Page 14 of Accounting for Drakes

“Sure.” She tapped on his chair and sent control to her pod. She jumped in, triggered the filaments to lock to her suit, and pressed her facial surround onto her face. She murmured, “Scenario in three, two, one.”

The world went light, and then, she knew it was wrong when the scenario formed around her.

“What the hell am I wearing?”

“You are my damsel, and we are on a quest.”

She looked down at the silky froth that wasn’t doing much to conceal her, even if it covered her from wrist to ankle. She felt like she was dressed in mist, and he was standing next to her in leather.

“What did you do?”

“I changed our scenario. The drake wanted to play, too.”

She stared for a moment. “Play how?”

He grinned, and she heard the rustle of scale against scale. He stepped back, and a familiar figure swung downward and picked her up in his claws before flying to a mountain cavern nearby.

Abil was set carefully down on the stone floor, and the drake nuzzled her, sniffing her from neck to knees.

She frowned and felt her language fading. She grabbed his head and rubbed her cheek against the drake, stroking his ears carefully and rubbing between his eyes. Her mind reached for his, but the mind she was seeking was inside Yorath, in the physical world. She was stuck again with no doorway.

The drake looked surprised but pleased as he nudged her to a very soft-looking bed. She looked at the princessy bed and back at the drake. He huffed, but amusement was in his serpentine eyes.

She felt sleepy and knew it was the scenario. “It feels stupid that the scenario knocks the female out ten minutes in.”

The drake huffed and lay his head down near her feet, guarding her from the intrepid adventurer.

She grumbled as she fell asleep.

* * * *

Yorath climbed themountain and stepped into the cave. “Where is she?”

The drake faced off against him and huffed. A spark of flame curled out in front of the muzzle, and he blocked access to the fair maiden sleeping beyond.

Yorath paused. “You are really playing this up?”

The huge head nodded.

Yorath drew his sword. “Fine. Surrender the maiden!”

The drake moved, and the tail swatted at Yorath, sending him back to the base of the mountain.

Yorath looked up and rolled rapidly to the side as the drake took a shit off the edge of the cliff face.

He huffed as he got up and looked at the mountain. “It seems that nothing is going to come easy.” He started back up the rock face and glanced back. “And we are going to talk about your diet.”

He was grinning as he continued the arduous climb for the second time. He was eager to see Abil’s hair out of that braid she managed to bring into this adventure.

He climbed faster.

When he pulled himself back onto the ledge, he saw the dragon, holding her carefully and combing her long pale green locks with the claws at the tip of his wings.

There was a soft croon that he was directing toward Abil, and Yorath was stunned. It was like he was tending a child or something infinitely precious.

The soft waves of her hair were combed and silky, but the woman slept on.

“Drake, stand aside!”

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