The Dragon's Kiss

Chapter 2 - Lunatic

Liana slowly opened her eyes, the morning sunlight blinding her for a short moment. She tried to move, but her head throbbed, causing her to wince in pain. After lying still on the cold, hard ground for a few moments, she finally managed to sit up, pushing her hair away from her face. Once she opened her eyes, the memories of the previous night came rushing back to her mind, making her gasp. She quickly stood up, her eyes wide, as she looked around for Ashley. But just as she remembered, her sister was nowhere to be found.

"Oh God," Liana whispered, tears blurring her vision. She walked up to the wall in front of her, searching for any signs of the vortex that had appeared. She carefully placed her hand on it, even as her heart raced away in her chest, wishing that it would take her in as well. But the wall was concrete, hard and impenetrable.

Liana stepped back, a sob finally escaping her lips as she looked around. She ran her hand through her hair, before wiping away the tears that had left her eyes. She knew she had to go home. No matter how afraid she was to do so, her parents were the only ones who could help. Who could find Ashley. Her sister was her whole world, she wanted, no, needed her to come back. From wherever she was.

- - - -

"Hexus, where are you?" The girl called out, looking around.

"Behind you," a boyish voice replied, which was followed by echoing laughter.

"Don't try your tricks on me," the girl warned. "You know I'm better at these," she said proudly.

"Then come find me," the boy sang, making the girl giggle.

"You just wait and watch," she announced.

Ashley stirred in her sleep, her eyes shooting open all of a sudden. She found a pair of piercing blue eyes staring down at her, and instinctively, she let out a scream.

"Hey! Shhh," the man said in alarm, covering her mouth with his hand. Ashley tried to push him off, her eyes wide in fear, when she realized she had been tied down. Her heart raged in her chest as she stared him, the one who was responsible for her situation. He was the one who she had followed from the concert, the mysterious man who had kidnapped her and brought her wherever she was. "Calm down," he said in a soothing tone, his eyes boring into hers. "You're safe. For now." 

Ashley whimpered, as tears started to form in her eyes. The man noticed it, his gaze softening, guilt flashing in his gaze. "Listen. I'll allow you to speak, if you promise not to yell or scream. If the faeries hear you before I've spoken to you, your life could be in danger."

Faeries? What?

Ashley shivered in fear, but slowly nodded, wanting him to get away from her. The man removed his hand from her mouth, and she took a deep breath, looking around. She seemed to be in a weird room, surrounded by different kinds of plants. Ones she had never seen before. The walls looked like they were made of wood, but white in color.

"Ca-Can you please untie me?" Ashley begged, gulping.

"Of course," the man nodded, "I didn't intend to keep you like that." He slowly took the weird ropes off her body, freeing her. They looked like they were actually plant vines, but did not feel like it. As soon as she was completely free, Ashley pushed him to the side, making a run for it. She knew it was not the sensible thing to do, but it was all she could think of. Before she could take even a few steps, the blue-eyed man caught her by the waist, effortlessly lifting her off the ground.

"Let me go, you son of a-" she yelled at him, clawing at his hands and waving her legs around in the air. He slammed her down on the bed again, making her let out a scream. She tried to punch him, to kick him, even bite him, but he was stronger than any male she had dealt with before. He easily pinned her down, trapping her hands on either side of her as he straddled her body. "You piece of s**t, let me go!" She growled at him.

"Quiet!" he snapped, glaring at her. "Do not tempt me to tie you up again, I do not want to do that."

"You kinky piece of s**t, what do you want from me? Let me go!" She continued her struggles. If she was going down, she wouldn't do it without a fight. If he was going to kill her, he could do it quickly.

"What did you call me?" He frowned, staring at her in confusion.

"I called you what you are. A pervert," she snapped.

The man blinked down at her, clearly bewildered by what she was saying. Ashley continued to fight, despite her attempts proving futile.

The man sighed. "Just calm down, will you?" he asked softly. "You will hurt yourself."

Ashley frowned. "Why do you sound British?" she asked. "No, scratch that. You sound like a mixture of British and... Italian. Where the hell am I?" she muttered, glancing around. She could feel her anxiety rising with every passing second, as she realized how powerless she was before her abductor. Something about the whole situation was very off, from the man who had kidnapped her, to the very air she was breathing in. It felt too... pure, too clean, with a pleasant fragrance hanging gently to it.

"I would love to tell you, if only you'd let me," he replied, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Shoot." She rolled her eyes, ignoring the wild pacing of her heart.

"Can I step away from you without having you attempt an escape?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She bit her tongue, looking away from him. "Yes."

"Thank you." He slowly let go of her hands, and got off of her, stepping away from the bed. Ashley sat up, creating more distance between them, as she eyed him suspiciously. She noticed how his clothes were slightly different from what he wore at the concert, his sword missing. She was thankful for it, as it made him seem slightly less intimidating. 

"What's your name?" The two of them asked each other in unison.

Ashley gaped at him incredulously, narrowing her eyes. "You've kidnapped me and you don't even know my name?" she asked. "This is for ransom, isn't it?"

"Ransom?" The man frowned, before shaking his head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. My name is Haco Vindic, and I had been assigned with the job to bring a girl here."

"Here? Where exactly is 'here'? And what was that stunt you pulled with that electric vortex thing?" she asked.

"I would first like to know what you are called, so I can address you while speaking," Haco replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Ashley. My name is Ashley. But I prefer Ash."

"Ash? What kind of a name is that?"

She scoffed. "Much better than Haco Vindict. At least my name doesn't sound like that of a Judge."

"What's a Judge?"

She blinked at him, waiting for him to elaborate on what he meant by that stupid question. When he didn't, she huffed.

"Never mind. You're doing this to get on my nerves, I know. Just answer my questions," she stated.

"Alright, Ash. That 'vortex thing', as you called it, is called a Transporter. It allows people to travel between realms, and I used it to bring you from the Human Realm, to here. To Lyrous."

"Did you just say 'realm'?" she muttered, eyeing him for signs of dishonesty, or even jest.

"Yes," Haco nodded, raising his perfectly arched eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure that's the word."

Ashley bit her lip, as her heart sank in her chest. I'm stuck with a lunatic. Her throat was starting to burn from the urge to cry, but she held back her tears.

"Why me?" she asked softly, hugging herself.

"That's actually where everything went wrong," Haco confessed. "I have a feeling you weren't the actual target."

"What? So you're saying you've kidnapped me accidentally?"

"I wouldn't call it kidnapping, but yes. I think I was supposed to get your sister, not you," he muttered, more to himself.

"What did you want with Liana?" Ashley asked, a small frown on her face. This new revelation confused her even further. "She has never done anything wrong."

"Well, that is a pretty long story. I'll tell you everything, but in due time. For now, there's something I need you to do," Haco said, before walking towards her.

She shuffled away from him, staring at him with wide eyes as she let out a shaky breath. He stopped at a safe distance from her, and extended his hand towards her, making her flinch slightly.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly. "I'm not gonna hurt you," he promised, offering her his hand.

She glanced at it, and then up at him, before cautiously placing hers in his. She noticed how tiny her hand looked in comparison to his, and how rough his skin was. He had the hands of a hard-working man, and Ashley frowned, wondering if kidnapping people was his actual job. Haco gently pulled her towards himself, and she climbed out of the bed, stepping closer to him. He looked her in the eye, his face holding a serious look.

"Now listen to me very carefully. When we go out, you will do everything I tell you to, and agree with everything I say. Is that understood?" he instructed.

"Absolutely not," she replied instantly, stepping away from him as she yanked her hand out of his grip. "What do you even mean by that?"

"Ashley," Haco said sternly, grabbing her arms and pulling her to his chest. She gasped, trying to push him away, but his hold was too strong. "Look at me," he snapped, making her freeze. Her wide eyes met his, and his grip on her arms loosened slightly. "If you want to survive this place, you have to put your trust in me. I am the one who brought you here, so if you ever wish to go back home, you will need me. I guarantee you your safety, but I can only help you as long as you follow my instructions. What's going on here is way beyond you, or me. It's greater than any individual's existence. No one here will care whether you live or not. No one, except me."

Her heart beat quickened further, as she stared at him in shock and fear. His clear blue eyes held a warning, one that sent a chill through her.

"Ho-How do I trust you?" she stuttered, as a tear left her eye. "You kidnapped me. You're the one who has put me in this situation. If anything, you're the one I should not trust at all," she mused.

Haco sighed, before letting go of her arms and gently taking her hands in his. She sniffed, looking away from him, not wanting him to see her tears. Never before had she allowed herself to cry in front of anyone, except her sister. Not even her foster parents had seen her tears, yet the man before her had pushed her to her very limits. 

"I apologize for what happened, for snatching you away from your life. Serena misguided me. She settled on your shoulder instead of your sister's, so I thought it was you we were looking for," Haco said softly.

"Serena?" Ashley asked, glancing at him again. "You mean the blue butterfly?"

"Yes, I mean the butterfly," Haco nodded.

"Her name is Sky, not Serena. And you decide who to kidnap depending on who a butterfly chooses to sit on? You're crazy," Ashley replied, a deep frown on her face.

"I am far from crazy, I assure you," his tone was full of annoyance, as he rolled his eyes. "You will find out what actual crazy is, if you do not listen to me after we leave this camp. Once you see the outside world with your own eyes, you will believe every word I say. For now, just stay quiet, and don't move until you're asked to," he stated.

Ashley pursed her lips, gulping again. There was a million things she wanted to say to him, mostly insults, but she chose to remain silent. Her sister was not with her in that room, to cover for her snarky remarks and save her from trouble. She was on her own, and if she wanted to stay alive, she knew she had to control her tongue.

"Ready to go?" Haco asked, extending his hand towards her.

Ashley took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Here goes nothing.

- - - -