Dragon Keep Me

Cass Fourteen Years Old I sniffled up in the hayloft of the stables, counting the reasons I hated my father, Typhon, Dragon Master of this household. Not only was I a servant, but I was his favorite target for punishment. I looked down at my hand. He’d broken every finger, one by one, because I’d spilled a drop of his wine when pouring it tonight. It was healing slowly, thanks to my dragon blood. Some days I thought he would just finish the job and kill me, but I was the only child he’d ever been able to produce, and it was with a human woman. His contempt for me was fused in that irony, because he saw humans as the lowest of the low. The most powerless beings in existence. That didn’t stop him from taking them whenever he pleased, though. They were just servants after all. My mother was a favorite of his. Her coal black hair and slate blue eyes fit his predilections, holding a beauty not fit for a human, he would say. Thoughts of Mother brought fresh tears to my eyes. He’d killed her sixty-three days ago. She was tired of being assaulted and scared for my safety, so she’d grown desperate. While he was sleeping, she plunged a dagger deep into his heart. She didn’t know… she didn’t understand that it had to be a special blade to take his life. Not even her rare beauty would save her. He had waited until the next morning, so we could all see. All of the servants would understand what happens when you betray the Master. She’d been burned at the stake in front of everyone. I pressed my hands against my ears because I could still hear her screams of agony and the sound of her flesh sizzling and popping in the flame. I could smell it too. An acrid scent I’d never ever forget. How he’d sneered into my weeping face and hissed, “Not so pretty now, is she?” "Cassian?" the sweetest voice called, as the ladder to the loft started to shake. I wiped my tears and put on a brave face. "Elizabeth? I’m here." She made her way up and squeezed in next to me, so we were side by side. I could smell she'd been working in the kitchen, the herbs from tonight's roast chicken tickling my nose. I loved her so dearly. She was the loveliest girl on the property, the brightest ray of light in my life, and someday I was going to marry her. I hadn’t told her any of that yet, but I planned to soon. As soon as I could get my courage up. As always, she’d attempted to shove her curly black hair underneath her bonnet, but it had escaped in several places. Her skin was a dark honey color, and she had a dusting of freckles across her nose. Her wide, warm russet eyes gazed at me, holding a dark sadness. "I detest it when ye pity me," I mumbled. "Are ye harmed?" I hid my hand by the side of my leg. "I shall survive," I answered, grinning at her. No matter what happened, she always made me feel better. Her face pinched. "Allow me to see that hand then." I shook my head. "Don’t fret over it, please." "He is a wicked, awful man," she said, her lip jutting out in defiance. "Elizabeth! Don’t say such things aloud. If the Master found out…" I couldn’t bear it, the thought of losing her, too. "Oh, I care little—" A commotion sounded outside and we crawled over to the tiny window. A group of people, all of them women, approached. They were witches. I could sense their magic from here. Witches were solitary creatures, normally. Sometimes they were part of a coven, but they would only meet on full moons. Never heard of this many together. “There must be a hundred of ‘em out there,” Elizabeth whispered, and the sharp scent of her fear choked the loft. I took her hand in mine.“It’ll be alright. I won’t let anyone harm ye.” "Aye, this is it!" one yelled. “Smells like brimstone, doesn't it ladies?” They shouted agreements and rushed forward, wielding their wands and their elements to easily kill the vampires that guarded the house. Elizabeth and I watched with bated breath, being sure to keep our heads down. People started screaming inside as the group invaded the home. "What is happening?" Elizabeth asked. I shook my head, not understanding. A roar that I knew was my father shook the house, and I hunkered down in fear at the familiar sound. We watched as they dragged him kicking and yelling out of the door and down the steps. He was secured with something, a rope of some kind. I expected him to shift and kill them all, but he didn’t seem to be able. "What is the purpose of this?" he roared, his features twisting as his dragon tried to break free. "Dragons have pushed their will unto others far too long!" one witch shouted. "We’re done fearing ye!" another added. "Monster!" "You will all be dead for this, you wretched whores!" he yelled, fighting the rope. They all cackled in unison, and an earth witch wrapped a root around his face to quiet him. My eyes widened. I had never seen anyone dare laugh at the Master. I glanced at Elizabeth and we exchanged small smiles. They were taking Father away. Forever? Could we be so fortunate? They were dragging him away when one witch stopped. Her eyes fell on the window that Elizabeth and I were at, and we ducked, hoping we hadn’t been seen. "Do you sense that?" she asked. There was a beat of silence and then one answered, "There’s another! Another dragon!" I looked at Elizabeth in a panic, our eyes widening, and our breath shallow. They couldn’t mean me, could they? The doors to the stables banged open. "Come out, come out," the witch sang. "Or I’ll burn the whole place down to find ye." I swallowed and looked at Elizabeth. "Ye stay here. Promise?" "Cassian," she whispered, and grabbed my sleeve, shaking her head. The fear gripped my heart in its icy hold, but I leaned forward and kissed her soft cheek. Her face flushed a deep red and my cheeks warmed as I said, "I will be fine." The familiar rungs of the ladder were slick beneath my hands. A woman waited at the bottom, tapping her booted toe on the floor. She held a flame in her hand and wore long, black robes. Her dark brown was tied in a tight bun, and despite her vile expression she was lovely. "He’s jus' a boy!" she called. "Too young to even shift yet from the look of ‘im." "Bring 'im! They all go!" I backed away, yelping when she grabbed me by my hair and dragged me out to the others. "Please! I’m human! I’m only a halfblood, leave me be!" In my panic, I kicked her in the stomach and she doubled over in pain, cursing at me. I tried to run, but tree roots wrapped around my ankles and tripped me. "Come now, boy," an older woman said, an earth witch. "Don’t make it harder than it need be." Tears ran down my cheeks, the rocks digging into my hands as I scooted away. I looked at the wagon where they imprisoned my father, nailing him shut in a wooden coffin. "Please, My Lady, I’m not like ‘im. I’m beggin’ ye mercy." "Stop! Leave ‘im be!" Elizabeth ran to me, yelling at the witches, and she laid her body over mine to protect me. They all looked between each other, at a loss. "Sorry, boy," the old woman said, her gravelly tone soft. "We ‘ave our orders. Move out of the way, girl, we don’t want to harm ye." The fire witch grabbed Elizabeth and threw her aside. She wrinkled her nose and wiped her hand on her robes. "Yech! The girl's a nulla," she hissed. I knew what a nulla was, and I knew that Elizabeth was one. A girl born to a witch who, for some reason, didn’t acquire magical powers. I didn’t care about that—I loved her anyway. Other witches hated them. Saw them as flawed abominations. Less than human, even. Her own mother had abandoned her to be raised by her father because of it. He was a human and the blacksmith for this estate. The fire witch kicked Elizabeth hard in the stomach and she yelped and then sobbed. "No!" I shouted, scrambling to my feet. "I’ll come! Just let 'er be, please." I begged the old woman, and she looked at the other witch. "Leave ‘er alone, we’re not here for ‘er." The fire witch hissed at her, but walked away. I stood by the old earth witch and she wrapped me with the same chain my father wore. It was enchanted, smelling of magic. My skin burned, and it was difficult to find a breath. "Cassian!" Elizabeth called as they led me away, running after us. "Don’t!" I begged. "Jus' stay back!" I glanced at the fire witch to see she was glaring at Elizabeth, her lip curled. Unable to leave it alone, Elizabeth picked up a rock. She threw it, hitting the fire witch in the chest. "You little nulla wretch!" she shrieked, lighting the fire in her hands and advancing. I tried to run, to help, screaming, "Elizabeth!" They stuffed me in my own coffin-shaped box on a carriage and nailed the lid shut. The carriage lurched, and then some kind of powder floated down through the cracks. I inhaled it and felt too tired to keep my eyes open. Elizabeth's fate was unknown as I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke and got the lid pried up, I found myself locked away in a dungeon deep below the earth. There were seven others here, including my father. Seven adult dragons. Each one more wicked than the last.