Chapter 36 – Kapyn's Stare

She was staring into Kapyn's face again, enveloped in puffs of his bitter, lulling breath. Her mouth remained ajar in astonishment, as she listened to the words of the being before her. "Do not cry out. Do not rile the beast." She backed away slowly, hardly able to take her eyes off the dragon's entrancing gaze, before tottering on her weak legs toward the closest outlet, the steps.

"Are you crazy?" Ivan was at the base of the stairs as she reached them. "What was that? Is he still following you? What an idiot! I never should have brought you in here."

"He isn't going to let me go through the portal, Ivan. Get the picture! And I'm not an idiot."

"I wasn't talking about you. Come on."

"Where?"

"Up the steps; it's the only way I can think to get you away from him at the moment." Her limbs weren't up to the task of climbing yet, so he had to half-drag her. She mustered the strength to take a few steps on her own near the top.

"What now?"

"We feed him, what else?" Casey huffed. "You got a better plan?" he questioned.

"I'm thinking."

"Like you were thinking down there? Don't bother," he told her as the lift clouded the opening above. He shoved the food down, and they listened to the familiarly gruesome feasting in somber silence.

Her mind was reevaluating what she'd heard, trying to find some explanation, loath to admit to herself that the dragon had talked to her. The words were so coolly spoken, smooth and sensible. Were they really Kapyn's thoughts? They had to have been; they weren't Ivan's. The desire hit her forcibly: she wanted to hear the voice speak to her again! Yet, she recoiled at the eagerness in her heart, the foreign idea teasing her sensibilities. Instead, she made herself consider the portal. There had to be some way to distract Kapyn. Logically, one of them should be able to make it through! "Here," she said, lifting the layer of dragon skin from her shoulders. "You try it."

"Try what?"

"Try to make a run for it. I'll do this."

"You can't even climb the steps on your own. You think you're going to push these deadweights?" The next offering was being lowered.

"Watch," she told him and positioned the lift. Its sides flew back and the animal dropped, slipping sleekly down the slanted rock. The chore had been more taxing than she had anticipated. Still, she pretended to rally her energies. "See? Now go." He hesitated. "Go! See if he'll let you through."

The urge to escape was clear in his eyes. Surely it was an opportunity he couldn't let pass! He made it to the edge of the steps and stopped, turning back. "No. I'm not going without you."

"Thank you for your show of loyalty. Go!" The exasperation she felt couldn't be suppressed. To avoid meeting his eyes, she looked toward the opening above as though intent on the dragon's fare.

"I'm not leaving you here. It has nothing to do with loyalty."

Neither of them spoke, and Casey pretended to concentrate on the next of Kapyn's courses. This time it was trickier for her; the laden lift was bulky and she was already drained from the first push. She tried to steer it toward the rock and almost lost it as the ends snapped. Ivan gave it the boost over the side. "See? You can't handle this alone."

"Ivan, I'm the one who gets four bowls of water! I'm the one who has a meal hand-prepared by the natives every day! And I've got the dragonfly prince. I'll be fine; I'm going to be right behind you in a couple of days, I'm telling you!"

"Who are you? Last night you were all, 'Oh, Ivan, don't leave me. Talk to me, Ivan. Tell my parents I'm dead!' Where's all this optimism coming from?" Just as he finished, his mouth snapped shut, grasping some understanding.

"What?"

"He's deluding you!" Ivan told her, his eyes bright.

"No, he's not. He's deluding you! I'm telling you to go, and you're refusing out of pure stupidity."

"Not stupidity. Stubbornness maybe…"

"Whatever. Why don't you just go?" Casey's face displayed incredulousness, while Ivan's was set. The mountain rocked and she stumbled backward a few steps. He reached out to steady her, placing the dragon skin on her shoulder.

"I'm not going. Sit down and take a rest; and while you're at it, give your mouth a rest."

"Ivan…"

"End of conversation, Casey."

"Ivan, Kapyn spoke to me."

She pressed her back against the rock, registering his dark expression through her filter of fear. Ivan turned away to give his attention to Kapyn's feeding. The stretch of time, not knowing what he was thinking, was interminable. Listening to the dragon's activity, he finally looked at her again. "I think he's done." Casey nodded. "And don't cry."

"I won't," she whispered, blinking away the tears.

Ivan headed down the steps without explanation. She watched his retreat until the craggy walls blocked her view. Would he leave her now? She wished he would. She hated herself, hated that she wasn't completely against the thought of hearing the voice again. Now Ivan knew she was just like Stormie. Kapyn was getting to her, and there was nothing she could do about it. She heard his hurried footsteps approach with ambiguousness. Kapyn would let Ivan through if she drew him away from the portal again, wouldn't he?

"He looks pretty content. I want you to hide under the dragon skin again, okay?"

"What's the point?"

"Just do it."

"No. He knows it's me." He took the scaly wrap from around her shoulders and attempted to pull it over her head. She pushed him away. "I said 'no'!"

"Look, you don't get it. He's done eating, which means he's a lot more likely to be sparking flames if he's awake."

Casey looked dubious. "So, how are you planning to dodge them?" He shrugged. "Is it me, or is your savior-complex working overtime in here?"

"I think we'll both be better off once we get out of the cave."

"So, the portal's out?"

"Yep. He's not budging."

"How about this: you wear it, and I'll follow you out," she said, irrationally considering an attempt to run away. Perhaps it would all be over if she ran toward Kapyn screaming. Ivan wouldn't have to worry about her anymore that way. The impetuous, unrealistic solutions sifting through her brain exposed her mind's exhaustion. In this state she might do anything! She was grasping at mere threads of sanity, on the precipice of cracking.

"No. We'll both wear it, like last time." He spoke decisively.

Without any knowledge of it, her gaze held the puzzling admiration she felt. She didn't want Ivan to risk anything more for her. She wasn't worth it. Yet, the person beside her, offering her what was rightly his own protection from the dragon, had been willing to protect her - even to free her! As he helped her down the steps, the opposing emotions tore at Casey's consciousness.

Cautiously, they peered around the base of the platform. Kapyn seemed to be resting, his reptilian girth nestling peacefully across the concave groove where the dragonfly portal beckoned. "How fast can you move?" asked Ivan, shifting the dragon covering. The edge was ragged and no longer hid their feet.

"Not very. My legs feel like Jello."

"We'll see how far you can manage."

Just as they began to trek the circumference of the pit, Casey felt her knees give way under her. Running toward the dragon hadn't really been an option, after all; and knowing it relieved her. She turned slightly beneath the cloak to espy Kapyn's deep plum eyelid open lazily, the ruby light gleaming beneath it.

Only Ivan's arms were keeping her from dropping in a heap on the floor of the lair. "Plan B," he declared; and, without fair warning, he hoisted her over his shoulder. The decaying skin was twisted and pressed tightly against her face. Her reaction was immediate: she screamed. Loudly. Kapyn was on his claws, raising his head.

"Great." It rushed out of his mouth as he took off in the direction of the curve at the cave's exit.

A/N: What are your thoughts about Casey's frame of mind?

MertleYuts: *grins* Ivan came to the same conclusion you did!

Backroads: You're no longer flummoxed? Oh, I'd like to know what you're thinking!

Lady Thorne: "There is something odd about that dragon…" Not to mention his eating habits. He likes his meat fresh, hold the escapees.

Smiling Pancake: "Ivan is so nice; he is always acting like some tough guy but deep down, he is really sweet." Definitely ISG material here. Blech. Right now I'm perturbed with Ivan. You'll see why soon. "…maybe the water is just so clean and pure that it cleaned Casey(Ivan)'s shirt and her chin…" Yes, something like that! :)

Arista Everett June: "...but then what of Thon living all alone?" You would be concerned about Thon. I love how you think. *sigh of happiness*

A Not-So-Clever Cookie: Are you stereotyping the prince? Good. I like an occasional prejudgment based on experience. Yeah, I'm serious. I don't think people give enough credit to "judging a book by its cover." It's not good in many cases; but how many bad situations have been avoided by the use of that survival mechanism? We shall never know.

Iliana11: Glad the animal blood didn't bother you. Tracks of animal blood in the snow? That sounds like the beginning of a horror story. "My Bio2 class ventured out to study tracks in the snow. Well, all of us except Chad. He was out sick that day. Or so we thought. That's when the teacher said something weird…" (Overactive imagination plus sinus infection equals lame plot bunnies.)

Quiet Mindreader: "The Dragonfly Prince does not want Casey to leave. And Kapyn does not want Casey to leave. Coincidence? Heh heh." xD The dragon skin is not transparent, unless you are standing close; then you can see objects beneath it. It is light, thin, grayish purple, and consists of convex, plate-like pieces. It does not conform to the body's shape. Does that help? I get teased all the time about jumping to new topics without explanation. Mine is a runaway train of thought. :)