The Dragon's Rogue

Chapter 2

I swallowed. The dagger dangled uselessly in my right hand, the revival herbs in my left.

An irrational lick of fear ran up my spine. He wouldn't actually eat me would he? I mean, that was...barbaric...but then, there were those stories...

"It would be a shame too, red heads are my favorite," he murmured. The last words slurred a little and his eyelid lowered to half mast.

I jerked back. Red heads were his favorite? My hair was pulled back as tightly as I could manage, and hidden beneath the hood of my cowl, but some strands at my hairline were probably revealed when he snatched me. Was he...seducing me? He wasn't even fully cognizant.

I waited for his grip to loosen. When it became apparent that it wasn't going to happen, I peered at his face again. I did it to judge my chances, but I cursed the discomfort that a childhood of scoldings from adults had instilled into my very being. The sedative pulled at him, but he fought valiantly.

"I am attempting to wake you..." a variety of insults flowed through my mind. It wasn't usual for me to bite my tongue, but right at that moment I found it was probably a better option. I tugged but it was like being entrapped by living metal. Really warm, and far too attractive living metal.

"...Dragon Lord," I growled. "If you do not release me I swear I will see to it that you sleep for another month."

Both his eyes and his grip narrowed menacingly. So much for keeping my mouth shut.

"And what witchcraft is this, that dulls my senses and renders me unconscious?" His tone matched the expression on his face, one that said he was far too dangerous to me, even in his dulled state.

"It is not witchcraft," I huffed. "It is medicine. You nearly died, I created a sedative that would help to keep you alive."

Dark eyebrows shot up.

"How does a sedative keep one alive?" he asked suspiciously.

"It didn't keep you alive, it kept you still. Your body was torn viciously, and it could not begin its healing while you tossed and turned about muttering nonsense. I know dragon healing is nearly as quick as Shifter, but not if you kept opening the wounds."

His eyes lost focus. And he released my right arm to rub at his face viciously.

"Why can't I remember any of this?"

I studied my dagger now free from restraint, debating. Should I use it? He had rendered me helpless far quicker than I had expected and it made me very uncomfortable. Yet, to return him to slumber now was to give up, not just on him, but on any action. I could not venture from the camp on my own. Not where I was headed, not if I wanted to live.

"You have been asleep for a few weeks. Three and two days, to be exact. It will take your memory time to recover."

"Three weeks?" he snarled attempting to sit. He still held my left wrist so the action pulled on me. In the end I pulled back, helping him to right himself. "I have lost three weeks?"

I nodded.

"But..." his eyes flared and he shot up to standing. It lasted a moment before he was forced to sit once more. "Pourtus a traitor, I didn't see him coming. What happened at the Onyx Aerie?" He shook my arm, sending rough vibrations through my entire body. "Where is Dyanarys, or the rest of the Dragon Lords?"

I shrugged, a little angry at being tossed around like some child's toy. "I do not know, nor do I care."

That seemed to bring back his focus a little, he released my other arm and I stepped back, out of reach.