Page 19 of The Dragon Sacrifice

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Jerrard strained against the sticky ropes at his wrists and ankles, taking turns shifting his feet and then his hands in a vain attempt to free himself. If there was one thing to be said for the beasts, they were good at making unbreakable ropes with their horrid spider-like mouths.

He lifted his head from the stone floor, staring around the darkened corner they had chucked him in. Darkness made it nearly impossible to see anything. The loose gravel bit at his cheek, and his body ached from where they’d attacked him. But the worst was his embarrassment at being captured. Never had the horde been able to abduct one of them. He was ashamed at being the first.

It had all happened so fast. One minute he and Stenton were slinking around the hallways outside of their protected cavern, trying to ascertain what the beasts had planned. The next, they were besieged, the horde seeming to drop from the sky, rising from the floor. They were everywhere, on top of him and swarming like locusts. He’d fought valiantly if he did say so himself, but then one of them had smashed something into his head.

It still hurt, the bastard.

And where was Stenton? In another part of the dark cavern somewhere, or free? He hoped his brother was able to escape. Stenton normally would have seen their whereabouts, been able to warn them if an attack like that was coming, then get them all to safety. So what had happened this time? How were so many able to sneak under Stenton’s radar?

It was a bad sign. One that warned more was wrong here than just Jerrard not being able to shift.

Having shifting abilities in that fight would’ve saved them, but he wasn’t sorry he’d used his one chance at being a dragon to save the girl. They’d lost too many to the beasts who waited like seagulls around a feast. Those poor girls had been brought to the caves to be sacrificed to the dragons, only to find even more horrible monsters awaited. They’d attempted to save many, but the beasts were always there first. Like they could smell when the humans were coming.

Jerrard’s wrists ached. His back howled at the twisted way they had him tied. Inching along the rocky ground, he scooted himself forward until he could see past the rocky wall. A little bit of light from the hallway let him know where the beasts were gathered. Inching further, he could hear their whispers, rasped out in their horrible, ruined voices, all speaking as one.

“… the girl they keep. We mussst find her.”

“Ssshift, they can. Two of them.”

“But their power weakensss. We can tell,” the garbled voices answered.

“We will ussse the one we have asss bait. Draw them out.”

The monsters were scheming. He and his brothers had known their diminished power would become a problem, but he just hadn’t thought it would be so soon.

“We long to feed,” the voices chorused. “His blood callsss to usss.”

Jerrard twitched. The beasts desired dragon blood like a drunk desired booze. Why they hadn’t drained him dry yet was a surprise. But they were planning to use him as bait.

“We could drink a little?” the voices sang. “Leave him alive, but have a tassste.”

“We won’t ssstop,” the deeper gravelly voices replied. “We’ll drain him.”

“We won’t,” they responded. “He callsss to usss.”

Suddenly, there was the scrape of many legs moving over stone. They skittered in his direction sounding like giant spiders moving in unison.

Jerrard worked his arms and legs like mad, trying to free himself as the beasts came upon him. He lashed about as hairy feelers tickled his skin. They settled around him like he was their evening supper.

“Touch me and regret it,” he said, his eyes blazing.

They spoke in unison, their red eyes glowing around him. “We regret nothing.”

He felt the first bite on his neck. Then another at his abdomen. Then another. And another.

Jerrard gritted his teeth until the pain was too much. He screamed.

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