Dragon

Chapter 10

Jaimin slunk up the steps, soft-booted feet making less noise than his breath. He halted at the curtain divider of Maayin's chamber to peer down the tunnel. No one stirred. True dawn would be a while yet for the sky had only just become stained with the first pale flush of sunlight.

If he was quick, no one would notice their absence. He'd only a couple of sunrises left before the council would demand to see her true form and begin their wretched plan. He couldn't let that happen anymore than he would allow her to suffer Teero's ministration.

Slipping into the chamber, he found Maayin still abed. She lay ensnarled in the covers, tossing and whimpering in her sleep. Had he pushed her too far? Transforming from human to dragon and back again over the last two days would've been gruelling for any youngling.

Even so, she'd proven herself a fast learner. Could she learn to fly just as quickly? I hope so.

Jaimin crept up to the bedside. What did she dream of for her breath to come so harshly? Stretching out a hand to wake her, he jerked it back as she rolled to the far side. "Maayin." He knelt on the mattress's edge. Praying she wouldn't scream, Jaimin gently shook her shoulder.

She awoke in a flurry of scales and feathers, shredding the covers in a flail of claws.

Cursing, he resumed his true form, wrapping a hand around her muzzle as he pinned her against the ruined bedding. The bed groaned under his weight. He held his breath, waiting for the soft crack that would speak of the frame's doom. In the silence, he could feel her heart thumping strongly against his breastplate. His wings twitched, unconsciously trying to heed the ancient call to Fly.

Black eyes, like twin abysses in a darkened cavern, stared up at him. The outright terror in that gaze fast dispelled the growing warmth in his gut. His wings tucked themselves tight against his back.

"If you ever want to fly," he breathed, "then we need to leave now and silently." He didn't wish to think on what the council would do if they caught him leading her out of the Hall. But the longer he thought of it, the more certain he was that he could not bear to stand aside and let them treat her as they chose. He'd rather face extinction.

Wordlessly, she returned to her human guise, her snout slipping from his grasp. Jaimin sat back to do the same, wincing at the dry crackle of wood issuing from under his shrinking haunches. Please hold, just for a little longer. He daren't try to move any further lest it broke.

Maayin scrambled off the bed as soon as she could win free of his diminishing weight. "Fly?" The wonderment in that single word was near thick enough to taste. "I thought you weren't allowed to teach me."

"To hell with it," he muttered, words twisted as his face abruptly shortened. The whole council could fly into a blizzard and stay lost for all he cared. She needed to be taught before she fully matured and it would be best done by someone who wasn't going to attempt Flying her mid-lesson. If anyone else could even be bothered to teach her at all. It's not as if she needs to learn before being mated. No, the dragon who took Maayin would ensure she was pinned hard against the ground. "We must go." The sentries would be weary after their night-long stint and waiting only for another to relieve them. They wouldn't be at all concerned with those leaving the Hall.

Jaimin peeked through the curtains. Hearing nothing, he stuck his head out. No one walked the tunnels yet. We've still time. How much longer could he leave it until that time, and his luck, ran out? He waved a hand, beckoning Maayin closer. The soft pad of feet reached his ears, delicate fingers entwined with his, the touch restarting that pleasant warmth in his gut.