To Lure a Dragon
Chapter 8
Alys shivered, wrapping a fur tightly around her shoulders. Selendrile had picked the perfect lair for surviving the winter. It was warm, cozy, and didn't have a bear hibernating in it. Unfortunately, the magic of hot springs didn't extend to the outside reaches of the cave, and she was freezing because of it. Squinting into the black night, Alys stood at the mouth of the cavern, her eyes searching out the familiar form of her golden-haired companion ā human or not. Not a single living thing entered her range of view, and she was sure he could probably turn into all of them. The only movement on the deserted mountain-side was a random flake of snow fluttering to Earth and a stark chilling breeze assaulting the ice-stiffened trees. It had started to snow the week before, and for a brief amount of time they had enjoyed the novelty of the flakes, but it hadn't stopped since then and Selendrile was having a more difficult time to locate food. Water, however, was plentiful if they just melted snow.
Her fingers were freezing, stiff and icy like the branches of the trees she could see. The air was lightening, signifying the early reaches of dawn breaking through the overwhelming blackness of the night. Alys worked one of her hands into a fist, trying to warm the fingers and promote circulation. Her feet circled and paced the same clear stretch of earth just within the mouth of the cave, avoiding the drifting snow blowing into the mouth. Her other hand was tightly grasping her fur blanket against the elements, and she could feel the exposed corners of her fingers turn red and raw. In a few minutes, she would change hands again.
"Selendrile!" She screamed into the deathly quiet of the wintery pre-dawn. She wasn't sure what time it was, but when the sky began to turn deep purple instead of black, she instinctively knew he didn't have long to get back before the sun came out fully and he had to remain a dragon. This morning wasn't the first time he had left the cave's warmth and protection, then stayed away from half the night. However, it was the first time he hadn't returned before sunrise. "You ratfink," she muttered, kicking a lump of snow.
"Ow!" Alys exclaimed, hopping once on her remaining good foot in order to regain balance and keep off the injury. She glared at the rock she had stubbed her foot on beneath the lump of snow. It was just another thing she could add to the growing list of ailments Selendrile was responsible for. At the moment, topping that inventory was possible frostbite.
Frowning crossly, her mood considerable worsened now that she was both freezing and in pain, Alys sat down on the cold, but dry ground just within the mouth of the cave. How dare he keep making her wait for him like this! Sure, she was partially responsible for actually waiting, but he was still being irresponsible and selfish. These journeys of his were becoming more and more a regularity. Now, Selendrile would go for days where everything was fine and then he would just snap. During these dark moods he would sometimes yell at her and storm off. Other times he would just ignore her for hours and then leave without a word. She wasn't sure which was worse, as each hurt her a great amount. The first was the reason she was huddled inside the cave, scowling into the blackness.
She was worried about him. About them. Questions kept flittering through her head at his strange behavior. What happened to the sweet, if subtly manipulative, boy he had been? Well, it was debatable whether he was ever really sweet, but he smiled at her far less frequently now. Was he in trouble? In danger? Was he growing tired of having a human companion? Had she driven him away from her? Was he keeping secrets from her? Did Selendrile hate her? Was she starting to look like an appetizing meal?
Alys's teeth started to chatter in earnest now. She wasn't sure how long she had been out here, but the first hour her own anger and guilt had kept her warm. Now she felt drained and betrayed, just a lonely girl who was left alone in her world. She had left the warm protection of the cavern with the hoped he was sitting outside on his log again. She had wanted to apologize. This latest argument was partially her fault, and she was willing to take responsibility for it. Instead, she had found nothing outside the cave, not even a set of footprints. Even if she hadn't looked him in the eye and said 'I'm sorry' to Selendrile yet, she didn't think she'd be able to stay outside waiting for him for much longer.
She didn't have to.
The sky was slowly growing light, revealing a prismatic range of oranges, pinks, and purples and allowing her to see more of the familiar landscape. She couldn't help but replay their argument in her mind, wondering where it had gone wrong. Why did he hate her?
"Why do I need to learn French?" Alys whined, eyes almost crossing in an attempt to read the words in the book resting in her lap. The two of them were sitting side by side, huddled together over the French tome. Every time she managed to utter a sentence, he would translate it for her. The lessons had started off with simple pronunciation rules and had escalated in only a few days. It was difficult enough that she had just recently learned how to read and was still not adept or swift understanding all the words on paper. Sometimes, she still looked at writing and saw squiggles instead of words until her eyes focused and her brain reminded her what each symbol represented. Now, Selendrile was forcing her to relearn it all using a language she didn't understand.
"C'est important." He replied casually, leaning back against the cavern wall. She didn't know how he automatically knew a language inside and out, especially since he only recently started to try his hand at constant humanity. "Et facile."
"No, it isn't easy. Not to me!" She snapped, simultaneously closing the book and glaring at him. Her mind didn't even register the fact she had translated his words automatically.
Selendrile grinned smugly, not missing the truth behind her words. She was learning, even if it was frustrating.
"Besides," she huffed. "That isn't a good reason for me to learn it." She crossed her arms over her chest, half turning her upper body so she could look at him straight on with confrontation in her eyes. "Important how?"
He wasn't planning to move them to France, was he?
"Your nobility speaks the language." Selendrile replied, reaching over and flicking the book open again.
"And?" She asked testily, closing the book again. "Do you think a lowly peasant like me would ever meet nobility?" She didn't ask the question bitterly. She didn't know much about the charmed life of her betters other than they existed. She had grown up with a simple life, and had never really wanted for more until she met Selendrile.
"You never know," he responded, a mysteriously sly grin pressed against his face as he shrugged. He was obviously up to something.
"So, you're gonna what? Marry me off to the first rich guy we meet?" She was more than mildly irritated now. She was bordering on furious.
All amusement fled from Selendrile's face. He surveyed her carefully, a frown starting to appear on his brow. "No."
Alys continued her tirade before he could defend himself. "That's it, isn't it? You're going to set me up with some wealthy old man so I don't have to worry about going hungry and you don't have to feel guilty for leaving." She jumped to her feet, glaring down at him as she yelled.
"You'd certainly deserve it," Selendrile informed her coldly, staring up at her. Despite the fact she was towering over him, she was still cowed by the look in his eyes. They were supposed to be beautiful, a warm amethyst instead of the cold icy purple surveying her.
"Iā¦"
This time, he interrupted her. "Thanks for the idea. I wouldn't want to feel guilty after all. But wait!" He paused, raising his hand. His gaze was spiteful, almost hateful. His eyes narrowed as he prepared to say the most harmful thing ever to emerge from his mouth. "I could eat you right now and still not lose any sleep."
Alys could feel the tears well up in her eyes. She cursed them, hating the weakness in this moment more than she hated him. She had faced so much more than a few cruel words and remained strong, but this, coming from him tore at her. Now, in the face of the closest person in her life, she was about to break.
"You want to know why?" He asked, expression turning crueler than she had ever seen it. He looked as bestial as his true form promised. "I don't care about you."
She blinked, a tear trailing its way down her dry skin. She beat down on him with her tiny fists, hoping she had done enough manual labour in her life for her punches to be effective. Women we're really known for being able to land a good roundhouse. He got up off the floor, ignoring her assult with a simple flick of his arm. She fell backwards, skittering across the hard ground like a flat stone across calm water. For a moment, he simply surveyed her, not asking whether she was ok, but also not looking vicious. He turned and left quickly, leaving her lying on her side staring after him. What had just happened?
Would he ever come back? She didn't know, and for a while, when her feelings had been screaming in pain, she hadn't cared. She worried about him. About whether he had left for good, or ran into trouble in the form of binding iron. She also worried about herself. Would she be able to remain in the cave indefinitely with no food supply? In what direction was the nearest town? She could wander around for days, passing mere miles from a settlement and never know. At this time of year, survival was unlikely.
Alys waited in the cold, barely noticing the growing colors of the dawn. Somewhere out in the world there was a golden dragon ā perhaps terrorizing some unsuspecting humans because of his anger towards one. Huddled, Alys waited until the sun was part-way into the sky, her fingers were red and numb, and her fears were the only thing keeping her the littlest bit warm. Finally, she couldn't take the cold anymore and stumbled to her feet. She could barely stand from a combination of sitting in one position for hours and the numbing cold paralyzing her limbs. It was a strange feeling to walk without sensing her toes.
As soon as she reached the cavern they had been living in, she immediately wanted to give into the urge to collapse on the bed and sleep. However, her memory reminded her of that seemingly long-ago night when Selendrile had first brought her to the hot springs because of hypothermia. She needed that warmth he had introduced her to.
Plus, she didn't want to give him any more reasons to think she couldn't take care of herself.
The hot water stung her freezing skin as she immersed first one foot and then the other into the springs. She didn't even bother taking her clothes off, too tired and cold to gather the energy to do much unnecessary movements. Agilely, she hopped into the underground springs, feeling the pain and comfort of the heat seeping into her muscles. Without thought, she leaned back against the edge of the pool of water, just enjoying the feeling of relaxation.
Once she was warm enough to feel human again, her mind started to act rationally. First, she divested herself off the wet garments clinging to her skin. Once she got out of the water, she would likely be collapsing in bed. It would take far more energy to take the clothing off while out of the water than it would in. She left the dress and pants to float on the surface around her as she just relaxed for a moment, finally realizing what was really worrying her. She didn't care if she ever apologized to Selendrile or he to her, but what if his harsh words had been the truth?
What if he still looked at her and saw food? What if he didn't care what happened to her?
In a fit of anger at herself, she crawled out of the water. Digging through his trunk of riches, she quickly located what he had called a lady's robe. It was silk and beautifully coloured in deep oranges and vibrant reds. The design of a golden dragon was splayed across the back. She wasn't aware of it, but it was a treasure from China. She put it on wet, punishing him for everything. Alys practically fell onto the bed, the slippery material falling around her, comforting and smooth. She landed on his image on the cloth.
What if he didn't care for her? That would break her heart because she cared for him far more than she should.
RelenaFanel26/05/2006
Finally. The plot moves on. You may not be able to see it in this chapter, or it may be blatantly obvious, but after this everything will change between Selendrile and Alys. Look for an update in exactly 2 weeks. Oh, and I have an assignment for all of you:
-Review. For me. Please. You know you love me.
-Tell me what you think about this mean Selendrile. Out of character? Intriguing? Can't wait to find out why?
-Go read Club Vampyr if you haven't already and are interested in vampires/Companions of the Night.
-Review that too.
