flicker in his cold black eyes. He looked up at her and sneered. "Let me guess. You were a runaway when I met you and then you were caught and your master stuck a collar on you?"
Sre gave a small sob, her arms going limp at her sides. How could he think such a thing? Hadn't it been he himself who had taken her innocence? Well, better that it was him, not Jeboc. She stuttered in fear, "I-I wasn't. J-Je" she lowered her voice should her master hear her speak his name, "Jeboc said I-I owed him a lot of money and I couldn't pay it. I wasn't a... a slave...." She hated that word.
Suddenly, the door flew open next to them and Jeboc stepped out, his large belly making it out the threshold first before they could see his ugly face. He looked with worry at the dragons who had been making quite the racket as they were shocked into submission by the humans. He then turned and noticed Roscrow standing near him. Roscrow towered over him, his powerful, lean body hidden by the dragonscale armor. His broad shoulders were made broader by the spiked shoulder armor. His black metal gauntlets went up his strong arms and ended in spikes at his elbows. Those black eyes of his could pierce the soul. Jeboc was immediately cowed.
"Uh, g-g'day to ye, s-sir. I-" he had to pause to gulp the lump out of his throat- "I hope the dragons aren't to rowdy. I-I would hate fer 'em to... crash into my barn and hurt themselves!" He peered around, making a show of vigilance when really he just wanted to look away from the commander.
"My dragon, Granger, has the talon under control. My soldiers can easily put them back in their places. You've no need to fear about your barn." He stood straight and tall, his figure so demanding and powerful that Jeboc found himself more afraid of the man than of his dragons. The large sword at his hip certainly didn't make him any less intimidating.
Taking a moment to get himself together, Jeboc looked about the courtyard, noticing the bucket of water still sitting next to the well. "I don't mean to bother ye with my petty problems, good sir, but have ye seen my slave about?" His eyes turned back to the commander in time to see Sre step out from behind him, her head bowed. His eyes narrowed, but she didn't need to see that to know she was in trouble. "Ye had something to do with those dragons, didn't ye, Sre?" The anger in his voice made her tremble, letting out a small involentary whimper.
"Quite on the contrary." Roscrow's voice broke the tension between them. "She alerted me to the fact that Tins had been harassing one of my smaller males until it looked like a fight might break out." He looked down at Sre who was too shocked to say anything. She heard his voice take on a sardonic tone. "You could say she saved your barn."
Taken by complete surprise, Sre could say nothing. Jeboc gave a sneer and waved his hand toward the inside of the tavern. "For that, perhaps I'll feed ye tonight. Now get that water into the kitchen now 'fore I change my mind!" Sre quickly fetched the heavy bucket and struggled back into the kitchen with it. She glanced up at Roscrow as she passed him, still confused about why he would lie for her. He only lifted his right brow slightly before turning at the sound of his name as a soldier came up to him to report about the situation with the dragons. The only part of the conversation she heard was "...no idea what set them off, sir...."
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While Sre was grateful for the coolness that the night brought, it was hardly any quieter. The soldiers drank, ate, and sang, entertaining locals with greatly exaggerated tales of their own prowess. Through out the day, Sre had seen Malissa and Jerassa coming out of the cellar, straightening themselves up as one or two of the more handsome soldiers followed after them. Sneering in disgust while their backs were turned, Sre would go back to whatever it was she was doing, mostly making food and cleaning dishes. She was thankful to be in the back so as to avoid anymore harassment from the soldiers.
Around midnight, when most of the soldiers had either gone to bed or were passed out at their tables, Jeboc waved her into his lviing area. "Here. Eat and then get yer ass into the barn. And stay away from those dragons!" His glare sent a shiver down her spine. With a quietly muttered "yessir," she sat down and dug into the little bit of food he allowed her. It was little more than stale bread, almost bad cheese, and water, but to Sre it was good.
Once she was done, she slowly, stiffly stood and put away the dishes before heading out to the barn where she slept in the stall next to the door. Sinking into her bed of old hay and a few raggy blankets, she was soon in a hazy doze, hearing the horses whinny quietly, still nervous about the dragons so near them. She could hear the dragons breathing, snorting at each other, letting out little clicks and weird low howls. In her sleep, Sre could swear they were talking to her.
The barn was suddenly gone, all around her standing dragons. They stared down at her, huge, dignified, all of them glowing like they were divine.
Power.
It was a whisper on the wind, a sound so slight, she almost missed it. Looking around, Sre could see a long tendril of pure light moving toward her. It snaked around her, around the cirlce of dragons, weaving in and out of their legs. It drew closer and closer to her, moving as a serpent. She felt no fear of this thing, no fear of the dragons around her. Instead she held out her hand, the snake of light slithering along her arm, feeling a pleasant warmth from it.
Crest.
It whispered again as it drew itself around her, wrapping around her throat. It suddenly tightened, strangling her, jerking her awake. Her eyes fluttered open as she gasped for air, looking up at three dark faces. The smell of alcohol assaulted her nose, making her want to gag. It was the three dragonriders that had harassed her earlier in the day. They were very obviously drunk. Sre knew drunk men. She knew they often did things they would not normally when sober. These were soldiers, trained all their lives to kill. She had no doubt they would and could hurt her severely if she resisted.
"Ye gave us the slip earlier, gurl, but not t'is time!" The one whose strong, calloused hand held her throat slurred his words in his drunkenness. Squirming, Sre gasped for air. Her struggles only rewarded her with his hand tightening further. She went limp when she heard a sword hiss out of its scabbard.
"Dat's right, gurl, we won't be long!" The one that stood with the sword grinned, the other two chuckling. She felt them push her rag of a dress up over her thighs, their rough hands moving over her pale skin. She let out a whimper when she felt fingers pressing into her. The resulting sharp slap immediately quieted her. Closing her eyes, Sre tried to retreat into her mind, thinking of the dragons in her dream, the warm serpent of light.
The dragons outside began hissing, growling, their tails thrashing. There was loud wing flapping, grunts and snarls, the dragons eyeing each other in hostility. The sound of their aggression only grew louder the longer the soldiers stayed in the barn with Sre.
"At attention!"
The voice was so forceful, even the dragons outside went suddenly silent. Jerking away, the soldiers turned, nearly toppling over in their stupor. They could just barely stand upright, though their trouser snakes managed it far better than their legs. They saluted as best they could, trying to stutter an apology and excuse, but that deep, accented voice cut them off as effectively as if their throats had been slit.
"You three are suppose to be on night guard. Instead, my slumber is disturbed by the dragons getting rowdy! I certainly don't know what you three were doing to each other, but I'd suggest getting your pants on, sobering up, and getting out there where you belong before rumors start spreading!"
With all the gracefulness of fish on land, the three attempted to salute, pull up their trousers, and leave all at the same time. As they passed, one falling over and scrambling back to his feet, commander Roscrow made note of each to punish in the morning.
Once they had left the barn, Roscrow turned his attention to the stall they had been in. Sre huddled in the corner, none too sure of whether she'd been rescued or not. Slowly, Roscrow came toward her, standing over her. He reached out a hand. Hesitantly, Sre reached up and took it, letting him gently draw her to her feet. She avoided his eeirely glowing gaze, quickly pulling the loose strap of her dress back onto her shoulder to prevent it from falling off her.
She felt the soothing warmth of his hand touch the side of her face where the soldier had struck her. "Did they harm you?" His voice was a low rumble, calming.
For just a second she let herself believe he cared. "I-I'll be ok, sir."
Gently, he ran the back of his finger over her cheek, causing her to look up at him. His eyes reflected the weak light. She could tell he wasn't all the way human, which wasn't all that uncommon. This world was a human colony, having been so for the last thousand generations, but it was not shut off from the other worlds. Trade ships came and went, all manner of aliens arriving and departing. He glanced about, a look of distain on his face.
He then stood back, taking Sre's hand and bowing down to place his lips on the back of her hand with infinite tenderness. He stood back up, letting her hand fall away carefully. "It is late. I leave you to your sleep. My men will not bother you. Sleep well." With that, he bowed sweepingly before turning and leaving her standing there in the dark, dumbfounded. Once he'd closed the door behind him, exhaustion swept over her. She sank back into her bed, feeling a strange sense of calm, his promise leaving her feeling just a little safer.
As she fell back to sleep, she hoped she'd have her dream again, as she had had all her life. Constantly, dreams of dragons that would come to her, speak to her, protect her. Always, a little black bundle of fire, a piece of coal that would grow and grow, sprouting wings and horns, fire engulfing it, eyes burning themselves into her. But the rest of her night was quiet and dreamless.
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"Sre!" The angry voice of her master jerked her from blissful sleep. "If I come in there and find you still sleeping, I swear I'll belt you til you beg me to feed you to these dragons!"
Realizing she was suppose to be awake at least an hour ago, Sre struggled to untangle herself from her blanket. Just as the door creaked open, Sre managed to stagger to her feet as Jeboc came in. He pointed toward the tavern. "Get yer ass in there and start cookin! Ye gotta earn yer keep if ye ever want to be free again!"
Rushing past him, Sre just barely avoided a kick Jeboc aimed at her rump. She ran into the kitchen, getting herself cleaned up and started cooking. The last thing she wanted was to make Jeboc any angrier. Not to mention fed soldiers tended to be more mellow, which would also make her life a lot easier.
As she stirred some outmeal, she heard Malissa and her sister come in, giggling amongst each other. "Oh, I'm sure you can persuade him! The tall, dark, and silent types always play hard to get, but then they fall the hardest."
Malissa gave a bit of a shiver. "Yeah, but that stare he gives me, as if I don't even exist. Never met a man like that. But I'm sure between us we can break that ice cube!" They both giggled again.
Sre gave the quietest snort, thinking it was hidden by all the various other noises going on. But Malissa turned to her. Sre didn't need to turn to know that the woman was glaring at her. "And what do you have to say about it, eh, slave? I bet the commander notices you even less, being at the bottom of the food chain, and lacking in any womanly features. A man of his stature can chose from much better bred women."
Sre kept her mouth shut on that. She cracked an egg, watching the yolk sizzle on the skillet. Sneering with a malicious laugh, Malissa and her sister turned and swept out of the kitchen. Sre heard them talking some more about the commander and their plan to get him to submit to their will.
Shaking her head, Sre had to smile. Leave it to the two to try and seduce anyone that caught their fancy. She was glad that they had finally found someone who frustrated them, though. It wasn't like those two were of any better breeding than she. And Sre figured it wasn't about breeding, or even about social stature for the commander. Someone with his rank could chose from almost anyone, and she figured he had a set of qualities he looked for that was different from most other men. No wonder he looked right past those two sluts.
Using a ladle, Sre poured out a bowl of steaming oatmeal. As she turned, she struck an immovable body. The ceramic bowl shattered on the ground, having slipped from her stunned fingers. The contents sloshed all over the floor, causing Sre's heart to leap into her throat. "I-I'm sorry!" she whimpered, quickly grabbing a rag to start cleaning off the commander's knee high black leather boots. They were perfectly polished, not a scoff on them. Now, though, they were covered in the sticky oatmeal.
Roscrow was about to say something when Malissa popped her head around the corner. "What'd you do this time, slave?" She suddenly went quiet when she realized who it was that stood in the kitchen. Roscrow hardly gave any indication that he acknowledged Malissa's presence, just continued to watch Sre with great interest. Malissa looked down at her ample bossom, making sure her corset was straightened and her blouse showed enough cleavage to just be one degree from totally lude. She then stepped into the kitchen behind Roscrow, a sly, seductive hint to her voice. "I'm so sorry for her clumsiness, sir. She's just a slave, lacking in any kind of grace, you see...."
Her voice died in her throat. Those black eyes of his flicked to her, but only for a moment, as if to discover what the source of the unpleasant noise was before turning back to what it was he found his greatest desire in. Thinking of another strategy, Malissa tried to reach for another rag. "Here, I'll you show how to really clean some boots...."
"I think she can handle it." Sre shivered. The cold steel of his voice bit into her very soul. "She dropped it, she can clean it. Your assisstance is not desired." Glancing up, she saw that his words were in no way directed at her. Instead, Malissa stood there, her face pale and eyes wide. She barely managed to stammer something unintelligible before quickly retreating out of the kitchen. When the commander turned his eyes back to Sre, she was surprised to see a warmth in there. "Those two are very irritating." The tiniest smile crossed Sre's face at his tone. She quickly looked down so that he didn't see. "I did not mean to startle you. I'd only wanted to make sure no one bothered you last night. I'd given my men orders not to harass the locals, but I guess they are just too eager to drown their sorrows in spirits and sex."
"SRE!"
A quiet groan left Sre. Of course Malissa would run off to tattle on her. She couldn't stand that the commander would give his attention to the slave girl. So she ran straight to Uncle Jeboc, who stormed into the kitchen, face red with anger and embarressment. He glared at Sre, who had finished cleaning the commander's boots and was trying to pick up the pieces of the bowl, scrubbing the floor hurriedly. "I'm very sorry, sir. I promise she'll be punished fer...."
"I certainly don't think so." The sword he wore at his hip was dull and chipped compared to the blade of his tone. "It was my fault. I should not have startled her. As it were, I was coming in here to... seek her company."
Malissa flashed a glare at Sre. Sre could almost read her mind. What did a half starved, beaten slave girl have that she didn't? Honestly, Sre had no idea. She kept cleaning, waiting for a kick from Jeboc, though it wouldn't come while the commander was there. He never beat her when there was company. Besides, he was looking about as browbeaten as she was at that moment.
"W-well, good sir, her company does come with a price...." Sre looked up to see why Jeboc had gone quiet. She noticed that Roscrow had a smile on his face. It was the most dreadful thing she'd ever seen. How a smile could promise death, she didn't know, but his most certainly did. Jeboc was so pale that he looked like he might faint from fear.
With a small motion to Sre, indicating for her to stand, Roscrow mockingly tipped his head. "Your government thanks you for your sacrifice in times of war." It was as if he was finding a great amusement in the look on their faces, his voice so sardonic and trained. In times of war, no one could ask for payment from a soldier. If they felt like paying out of generousity, they would, otherwise the peasant folk were just out of luck. In times of peace, the rules were different, but now Jeboc was only keeping his head on due to Roscrow's mercy.
Without another word, the commander turned on his heel and strode out of the kitchen, Sre close behind. Whatever he had planned for her would most certainly be better than what Jeboc would have done to her with Malissa hissing in his ear. He stopped only once to obilige a cheer that went up from his soldiers in his honor as they had been relating a tale of his bravery in battle to some newcomers to the tavern. After a slight bow, he continued his way up the stairs to the room he had taken residence in. It was the furthest room with windows that over looked the dragons resting in the clearing behind the barn.
Roscrow opened the door, standing aside to motion for Sre to enter first. She went in, eyes flicking about in an old instinct that had saved her on many occassions. She had learned that vigilance was her friend. The sensation of Roscrow's eyes on her made her stop in the middle of the room. She jumped a bit when she heard the door latch and lock behind her. She could feel the heat of his body behind her, radiating out of his armor. He gently brushed past her, his voice much more calm and informal than she had heard it before. "It really is unfortunate that such asses are allowed among our populace. I would have liked an excuse to put him in his place." He proceeded to remove his sword belt as he spoke, carelessly tossing it over the back of a chair. Sre had no dout he wore it more for show than protection. "It confuses me that some people don't get it when you obviously don't like them."
Sre said nothing, shyly watching him from where she stood. He continued removing his armor, pulling the dragonscale armor over his head. It made an odd hissing sound that caused the hairs on Sre's neck to stand on end. It was the sound a dragon made in warning, right when it would attack. Instinct told her that, not knowledge. He laid the shirt of scales over the back of the chair. Under it he wore a thin, stretchy fabric that was designed to keep him dry and avoid chafing. He then pulled his elbow length leather gloves off, tossing them on the chair as well. Sre was surprised to see his powerful forearms covered in scars. He noticed her eyes looking at them almost immediately. "Baby dragons," he said as he rubbed his forearms, "Adorable bundles of death. When they get playful, they give no thought to the fact that we don't have scales like them."
Curiousity gripped Sre. She knew next to nothing about dragons, and yet she was drawn to them with an overwhelming instinct. The thought of baby dragons spark her interest the most. Cautiously, she cleared her throat, speaking very quietly. "How...?" She stopped when Roscrow looked at her. She averted her eyes. Jeboc never allowed her to speak out of turn.
"My dear, with me you can speak freely. 'How' what?" His voice was warm, that accent intoxicating. She could have sat and listened to him speak all day.
"How... big are they? The baby dragons?" Her voice remained hushed.
The smile that spread onto his face was nothing like what he had given Jeboc. It was soothing, made her feel safe. It left Sre wondering how he could be so frigid one moment, then so warm the next. It had to have something to do with his heritage. She had to force down a smile imagining steam rising off him from his sudden emotional change.
Raising his hands, he indicated their size. "Not that big. Like one of those small retrieving dogs the hunters have. Maybe 25 kilos. They tend to impress on the first thing they see. A lot of times, it's their mother. Trying to keep a mother dragon away from her hatchlings when she can hear them calling for her in the egg is nearly impossible. But we get paired to our dragons very soon after birth, almost before they even get all the egg fluid off. We train until we're about 15 years before getting our dragons. Since they don't live past 200 years, we need to be a bit older than they are. But once we have our dragons, we are paired for life."
"So... you've had your dragon since he was a baby?" Sre felt a bit of jealousy. If she had such a beast at her command, Jeboc would be sorry!
"Granger was the largest of his brood. He was so big that the Masters thought to keep him unpaired for breeding purposes only. But he ended up chosing me. 3 others and myself stood before the 5 eggs. I remember his mother, a magnificent white beast, so incredible, scales that shone like the white moon on a still lake. She had the most piercing blue eyes, like she knew more than any of the other dragons. It was said she belonged to a Tamer. But Granger was the first to hatch. He turned his head and looked straight at me. He paid no heed to his mother, to any others in the room. He came right at me from his egg, glared up at me, challenged my very existance with those penetrating eyes of his. I just stared back at him. I don't know how long we stood that way, but when he finally blinked, all the others had hatched. He then sat by my side and wouldn't leave it. When the Masters came to take him, not even commanding in the Ancient Tongue could make him leave me."
Sre watched him, smiling. He was so lost in the memory, absently staring out the window at his magnificent beast. The brute lay in the clearing, wings fanning the air to stay cool as the heat rose steadily. His eyes were slits, always vigilant, always keeping an eye over his talon. Of course Roscrow needed no weapons. His dragon could take on all comers, his size and weight nearly twice that of any the others in the talon.
She suddenly became aware that Roscrow had turned his attention back to her. She'd been staring out the window as well, admiring all the dragons that loitered about. A playful grin split the commander's face as Sre looked down. "I bet you'd like to touch one. You were trying to yesterday."
Remembering how angry he'd been about that, Sre attempted to mutter an apology, but Roscrow waved his hand as if batting it away. He stood, walking over to the window and swinging it open. All it took was a short, sharp whistle. Sre could feel the ground under her feet shake as the massive beast trotted over since he was not tied like the others. The brute had no trouble peering into the second story window. The dragon gave a mumble of greeting to his rider while Roscrow gave him a pat on the thick, bony eye ridge. He then indicated for Sre to approach. Stunned, she walked over slowly, not quite sure about what was happening. Snatching Sre's wrist gently, Roscrow held her hand out to Granger's cheek scales.
The animal was warm and oddly fuzzy, like they had a covering of peach fuzz. She ran her hand over his brow, peering into his massive, all knowing copper eye. As she looked into his eye, she felt like she was spiraling down into that depth, felt like this was right, it was the most natural thing in the world, like she'd petted a million dragons, stared into all their eyes and saw deeper into them than even their riders ever could. With each bellowing breath, she could feel herself filling with life, with an instinct to command, to lead, to draw all the dragons of the world to herself.
"Wonderful, aren't they?"
Sre suddenly snapped out of her trance. She shyly snatched her hand away. With just a brief gesture, Granger let out a groan and strode back to his spot, stopping to peer around as if searching for someone. Indeed, one of the dragons was missing, but no one had noticed the snapped chain, the two guards on duty sitting by the barn playing dice.
As Roscrow closed the window, he glanced at Sre. "They have that velvet on their scales to help keep them warm high up in the atmosphere. It's not much use against the Spindles spitting their fire, but that's what the hard belly scales are for. The Scouter dragons are even furrier, with small tufts of actual fur growing around their scales as well as the fuzz."
He turned to look down on her. She felt smaller than usual under his steady gaze. He took a step toward Sre, making her back away half a step. She stopped herself from going back any further, having been beaten into accepting her "duty," as Jeboc called it. She felt Roscrow's large hand cup the side of her face, his flesh radiating a soothing warmth, unlike the heat of the druken rages of her master. He slowly lifted her face to his, his lips touching hers with a tenderness that left her feeling like she was sinking into him. His hand rested comfortably on her hip, drawing her against his hard body.
The commander suddenly pulled away from the kiss, leaving Sre breathing hard, her whole body tingling. He walked past her, though he turned his head to speak to her. "I would appreciate it if you'd join me for my morning shower. I never can scrub my back very well." His voice was full of mischievious humor, though the commander side of him left a hint of an order to his voice, making Sre feel like she had no choice in the matter.
As she followed him toward the shower room, she watched him shyly, marveling at the olive tone of his skin, the lean muscles that he exposed as he pulled the tight black shirt off. His body was covered in scars making it obvious he'd been in several scuffles. He was not afraid to wield his blade, and certainly not afraid to run that blade through another person, or to have it run through him.
"Why don't you start the water rather than stand there and stare at me?" Sre jumped, not realizing that he had stopped. He raised a brow at her, a good natured smirk on his face. He moved his head to indicate for her to go ahead. She scurried away into the room, figuring he had need of relieving himself as the toilet and shower were seperate.
While the colonists of this world had originally abandoned all modern comforts, a few had made a comeback with all the aliens that came and went, electricity and plumbing being two. For that, Sre was thankful. It wasn't often she got a hot shower, usually having to suffice with a bucket of cold water and a cloth in the barn, but when was she was able to acquire one she was thankful. She turned the water on, testing the drizzle that came down from the thousands of little holes in the ceiling of the shower. The last time she had been in this shower, Malissa and Jerassa had gotten the bright idea to use her for their own twisted entertainment. It sent a shudder through her, thinking of how those two had ordered her to do some disgraceful things to both them and herself in front of them.
So lost in her thoughts, Sre didn't notice Roscrow until he spun her around, pressing her up against the wall, trapping her with his body. She gasped as the cold wall touched her skin. Roscrow used that to kiss her, his tongue invading her mouth with a gentle domination that left Sre breathless and weak. His hands cupped her head, holding her helpless to his passion. She could feel he was hard and ready, his naked body pressed against her. Slowly, his hands caressed down along her neck, making her let out a soft moan, and further still until he gently slipped the straps that held up her dress over her shoulders and down her arms.
A shiver ran through Sre, a remnant memory of their time together when they had first met in the back of her mind that she had tried to hold on to to remember pleasure. But it hadn't taken much for Jeboc to knock such memories from her head. Tensing up, Sre suddenly drew away, gasping for air.
Looking down at her, Roscrow raised his brow quizzically. Sre hung her head in submission, attempting to mutter an apology for her action. Instead, she gave a squeal as Roscrow stepped back under the steaming drizzle, pulling her after him. He chuckled as she panicked, reaching out to stablize herself. He held her protectively, gently stroking her wet hair. With a deep breath, she felt herself relax against him for a moment.
She felt Roscrow's hand gently cup her chin, drawing her face up to him. He touched his lips to hers briefly, his other hand wandering down her body. His expert fingers probbed her intimately, making her let out a sigh against his lips. Pressing her against the wall, he placed a hand above her head to stablize himself as he bent over her, his mouth leaving hers, slowly moving along her jaw and around her ear before heading further down along her neck. All the while, his other hand probbed her, finding the small bud of pleasure that had been so ignored.
As Sre moaned quietly to his touch, the commander suddenly leaned forward, slipping his hands around her thighs and lifting her up, planting her back firmly against the wall. She gasped, feeling completely helpless and yet aroused by it, which confused her. She had to wrap her arms around his neck to feel more stable but he didn't seem to mind at all as he kissed her again, deep and passionately, leaving her gasping for air and squirming in his hands.
When he at last lowered her onto his hard length, she let out a loud moan. He pierced her, driving deeply into her recesses, using his immense strength to bring her up again before letting her drop back down the full length of his shaft. Without warning, Sre's body tightened, a dark wave of acute pleasure ripping through her. She gripped Roscrow with all four limbs, shivering with her sudden climax. She wanted to scream out, but instead she bit down on her lip, swallowing the primal sounds that attempted to escape, letting out only a choked little moan. Jeboc often threatened a severe beating if he ever heard her while with a "customer."
Roscrow slowed, chortling at her. "Someone's a little enthusiastic." He sounded almost sympathatic.
Gasping for air, Sre felt a little ashamed of herself. She thought to apologize, but Roscrow's lips wouldn't allow that. He continued his powerful motion, causing wave after wave of intense sensations tingling through every part of her being. His body pressed tightly against hers, leaving her no room, no where to go but to submit to his driving desire. She panted and moaned, small sobs of pleasure leaving her lips which he hungrily absorbed into his own mouth, even his tongue invading her.
At last, he drew away from the kiss, whispering in her ear as he felt her body tensing again. "Scream for me, wench. No one will hear you in here." The vibration of his voice, heavy with his own lust, reverberated through her whole body. Unable to hold back any longer, Sre allowed the sounds that built up in her escape, feeling her whole body shiver and gyrate on its own with her next climax. The sounds she made drove him on, his body moving to let out his own release.
Mumbling incohorently, Sre laid her forehead against his shoulder, feeling him pulse within her. She again felt his body vibrate with a chuckle, his voice hot against her ear. "Be careful what you wish for." Stars exploded behind Sre's tightly closed eyes, instinctual sounds tearing from her throat. Without meaning, her nails dug into Roscrow's flesh, causing him to give a deep groan of his own.
The steam that rose off them was not from the heat of the water. That had gone cool a while ago. The commander lay his forehead against Sre's, both of them panting. Sre could feel the warmth of him inside her and it made her squirm. Slowly, Roscrow let her down to her feet, holding her steady when she wobbled. They both stood quietly, attempting to clear their wits.
"Gee, all I wanted was for you to scrub my back and here you went and distracted me!" Roscrow snickered, grinning down at Sre. She gave out a shy giggle. In the past 10 months, she hadn't had a whole lot to laugh at. She continued to lean her head against his chest as the cool water washed over them gently. She ran her hand over his smooth chest, totally hairless. Her fingers felt a scar, and she peered up at it, tracing it gently. It was a stab wound, directly where a human heart would be located.
Roscrow laid his large hand over hers. "A lot of people don't realize I'm a quarter Q'Ra. My heart is on the other side and a bit lower. It has saved me a few times."
Sre smiled up at him. "So that's why you're so tall."
He laughed. "Not as tall as my father. The human blood has rather stunted my growth. But it gave me the glowing eyes, the strength to rival 3 men, and a lacking of hair. I can't even grow a beard." He scratched at his chin, mocking himself.
With that, they cleaned up, Roscrow stepping out of the shower to allow Sre a bit of privacy, as if he knew it'd been a month since her last true shower. She scrubbed at her skin with an almost angry fervor, trying to get off any lingering sense of her master and any other man who had touched her without her wanting.
At last, as the water finally began to run cold, she turned it off and peeked around the curtain, wondering why Roscrow had been so quiet. A towel was suddenly dropped over her head. She giggled as he ruffled her hair dry with the towel. He then pulled it from her head and wrapped it around her body, sweeping her off her feet. Squealing with laughter, Sre offered minimal resistance. He smiled at her, a most endearing boyish grin. He then dropped her onto the bed. She let out a small shriek, almost drowned by his deep amusement.
A knock at the door startled them both. Roscrow's head tilted sideways, an irritated glint in his eyes. But he turned and headed for the door. Sre drew the towel around herself a little tighter, praying it wasn't her master. Roscrow swung the door open, letting his broad shoulders relax when he saw it was his friend and lieutenant.
"Sorry to interupt, sir, but I thought I should let you know your dragon, in his infinite vigilance, has discovered Fire Flower had broken her restraints and fled into the woods. I have several of the men out looking now. I was going to get Beaut saddled up to scout for her."
Roscrow let out a thoughtful grumble. "She's probably laying her eggs. If you find her, be careful, Kelvin. Even the Ancient Tongue will have little effect on her if she's so desperate to protect her brood that she would break her bonds and slip away." Kelvin saluted to leave when Roscrow stopped him to add, "Do tell those two sluts that I'd like my breakfast in my room."
Kelvin grinned good naturedly. "You'd prefer their company?" His voice mocked his commander, indication of the deep friendship they had.
Grunting with ill temper of thinking of them, Roscrow growled. "I'd prefer them to that pig of a barkeep."
Kelvin's voice hushed so Sre could almost not hear him. "Beaut doesn't like him either. She's pretty hungry...."
Roscrow glared at his lieutenant. "You don't dare."
Kelvin shrugged, walking away from the conversation, but the barely contained smirk on his face told Roscrow he was only trying to pull strings. Shaking his head, Roscrow closed the door, turning back to Sre.
"Guess Fire Flower is laying her eggs. It's very late for a War dragon but a bit early for a Spindle." He strode over to the bed. She watched him as he sat on the edge of the bed, haunched over with his elbows on his knees. She drew a bit closer to him.
A dark marking on his neck caught her attention. "Um... what's that on your neck?" For a moment she cursed herself for being too bold, but Roscrow turned to look at her quizzically.
Touching the back of his neck, he smiled. "Oh, you mean my family crest." He turned to show it to her better. It was a tattoo in dark red ink that almost blended with his darker colored skin. Within a circle, a stylized War dragon sat proudly on its haunches, in one paw holding a sword, the other resting on a long shield. The shield had an eye on it. The dragon's mouth hung open, exposing its viscious teeth. "It's the crest of the alt Szizander family line. Legend has it we were the guardians, the sworn and sacred army of the original Dragon Tamers. Throughout our history, we pledged our unwavering loyalty to our lords, the Tamers. We would fight beside them in battle, give our lives for them. And then the Tamers began to die out. Soon, the uld Morthar family was wiped out. My mother gave her life for the last of them. But it was to no avail. He and his family simply vanished. His dragon, Granger's mother, was found poisoned. I wasn't old enough to pledge my life at the time, so I never even met him."
Sre gently touched his crest, tracing it. "I have one like it." Roscrow turned to look at her in surprise. Turning so her back was to him, she let the towel slide off. At the very lowest of her back was a black tattoo unlike any Roscrow had seen. Unlike most crests, it wasn't a simple cirlce that created the border. Instead, it was a dozen small dragons, each holding the tail of the one before it in its mouth. Within the circle of dragons, there was a single solid black dragon, wings spread in flight, tail whipping, uncontained by the border. In one outstretched paw was a deadly spear gun, the weapons used against dragons in battle. In the other was a shield. But what really made the crest strange was the black flame that spewed from the dragon's open maw. It ran up her spine a short way. Around the inside of the border were markings, an ancient and mostly dead language.
Roscrow reached out and traced the crest with his finger, making Sre shiver. She looked back at him. "Do you know it?"
"No." He continued to stare at it. "I hadn't seen it the last time."
"You weren't exactly paying attention." Sre tried to lighten his mood.
Glancing up at her, Roscrow offered a meek smile. "You've had this all your life?"
Nodding, Sre turned to look at him. "I often wonder about it. I don't know what the words mean."
"It's in the Ancient Tongue. It means 'Protect, Conquer, and Remain Pure.' Never seen anything like it. I don't know what family it's from. It may not even be from our side. Who knows, you might be a refugee from the Sadgos'Lak nation." He then reached out and caressed her cheek. "Which doesn't bother me. We get refugees all the time."
She thought about it. "I suppose. I don't remember a lot. I just know my father made a big deal of never dealing with the army. But he was always drunk. He finally died when I was 7. I don't even know my last name. It was like he made a point of never letting me find out. I don't remember my mother. He said she died not long after I was born. Some nights, he was so drunk he'd start screaming and swinging at imaginary things. I would hide in the closet or under the bed. But when he was sober, he would tell me that I had to stay hidden, I couldn't ever show anyone my crest. But that seems kind of mute now. I mean, you don't even know it."
A knock at the door interrupted Roscrow's train of thought. He stood again, heading for the door. Sre quickly covered herself with the blankets on the bed. When he opened the door, She could tell by how his muscles tensed that he was not pleased by what he saw.
"Oh, why hello, Commander, sir. I hope we aren't interrupting anything?" Sre gave an inward groan, Malissa's voice carrying into the room easily enough.
Roscrow took a step back, pointing to the table in the room. "Please put the food there." His voice was hard and sharp, his irritation made evident.
Malissa and Jerassa quickly entered, both glaring at Sre as they put the platters of food on the table. Jerassa then turned to Roscrow, her eyes hungrily following the lines of his powerful muscles to where they vanished under the towel he still wore wrapped around his waist. "You know, sir," she said in a hushed, seductive tone, "there's so much more we can offer you...."
Roscrow's black eyes narrowed. It stopped both women in their tracks. He pointed toward the door. "If you two do not leave, I shall have my soldiers remove you. They are not known for their courtesy or tenderness." Then, as a sardonic sidenote, he added, "And I hear the dragons are hungry."
In fear, they both rushed out the door, all but tripping over each other. Roscrow slammed the door behind them, a deep laugh breaking the tension. "Hopefully that will be the end of their irking me!"
Returning to the bed, Roscrow dragged the table over to them with hardly any effort. He poured a glass of juice for both of them. He offered Sre a sweet roll. Despite the fact that she knew she wasn't suppose to, she took the food with gratefulness. It had been a very long time since she'd had a good meal.
An uproar of the dragons made Roscrow curse. He stood and peered out the window. "Oh good, they found Fire Flower. She's not happy about us moving her eggs." He shrugged and came back to sit beside Sre.
"Aren't you going to go make sure no one gets hurt?" Again she hoped she wasn't too bold. But he just shrugged.
"They can handle it. Besides, I'm not much of a commander if I don't eat. And I don't benefit from breathing down the necks of my men. I trust them to be careful." He continued to eat.
"Is... is Granger the father?" Sre looked up at Roscrow with curiousity.
The commander smiled. "One of many broods he's sired. I often tell him he's a lucky bastard." Roscrow chuckled to himself.
"When will the eggs hatch?" Sre nibbled on another sweet roll, more interested in the dragons than the food.
"I'm not sure. For Spindles, they keep their eggs inside their bodies for almost a year, then the eggs hatch in a couple of days fully formed, minitures of their adult selves. But War Dragons only carry the eggs around for 2 months, then lay them and keep them safe for nearly 6 months. When they hatch, they are able to hunt small prey that their mothers bring to the nest alive, like bingku and razja, but not able to fly or really fend for themselves. So the eggs could hatch in a few days, or a few months. No one knows. When cross breeding, there's so many variables. I've heard of other cross breeding attempts, but most have ended in dead hatchlings or severe deformations." Then Roscrow stood, taking a bite of an apple. "One thing always remains the same, though: when they hatch, all baby dragons are starving."
He started to pull his clothing on, readying himself to go down and check on all the commotion. "You stay here. I'll be back in a little while. Duty calls." He leaned over and gave Sre a passionate kiss, long and deep, a promise for what he had planned for the evening. It left her squirming, wishing he didn't have to leave.
Once he was out the door, she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She hadn't gotten much sleep during the night. Maybe if she just took a nap while he was gone, she'd be rested enough for whatever he intended for them to do in the evening.
