Claws and Kisses

I woke up from the dream with a start.

Blood pounded through my ears, and my heart beated wildly in my chest. It took me a moment to realize where I was. Who I was. The cave around me closed in, stealing the breath from my lungs. It no longer felt like safety, but a reminder. A reminder of the boy that I had run away from all those years ago. A boy who had loved and protected me until he had shown me the darker side of himself. The dragon, not the human.

Traitor. The word was a crescendo in my head as I grabbed my bag and bolted from the cave. The sun was only just rising, and the sky was painted in a beautiful array of purples and pinks. The rolling green hills spread out beyond, leading to one towering mountain in the distance.

Avel’s Dragon Horde lies there.

The journey there would have been easier with a horse, but I did not want to draw any unneeded attention to myself. The bag on my back grew heavier and heavier as I walked, sticking under the shelter of the forest and crossing rivers with my boots tucked under one arm. The sun rose and climbed until it was in the center of the sky, and the air grew warm with summer’s heat. Soon, it would be autumn, and the wind would grow cold with the coming winter.

The image of winters spent rolling in the snow with dragon’s wings curled around my body flashed across my mind, and I quickly pushed it away. It would do no good to think of the good times I had with my childhood hero. All I needed to focus on now was getting to Rhett and getting him out of there.

From what I could remember from my one trip to the Horde, there had been numerous holes in the mountain. If I slipped in through one of those, I could surely find my way to Rhett and the others. They would most likely be in the dungeons that I had encountered all those years ago, in the lower sections on the mountain. I would sneak in, find Rhett, and get out of there as quick as possible.

My purple bracelets glinted in the sun, and I glared down at them. One day, I thought. One day I’ll pry these cuffs off and be free of him.

Two days flew by, filled with heavy breaths and lots of breaks. The trees only provided so much shade from the sweltering heat of the sun, and sweat seemed to drip down every crack and crevice of my body. All too soon, the mountain rose up, and I was standing before the Horde’s location.

I practically ran to where one of the hills dipped down to meet the base of the mountain. I was scared out of my mind, thinking that a dragon would spot me from within and spray me with a fine mist of red fire. But no dragon flew over head as I crouched beneath one of the holes. No fire burnt me to a crisp as I peeked my head inside.

It was odd for there to be so many entrances into the mountain without any guards around. Then again, what human would be crazy enough to try to go into a cave full of sharp-taloned dragons with a nasty bite? Yes, I thought. Only you. When you die horribly while trying to save your twin from a lusty female dragon who just happened to kill your foster parents, please note that you were the one to make that horrible decision.

Bakari and Mame Baya’s face shone in the back of my mind. Their bodies burned and reduced to nothing but a smoldering pile of ashes. For a second, I forgot how reckless it was. How dangerous dragons could be. There was only a bitter, fierce longing for the family that I had lost. And rage. So much rage spurring within my chest that my vision blackened with dots. I could only see them and Rhett and the others who were lost.

I’ll kill her, I promised myself. If I see her, I’ll stab her in the heart.

Shaking with fear and anger now, I peeked into the hole near the base. It was much lower in the mountain than the others, and would hopefully be closer to the entrance of the dungeons. If the humans and Rhett were anywhere, they would be there. No dragons stood near the entrance. Only tapestries and a large entrance greeted me.

I hefted my bag higher on my shoulder before climbing in. The ceiling hung low, and the walls were paved with smooth cobblestone plating. Elaborate drawings were carved into the walls, scattered every few dozen feet. There was no text along with them, but the majority of them were easy to make out. Older, wiser dragons teaching the young how to fly and breathe fire. Dragon lovers entangling in each other’s embrace. Riches and gold piled in heaps around the strongest of their kind. They all painted the beasts in glorious, ostentatious lighting.

However, the farther the drawings moved along the wall, the more gruesome they got. Drawings of the war and blood coated the halls. Carvings of human slaves crumbling under the cruelty of their masters. Men and women forced to be playthings for the entertainment of the dragons. Children weeping for their loved ones—

I turned away then, horrified. Avel had never let me study the carvings long, and now I knew why. He did not want me to see the way his kind reveled in the shameful degrading of my species. I did not know whether I hated him or was grateful for what he had done.

Inside the mountain was a maze of twisting hallways and lavish rooms. Doors crept open to reveal lavish furniture and food. Thankfully, no dragons lurked anywhere near, and I was saved from having to dive behind one of the many alcoves lining the halls.

All to soon however, as I was searching for the red door that I knew would lead me to the humans, two feminine voices drifted through the inner workings of the mountain. I slid behind a large statue of a dragon in his human form, smiling with his fangs and claws out. The two she-dragons meandered closer, none the wiser to the spot in which I hid.

“ . . . still angry about the mishap with Valentina all those months ago.” One of the ladies said in a haughty tone. From where I stood hidden, I could make out the two women approaching. The girl who had just spoken was dressed in purple, while the other wore pink. There clothes were unlike what most human women wore—theirs were made of tulle. Light and feathery. More skin showed, and both of their dresses were cut so that there was an open slit in the center of their gowns, leaving their midriffs bare. My cheeks reddened at the thought of walking around with my stomach so openly displayed.

“Valentina may be a bitch, but she knew exactly what she was doing,” the she-dragon in pink replied, tittering a laugh. “She has been drooling over Avel for years. You really think that she was going to bring back his amare? I don’t think so.”

The purple dragon clicked her tongue. “If she wasn’t the daughter of that Western duke, I think his Lordship might have kicked her out by now.”

Her friend hummed in agreement. “I’m surprised that he even let her keep the boy.” She laughed loudly then, her voice high and sharp. “Poor bastard looks like a kicked puppy half the time. Valentina surely would have gotten rid of him by now if he weren’t so damn sexy.”

They kept on prattling as they walked right by me, disappearing down another hallway. I stayed where I was for a moment, lost in a daze. Avel. They had been talking about Avel. Something uneasy had stirred in the pit of my stomach when they had mentioned another woman drooling over him. A weird spasm gripped my fingers then, as I clenched them uncontrollably. I waited for the motion to stop before sliding away from the alcove and continuing farther into the mountain.

Besides the women, I ran into almost no one else. A servant or two would pop up here or there, but it was easy enough to avoid them. I could only assume that most of the dragons and human slaves were upstairs, near the top of the fortress. The thought of Avel being so close sent shivers up my spine, and I had to push any emotions of him down.

Then—I spotted it. The red door. It was exactly as I remembered it. Crimson red. Big. Ominous. I crept toward it, and gently pushed it open.

I was surprised to see there was almost no one in here, slaves or otherwise. A few humans rested on the cold hard floors behind their cages, sleeping in tensed positions. It seemed that the ones here were either injured, sick, or just taking a break from their work. One familiar dark-headed girl with coconut skin and amber eyes greeted me.

“Lily!” I whisper-yelled, running to the doors of her cage.

She was up and sliding her arms through the bars in an instant, catching me in an awkward but affectionate hug. “Wendy!” She sobbed, tears running down her dirty cheeks. “What are you doing here?”

I leaned away to smile wide at her. “Why, I’ve come for you and Rhett and the others.” My head swiveled, seeking out my brother. “Where is he? And the rest?”

“Oh, Wendy.” She shook her head with a sad, bitter smile that seemed out of place on her face. “You are in over your head, darling. You need to leave. Get out of here before they put you behind bars like the rest of us.”

Another man in another time had once said words like hers to me. I want you to run, kid. As fast as you can. Get out of this mountain and away from here before he puts you behind bars too.

“I can’t leave,” I breathed, shaking my head with force and wrapping my fingers around the metal poles that separated us. “Not until I find Rhett and get him out of here. Get you all out of here.”

But Lily wasn’t listening. Her eyes were hollow and looking somewhere in the distance. “Oh, Wendy.” Another tear wobbled on the tip of her eyelash, hesitating once before falling. “You’ve always thought you could change the world.” Her eyes flickered, fastening on me. “I love you for that. Truly.”

Snatching one of her hands in mine, I gently squeezed, grabbing her attention. “Listen to me, Lily. I need to get to Rhett. He can help me get the rest of you out. I just need to find him first. Do you know where he is?”

She was already shaking her head. “He got the worse lot of all of us, Wendy. That . . . that monster woman took him. Made him into her personal slave. She strips him practically naked everyday and parades him behind her on a leash. He’s tried to fight back, but she just knocks him down every time he tries to get back up. Oh, Wendy. She’s just horrible.”

My brows furrowed. “Who, Lily? Who took him?”

Lily’s back hunched, as if she could no longer stand to hold the weight of the truth that burdened her. It was then that I noticed how thin and gaunt her body appeared, and how her clothes practically hung off of her. Anger, fresh and anew, flowed through me. It only heightened with her words.

“The she-dragon who burned our village,” she whispered, crying now. “She-she killed my parents. Killed my whole family. She only took the children and the strong. Slaughtered everyone else.”

“Her name,” I pressed. “What’s her name?”

Lily shuddered. “Valentina,” she said. “Her name is Valentina. She’s the one who has Rhett. Upstairs, in her private rooms. They spend most of the day there before attending the dinners and parties at night.”

My jaw locked, and I quickly made a decision. “Thank you, Lily.” I placed a quick peck on her worn hands and let go. “I’ll be back for you. I promise.”

“Wendy, don’t!” Lily practically went feral, her hands gripping the bars as her eyes widened with fear. “You’ll get caught! They’ll kill you! Wendy, please!”

“Goodbye, Lily.” I shot her one last glance before slipping out the red door, the screams of my friend following me down the hall and to the next. Mentally outlining a plan for getting up the top of the mountain and finding Rhett, I kept my promise close. I’ll get her out, I thought. I know I will.

Hopefully.