The Dragon's Distrust (2 page)

Stephan seemed to read her mind, “He
will understand.”

“But I don’t even
understand.”

“You will in time. This situation is
rare and special.”

She scoffed, “I don’t think ‘special’
is the word to use.” She added a snarky “my Lord”.

“It is exactly the word to use. What
you will be able to do for us, is a marvel. We will never be able
to repay you so allow us to love you in more than just one way.
Allow us to protect you, provide for you, and become your friend.
Let us be your family.”

Family. The very word sent chills down
Tania’s spine. Family was never what she hoped it would be—abuse,
loss…she could live without family.

Tania shook her head, “No, thank you. I
don’t want a family.”

Stephan held both her hands
in his, “This will be a real family. You will not have to fear or
worry with us. This will not be at all like what you had at the
Keep…But I can see you will not be changing your mind anytime soon.
So, I will wait.
We
will wait. The dragons will wait for you. You are a part of us
now and we will not let you go.”

He kissed the back of her hand and
stood up. It would have been a beautiful moment, but when he rose,
his manhood was in plain sight, in direct line with Tania’s eyes.
She quickly looked away. If she was going to be part of this odd
family, she would order them to wear clothes. A wicked little part
of her thought that would be a shame to cover up their naughty
bits.

Chapter 2

The roaring crowd cheered. Stacked like
layers of a cake, they jumped and hooted around the Arena. There
was to be a dragon slaying today! They stomped their bare feet,
chomped their crooked teeth, and made ready to mock the dragon
without mercy.

People from across the Desolate Plains,
the North, the South, and the East poured in. Dragons had become so
rare that such an event was once in a lifetime. Elves slunk in the
shadows, their pointed ears were the only aspect that separated
them from humans so they kept cloaked and hidden. If humans were
hunting dragons, then the elves could be left in peace. Humans and
Elves did not bandy together. In fact, in several outlying
villages, elves were slain on sight. So, for once, they could enjoy
the spectacle instead of being the centerpiece.

Aristo’s insides trembled. The crowd
would have a day to toss rotten vegetables and trash at him. Then,
at midnight, the Dragon Slayers would enter and they would remove
his head. He was not eager to see midnight. Usually, the Moon
Dragon loved the night, but not this night.

He had tried to discover a way out of
the chains but to no avail. King Polas had locked him up tight. He
wasn’t going anywhere without help. He normally put a great deal of
faith in Stephan and the other dragons, but he had a feeling they
would not be present when he needed them the most. He did not blame
them—how could they possibly know where he would be?

A mushy ball of cabbage slammed into
the side of his face. He quickly snarled at the woman who had
thrown it. She was ordinary looking—brown hair, dirty face,
calloused hands from too much work—but there was something familiar
about her. Aristo realized her eyes looked just like Tania’s. On
that sour note, he frowned and allowed more refuse to smash into
his head, chest, and back. For some strange reason, the villagers
didn’t dare aim for his legs.

Aristo had always hated humans but it
was Tania who had changed his mind. He loved her. There was no
doubt about it. Tania wasn’t like other humans. She was special,
beautiful, smart, and unbiased. She had come to him with a little
bit of fear but a great deal of curiosity. She could have left him
in the dungeon to rot or die from his wounds. Instead, she had
freed him. As another head of lettuce plastered itself on his
cheek, he knew she was the only human who did not hate
dragons.

A small boy with matted blonde hair and
dirt caked into his ears came close. He slapped Aristo’s chin and
laughed. Aristo snapped his teeth and the boy ran for cover. Even
the small humans had been swayed by King Polas’ hatred. Hatred was
contagious, he knew. It was a vicious cycle that could only be
broken by love and because Polas would never love a dragon, the
cycle would live on through those he had taught.

“Oy!” a guard rushed toward him,
brandishing a sharp spear and thrusting it in Aristo’s face, “Don’t
hurt the patrons!”

“Or what?” Aristo said, glaring at the
guard. He tried to get a good look at the guard, but the man was
covered from head to toe in shining, cracked armor.

“Or you’ll find your face in a worse
state,” the guard replied. His voice was gravelly as if he chewed
on rocks for food. Noticing the poverty that surrounded him, Aristo
assumed it was probably true.

Aristo scoffed. His face was already
black and blue, what other color could the man add? “Do your
worst.” He spoke the dragon motto loudly for all to hear. His gaze
landed on each of the villagers, making sure they quivered under
his stare. And quiver they did. As his glower found them, they
hastily stepped back, shoving each other just in case the chains
weren’t tight enough, just in case the dragon tore loose and burned
them all into a blackened crisp.

Aristo chuckled at the thought. Burning
to death was less than these monsters deserved. They had come here
to watch him die because they believed his death was necessary.
Worse, they believed his death was entertaining.

As the crowd backed further away, a man
came into view. Aristo recognized him at once. The bright red hair
and pale skin had brought him to the Arena. It was Tania’s brother,
Brynt. It was truly a wonder how Tania came from such an evil
family. Shouldn’t she be just as wicked? Apples rarely fell far
from the tree…

Brynt carried his battered helm under
his arm and came close to Aristo, close enough to breathe down his
neck, “I need to ask you a few questions, dragon.” His voice was
steady even as a sharp tone of fear ran through the
words.

“Why do you think I will
answer?”

“Because I hold the key to your
salvation.”

Aristo raised his eyebrow and looked
Brynt square in the face, “Then ask.”

“Do you know my sister,
Tania?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“How do you know her?”

Aristo wasn’t planning on being kind
toward Brynt. Always the agitator he responded, “I know how she
screams when I plunge deep inside.”

“You bastard!” Brynt smacked his face
and split Aristo’s lower lip, “Did you rape my sister?”

Aristo laughed at that, “What sort of
monster do you think I am?”

“The very worst kind. Now, answer the
question.”

“Of course not.”

“Then why seduce her?”

“I love her.”

“How? Why? She met you in a dungeon and
suddenly you’re in love?”

Aristo managed to shrug, rattling the
chains, “These things have been known to happen. Didn’t your nanny
ever read you bedtime stories?”

Brynt sighed, “I don’t understand.
There must be more to this.”

Aristo kept his mouth shut. He would
not tell his enemy that Tania was the Dragon Mother and that she
alone would be the dragon legacy. If he did, Brynt would probably
hunt Tania for all the wrong reasons—he would want to kill her so
that no new dragons would be born.

In order to keep Tania safe, Aristo
would have to keep a secret.

“Remember, dragon, I can help you
escape your fate. Tell me everything you know.”

“Well, my brother insists I know
nothing. You should believe what he says.”

Brynt harrumphed and tapped his foot,
“I know you can handle torture so I won’t bother, especially not in
front of the locals, but if you love my sister, if you don’t wish
to break her heart with your death, then you should tell me what
you know.”

Aristo nodded, “Very well. I know I am
a sexy beast.”

Brynt sighed and his shoulders drooped,
“First my father won’t tell me all and now you. It seems I am the
only one who does not understand what is happening around
me.”

Aristo shrugged, “Sorry I can’t help
you, Sir Knight.” He spat the last words as if they were
poison.

“Ugh. Dragons. You’re like a plague of
rats. What does my sister see in you?”

At this statement, Aristo spoke softly.
Brynt had to lean closer to better hear him, “Humanity. You and
your father are lacking.”

“Don’t speak to me of humanity, filth!
You and your kind would see us all slaughtered!”

“As would you and yours! Think about
what you’re saying. There are only a handful of my kind left
because of your hatred. Who is the bigger monster? The monster, or
the monster slaying the monster?”

“We are not the monsters here. That
role falls to you. When I was a young lad, there weren’t any
stories of heroic dragons who rescued the princess and saved the
world. That part was played by a Knight. Why do you think there
aren’t any stories told of your kind in a positive
light?”

“Because your kind wouldn’t dare speak
them for fear of beheading. Polas does enjoy watching heads
roll.”

Brynt shifted his helm to his other arm
and stood up taller, “Shows what you know.”

Aristo raised his eyebrow,
“Faced with the truth and still you cannot see. Why do you think
Tania has chosen us
monsters
over you?”

Brynt pursed his lips and shook his
head. The conversation was over. He turned on his heel and left
Aristo to the torment of the crowd once more. This time, however,
the throng of people kept their distance. Those with good arms
threw the refuse but the weaker merely gaped in complete and utter
fear.

Aristo rattled his chains and hoped he
had planted a seed of discord between Brynt and his father. Then
again, Aristo knew his strong suit was not manipulation of
man.

He hung his head and stared at the
dusty ground where nothing grew. He wished he could touch Tania one
more time. Just holding her hand would make his death so much
easier. He wished he could say goodbye or tell her what she meant
to him. She had saved him from a lonely fate and saved him from
himself.

Aristo whispered her name aloud and
hoped his voice would be heard on the wind.

Chapter 3

Tania shivered. She had the strangest
feeling, as if someone needed her, as if someone was calling for
her. A swift breeze danced in her tangled, dark hair and she
shivered once more. She rubbed the chill bumps on her arms and
edged closer to the fire. Sparks snapped at her ankles and crawled
back into the cold.

Stephan was still rambling about the
safety of the prisoners they had rescued. He hadn’t decided what to
do with them. Until he decided, all of them would remain in the
clearing. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, “We could bring them to
the village healer—just drop them off, knock on the door, and fly
away. They would be taken care of and we would not be
seen.”

“The problem with that,” Patryck
interrupted, “is that the healer might turn them over to the
authorities.”

Stephan nodded, “You have a point. But
we cannot remain here. Tania is not safe. I smelled a pack nearby.
They’ve probably been watching you for quite some time.”

Patryck sniffed the air and nodded,
“Wet dog.”

Tania squeezed her legs in tighter. She
was cramping from the position but it lessened her fear somewhat.
She wanted to go home—back to the Den. The forest was a scary
place. And it was not quiet. Twigs constantly snapped, animals
scrounged about, birds chirped, and leaves crunched. It was quieter
in the village at night even with the town crier constantly yelling
the time every hour and half hour. Stumbling drunks were quieter
than the forest. Panicked guards were more silent than the
forest.

She shivered again. The action was
becoming tedious, “I want to go home,” she pouted.

Stephan walked over to her but was
quickly blocked by Patryck who immediately wrapped his arms around
Tania and pulled her close, “Let me take her back to the Den. We
don’t have to worry about you, Stephan. Once she’s there, I’ll come
back with Narcil and Ramon. We’ll do something with the prisoners
then.”

Stephan nodded, “That seems best. I’m
actually impressed at your reasoning.”

“Thank you, Master,” Patryck replied.
He stood back and turned into a puddle of water before morphing
into a blue, liquid dragon. It didn’t seem possible riding him, but
the water was dense and heavy. Tania bowed slightly at Stephan and
leapt on Patryck’s back. Liquid crept up her legs and made her
shiver again.

“I don’t approve of parting
like this,” Stephan said. He reached out for Tania’s hand and
placed a kiss on her palm, “Keep her safe, Patryck. If anything
happens to her, I
will
hold you responsible. You do not wish my wrath.”

Patryck nodded his long snout as his
whiskers flowed on the breeze. He appeared scaly, but he was all
water.