The Dragon Scale

Chapter 18

They stood, the three of them, in the damp and musty cave. What a strange yet beautiful trio, with one a slave, captured by her enemies, another, a boy trying to prove himself to his village and to his friend, and a third, a girl whose path in life had taken an unexpected turn.

At first, there was silence. Then Ella spoke.

"You are beautiful," she said gently, her eyes landing on Rosina's. She blushed, her pale face regaining a bit of its former color, and looked away.

"Thank you miss," she said, tucking a strand of her dark, short, boyish hair behind her ear. Then Ella noticed it.

Her ears. They were pointed. At this, Ella stumbled back, and looked at Zachary. His face resembled one of pure joy and anger, at the same time.

"You're an elf?!" Ella gasped. Rosina smiled at this and nodded.

"I-- I don't understand. From what I know, Lutum has no elf population. Where did you come from?" Zachary gestured wildly around him. Rosina bit her lip and looked around nervously. She reminded Ella of a cornered animal, looking for a chance to escape. After a silence, Rosina sighed and spoke.

"I am a servant to Lutum's Elder," she said, her eyes soft. "I am to serve her until my death or until she releases me."

"Wait, so...you're a slave?" Zachary crossed his arms. "That is cruel and unfair! It's also against the laws of Gemma! Lutum could be destroyed if someone told the truth." Rosina smiled quietly.

"Yes. That thought has crossed my mind many times since my stay. However, Lutum is cruel. It places a spell on each of its servants to make sure they never leave. And the visitors have their memories modified to make sure they keep the secret." She leaned closer. "They will surely banish me to the cellar. I know it. But if you can leave here and spread the word, perhaps I will not have to stay there for long."

Ella, caught up in the conversation, suddenly remembered Tom and Auburn.

"No!" Her voice echoed throughout the cave and she winced. "Rosina, we have to know something. Is there a boy here by the name of Tom?"

"Why...yes!" She said, startled by the sudden change in topic. "He returned just last night."

Ella stood up. "I have to meet him."

********

They tiptoed through corridors and tunnels that would have been a mystery to Ella, but Rosina knew exactly where everything was. They eventually found three doors which all looked the same.

"So....which door?" Zachary turned to each door. Rosina fiddled with her tunic.

"See, this is the one I don't really know. Each time someone enters or exits these doors the path behind each door changes. And I've never been past these doors so..." She trailed off, staring at the ground.

Elk suddenly felt a strong urge to envelop her in a hug. "Don't worry, Rosina, you've gotten us this far. That's more than we ever could ask for, right?" She turned to Zachary who nodded vigorously. Rosina smiled slowly.

"Thanks." She stood near the middle door where an inscription was carved and placed a hand on it. "There is one path. Two monsters. Pick the door of your choice." She read.

Zachary unsheathed his sword and walked to the door on the right.

Ella nervously stepped in front of the door on the left. Kneeling down, she examined the path made by the many people who passed through the door.

"Rosina?" She called out.

"Yes?"

"How often does someone pass through these doors?"

"Oh, about three times every day to give me food and check on me." Ella closed her eyes and did a quick calculation.

"Okay... So it was late in the morning when we reached, about 10. If I'm correct, it should be reaching noon now--"

"--and he will come to give me lunch!" Rosina cried, clapping her hands. "Okay, go hide somewhere, and I'll create a diversion!"

Ella took Zachary's hand in hers and pulled him behind a rock in the cave. They both glanced at each other before looking away towards Rosina.

"Here he comes!" She whisper-yelled and disappeared into thin air. Zachary readied his sword while Ella placed an arrow on her bow.

"Slave? I have your lunch." A man's voice called. Ella saw Zachary's small frown at the word slave. Without warning, the right door sprung open and a man, dressed in a tunic and cotton pants entered. He had a hamper in one hand and a sword in the other.

Suddenly, Rosina appeared behind the man, her arm around his neck. The man spluttered and swung Rosina around, trying to shake her off. It worked, and she went flying towards a cluster of stalactites. They clattered down her with a rumbling sound, and Ella screamed loudly.

The man turned, but she had already let go of her arrow. It hit its mark, the loose stone that the man happened to be standing under. He stopped in his tracks when it hit his head, and sank to the ground.

Silence.

*********

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! So Ella, Zachary, and Rosina escape! Or did they?

Sorry for the late update, I've been super busy! But I love you all so I gave you a super awesome cliffhanger 😉 .

Because I've been away for so long, I will give you guys TWO shoutouts! So today's shoutouts go to..... @CCcharlottejp  and @Always_My_Miracle ! Thanks for your comment and vote!

As always, don't forget to vote and comment!

Until next time!

~CB_1