Cinderella vs. Happily Ever After

Chapter 30

            Another week of wandering brought them no more allies, only a bit closer to the mountains and added more wear to their clothes. Val could tell that the other two were beginning to get restless, both looking back the way they came. She understood their feelings but they didn’t have near enough people. They only had one shot at this. And while she would happily gamble with her own life, she wasn’t about to risk the lives of the army and everyone in the palace.

            So she ignored their glances and the whispers they tried to hide from her. They had come down from one rocky ridge to a flat almost plain area that morning. All around them golden grasses waved among grey boulders while small patches of purple flowers and green moss added splashes of colour like tiny paint drops. Overhead the sky was dark grey, promising rain.

            “Val,” Isaac began.

            She shook her head. “No. We’re not going back. We don’t have enough people and until we do, we keep looking.”

            He sighed. “Me and Miette have been talking-”

            “I know.”

            He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “And we don’t think we’re going to find anyone else. To be honest, most people are frightened. They don’t want to get involved because they’re afraid they’ll be targeted next.”

            “There will be others. Not everyone’s afraid. There have to be some other people who will do what’s right,” she said, head coming up even as tears pricked her eyes. In her gut, currently burning with fear and guilt, she knew he was right. The only people who’d agreed to help so far had been from Armith or were only helping because of them. No one really thought they’d win.

            Isaac winced at the expression on her face and pulled her into a hug. She froze for a moment then wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest, shoulders shivering. He squeezed, kissing the top of her head while overhead distant thunder pounded.

            Miette’s high-pitched shriek made them spring apart, hands going for weapons as they whipped their heads left and right, looking for the enemy. Glancing at Miette she saw the woman pointing upwards, eyes and mouth wide with terror. That’s when she realized the rushing and thumping sound she heard wasn’t the wind and thunder.

            She looked up and gasped. Heading straight at them, wings pumping hard, were two big green lizards. Dragons, she corrected herself as she shivered. They’re dragons. Behind and beside her, Miette and Isaac had thrown themselves to the ground, arms over their heads. A strong gust blasted over them, pulling at their clothes and sending dirt flying over them as the two dragons backwinged.

            Isaac glanced up and saw Valerie still standing, eyes wide and shining, lips parted and her whole face alight. He nearly screamed at her but instead, he kicked the backs of her knees, making her drop to the ground beside him. He rolled over and half over her. Then he yelled at her. Or rather hissed in her ear, hoping the dragons wouldn’t hear. “You stupid, psychotic, suicidal woman! What do you think you’re doing? Those are dragons. They’ll eat you!”

            “They’re beautiful,” she whispered back, pulling her head around so she could watch them land. For all the violence of the winds they’d flapped up, their landing was far more graceful. With huge beats of their wings, they slowed themselves until they could touch down lightly, only the faintest of thumps accompanying their return to the ground.

            “I don’t care if they’re beautiful. They’re dangerous and will probably eat us. Now stay still and shut up,” he breathed, not daring even to move.

            Valerie stared at two of the creatures she’d wanted to see for as long as she could remember. The one in the lead, the smaller of the two, was a deep green that made her think of maple leaves in summer. He was at least sixty feet long she decided, not including his tail which was currently twitching beside his feet. Each foot had four toes, and the way one sat made her think of it as a thumb, each ending in a delicately curved claw. His body was long and the muscles under it were clearly powerful under the scales. Those scales ran over his entire body, except the skin of the wings which was the pale green of new leaves. His head was wide, two ridges over each gold eye making her think of eyebrows while his muzzle had two large, flaring nostrils at the end. At the back of his head there were two flaps of skin that had curved tips that could probably sting just like a fish’s top fin, she thought. Currently the flaps were flared out as he cocked his head and stared back at her with his huge, slit-pupiled eyes.

            Behind him the other dragon, who looked much the same except it was bigger and grey-green, was doing the same. They looked at each other after a moment then took two steps closer, stopping just in front of them. When their shadows fell over them, Miette began trembling and Isaac started hyperventilating.

            Valerie continued to watch them as they leaned in closer, their tails lashing much like a cat’s does before it pounces on a mouse, they nostrils flaring as they inhaled deeply. She wondered if they were going to flame. No one had told her whether they really could set things on fire with their breath. She hoped they could.

            The smaller one brought his nose closer until it stood right in front of Valerie. She could have counted each of the scales that covered it had she wanted. Instead, she reached out and gently laid a hand on his nose, a tiny tremor running through her as she found how warm his body was. It was only one step away from being painfully hot but still she kept her hand there, marvelling at the fact that she was touching a dragon. A real dragon.

            Isaac, feeling her movement, bit back a moan. They were all going to die by being eaten alive and Valerie was petting the monster that was going to do it. For the first time in his life, he began to pray.