Spoiler
Chapter 4 (Yeah I know they're all being posted so fast but i have 10 chapters on my computer that need posting!)
A sharp slap brought Sre back to her dismal reality. She looked up into the ugly red face of her master. Twisted in rage, Jeboc glowered down at her. "Sometimes I think ye enjoy yer beatings, wench!" He started to pull his belt out, readying to beat her.
Sre raised her hands, cringing in fear. "I'm sorry! Please, master, I won't... AH!" She let out a cry of pain when the belt left a stinging welt on her shoulder.
Jeboc pulled the belt back to strike her again... but there was no belt. Surprised, Jeboc turned. He had only a heartbeat to contemplate his miserable life, not even able to scream when he saw the hatred in piercing copper eyes, perfectly white teeth flashing in the morning sun.
Sre couldn't move, her eyes wide in disbelief. The tiny growls of the baby dragon continued even though Jeboc moved no more, his little tail whipping about in rage. He stared at Jeboc's wide, unblinking eyes, his little growls quieting as he realized that the thing was dead. He didn't know what it was he had killed, all he knew was that his mother had been scared. He knew only that he had to protect.
Finally, Sre snapped out of her trance. She had to get out of here. She had to run away, get away from this place. She didn't care to know what would happen to herself or the baby dragon if they were discovered like this. They had to escape together. Now that the baby was born, there was no way she was leaving him alone.
"C'mon, baby," Sre whispered loudly. The hatchling looked up at her in confusion. But he didn't hesitate to chase after his mother as she vanished around the corner, running for the woods. He bounded after her, his legs short and stubby, making him trip a few times. He finally caught up to Sre, letting out a piercing cry of "Ah-Ah!"
Whipping around, Sre clamped his muzzle shut. "Please! Be quiet! Wait until we're gone from here!" The urgency in her voice made him fall silent. As she pressed further into the woods, the hatchling heard the voice of another one like his mother. Curious, he took a step toward the new voice, seeing another human female. But this one he could sense was scared of him. She screamed, backing away. Cocking his head, he let out another "Ah-Ah!" and turned to follow his mother into the woods.
Together, they ran as fast as Sre could. After just a short distance, she had to stop to catch her breath. Yet again, the baby dragon let out a piercing, "Ah-Ah!" before tucking his head under her hand. Smiling, Sre suddenly found that funny. She giggled between her pants. "That is so cute. C'mon, baby, let's keep going."
Grumbling, the baby dragon followed after her. They walked through the woods, stopping only when Sre's feet were too full of splinters for her to continue. Stopping abruptly, she didn't notice the baby dragon had been nearly touching her leg with his nose. When she stopped, he continued, his thick skull protecting him from the impact with her calf. She toppled over with a shriek, the dragon suddenly panicked and trying desperately to get out from under her.
After half a moment of scrambling and flailing about, they managed to untangle themselves from one another. Sre had to guffaw at the whole ordeal, and the massively wide stupifid eyes of the dragon at hearing her laughter which threw her into a deeper fit of giggles. She reached out, petting the hatchling. Somehow, that calmed him down. He cocked is head in curiousity at her, his maw opening and closing, little squeals and sounds emerging, as if he was trying to mimick her. Again Sre laughed, petting him. "You are the cutest little thing I've ever seen."
Sitting down, Sre looked at her feet. They were torn up running on the sharp needles and forest debris. She carefully pulled out the splinters. But she knew they had to continue. Despite her pain, she stood, continuing their journey. As they walked, her last dream seemed so distant. And yet it had been so profound. The words rang in her ears. She thought back to what Roscrow had told her the crest on her back said. "Protect, Conquer, and Remain Pure." Here she was, conquering her fear to protect the little baby dragon. As for the last part, she didn't understand.
Night began to fall. Too dark for her to see, Sre stopped, plopping down next to a large gnarled tree. She let out a sigh. Who was she kidding? She didn't know how to build a fire. She didn't know how to hunt. Both she and the dragon were hungry. He leapt after the glowing bugs that twinkled in the evening air, flapping his tiny wings as hard as he could, his jaws clicking together. His wings were nothing but stubs at the moment. Eventually they would grow to three times his length.
As the night sounds began to prick at Sre and the cold air made her shiver, she curled up into the roots of the tree, watching the hatchling chase and pounce the bugs. She had expected to be a slave until the war was over, and then maybe Roscrow would keep his promise and come back for her, pay her debt to Jeboc and sweep her away on his massive dragon. Instead, fate had intervined into her fantasy and thrust this tiny, helpless creature into her care. In return for her kindness, the baby dragon had done what she had wished for Roscrow to do. In one unbelievable moment, she had been set free.
Her hand slipped up to her collar. Well, not totally free. Should anyone see that collar, they would know her to be a slave. And if her previous master was dead, she was up for grabs by anyone who so fancied to enslave her again. Now that she was free, she would never go back to that life. No matter what, she would rather die than be a slave ever again.
Startled, she felt the hatchling prodding her with his soft equine nose. She looked up at him. Her arms wrapped around his short neck, holding him close much to his surprise. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry I brought you out here. I wish I was better, I wish I was stronger. I can't feed you. I can't even feed myself!"
Feeling her despair, the hatchling trilled soothingly. He offered her cheek a gentle lick. Looking at him, she forced a smile, but it didn't fool him. He let out a shrill honk, flapping his stub wings, his eyes so much like his father's, penetrating and fiercely protective, so full of an indescribible love and trust.
With a powerful bounding leap, the hatchling tore from Sre's grasp and scrabled over the roots of the tree, sprinting after a quick little shadow. Sre gasped, curling closer to the root when she heard the dragon let out a high pitched squeal, heard his tiny little gorwls, another animal obviously giving him grief out there in the dark bushes. The sounds of struggle came to an abrupt end at a loud crack. Shivering, Sre barely breathed. What if it was a larger predator? Ancient human instincts pricked every hair along her neck.
She shrieked in surprise when a mangled body was dropped in front of her. The baby dragon peered down at her, his muzzle covered in blood. "Ah-Ah!" he cried, hopping down off the root. He sat before his kill with immense pride. He looked up at his mother, waiting for her approval. The slow smile of relief crept over her face. She took the hatchling's face into her hands, touching her forehead to his. "How could I have ever doubted? You are the most amazing thing to ever happen in my life." She kissed his nose.
Although eating raw meat was not something she enjoyed, it was better than nothing. At least it would give her energy to continue their journey in the morning. And when that mroning came, they were already back to the walking, moving further and further from the town Sre had grown up in. She didn't care where they went, as long as it was away from there. And anywhere she went, the hatchling followed suit, bounding after her, chasing bugs and various other forest life.
The days seemed to blur together, their travels taking them through the thick forest. They came to a river, which Sre didn't mind wading through. Though it was cold, it helped soothe her aching feet. She used a smooth river stone to scrub at her skin, getting all the dirt off. She cleaned her raggy dress, the only clothing she had. One of the straps had torn, so she had to tie them together.
Past the river, they continued along, the days becoming weeks. The hatchling was growing at an alarming speed. Already, he was at her hip, his wings almost as long as his arms. His neck had lengthened, thinner and longer than a normal War dragon. His crest was starting to grow in, the spines that lined the crest poking out, their sharp points offering his skull protection. Unlike his father, a row of thin spikes began to protrude along his neck, making it impossible to pet him. The double fangs of the War dragon became more and more pronounced every time she saw him yawn. His face elongated, not staying the short thick jaw of the War. His copper eyes sat only slightly further apart, offering him a greater range of sight. The purple stripes along his back became more vivd, reminding Sre of the brandings of his mother. His paws changed, looking more and more like hands. His scales hardened, clicking together, never growing that layer of fuzz as she remembered the other War dragons had. But it seemed he didn't need that extra warmth. The older he got, the more heat he seemed to produce.
Sre didn't understand the extra heat, but was thankful for it as the nights grew colder and colder. Winter would set upon them soon enough. They had traveled for nearly a month, and still nothing as far as a town or shelter. They found themselves on a long, calm stretch of soft sand, the ocean waves lapping up the beach in steady pulses.
Sre laughed as she watched the hatchling bark at the waves, then gallope away in fear as they moved up the beach. To show him the water was harmless, Sre went down to where the waves could lap gently at her feet. The hatchling gave a panicked "Ah-Ah!" when he saw the water engulf her feet. But when it pulled away, her feet were still there. Curiously, the hatchling moved toward her. She just smiled and continued walking through the surf, giggling as he realized it was the most amazing thing ever! He went galloping through the water, chasing the sprays he threw up. He chased the seaweed, the birds that screamed at him, and even the foam as the water drew away.
When evening began to fall, Sre headed back in the woods. With the sounds of ocean far away, she flopped to the ground. Exhausted with his day of play, the baby also collapsed. Sre started gathering some leaves together to make a bed when the world exploded into flame. Leaping back with a scream, Sre realized that the baby dragon had sneezed. A number of leaves had caught fire. Thinking fast, Sre gathered them up and added more, along with some twigs. She soon enough had a decent little fire burning steadily. She swept away any other leaves to assure it didn't spread.
Grinning to herself, she turned to look at her baby dragon. He had a finger stuck knuckle deep in a nostril, trying to rid himself of whatever it was that was annoying his sensitive sinuses. Guffawing, Sre couldn't help but leaning over and kissing her dragon on the head. He peered up her in surprise, not sure what had earned him her approval. "It's like you're my hero! How lucky can I be to have a fire breathing dragon?" She giggled as she sat by the warm fire.
The baby curled up beside her, trilling softly in contentment. Despite her aching feet, her lack of clothing, the heavy collar around her neck, and her rumbling tummy, she couldn't remember a time she was happier than right now, looking down on the baby dragon. She was his whole world, his everything. And she was quickly finding that she felt the same way about him.
Laying beside him, she found that her slumber was peaceful, even the fiery little black coal that sat at her feet offered her a sense of calm. Before, she had never understood the meaning of this dream. But now, she knew the coal for what it was. She reached down and held it against her bossom, cradling it as it grew and changed and its copper eyes pierced her, staring more deeply into her than anything ever had. A pure, shining string floated between them, the string connecting her heart to the flaming black beast.
A sharp prod brought her out of her dream suddenly. She squirmed, not quite awake. Opening her eyes, all hint of sleep left her in an instant. She looked around her in panic. Three men stood around her, their garb making them hunters. They grinned at the look on her face.
"Well, well, what've we here? A run away!" The tallest one by her feet used the end of his long bow to push her torn dress up her thighs. She sat up, trying to keep herself covered, which made him chuckle.
"I wonder how much of a reward we can get for her?" The youngest of them rubbed his hands together, thinking of money.
"I really don't care to drag her into town. I'd much rather just enjoy her right out here." The tall one squatted down, reaching out to pull a strap of her dress off her shoulder. She cringed from his hand, backing away, only to bump into the hunter with the blonde hair. He reached down and took and handful of her hair, jerking her head back.
"Please, please leave me alone!" She whimpered when the blonde haired one jerked her head back further, leaving her open and helpless to the exploring hands of the tall one. With a desperate cry, determined never to be used again, Sre kicked out, thrashing madly.
The tall one struggled with her, trying to hold onto her as she thrashed. He pulled out a knife, holding it against her throat. "Hold still, bitch! The more you struggle the worse it'll be!"
She felt tears in her eyes as his hands touched her, violating her. In one last attempt to escape, she let out a shriek, her legs trying to kick the man off her. He was about to curse her when it seemed like the whole world had caught fire. The deafening sound muted the terrified cries.
Before Sre's eyes, the baby dragon lunged through the fire of his own making, the flames licking up around him, catching on the dried seaweed that hung on him. His fangs flashed, sinking into the throat of the first hunter. The other two screamed, turning to flee. The baby dragon let out a crackling roar, his voice still too high pitched and young.
The seaweed burned harmlessly on his thick hard scales, drifting to the ground. Looking around them, Sre knew they had to get away as the fire spread, the black smoke causing her to cough. She waved to the hatchling, motioning for him to follow her for her throat was already too hoarse to talk. Together they ran into the woods, moving as fast as they could. Luckily, they were able to run upwind, watching the fire spread too fast for anyone downwind to escape.
Making their way up a ridge, Sre liked to pretend she could hear the other two hunters scream as they were consumed by her dragon's fire. Kneeling down, Sre held her dragon's head in her hands, touching her forehead to his. She felt tears of joy and relief in her eyes as she rocked back and forth. "You are my hero. My little fiery hero. My Hero."
She kissed his head before continuing on over the hill into a new expanse of forest.
******************************************************************
In the morning, they came across a small stream. Her skin crawling from the day before, Sre pulled off her dress and used a smooth stone to scrub her skin, trying to remove the sensation of the hunters' touch from her flesh. Downstream, Hero swiped at the bugs that skimmed the surface of the calmer pools, growling in frustration that he couldn't seem to catch a single one.
With a final, angry snort, Hero opened his mouth and spewed a cloud of fire over the surface of the water. With a cry, Sre reached out and fearlessly clamped his mouth shut. "Hero! Just because you can breathe fire doesn't mean you gotta burn everything you don't like!" She made her dragon look in her eyes. "You gotta learn how to use it wisely. If you go around burning everything, there won't be anything left to play with." She patted his head when he let out a whimper, thinking he had somehow upsetted his mother. She went back to cleaning herself off.
"Been a long time since I've seen a naked woman." Sre jumped, her head whipping around at the sound of very frail voice. An elderly man stood at the top of the stream bank looking down at her. He was so old that he leaned heavily on his thick walking staff. His grey eyes were nearly lost beneath his wrinkles. He wore a very simple brown robe.
Hero suddenly snarled, bounding up the bank. Before Sre could say anything, she heard the old man speak a word, something timeless and magical. With a groan, Hero collapsed to the ground, but he continued to snarl, his eyes promising death to the old man.
Slowly, the old man hobbled down the bank toward Sre. Desperately, Sre gathered up her dress, holding it against her naked body. "Come, come, child, I have seen more than enough naked women in my time." The old man waved his hand to Sre, motioning her closer. As she hesitantly approached, the old man shrugged his robe off, gently laying it around Sre's shoulders. "Come along, child. No sense in you catching your death out here. Your friend can come, too, if he behaves." He turned Sre up toward the bank, hobbling along beside her. He had to pause to tuck his long tunic through the belt of his trousers. "Oh my, so rude of me. So rude. I'm normally much better dressed in the presence of a Lady of the Crest. Do forgive an old man."
Sre smiled shyly, not sure what the old man was talking about. He turned to Hero, waving his hand with a word in that language he had used to keep him on the ground. Like a spring Hero leapt to his paws, snarling. Sre cast him a glare. This man was so old he was hardly a threat, even Sre could have broken him in half if she needed to. Slowly, Hero calmed down, feeling the disapproval of his mother. With a grumble, he followed, staying close to Sre's side.
"Such a lovely little one, you have there, m'lady. Lovely indeed. Very fitting for one such as yourself." The old man rambled on, leading her gently through the woods.
"Do... do you know about dragons?" Sre asked him hesitantly.
"Oh, yes! Oh, I had a beauty, myself, I did! She was my angel of death, my whole world. We flew the skies for years, we did. Until the Masters cast us out, they did." He sounded a bit bitter about that. "Ah, here we are. Come, come, child, come inside by the fire. Sit here, let me make you some tea to warm you up. Do forgive the mess, I have not had any visitors in a long while." The old man got busy clanging and bumping around as he got to making a kettle of tea.
"Why... why did they cast you out, sir?" Sre hoped he wouldn't be angry by her asking, but it seemed odd to her for the army to cast out anyone.
"Crazy, they said! Said I was crazy! Yes, yes, said I'd gone mad. But I knew, I knew, I always knew. I told them, the Masters. They said I was crazy, told me to stay quiet! But no, I wouldn't! So they took my Angel from me. Took her and cast me out. Said they would keep her safe, but she killed herself. Strangled herself on her own chains." He paused a moment, his eyes distant.
Sre sat quietly. Obviously the pain of his dragon's loss was still strong. Even now Sre couldn't imagine losing Hero. She couldn't think of anything more horrible. It wasn't like losing a pet, or even a loved one or family member. It was like losing a piece of one's soul. Hero looked up at her, feeling her sadness. He tucked his head under her hand with softly muttered, "Ah-Ah."
That seemed to break the old man from his trance. He let out a chuckle. "Must have gotten him very young, very young indeed. They don't say that to people. My Angel said that, though. She would call me that."
The kettle began to whistle. Hero's scales clicked in alarm at the sound. Sre patted his head to calm him. "It's alright, Hero. It won't hurt you."
"Hero, eh? Good name. Excellent name! I'm certain it will define his life." The old man babbled as he poured the steaming water into two cups, dipping a small metal ball with pungent herbs into the water, leaving the concoction to seep. He was about to sit in the chair on the oppsoite side of the small table when he suddenly stood back up. "Oh, forgive, m'lady, my manners have slipped! I forgot the most important thing!" Holding tightly to his staff, the old man bowed. "Jermin vlad Plostadin, at your service, m'lady."
"Um, Sre, sir. You-you were saying you knew something? And they called you crazy. Why would they call you crazy?" Something told Sre she had to know.
"Oh, the assassinations! Yes, yes, Masters said I was crazy to think Tamers would kill Tamers. Thought I was nuts! Crazy, crazy, crazy...." He mumbled, seemingly lost in thought suddenly.
"Tamers killing Tamers, sir?"
"Hmm? Oh yes! Greed drives the human heart in these days. Evil lives in the heart of the Masters. But this you know. You know, it's why you're out here. You and Hero, to get away from the killers, hiding amongst them!" Jermin suddenly started to cough.
"What do you mean? I don't know anything about this. I don't even know my last name.... Sir? Sir? Are you alright?"
Sre had never seen a seizure before. Hero leapt back, his eyes wide. Going to the old man's side, Sre tried to help, tried to hold his head steady to stop him from hitting it on the floor. After a few terrifying moments, the old man's thrashing ceased. His eyes stared straight up, rapidly glassing over. "Morthar." The word carried itself on his last breath.
Shaking, Sre backed away from his dead body. She thought of leaving this place. She didn't want to be where someone had died before her eyes. But looking around, she had to admit that this was probably the best place she could be. Winter was closing in fast and she needed shelter. Somehow, the longer she stood there thinking about it, the more plausible it seemed to her.
With as much respect and care as she could manage, Sre dragged the old man's body out into the woods. He wasn't very heavy. He had probably been dying for a very long time, being skin and bone as he was. Finding a shovel, Sre dug a shallow grave. She laid him in with care, folding his arms. After a brief prayer for his blessings to live in his house, she buried him, and headed back to the house.
Hero had already decided that the house was his. She found him curled up on the bed. Sighing, Sre left him and went about the morbid chore of going through the old man's belongings. There wasn't much. She hoped to find something about what he had said, why he had called her a Lady of the Crest. But his sparse belongings were very simple, only for survival.
Slowly, the sun began to set. Sre had finally cleaned the house up to how she wanted it, sweeping the floor and using her old dress as a rag to dust all the empty shelves. There was a small shed on the side of the house where wood was kept. There wasn't much, only a few dozen logs left. Tossing a couple of logs in the fireplace, Sre found some jerky and filled her belly, offering some to Hero. Curling up with her dragon on the small bed, Sre fell into dreamless sleep.
