curve of Velika’s tail.
A noise woke me, and I was disoriented when I opened my eyes. It was so dark in the cave that I knew it must be night. Only a few sparkles of bluish white light reflected off the mirrors. I peered around but didn’t see Shardas. Velika was still breathing deeply, profoundly asleep at my back. I wondered how long we had been lying there, and why no one had come to wake us yet.
Sticking my lumpy glass flower in the pocket of my tunic and gathering my wedding gown into its basket so that it wouldn’t get stepped on, I stumbled out of the cave to look for Luka and Shardas. There was a wide clearing at the entrance, and in the light of the moons I could see Darrym standing there. I wondered if he had been asked to stand guard since Shardas wasn’t here. It seemed odd, though, that Velika would need a guard, and I opened my mouth to ask him what he was doing. Was he just standing around staring, the way Shardas had been talking about?
Then the humans, with their bows and arrows, came creeping out of the jungle, and I shut my mouth.
At Moonrise
C all the queen, Creel,” Darrym said, his voice cold.
“No.” I couldn’t stop staring at the people surrounding me.
I had never seen people that looked like this, not even in the Grand Market, in the heart of cosmopolitan Pelletie.
They were all men, tall and nearly naked, covered in bizarre white tattoos and strings of dull beads. Their long hair was pulled back from their faces in weird topknots decorated with quills, and more quills had been sewn to the striped cloth that wrapped around their hips and thighs like bandages. The effect was both fascinating and intimidating.
And so were the arrows they were aiming at me.
“Call her,” Darrym said again, his voice high and tense.
“Why? What are you doing? Who are these people?” My own voice sounded just as strange.
“Call her, or they will shoot,” Darrym said.
One of the men did shoot, and the arrow buried itself in the sand directly between my feet. It was fletched with black feathers and the force of the shot had sunk it halfway into the sand.
“Velika!” I yelped. I couldn’t help it, and stared at Darrym, still defiant. Velika was twice his size, and wooden arrows were no match for dragonfire.
“What is it?” It took her some time to come to the mouth of the cave, and her swollen belly caused her to half-skid out of the entrance before she had a chance to see the archers.
And then the net dropped over us.
It was made of stiff leather, and dripping with a greasy liquid that made my eyes water. Velika roared, and flamed, and clawed, but the net only tangled in her claws and her fire did nothing. The basket on my back pinned me to the ground, and I couldn’t get my arms out of the straps.
The strange men yanked on ropes near their feet, and another net rose out of the sand where it had been concealed, trapping us like fish. Darrym rose into the air, taking some of the ropes in his claws, and two other small brown and green dragons came out of the trees to take the rest.
Velika and I were lifted up, awkwardly, frighteningly, in the nets and the dragons flew away with us. They barely cleared the trees, and I closed my eyes in terror, all the while screaming for someone to help us, but no friendly dragon appeared in the moonlight.
Silent except for an occasional moan, Velika was bunched beside and somewhat beneath me. Her scales were so hot it was making me uncomfortable. Once we were over the ocean and there was no one to hear my shouts but our kidnappers, I stopped yelling and tried to get her attention.
“Are you all right? Velika? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to call you, but the arrow . . .” My protest sounded weak and I fell silent. I could have stood up to Darrym, to them. I always said that I would do anything for my friends, but when the first arrow landed at my feet I betrayed them. I clenched my fingers around the strands of the net and mentally cursed my
A noise woke me, and I was disoriented when I opened my eyes. It was so dark in the cave that I knew it must be night. Only a few sparkles of bluish white light reflected off the mirrors. I peered around but didn’t see Shardas. Velika was still breathing deeply, profoundly asleep at my back. I wondered how long we had been lying there, and why no one had come to wake us yet.
Sticking my lumpy glass flower in the pocket of my tunic and gathering my wedding gown into its basket so that it wouldn’t get stepped on, I stumbled out of the cave to look for Luka and Shardas. There was a wide clearing at the entrance, and in the light of the moons I could see Darrym standing there. I wondered if he had been asked to stand guard since Shardas wasn’t here. It seemed odd, though, that Velika would need a guard, and I opened my mouth to ask him what he was doing. Was he just standing around staring, the way Shardas had been talking about?
Then the humans, with their bows and arrows, came creeping out of the jungle, and I shut my mouth.
At Moonrise
C all the queen, Creel,” Darrym said, his voice cold.
“No.” I couldn’t stop staring at the people surrounding me.
I had never seen people that looked like this, not even in the Grand Market, in the heart of cosmopolitan Pelletie.
They were all men, tall and nearly naked, covered in bizarre white tattoos and strings of dull beads. Their long hair was pulled back from their faces in weird topknots decorated with quills, and more quills had been sewn to the striped cloth that wrapped around their hips and thighs like bandages. The effect was both fascinating and intimidating.
And so were the arrows they were aiming at me.
“Call her,” Darrym said again, his voice high and tense.
“Why? What are you doing? Who are these people?” My own voice sounded just as strange.
“Call her, or they will shoot,” Darrym said.
One of the men did shoot, and the arrow buried itself in the sand directly between my feet. It was fletched with black feathers and the force of the shot had sunk it halfway into the sand.
“Velika!” I yelped. I couldn’t help it, and stared at Darrym, still defiant. Velika was twice his size, and wooden arrows were no match for dragonfire.
“What is it?” It took her some time to come to the mouth of the cave, and her swollen belly caused her to half-skid out of the entrance before she had a chance to see the archers.
And then the net dropped over us.
It was made of stiff leather, and dripping with a greasy liquid that made my eyes water. Velika roared, and flamed, and clawed, but the net only tangled in her claws and her fire did nothing. The basket on my back pinned me to the ground, and I couldn’t get my arms out of the straps.
The strange men yanked on ropes near their feet, and another net rose out of the sand where it had been concealed, trapping us like fish. Darrym rose into the air, taking some of the ropes in his claws, and two other small brown and green dragons came out of the trees to take the rest.
Velika and I were lifted up, awkwardly, frighteningly, in the nets and the dragons flew away with us. They barely cleared the trees, and I closed my eyes in terror, all the while screaming for someone to help us, but no friendly dragon appeared in the moonlight.
Silent except for an occasional moan, Velika was bunched beside and somewhat beneath me. Her scales were so hot it was making me uncomfortable. Once we were over the ocean and there was no one to hear my shouts but our kidnappers, I stopped yelling and tried to get her attention.
“Are you all right? Velika? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to call you, but the arrow . . .” My protest sounded weak and I fell silent. I could have stood up to Darrym, to them. I always said that I would do anything for my friends, but when the first arrow landed at my feet I betrayed them. I clenched my fingers around the strands of the net and mentally cursed my
Similar Books
