Wyvern's Trim and other stories (6 page)

It was
Faisal.

He was talking
to someone but his tone told her that he was not amused with
whoever it was.

“
I
will not ask again. What is your name?”

Her heart
stuttered as she heard her father’s voice. “It don’t matter. I’m
here to see my daughter. She has a place round about here. Maybe
you have heard of her. I heard she was tinker like my wife’s
brother. Her name is Callisto. You heard of her?”

Her hands
tightened into fists as she listened to Faisal say, “If you are her
father then why do you not know of her exact address?”

She moved enough
so she could see outside but not give away that she was there. Her
father was dressed as a soldier. That might be why no one had
questioned him.

The Empire’s
army worked as a policing force as well as the military arm of the
Empire. He tried to step past Faisal but he stepped sideways
forcing her father to take a step back or to walk straight into a
dragon.

Her father was
cocky but she didn’t think even he wanted to get into a fight with
a dragon. “She moves a lot. I don’t remember every address she
has.”

Faisal rumbled.
“I think you lie. Are you the one that taught her to fear
men?”

Her father went
red with rage. “How dare you insinuate that…”

He couldn’t get
out any more as he sputtered with anger. Faisal tilted his head to
the side as he watched her father.

Callisto
wondered if she should go outside and deal with it all but she was
curious to see what Faisal would do.

“
I
think you should leave. I do not believe your daughter wishes you
to be here. If she did she would have given you her address.”
Faisal said.

Her father’s
face scrunched up. “And are you going to make me?”

Faisal’s voice
sounded strange as he uttered the simple, “Yes.”

She realised
quickly that the reason it sounded strange was because Faisal was
no longer human shaped.

Her view of the
whole courtyard outside her barn was taken up by the scaly skin of
a dragon.

Faisal’s voice
rumbled from a deep chest. “Run little man.”

He must have as
Faisal huffed a small laugh. Callisto thought this might be the
time to deal with all this.

She stepped into
the courtyard and said, “Faisal.”

He turned his
head to look at her. He was massive. The courtyard wasn’t large and
he took up the entire space. He had more scars on his body as a
dragon than he did as a human.

He brought his
face close to her and huffed out some warm air. The air ruffled her
hair that had escaped her braid.

She said, “While
you are big like this could you move some boxes of metal for
me.”

His eyes warmed
and his eyes went half lidded. She wondered for a moment if she had
insulted him. But then she had been ordering him around for the
last few weeks.

He turned
carefully in the courtyard so he didn’t damage anything.

She asked, “Can
you be a bit smaller to fit into the barn?”

Instead of
making himself smaller he reached out a large clawed hand to her
and picked her up. Pulling her up against his chest.

He stomped
towards her barn and he must have been changing as he walked as
when he stepped into the barn he was fully human and also very
naked.

He still hadn’t
let her go and held her close against his chest.

She huffed and
said, “Faisal can you put me down?”

“
In
a moment.”

“
And
did you have to be naked. I mean… where are your
clothes?”

“
They are still in the other place. I am naked because it will
be easier for you to touch me.”

“
Wait, what do you mean? I’m… Faisal what are you exactly
expecting from me.”

“
Nothing.”

He took her to
her bed and laid her down. He settled himself next to her and
kissed her. She was nervous as she had never had a naked man next
to her.

He continued to
kiss her as he took her hand placed it on his chest. He then turned
to caressing any exposed skin. She sighed and gave in. He really
did have beautiful skin and the scars just made it more
interesting.

He stopped
suddenly and looked at her with his golden eyes. “What are these?”
He growled.

Callisto had
known he would find them when he had brought in here. She sighed
and closed her eyes. “Well, they appear to be brands.”

They had
appeared in her sleep some days before but she hadn’t mentioned it
to the arrogant dragon. He traced his fingers over the delicate
lines. He brought his lips down to kiss her skin. His voice was
deep as he said, “Mine.”

Callisto pulled
him up so she could kiss and said, “No, mine.”

Ash scampered
through the passage ways in the walls of the old Basilica. They had
once been secret she supposed, otherwise why hide them in the
walls. But they were now common thoroughfares for the servants and
the orphan children who lived there. There were several entrances
into the labyrinth below. The priests believed there was only one
and had that protected night and day.

Just inside the
dark entrance was a lamp. Ash had several lamps now stashed all
over the labyrinth and at each entrance she had
discovered.

Ash unrolled a
piece of paper from inside her shirt. It was one section of the
labyrinth. She had started mapping it almost from the first day.
She had thought it the height of stupidity to not have a map. Maybe
none of the priests had known how to make one. But her father had
been a merchant and a captain before that. He loved maps and had
taught her to love them as well.

She glanced to a part of the map she was still
working on to orientate herself. Then with quick steps which echoed
in the large space. Some of the tunnels were large and spacious and
others were like caves cut out with rude tools and shored up with
planks of wood. Most were lined with a grey brick which was
seamless. There were a few made of square red bricks in interesting
patterns. This one was made of the smooth grey brick and it had a
curved floor.

Water dripped
making patterns of tapping sounds. When she came to the end of her
map she pulled it out and started making notes. Then she turned all
her concentration on this new area. She came to the end of a long
tunnel. There had been a grey wall but it had been broken down and
now there was an entrance. Beyond it was stone.

Ash
was amazed. There were other openings like this but the
walls were made of dirt and shoring. To cut through stone like this
was amazing. She climbed over the opening and looked around before
she stopped to mark this on her map as well. The stone tunnel
opened out into a natural cave. She had never heard of the
labyrinth having anything natural. Everything she had seen so far
had been artificial.

Intrigued she
moved deeper. She stopped when the sound of water was interrupted
for a moment then there was a distinct scrap of metal on stone. She
doused her lantern and left it on the ground. She waited until her
eyes adjusted to the dark then crept forward.

There was a
curve in the cave system. On one side was a large cavern. A
waterfall tumbled down one wall. There were smaller caverns coming
off the larger one. Just outside one of these was a large man. His
skin a dark colour. He moved slightly to cup his hands under the
stream of water to drink. When he moved she saw that there was a
chain around his ankle. The chain snaked into a small cavern where
she assumed it was attached to something.

Ash
watched him for a long moment curious how he survived down
here. He moved to the pool and cursed when the chain came to its
end.
So, he
was chained to a wall
she thought and she knew the outside edge. Feeling brave
with this knowledge she made her presence known.

Ash stood up and
moved into the cavern. He hissed and spun to look at her, then
crouched ready to attack. She held up her hands and said, “I do not
mean harm.”

When he didn’t
move she approached slowly. “I am Ash.”

She was fascinated with him. He wore little, a
leather loin cloth around his waist. Despite his imprisonment he
had curved muscles over his chest and arms. His legs were like
trunks. When she stepped closer he growled low in his throat making
her stop.

She tried again
“Do you have a name?”

He growled
again. She wondered how long he had been down here. She moved a
little closer to the stream. It became very deep at the base of the
small waterfall. Within the water there were darts of silver light,
little tiny fish. Her mouth dropped. The man must be catching the
fish to stay alive.

She glanced back
at him. His muscles were jumping with the strain he was putting
them under. She went to a stone that she knew to be out of his
range and sat down.

After a while he
settled down. He crouched, moving back very
slowly. He settled with his back to the wall and watched her. She
smiled at him and he growled. It was like he was feral. With the
stream and the fish he could have been here a very long
time.

Ash
curled her knees up to her chin and said “You poor thing.”
She started talking about some of the other people in the
basilica.
She didn’t
know how long she was there, but she was blinking tired eyes when
she left. He hadn’t moved the whole time she had been
there.

Ash came the next day bearing gifts. The man was
standing at the edge of his chain. This time she hadn’t been quiet
or hidden her lamp. His eyes blinked at the light. She could see
him better now. He might look like a man but not like any man she
had ever seen. He had eyes which reminded her of an animal as they
were gold. With a gasp she asked, “What are you?”

He growled again.

It seemed his
only response to her. She motioned to the package she had brought
and said, “I don’t know what you have but I thought you could do
with another blanket and some food. Fish everyday must get boring
very quickly.”

She had wrapped
the food in the blanket and she swung it towards him. He snatched
it out of the air with one hand. She stepped back and went to sit
on the stone she had used as a seat before. He watched her for a
long moment then untied the knot in the blanket.

When he saw the
food he started gulping it down in gasps. She had seen some of the
orphan boys like that. She started talking while he ate. She
explained about her uncle and how her parents had died. She didn’t
expect him to listen. He must be so lonely she thought.

When it came
time to leave she stretched and reached down for her lamp. She
turned when he said, “Light.”

Ash blinked. It
was the first word she had heard him say. His voice had been low
and it had shivered down her spine. If a wolf had stood on its hind
legs and started to speak that was what it would have sounded
like.

She looked down
at the lantern. She hesitated then said, “I’ll leave the light but
the oil won’t last much longer. I’ll bring some more tomorrow...
and some food but I’m not sure about that. They watch the food with
all the new orphans. Good night.”

She put the
lantern down and moved away. She waited for her eyes to adjust
before counting out steps all the way back to the
entrance.

Ash looked out
the window at the snow that was falling. It didn’t often snow in
the Basilica, maybe once a year so the cold seemed even more
bitter. Children laughed as they jumped around in the snow. This
would be a treat for them, snow they didn’t need to
fear.

With the snow
though she was given extra chores and she hadn’t been able to get
into the labyrinth in two days. She was worried about her man
trapped in the cave.

He had come to expect her visits though he didn’t
speak much. When he did it was one worded and terse. He still
hadn’t told her anything about himself. Not his name nor what
species he was. Though she had some idea. There were not many
creatures with gold eyes and who could hold the shape of a human.
What she didn’t understand was why he was there in the first
place.

It took her
another two days to get time to go down to him. This time she had a
treat. With the weather the cooks had made a sticky date desert and
she had managed to get some for her man.

Ash called for
him as she entered the cave, apologising for taking so long. She
stopped when she didn’t see him. She called out again, her steps
faltered. Her heart beating fast, she stepped closer to his smaller
cave. She angled around until she could see inside.

She could see his feet and some of his legs. He
moaned softly and she stepped closer. He twisted a little in his
bed of blankets and small furs. They looked like the skins of rats,
hundreds of them. He was sick and with that thought she moved into
the cave. He turned his head and moaned again. Gingerly she
crouched next to him and slowly pressed her hand to his
forehead.