The Secret of the Mountains
Chapter Two:
Annie had given up her constant fight against the dragon as they flew over the dark mountains. She was resigned to her fate; She was obviously destined to become some kind of dragon snack so there was really no point in fighting. The claws still dug sharply into her side, but the initial pain had receded to a dull throb that was easier for her to ignore.
The captured maidservant closed her eyes. She tried to pretend she was anywhere else, except for maybe back at the castle. Someplace other than being toted away to her impending doom by a dragon. Suddenly, the dragon jerked to the left. Annie felt her head snap back painfully and she looked around frantically to try to identify the cause of the sudden jerk in flight.
A loud roar from above told her all she needed to know. Another dragon, this one a fiery crimson, was circling above like a vulture. Annie choked back a scream as it dove again. It spiraled towards them with deadly precision. Her dragon dove to the right this time, but was unable to avoid the brunt of the attack. It cried out loudly and threw its head up to the sky as the other dragon's claws tore through the scales and flesh on it's back.
Annie screamed this time as the dragon's eyes closed and they plummeted downwards. Her captor unable to stop the decent. At the last instant, just as Annie was preparing herself for a premature death, the dragon regained control and lifted them up, slowly taking them back to their previous altitude. The crimson dragon was gone. It flew off after injuring the green one.
"What was that about," she snapped sharply at the dragon. She didn't care if she sounded rude. The dragon was probably going to kill her later anyway, so she might as well get some answers out of it.
"Nothing," the dragon bit back coarsely, "That dragon and I just...don't like each other."
"That's pretty cryptic," Annie snapped back under her breath. Not liking each other was a far cry from attacking one another.
If the dragon heard her, it didn't reply to her comment. The flight continued in silence, neither human nor dragon in the mood for conversation. Minutes later, the dragon swooped downwards into the mountains and pulled sharply into the entrance of a cave. It dropped Annie unceremoniously on a rocky ledge. She landed with a thump and cast the beast an annoyed look.
"Stop glaring," it snapped. It moved past her to land in the large entrance to the vast cavern.
"Why should I," Annie bit back. She forgot for a moment that she was in the presence of a dragon, which could very easily gobble her up at that exact moment.
The dragon didn't seem offended by he tone, but it did look back at her stoically.
"Because," it reasoned, "I have captured you, and unless you want to be eaten you may as well do what I say."
Annie bit her lip nervously. Out of one captivity and straight into another. Oh, wasn't life grand? Suddenly her attention shifted as the dragon stumbled and fell forward. The resounding boom echoed through the cavern. The maidservant rush forward and slipped only to land in something vaguely warm. She realized with a shock that it was the dragon's blood.
"Your wound," she cried out. She jumped up and rushed to the dragon's side, "You're badly hurt. We have to stop the bleeding!"
"Through that archway," the dragon indicated with a nod, "There should be bandages in there, and a tub for water to wash the wound."
Annie gave the dragon a curt nod and ran down the cavern to find the supplies.
A minute later she ran back in. She carried a large tub of water with bandages tucked under one arm. The tub had been next to a pool of water and the bandages had been on a stone shelf carved into the wall. While she was in the other room, the dragon had sprawled itself out on the stone floor. Annie hastily began washing the wound. She suddenly felt sorry for the beast. She knew, on some level, that showing compassion for a dragon that had kidnapped her was absurd, but she couldn't simply leave it there to bleed itself to death.
The dragon hissed softly as the water soaked into the wound. The water started to wash away the blood. Annie ignored its expression of pain and continued to clean the gash.
"So, tell me about yourself," she said conversationally. She tried to distract the beast from the pain, "Do you have a name, or shall I call you dragon," she quipped lightheartedly.
The dragon paused, considering, "It's August. Friends call me Auggie."
Annie smiled softly, "That's a nice name. So Auggie—"
"August," the dragon interrupted her, "I said friends call me Auggie. You are not a friend."
Annie's eyes narrowed at that remark. She pressed the wet cloth deep into the dragon's wound, which made him growl with pain.
"What's your name?" He growled at her.
"I'm Annie."
"What, no fancy title," the dragon bit out. "No 'Princess Annie, heir to the throne of whatever city I took you from?"
Annie cocked her head to the side, confused for a moment. Then the realization dawned. August thought she was the princess. Of course, he had sniffed her, and spending all day stuck with the brat must make Annie smell like a princess! The maidservant hesitated. Should she tell the dragon that she wasn't a princess? He might eat her if she did, and Annie didn't want to risk it.
"I don't really like my title," She said slowly, a half-truth. She really didn't like her title; it just wasn't the title the dragon thought that she owned. She glanced down and noticed that the dragon seemed to have other wounds. Old scars, she realized suddenly, made by the claws of other dragons. This wasn't the first attack. She switched to the bandages. She wrapped him up quickly before speaking.
"So…August…you have a lot of scars," she observed aloud, "You get attacked quite often, don't you?"
August hissed again, this time with a growling undertone, "That's not your concern!"
He rose and stalked away further down the cave. His tail pointed at another doorway near the entrance and he spoke to her again just before he left hearing distance.
"Your room is through there."
And then he disappeared into the darkened caverns.
Annie placed her hands on her hips. Subject off limits, message received. She shook her head and went to her room silently. It had a bed and a wardrobe, as well as a bedside table with a washbasin. The bare essentials. Finding herself exhausted, Annie collapsed onto the bed and fell into a fitful sleep filled with nightmares of dragon attacks and pools of blood.