Page 57 of The Dragon Maiden

“Why?” I asked, turning to her.

“With both the Starfire and Twisturn clans under his control, Lord Fangburn has control over a majority of the dragon population,” she said.

Lord Fangburn stood and the cheers quieted down. “I would like all of my warriors to approach,” he said, coming to stand in front of the head table. When everyone was assembled, he bowed before Dracul and his fighters followed suit. “I, Lord Fangburn, of the Twisturn and Starfire clans, pledge my fealty and service to High Lord Dracul of the Shadowvale clan,” he said, bowing his head in submission. The dragons behind him repeated the same oath.

“Your Lord hears your oath and accepts it,” Dracul said, smiling. “Let us consecrate the pact in fire.”

Lord Fangburn stood and approached Dracul. They grasped each other’s arms and breathed fire at their joined fists. The flames turned a bright red, and cheers once again sounded around the room. It seemed as if their pact had been sealed. The other dragons approached Dracul and completed the same act, the red flame appearing each time.

“What does that mean?” I whispered to Alonsa as I watched what happened.

“If any of them goes against his oath, his life will be forfeit. He will die,” she said. “Something in the draconic magic makes this binding.”

“Now we have one more piece of business to attend to,” Dracul said. He gestured to someone in the back of the room. “We have a traitor in our midst who must be punished.”

Silence filled the room as Vimery was dragged to the front. The other Maidens gasped in horror. The fallen Dragon Maiden looked ghastly. She had not been treated well this past month. Her face and hair were dirty, her clothes ripped and stained. She looked at the floor as she was brought before the Dragon Lords.

“Vimery Cottonthrall,” Dracul said, his voice filling the room. “You have been found guilty of leaking Shadowvale secrets to our known enemy. You have betrayed the clan, your fellow Maidens, and most importantly, your Lord. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

From my vantage point, I could see that Vimery trembled, tears falling down her face, leaving tracks in the dirt that had gathered there. She looked at the ground and silently shook her head.

“Since you forfeit that right, your Lord will now deal with you,” Dracul said, sitting down and motioning for Lord Firenze.

Lord Firenze stood to his full height and walked to stand in front of Vimery. He leaned close and whispered a few words to her. She began to sob, her cries echoing throughout the cavern. A quick glance at the other Maidens and I could see tears in their eyes. She spoke a few quiet words to him, but not loud enough for anyone to hear.

With a nod, Lord Firenze took a step away from her. “Your punishment is death,” he said.

Alonsa gasped, holding her hands to her mouth in horror.

In one quick breath, Lord Firenze let out a blast of fire, and I flinched at the heat. Vimery opened her mouth in a quiet scream before falling to the ground. It seemed that as a final act of mercy, Lord Firenze had made her death as quick and painless as possible. When she was reduced to a pile of ash, he stopped before bowing his head and walking back to the table.

A couple servants came forward and took Vimery’s remains away. Gwen and Hyacinth were trying to hold back sobs, and I made eye contact with Dracul. He stared at me, a stony expression on his face. From the look in his eyes, I could tell that he had wanted her to suffer a more painful death, but accepted Lord Firenze’s way of ending things.

“I thought a Maiden couldn’t be harmed by her Lord’s fire?” I asked Alonsa, handing her a handkerchief to wipe her eyes.

Gratefully, she took it and dabbed at her face. “Unless she has betrayed her Lord, then that is the case,” she said. “But once Lord Firenze declared her a traitor, he had the power to kill her with fire. It is also better for the Lord if he’s the one to kill his Maiden. The pain he feels is significantly lessened.”

I sat back in my seat, nodding slowly. The stipulation made sense—if a Maiden betrayed her Lord, that was unforgivable. To my surprise, I felt a twinge of sadness for Vimery, that she had been driven by her hatred of me to betray the clan and Lord Firenze. From what Borthen had said and what Dracul had revealed after her interrogation, she had spilled Shadowvale clan secrets and helped orchestrate my capture to get me out of the way. She had not even cared if she endangered Dracul in the process.

The room slowly returned to its usual buzz of conversation. Music and laughter filled the air, but the other Maidens and I stayed in our seats, a somber air around our table. At least the dragons seemed to be enjoying themselves. Unlike the last banquet, the Lords did not approach us for dancing, knowing how devastated the other Maidens were at Vimery’s loss. A few times, Dracul and I made eye contact, but every time, I was the one to break it first.

* * *

After an hour or so, I noticed five odd figures on the outskirts of the crowd, slowly making their way towards our table. They wore cloaks and covered their faces so it was impossible to see if they were dragon or human. When they were mere feet away, all drew swords, aiming them at us. Once more, immediate silence descended on the hall. In my peripheral vision, I could see Bethany clutching to Alonsa, beginning to sob softly. Gwen and Hyacinth looked pale, but remained still. I waited, too, examining what I could of the figures. One of them had a familiar air about them.

Dracul stood, his chair scraping against the ground. I glanced at him briefly, but his eyes were trained on the interloper closest to me. “Who are you? What do you want?” he growled, starting to move closer to us.

“I received an interesting message about your newest Maiden,” the one closest to me said, the clear leader of the group. “And I needed to investigate.” He removed his hood, and I cried out in recognition. “Hello, Valora,” he said, looking at me, lowering his sword. Ronan now had a new scar across his cheek and his black hair was shorn short. The biggest change was within his brown eyes—rather than the smiling, kind Ronan I once knew, this one was calloused.

“Ronan!” I rushed towards him, enveloping him in a hug. I could hear murmurs in the background, but paid them no mind. “I haven’t seen you in so long. So much has happened.”

“That’s what it sounds like,” he said, his arms tightening around me. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect you from being taken by these monsters.” I could hear the hatred filling his voice.

I pulled away from him. He needed to know about what happened. “Becoming a Dragon Maiden isn’t all that happened,” I said hesitantly. “There’s so much I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” His dark brows furrowed in concern, his eyes darting to glare at Dracul.

“A year after you left, men came,” I explained, my voice shaking. “They ransacked the house and… and killed Mother and Father. They’re gone, Ronan.”

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