Her Deal with a Dragon

Chapter 3

~Tyran~

The little rat was proving to be quite irritating. Out of all the rooms, why had she come here?

I tried not to look at the notebook as I set it back on the side table and instead fixed my gaze on her face.

That was a mistake.

She had honey-colored eyes that sparkled with intelligence and wariness. A few tendrils of her rich, brown hair escaped her ponytail to frame her thin, heart shaped face. Her pointed chin was set stubbornly and she darted the tip of her tongue out to moisten her slightly chapped lips. My eyes dropped to them watching as she nibbled at the corner of her slightly fuller upper lip.

There was something about her that was vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it.

Catching myself staring, I clicked my tongue with disapproval.

"Quite bold of you to make free with other's things." I said, not bothering to hide my anger.

She took a wary step backward, her eyes darting from mine, to my shoulder, my torso and finally settled somewhere in the vicinity of my knees. Her face colored slightly and her pulse was a little fast.

A few seconds passed in tense silence as I waited for her reply.

She obviously had no intention of speaking, so I took the initiative.

"I take it you have some sort of business with me," I drawled, "apart from freely pilfering my home."

Her cheeks flamed red and I felt a smirk tugging at my mouth unbidden.

"Seeing that your only weapon is a skinning knife, you haven't come to kill me." My eyes dropped to the blade fastened on her belt as she unconsciously reached for the worn, bone hilt. The sheath was shiny with age and use, but clean and well cared for. She shifted slightly and her hand tightened as if she were considering the possibility.

My smirk grew. "It doesn't matter if it's a dagger or broadsword, you wouldn't be able to put so much as a scratch on me."

Her eyes snapped up to mine and crackled with anger.

"I didn't come for a fight." She snapped. Then a blush crept up her neck and she dropped her eyes again. "I meant, I only thought-"

"That no one was home?" I cut in, "That no one was living in these pristine rooms that have clearly been recently cared for?"

She clenched her jaw and her fingers tightened on the knife handle as she met my gaze again, something hard and angry in those brown eyes, mixed with shame.

"That I might find something useful." she corrected. "The shrine was abandoned and I assumed that the mountain would be too. And there's no point in leaving riches to rot in an empty cave."

"But it's not empty." I pointed out and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes, I had forgotten due to the shock of finding a random stranger lurking down her like some kind of shade!" She snapped.

I couldn't stop the startled laugh from escaping me at her show of temper and she blinked. Then blinked again, narrowing her eyes as she finally, really looked at me.

I crossed my arms and canted my head, waiting as her gaze ran down my length, her eyes progressively widening as her jaw dropped a little and she finally released the hilt of her blade.

"You're the dragon." she said, her voice quietly reverent as if it were some grand revelation that changed everything.

I shrugged. It was an expected reaction from humans. They tended to be in awe of everything.

"And you are?" I asked, raising a bored eyebrow.

She gulped nervously then replied, "I'm Vania. Of Keydrow."

Obviously, she was a local, because only a local, and a stupid one at that would be prowling around with nothing but a dagger and an herb basket in a dragon's lair. Horde seekers always came well-armed and prepared, and they were very uncommon in the Empire. The citizens of Pharon considered the dragon lairs holy and only the clergy were allowed to interact with my kind or their homes.

"Well Tania," I said, intentionally fudging her name, "you came, you have seen that the mountain is, in fact occupied, and the dragon is real. But you are trespassing on my home, so I cordially invite you to leave."

I placed a hand in the small of her back and steered her towards the door as she spluttered in surprise.

Every second she stood in front of me, more unwelcome thoughts and memories began to needle my brain.

"And if you would be so kind, go tell all your folk what you have seen and find out who the next priest or priestess is supposed to be." My throat thickened as I thought of Eustaren, but I made myself continue. "The last one died and since then, I would have gone hungry if not for the few who still remember the old ways."

She finally whirled around to face me and pushed her palms against my chest to stop our movement.

"Wait, what?!" she stammered, "What do you mean, the next priest?! The shrine is ruined! There is no next priest or priestess!" She took a step back and earnestly met my gaze.

"We need your help."

Icy rage boiled up inside me. That was how it always was. The people loved the ideals of having guardian dragons, but wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice them in battle or use them however they pleased, but they couldn't even be bothered to provide a few measley offerings in return, simply because their priest was gone. And now they wanted my help?

"How typically human." I hissed, "Only thinking about us when you want something."

She flinched back and I forced my face into a saccharine smile.

"I'm afraid I don't do charity work, little mouse. Not anymore." I told her, "Since you humans can't be bothered to lift a finger to help each other, why should I?"

She opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out and her eyes slid away as she clenched her jaw.

Then she lifted her head and turned back, "Please just hear me out!" She pleaded.

I shook my head. "Nothing is free, and I have wasted enough time as it is. Unless you have something to offer, don't bother coming back. Do have a safe trip home." I said, then teleported her up to the shrine and closed the barrier to the passage.

It took more effort than it should have and I sank into my armchair and closed my eyes. I was too tired to fight off the thoughts of Ren.

With my eyes closed, I could picture him sitting cross-legged in his armchair with a book in his lap, his blanket draped over his shoulders and a steaming teacup on the side table. He always had a stack of tomes set to one side and he would mutter to himself as he scribbled in his notebook or marked yet another page. Sometimes he would simply read, swaying slightly back and forth and rubbing his thumb against whatever he had at hand.

My eyes opened and instantly fell on his simple wood pen. It was made of rosewood with a porcelain nib. The body was polished to a sheen from constant use, and there was a distinct indent where he had worn it down with his thumb while reading.

My heart thudded dully, painfully and my throat was suddenly too tight. If I had not gotten so close to him, Eustaren would likely still be alive. It was because of my stories and all the books that he decided to leave the Keydrow peninsula, and ended up dying at the hands of the Dragon Hunters.

Had he survived, he would now be the High Priest caring for the shrine, and would no doubt be married with a family.

My thoughts returned to Vania's molten honey eyes and olive skin and I tried to picture her with Ren's green eyes and mousey-blonde hair.

Now that I was thinking of it, I finally pinpointed the familiarity I had sensed. No doubt she was the daughter of Gilleia, the priestess in training who had been Ren's closest friend and his betrothed.

After his death, she had refused to take over the shrine and thus, the sorry state of affairs.

If Gilleia found out her own daughter was fraternizing with me, the one she blamed for the death of her childhood friend, there would be hell to pay. She possessed the dragon bloodline, though not as strongly as Ren, stronger than the princes of the Alraidon Dynasty. An encounter with her was the last thing I needed, especially with my strength running low. Lack of food meant I had to conserve my strength by sleeping and even that was not enough.

If Gilleia intended to starve me out, she would fail, but as a result of her attempt, I was growing dangerously weak.

With a curse, I stood and headed for the hidden passage that led to my chamber where I would find sleep until necessity forced me to return to my duties. As I walked the winding path downward, I sensed the human attempting to find her way back, to no avail. Eventually she cursed foully and stalked off, back down the mountain. I pushed back the loneliness and tried to forget about her, but my dreams were haunted by molten amber eyes.