Relying on the Dragon

CHAPTER SEVEN

Kala

    Kala looked from one man to the next. Drake watched her, she could feel his eyes on her, like he was expecting something from her. Kargeth looked hopeful, when she tried to meet his eyes though he looked away, did he still feel shame for the past? Tolan had remained quiet, his face was unreadable, she didn't know how to take him, he seemed angry and cold. Thorne had a look of encouragement about him. Kala didn't know what to do. She felt tired and mentally drained. 

    She wanted to deny them, to punish them for abandoning her mother. She wanted to banish them from Clarion out of anger and selfishness. Then she thought of the men she would be left with: Thomas made her shudder at just the thought of him. Her uncle's cruelty, that she knew would kill her one day. The death's of her people as they starved and were punished by her uncle to keep her in her place. Maybe she had a chance with these men, maybe Martha was right. Then Kala remembered the conversation at the banquet, her uncle had wanted information on his enemies that Drake said he had. Was that a ruse? What did she truly know about these men? Dragons? That still confused her, were they human, dragons or shapeshifters? She really wished her mother was still around, to help her. 

    "At the meal tonight, my uncle asked you for information that you said you had on his enemies. You had told him that you wanted to be allies." She said. Drake smiled, and she was confused by it. 

    "We needed to be welcomed somehow, to get to you. I gave your uncle the information, though he was too stupid to realize that the enemies I spoke about were right under his nose. We will never be your uncle's allies, he knows that as well as we do. We don't ally ourselves with tyrants and usurpers. He would never ally himself with dragons or demons." Drake said. Kala wanted desperately to believe him. Thorne and Tolan seemed to perk up, they reminded Kala of cats who heard a mouse in the walls, all four men looked at the door expectantly. Drake looked back at her, as she also glanced at the door, wondering what had caught their attention. 

    "I really hate to rush you, my lady. But you need to make a decision right now." Drake said, there was an urgency in his tone that made Kala's heart speed up. 

    "I don't know you, except what you've told me, how do I know that you won't abandon me like you did my mother? How do I know if I can trust you?" She asked, "how do I know that you aren't here to avenge my mother's death?"   

    "Kala we are here to get revenge for your mother's death, but it's not you who will pay for it. You are not to blame. You have my word that we won't abandon you, that I promise you. As for trust, you can't as that is earned. It's up to you if you want to take the leap, and give us a chance." Drake said honestly, and Kala wanted to scream in frustration. He wasn't helping at all. 

    There was a banging at the door, and Kala jumped, panic quickly taking over. Surely her uncle wasn't here to take her. He had promised her to Drake for the night, she had only been in this room for a couple of hours? She had lost track of time. 

    "Hand the girl over, dragon!" Thomas shouted. Kala looked at the brothers. They hadn't moved but they were no longer relaxed. Drake looked ready to go into battle, despite his sitting position. 

    "You need to decide now." He said, not taking his eyes off the door, as the banging continued. 

    "Kala is needed elsewhere, hand her over right now!" This time it was her uncle's voice. Kala wanted to hide. Her uncle was truly going back on his word. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised, the man was a snake after all. 

    "I accept." She said, frantically nodding. "I need your protection, please help me." Her eyes were wide with fear. She swallowed, and did everything to keep herself from rocking back and forth. 

    "Don't make me break down this door!" Her uncle threatened. Kala watched as the brother's stood in unison. Drake made his way to the door, his gait menacing and dangerous. Kala wondered if her uncle had any idea the danger that was about to be unleashed on him. Tolan followed him, three steps behind while Kargeth and Thorne stayed with her. She stood slowly, as Drake opened the door. 

    "How dare you!" Drake boomed at her uncle, who took a step back. "You dare disturb me in the middle of the night?" She watched as her uncle stuttered and stammered, his face turning a deep red. She could barely see him past Drake's hulking body. 

    "Well? Speak! What blubbering nonsense are you going on about that you have decided is so important that you need to disturb me?" Drake demanded with a growl. Her uncle made eye contact with her in that moment, and that seemed to bring him out of the fear Drake imposed on him. 

    "Her. How dare you be in this room!" Her uncle tried to push past Drake, but Drake wouldn't move. Kala lowered her head. Her uncle glared up at Drake. "I sent you the woman you were promised and you threw her out, you dare insult me?" Drake laughed. 

    "You and your man keep speaking of us insulting you, when you have been insulting us since we arrived. You have lied and gone back on your word." Drake scoffed.

    "How dare-" Cedrick spat. 

    "If you don't mind, I have business with Clarion's heiress." Drake slammed the door, and locked it. He turned his back on the door, and ignored the banging and shouting that started back up. Kala stared at him, her mouth open. 

    She didn't know if she should laugh or hide. Did he know what he just did? Did he know what kind of trouble he just put them all in? She didn't care if they were dragons, shapeshifters or whatever, people died for acknowledging her station, and most of all, it got her beaten. 

    ********************

Drake

    It had been a few hours now, when the usurper had finally given up and the hall had finally gone silent. Kala had looked ready to drop from exhaustion. She had gladly accepted his offer of the bed. He was grateful that the sitting room was separated from the bedchamber, so he and his brother’s were able to leave and give her privacy while still being close. It hadn’t taken her long to sink into the bedding and fall asleep. 

    Now, as she slept, Drake and his brothers were back in the sitting room. Drake was standing in front of the fireplace, his thick arms folded across his chest. Kargeth was sitting, sprawled in one of the chairs. Tolan was pacing and Thorne was leaning against a wall near the door jam. Now that Kala was in their care, none of them were going to sleep tonight. Now they needed to plan. 

    "Well, that was fun." Kargeth said, breaking the silence. Drake has been staring at the fire, brooding on what to do next. Getting Kala to agree to their protection had been easier than he expected, thanks to her uncle's impeccable timing. Now, how was he going to ensure her safety. She was a servant here, instead of taking her rightful place at the head table, she served it. Now that she was disgraced, it just enforced that she was no longer worthy of the position she had been born into. There had to be a way to reinstate it though, he just had to figure out how. That was a problem for another day, right now he needed to figure out how to get her out, and to the mountains. That was the safest place for her. 

    "I love watching human men piss themselves." Tolan chuckled, and Kargeth laughed. Kala groaned and turned over, and Drake glared at his brother who quickly stopped. 

    "Don't you dare wake her." Drake snapped, before he returned to staring at the fire. 

    "Sorry, but you have to admit that was quite entertaining the way he was stammering and stuttering when you answered the door. He didn't know what to do with himself." Kargeth whispered. Drake smiled. 

    "I will admit that was pretty funny." Drake admitted. 

    "So what is the plan going forward?" Thorne asked, "we need to get her out of this place." 

    "I know." Drake said. "I just worry that she won't be very willing to leave. If she's anything like her father, she won't be willing to leave her people behind." 

    “She was trying to escape earlier. I don’t think leaving will be an issue. I think getting her out of the walls will be the problem.” Thorne pointed out.

    "We’ll have to come up with an escape route then, scout the place out." Tolan said, turning serious. "And you know, she'll be expected to go back to her chores in the morning. It'll be pretty hard to watch her then." 

    "Not if I ask for a tour of the village." Drake said. "Or demand that she waits on us." 

    "You know he won't allow that to happen." Kargeth pointed out. 

    "And deny his guests?" Drake asked, "he wouldn't dare. Not when I have information that he needs." 

    "Do you think he'll still fall for that after tonight?" Thorne asked. 

    "He's a paranoid man, anything for information on the enemy." Drake answered, sure of himself. He needed to stay long enough to get the full scope of the damage the usurper had done, he knew the damage he had done to Kala, but what of the people and the staff in the fortress? How deep did the damage go? 

    There was a knock on the door that brought Drake out of his thoughts. This knock was different from the usurpers banging. When he looked into the main chamber towards the door, only then did he notice that the room had started to lighten up, sunrise had arrived. How long had he been lost in thought, staring into the flame? 

    Thorne opened the door, to allow two women in, both laden down with platters. Drake recognized the younger woman from the previous evening who had led him to the hall. Thorne closed the door behind them, then quickly helped them by grabbing a couple of the platters. Kargeth and Tolan also rushed in to help unburden the women. 

    "Oh, thank you." The older woman said, curtseying under her load. She bustled to the large table that shared the room with the large king sized bed. "Forgive us my lords, we thought that you would like to take nourishment in your chambers this morning instead of the hall. It is wonderful to see inside the walls again, you have been deeply missed over the years. Also, we noticed that Kala hadn't returned to her chambers last night, and after Clare went and checked the cell and saw it was empty, we hoped she was with one of you." Drake looked at the woman who seemed vaguely familiar to him. He had seen her before, but he couldn't place her. She bustled around the table, putting out plates and utensils, as she chattered without thought. The younger girl stood frozen in place, her face wide eyed with fear as she stared at Drake. 

    "Ma-Ma-Martha?" The girl stammered, trying to get the older woman's attention without moving. 

    "What? Stop standing there and help me." Martha said, without looking up from her work. When the girl still hadn't moved, only then did the woman stop and look. 

    "Oh!" She let out, realizing that she now had four very large men looking at her. 

    "What did you say?" Drake grated out. 

    "What cell?" Tolan demanded. The older woman started wringing her hands in her apron, as she looked from man to man. 

    "Oh dear, oh dear, oh deary me." She started repeating over and over, nervously. 

    "What cell?" Drake repeated Tolan's question. Martha sighed. 

    "I said too much, but might as well get out with it." She said, the younger girl finally moved in a burst of bravery. 

    "No, you can't! If he finds out you said something, who knows what he'll do, especially to her!" Drake squinted at Clare. There was clearly a loyalty to Kala, but he needed to know what this cell was the older woman was referring to. 

    "It's too late now." The older woman became resigned, "My lords, my name is Martha, I have been looking after that girl since she was born, and I love her like she's my own." The connection clicked, she had been the woman at the banquet eighteen years ago, who had taken the baby from Oceana as the banquet had gone on into the early hours of the morning. He had been very drunk by the end, but he had stayed and watched Oceana that night to make sure she was safe, despite his anger at her for leaving them for what she claimed to be love. Only now this woman was chubbier, and older. Her hair had gray in it, and worry lines marred her face. "Her ladyship, Kala's mother, had promised one day that you would come, and it is wonderful to see you again." She acknowledged him and Kargeth. He nodded, he wished she would get on with it already. 

    "The cell." He said again, impatient. She nodded. 

    "Promise me that you are here to help her, and not betray her, then I'll tell you all you want to know. I need to know that she is safe. I have done the best I can over the years, but there's only so much an old woman can do against that tyrant of a man." Martha said, as she looked over at the bed fondly. "She is a stubborn one, and spirited but I fear she has come to the end of her fight, after what was done to her yesterday. I wish you were here sooner." 

    "That is why we are here, we've come to take her to Darwin. We can't protect her here, she'll be safer in the mountains." Drake said. "Now tell us about this cell. Stop stalling woman!" He was at the end of his rope. 

    "Of course, my apologies, my lord. I'm so glad you are taking her. Thank you, my lords." Martha grinned from ear to ear. Drake let out a growl, and Martha stopped. "Yes, yes, sorry my lord. Where to start." She seemed to fumble. 

    Drake sighed, taking a deep breath before he wrung the woman's neck. "When did the beatings start?" 

    "Six months ago, was when things started getting bad for her. That was when her uncle realized who she was, and what she had been doing behind his back. It was a terrible time for her. She had hidden herself among the servants when he arrived two years ago announcing the death's of not only her parents, but her too. When her true identity came out six months ago, at first, he banned her from leaving the fortress, unless under armed guard. Don't get that mistaken with protection, nope, those men were there to make sure she went and got what was needed for the keep, and not mingle with the villagers. If anyone interacted with her that wasn't bartering for supplies, they were beaten or worse and so was she. She dreaded going out with those men, as she didn't want any of her people beaten for acknowledging her. Her uncle didn't realize or he had forgotten that Kala was born and raised here with loving parents. Her father showed Kala all of the tunnels and hidden passages that he had built into this place. Their favorite game was hide and seek in the passages. Oceana knew them too, but not like Kala. That girl lived in the passages. So, this ban and armed guard didn't keep her from sneaking off to the village, where she snuck food and medicine to the sick and hungry when she could. She also snuck gold and jewels to families so they could buy their own supplies. It took a while for her uncle to realize that she was stealing from him.” She stopped for a moment, and sighed. “The last couple of months have gotten harder on her, we tried to hide her absences, but he's caught on and now men scour the village on a constant basis knowing that if they were the one to catch her and bring her back, they will be rewarded. Five months ago, one month to the day after he discovered who she was, that horrible man introduced Kala to the cell. It's in the dungeons, I haven't been down there myself, a few of the others do go and check on her when we notice she isn't in her room. We aren't allowed down there, that's why the staff who do are quick and very careful not to get caught. Only the usurper and his men are allowed down there. They take her, her meals when they decide to feed her. I don't know what they do to her down there, but when she comes up, she is usually bloodied and beaten. I only see the aftermath. We aren't allowed to tend to her. I only hear rumors from the staff who go down to check on her, and what she tells me." Martha said, she fell silent. Drake clenched his fists, he wanted to storm out of the room and hunt down the usurper and beat him until he was dead. He was breathing hard, trying to fight the impulse to act. He felt Thorne grab his arm, and he shoved him away. Martha showed fear for the first time. 

    Drake, calm yourself. We have her now, they can't do that to her anymore. Thorne was in his head, trying to be the voice of reason. 

    Yes, they can. We need to get her the hell out of here. Drake snapped at his brother, glaring at him. 

    "Martha?" Kala's voice broke through Drake's anger. He froze, not wanting to look at her. He knew he wasn't in control and he didn't want to frighten the girl. It also broke Martha out of her fear, and she turned to Kala and grinned. 

    "Oh my darling, child." Martha rushed to the bed. When Drake was sure he had his anger under control, he turned to look at the girl. The furs were around her waist, and Martha had the girl in a tight hug. He had not realized that Kala had removed her dress before crawling into the bed, as they had left for the sitting room before she could climb into bed, giving her privacy. Now, as he looked at the two women, he got a good glimpse of her bare back, or what he could see of it from around Martha's arms that were wrapped around Kala, and Kala's long, unkempt brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. He could count her ribs, indicating the girl was on the verge of starvation, and he wondered when the last time her last meal was. He also noticed there were marks. They looked like scars like she had been whipped. Some of the scars that he could see were white and faded like they had been there a very long time. Others were pink, indicating months. Still others were even fresher, some were scabbed over, others puckered, and an angry red from infection. He also noticed bruising on her rib cage. He ground his teeth together to bite back the roar that was building in him. 

    I will kill them all. He stated to his brothers. Martha looked up at them, and he turned away. They returned to the sitting to give the women privacy.