Page 14 of Redeeming the Dragon

Dismount, Lorna,ordered the voice in my head.

Could I? Could I even move? Was this why the dragon had brought me here? To leave me to freeze to death in this icy tomb?

“Why—why are we here?” I asked with chattering teeth. Again, an unutterably foreign sensation.

How do people live like this? How do they endure such cold?

My fingers were turning blue. It was mental labor to unclasp them from the dragon’s spike. To grasp his thick spine so I could swing one leg over his back, feeling for his upraised knee with my foot, using it as a ladder to step off his high back. My feet hit a stone floor, which I believe was coated in frost. Having only read of this natural phenomenon, I couldn’t say for certain. However, my sandals slipped, forcing me to grasp the serpent’s scaly leg to keep from falling. My bag swung wildly, striking my hip.

Easy,the voice spoke.Take care. This is new for you.

Where are we?I demanded mentally. At this point, my teeth were chattering too hard to speak.

My home,the beast answered calmly.Come.

With no other explanation, he rose off his haunches and walked forward, expecting me to follow. I stood there a moment, my arms automatically twining themselves about my torso in a vain attempt to shield myself from the miserable cold.

What if I didn’t follow him? What if I refused?

I gazed about, for the first time truly studying my whereabouts. I’d already ascertained I was in a cave of some sort. The top soared far overhead, into shadowy recesses I couldn’t pierce—nooks that glittered with frost, ice, and snow. Columns of stone jutted up from the cave floor or hung suspended from the roof. Sometimes they met in twisted, rugged pillars. If I were to compare this place to anything, it would be to an underground temple, dedicated to the worship of winter.

Come!

The demand echoed sternly in my mind.

If you stay here, you will freeze. Nor can I abide the cold much better than you.

I jerked my chin towards the beast who had brought me here and saw that he had continued to walk while I stood there staring about.

Then why did you bring me here?I challenged, hurrying after him, wincing at the sensation of my sandals kicking up a wet, icy substance onto my bare toes.Why do you dwell in such a place? Why make it your home?

Because I am safe here,the dragon answered.And so are you, as long as you obey my commands.

Safe? What under the sun did a dragon have to fear?

I could not imagine, but the very notion was more terrifying than my current predicament. My arms still hugged about myself, I hastened on until I caught up with the beast’s tail. From there, I focused on observing the odd pattern it made dragging through the frost as the serpent led me down, down, down into the belly of the cave. The tail was a deep blackish-green, like the rest of the creature, save for the streaks of orange across his face, sides, and throat. There were four—no, five—golden spikes on the tip of his dark tail, and when I shifted my gaze, I noticed that the spikes I’d clung to during the flight were also golden, as were his eyes. He made quite a contrast to the white and glitter of the cave, even though his scales held their own shimmer akin to snake scales in the bright sunshine.

Where are you taking me?I finally asked, after we’d walked on and on, down narrow tunnels where the walls pressed in on the animal. He had to duck his head on its long, serpentine neck to get by. We bypassed other hallways, offshoots from the main trek. In the distance, through the gloom, I spied more stone walkways, pillars, and caverns, but the dragon stuck to his path single-mindedly.

I told you. To my home.

Where is your home?

You will see.

That was all he would say.

We continued our journey. I did notice, as I trailed the beast, that I was warming up. Initially, I suspected this was due to physical exertion. However, eventually, I began to notice the frost, the snow, and the ice were growing thinner and thinner. Soon, as we continued on a gentle downward grade, only patches were scattered across the floor or coated the walls. Then even those disappeared. The air was distinctly warmer. My arms unfolded themselves from my sides. My head raised. I triedto look around but, with the disappearance of the snow and ice, the light had vanished as well.

What is happening here?I questioned fearfully.Why is it so dark?

Too dark, little human?

Rather than explain, the dragon inhaled a mighty breath. In return, sparks flew from his elongated nostrils, and his belly lit up, glowing with internal fire.

Better?

I could see where to place my feet now, so, aye, that was better.

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