The Dragon's Greatest Treasure

Chapter 3

You know, I never gave much thought to what happened after death. Were we reborn? Sent to an afterlife? Simply, disappear? I had no doubt whatever beast took me must've eaten me, but, I was still conscious and surrounded by black nothingness. Maybe I was dead; maybe this is what really happened.

Or not.

I was suddenly ripped from my thoughts and back into the world, which I had apparently only passed out in. That's great and all, but then, what happened to the beast? I looking, my nerves on end, I could tell I was underground in some sort of cave or air pocket that was somehow lit up without a light source. Stalagmites reached for the same place the stalactites hung and colorful crystals glimmered from their homes embedded in the walls.

There was nobody else, no other creature even, insight. I wanted to call out, but I knew that could be a fatal move, so I instead pulled myself to my feet and searched for an exit. Normally in places similar to this, there was a pool of water, that was the reason the air pocket was there, but there was no pool of water here, there wasn't even water dripping from any of the stalactites. I followed the walls all the way to where I began, but there was no exit.

"Then how did I even get in here?" I murmured to myself.

"Through ways I'm afraid you can't overcome unless you have the ability to harness magic, and I'm sure you don't." A very deep and smooth voice resonated inside my head.

I jumped and looked around, searching for the source of the voice and put a hand to my head. "Who's there? I demand you reveal yourself and set me free!" I barked.

"You asked for it, though, you have no chance of being set free, you're mine now. After all, you make such beautiful music, it would be such a same to lose control of a gift like yours." The voice mused within my skull once again and I slammed my palms to my temples, hoping to drive whoever it was out of my head.

"Go away!" I hissed.

"Oh, if that's what you wish, then I shall oblige. Hidden I shall stay." They chuckled, fully aware of how much they were toying with me.

I gritted my teeth and glared daggers at the wall in front of me, and rest assured that if the wall was alive, it would be thoroughly shaking in my gaze. "Why did you bring me here, where are you, where am I, and how are you speaking in my head?" I ranted off, demanding answers.

"I suppose you at least deserve some answers." My captor rumbled. "I brought you here mostly because of your gift. I took the liberty of confiscating your backpack, but I left your lyre for you to play whenever you or I feel fit. You'll find out the rest of the reason when I deem you ready. You are within my reach, but I am far from yours. And to conclude, when I am unable to adequately perform a task, I simply find another way to do just the same. Perks of possessing magic." He said smugly.

"Aha! Then I know you're not human! Humans cannot harness magic!" I laughed at my small discovery.

"Well vencing to you, you figured me out. In that case, what am I?" They voiced smugly.

"I... I'm not sure yet." I huffed, kicking a rock. Their deep laugh vibrated my brain and I clutched my head, doubling over. There was no way I was going to get used to this. "Well, you didn't eat me when you had the chance, so what do you plan to do with me now?" I growled.

"Why not play your sweet song? I thought I was the only one to know the song, but the birds are such gossips, it seemed they had stolen it and the song found it's way to you, the true keeper of it. After all, it is a harp that is destined to play the song."

A single sentence popped into my head: A harp to play a special tune. It suddenly felt as if the walls were closing in on me as I realized, I didn't have to find the prophecy anymore, it had found me. A harp to play a special tune, that song I repeated from the birds was the special tune, and lyres are pretty much small harps. A beast that can fly, is involved with fire, and can cause death and rune, that didn't leave me with much of an answer, but if I threw in the fact my captor could use magic, that meant my captor was the flying beast of death and rune, a dragon. That must mean the meeting of flesh and flame was when he, the flame, kidnapped me, the flesh. That meant I was the maiden too great for man to claim since I had become the property of a dragon, and they only claimed the greatest items, territories, and mates as their own. I really hope that by being too great for man to claim, it doesn't mean I'm going to be mated to a dragon instead.

I collapsed to the ground taking in deep breaths. This was way too soon, I didn't want the prophecy to come true until I had at least had the chance to live a long life, if it happened at all! I really hope the dragon can't read my mind.

"This prophecy doesn't define me." I murmured. "I determine my own fate." I rose to my feet. "Dragon, you can't hide forever!" I clenched my fists and scowled at the ceiling with burning rage. "I swear on my bloodline, Harpsong, and the prophesy I'm going to break, I'll slay you, beast of death and rune!" I roared, blood boiling and ready to kill.