Page 17 of Redeeming the Dragon

He wasn’t lying. Something’s there!

Encouraged, I walked a little faster as the light brightened, drawn like a moth to a flickering flame. I walked on until the gentle glow enveloped me, and I could begin to make out my surroundings. I heard the rushing of water beneath my feet, and wondered if these were the heated springs the dragon had mentioned.

The air was very warm. Almost too warm. Moist and humid. In fact, it was what I was accustomed to, there in the Jeweled Isles. Which was strange, being so deep in a cave, not to mention having just come from the icy, wintery entrance above.

Groping along the wall, I turned a final corner, and then…

Stopped.

Before me was the entrance to what I could only describe as a castle or palace, which I’d read about in books of faraway places like Laytrii’s palace in Aerisia’s capital city. Rather than columns and porches and turrets and towers carved by man, every last balcony and pillar was the natural stone of the gigantic cavern, twined or twisted, joined or melded, into the shape of a natural underground palace. A gentle glow suffused the magnificent structure. Initially, I couldn’t determine thesource. But as I managed to close my mouth, which had dropped open in shock, I realized the light was coming from the rocks themselves.

Is this some sort of jewel? Is it magic? How does this work?

“Surely, this is strange, strange magic,” I whispered, withdrawing my hand from the wall, half fearing that I would upset the balance of the magic and set off a catastrophe.

Although…what could be more catastrophic than what I’d already endured?

Grimacing, I shook my head and went on, this time with greater ease, due to having light to see by—however natural or unnatural.

I passed under the magnificent entrance, my feet taking me down a narrow corridor that widened into a vast hall. Stone arches soared overhead. Walkways ran the upper length of the room. There was a long, stone table at the center of the room, and on it was one place setting: plate, napkin, mug, fork, knife, spoon, and bowl.

For me?

I assumed so.

The sight of the place setting reminded me that I’d not eaten in hours. Not knowing what else to do, I walked to the table, seating myself on the stone bench. Next to the plate was a silver bell.

Curious.

Again, not knowing what else to do, I picked up the bell and rang it.

The air shimmered. Abruptly, before me appeared a meal on the plate. Bread. Meat. Soup in a bowl. Water in the mug. I was taken aback, but, by now, had figured out this was a mystifying place where I should expect the unexpected. Yesterday, I would have been shocked. Now, I was hungry and longing for something familiar, such as the comfort of a solid dinner. Using the napkin, I wiped my hands beforepicking up the utensils and beginning my meal. In silence, I chewed and swallowed.

This will take some getting accustomed to,I thought, glancing about the vast, empty hall. It was so silent I could hear the sounds of my food going down my throat. I was not used to this level of silence. At home, there was rarely silence unless most, or all of us, were asleep. Someone was always talking, their speech underscored by the ever-present crash of the waves. Here, was absolute silence that I quickly found wretched, as it reminded me sadly of my misfortune.

Cut off from everyone. Deep in the heart of the earth.

Alone.

At the mercy of a dragon who had disappeared.

Why did he bring me here?I wondered for the thousandth time, setting down my fork.Why? To live in solitude and eat magical meals, presumably prepared by sheer magic or by invisible servants? This makes no sense.

I was weary in soul as well as in body and found my hunger quickly satiated. Either that, or my appetite had simply fled.

Putting the fork down, I neatened up the space where I’d been eating, then stood from the stone bench, glancing around. Did I wander about on my own to find a place to sleep? Or…

On a whim, I picked up the silver bell and rang it.

“I want to go to my room now,” I said.

A soft golden glow, like a pathway, lit up on the cavern floor.

So, that’s the way it’s to be, is it?I thought wryly. Adjusting my cloth bag on my shoulder, I trod the pathway until I’d been led down two or three different corridors which ended in front of a room draped with a thick curtain. The glow stopped at the curtain. Pushing it aside, I ducked into the chamber. The glow from stone recesses in the walls offered enough illumination for me to find my way around.

In the left corner, I picked out the shape of a large bed, covered with heavy, embroidered comforters. Beside it, was a vanity of sorts. In the opposite corner, loomed a tall wardrobe. To my right, was a long, low worktable, or desk, pressed against the wall, under which a chair was stationed. Little else could I see, save a small vestibule off the main room, curtained off, which I assumed to be the washroom and privy. I went there first, finding a warm spring of water in a stone channel about hip high. The water flowed in from one end of the room and out the other. This, I used to wash my hands and face and clean my teeth.

After caring for my needs, I exited and walked to the wardrobe, opening one door. There was barely enough light for me to see them properly, but dresses and gowns hung from the rod, and folded up in the bottom were pants, trousers, skirts, and blouses. I ran my fingertips over the piles of fabric until I located the softest pair of pants and shirt available. These I drew out and changed into, leaving my own clothing, along with my bag from home, on the solitary chair in the room.

---