Dragon

Chapter 15

Maay groaned as she sat up. Her claws scraped across the hard stone that had been her bed. Never before had she attempted sleep in this form. The idea of reclining with nothing between her and the unyielding elements hadn't struck her as a comfortable alternative to a cosy bed. Strange how natural it felt after eighteen years of living as, and believing herself to be, a human.

One side of her face felt gritty. She brushed her cheek, watching as tiny chips of stone fell to the gloom-shrouded ground before looking up at her surroundings. There was little light to be had, what there was came meekly through a hole in the roof of this conical cavern.

She jumped to her feet, the last of her grogginess evaporating. Where am I? There'd been those noises in the forest, then the blackness. She could recall a horrid dream of being dragged through endless tunnels, poked and tweaked by insistent talons when she struggled against their unseen hands. The whole time, her ears had been stuffed with the creatures' guttural mumblings. And now I'm here. Her back legs gave way, plonking her hindquarters onto the grainy floor. Had her nightmare been real?

Maay peered at the walls. There had to be a way out. In the gloom, the rock took on a smooth appearance, showing the odd dark spot which could hide a tunnel. Perhaps the monsters of her dreams had been real. Why would they drag her here?

She rose to stand directly under the hole. The sky was growing darker and she could barely make out the opening. It looked big enough for her to fall into. The sloped sides she'd seen would certainly hinder her if she tried to fly out. Was this some kind of natural oubliette? Had they left her here to die?

Head held low, she prowled the tiny, circular area, jumping whenever her snout bumped against the wall. Her anxious expectation of discovering a skeleton hidden in this pressing darkness waned upon finding the ground covered in little more than a thin layer of grit. Thoughts turning to the heavy curtains back at Mountain Hall, she ran her hands over the walls, leaning on them when it seemed a piece might give under her weight. There must be a way out.

A low grating sound rumbled through the cavern. Light appeared in the wall behind her. Moonlike, it started out as a thin crescent, slowly widening into a bright, gibbous circle.

Cringing against the wall, Maay put a hand to her face. Peering between her fingers, she caught the shadowy form of a human. "Who are you?" she called out. "What do you want with me?" The trembling questions bounced round the cavern. Her chest tightened in the following silence.

The figure neared, ambiguity melting away to reveal the curves of a woman. She carried a small lantern in one hand. This she lifted high, its flickering light playing across her jet-black skin. "Peace, young one," she said. Her voice was harsh. The accent making her sound as if she chewed while speaking. "You are safe amongst your own." She placed her free hand on her chest. "I am Otunika, first mate to Sovran, who is also mate to Fonra, Tygala, Kliija and Tirana."

Maay blinked, mind falling behind the woman's talking as she tried to decipher the words mangled by her accent. Was she hearing right? This Sovran had five mates? No one had mentioned the possibility of dragons having more than one mate. Animals, the lot of them. The more she learnt about her kingdom's glorious protectors, the more she found herself despising them.

Otunika's hand extended out towards her. "You are ...."

"Maayin." She shuffled as the woman seemed to be waiting for more. What else could she possibly be expecting? "Mate to no one."

"Ah, menami lotorna." The woman's eyes widened, the inky surface reflecting the lantern's light. "You are what they call a ... ah ... youngling, yes?" Her toothy grin, edges looking as sharp as any predator, shone eerily against her dark skin.