Chapter Three: Humans…Again?
-Why does my head hurt so much? - She thought, shifting slightly.
"Hey, I think she's waking up."
A voice? She must be hallucinating. She was out in the fields, wasn't she? But she was lying on something too soft, like a mattress. And the voice was a young woman's, concerned and anxious, and she seemed to be repeating something.
Rose finally opened her eyes, her pupils adjusting to the light of the two lamps above her. She stayed perfectly still, scanning the room. No magical presence, and no sign of Michael either aside from his mind residue. The room was small, with wooden walls and two windows. The one of the left was large enough for her to leap out of if circumstances called for it. But the girl sitting on the bed next to her didn't seem to be threatening. But she had learned from experience that it was often the most gentle that was the most threatening.
Rose sat up, giving the younger girl a cool stare. Her mind was already calculating what to do, where to run. "Where am I? Who are you?" She let her hand drift to her hip, only to find that her sword wasn't there. "Where is my sword?"
"Take it easy. You passed out. We—"
"I want my sword back." Rose moved in one fluid motion to stand on the bed and leaped over the other girl. Landing on her feet, she ran over to the drawer and picked up the belt, strapping it low on her hips, and drawing her sword. The tip pointed to the other girl's throat. "Who are you? How did I get here?"
"Kata!" Another voice, a man's, and she turned instinctively. Another blade met hers and she went into battle mode. Automatic questions and answers filled her head.
What fighting style is he using? What is he doing now? Where would I block? What is the best way to disarm him? Can I subdue him? How powerful is he? Where to strike? She was a born predator, a natural warrior, and in two seconds she had the sword knocked out of his hands and the boy on the ground with the edge of her blade lying against the brown skin of his throat.
"What the!" Another person, another attacker. Her mind was in animal mode, skittish and ready to defend herself. This one was unarmed. She jumped up, tucking her knees to the side, and his kick aimed at her knees missed. She landed, struck out with her right heel, knocking him against the wall and pinning him there with the sole of her boot.
"Who are you people? Why am I here? Where am I?" Her voice was hard as titanium, light as an icy wind.
"Leave them alone! We helped you! Why are you hurting us?" The girl shrieked.
Rose observed all three of them, and scanned them. There was no visible deception in their minds or expressions, and they had dragged her out of the field. "If I let the both of you go," she began. "You won't hurt me. You will stand perfectly still and with your hands where I can see them."
The man with her boot planted heavily in his chest nodded. "Yes. If you would take your sword away from my brother's throat, he'd say so too."
She still didn't trust them. "Get that sword over there." She said to the girl. "And place it on the far side of the room. Please." She added the last word as a polite habit.
When the younger woman did so, Rose put her foot back on the ground and took her sword away, skipping back several paces near the open window. She could jump out easily, before the men could get a weapon. She didn't want to shed blood so the best way was to run.
"I'll ask again. Who are you? Why am I here?"
The man who she had nearly beheaded stood up and faced her. "My name is Darius. This is my brother, Kristoff, and our sister, Kata. We run this farm together. We won't hurt you, and we are terribly sorry if we frightened you. We found you outside of town, in the fields, and you were unconscious. We brought you back here. You were asleep for a few hours before you woke up."
Rose considered his words. It seemed plausible, and there was no lying tone in his voice, only a gentle soothing, as if he was speaking to a frightened animal. Which wasn't too far from the truth. Rose wasn't exactly human.
Finally she said, "Hello." and sheathed her sword. "You have my apologies for harming you."
"I understand why you would." The same man spoke again, Darius. "Did you see the Dragon, lady…?"
For a moment she thought he was calling her 'lady' or 'woman' the way that Torrin and countless others had, a dismissive term. But she saw the polite patience on his face as he waited for her name. This one was different from the others, and his sweet trust and polite manners reminded her a bit of Zieg. "Rose." She said, clearing her throat. "My name is Rose."
Darius bowed. "Lady Rose."
The title almost made her laugh. It was so formal, so polite. No one had ever treated her with respect since that time she posed as a countess's long-lost daughter in order to get close to the Moon Child. Instead she merely stared at him. His nose looked like it had been broken a few times. He was slightly taller than she was, with fair hair and amber eyes. She decided he wasn't much of a threat; after all, she had disarmed him easily.
"Yes. I saw the Dragon. I was caught in the recoil of his psychic attack." And then Michael was the priority again. "Where is the Dragon? What happened?"
The girl, Kata, replied, the fear gone from her eyes. Contrasting her seemingly innocent disposition and her brother's blondness, her appearance was dark, with black hair, slightly tanned skin, and deep-set black eyes. "The Dragon attacked. We don't know why. But the outskirts of the village are scorched and so is part of our farm. It disappeared, and our hunters are out looking for it."
"They'll never find it. You saw the speed with which it flew off." Kristoff remarked. "It's amazing."
"Yes." Rose murmured softly. "It really is."
Darius was looking at her. "Lady Rose, you are not from around here. Where did you come from?"
She shrugged. "Here and there."
"Do you have a place to stay?"
She shrugged again.
"Then it would be best if you stayed here with us. We have a couple of extra rooms since our parents passed away. I'm sure that my brother wouldn't mind and my sister would like having someone to talk to."
She saw the surprise in Kata and Kristoff's eyes as they glanced at their brother but Darius stood firm, politely waiting for her response.
"How much?" She asked cautiously.
He shook his head, surprised at her words. "It is an offer of generosity, Lady Rose. You needn't pay us any Gold."
Rose was wary of his kindness but decided that if he wanted money at the end, she could always bring up this point again. "Then you have my gratitude. I accept your offer. Though I must warn you, I don't talk much. …Lady Kata will not find me a good conversationalist."
Darius laughed, and she was oddly reminded of Zieg. The thought unnerved her. Quickly, she asked, "Has anyone seen the Dragon since?"
"No. Why do you ask?" Kristoff narrowed wood-colored eyes at her.
Rose hesitated.
One part of her mind was speaking. –No, don't tell them anything. They won't understand. They won't believe you-
Another part was saying. –But they saved your life. Possibly. If you were unconscious without Michael to guard you, you might have been hurt by one of the monsters, or a thief could have stolen your Dragoon Spirit. Maybe some pervert could have raped you. It is a strong possibility that they saved you.-
-They're Humans!-
-They haven't done anything hostile to you, in fact, the Darius one seems to be very polite. They've offered you a place to stay. And if they do betray you, then you can always resort to mind-blanking.-
A new voice said logically, -That won't work. It'll be too long to blank. The only thing you'll be able to do is to kill them, and you hate bloodshed. The easiest way is to tell them that you are simply interested in Dragons, a scholar of some sort.- The voices debated in her head.
And yet still another voice finally said, -Screw it.-
"I will tell you," she started slowly, her lithe body started to relax. "But you will not believe me."
"Just tell us."
"I am a Dragoon."
Kata frowned. "A Dragoon warrior? Weren't they one of the Humans that bonded with the Dragons so they could fight in the Dragon Campaign?"
Rose nodded at her. "Impressive. You know more about your history than many other humans I have met. You are correct. I am one of the original warriors."
"That would make you nearly ten thousand years old."
"Correct again."
Darius was politely trying to find a way to say that he didn't believe her, but Kristoff beat him to it. "I don't believe it. Any idiot could say so, but do you have any proof?"
Rose reached inside her cloth armor and pulled out her Dragoon Spirit. Calling on the power, she transformed.
Or rather she tried to.
The power outlet that she usually called on was blocked. It was normally that she reached out and found the outlet easily, since it was her connection to Michael. She latched onto it and drew her power from it, allowing her to transform into Dragoon.
But now…the connection was blocked. It was like she reached out and found herself running into a wall, impenetrable and confusing. It had never happened before.
-I can't- She realized. –I can't transform. Michael must have gone insane or something. But I can no longer draw upon his power.-
Kristoff stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Well? Are you just going to hold onto that necklace or are you going to show us?"
"I cannot transform. He must not be letting me use his power." Rose said simply, tucking the Dragoon Spirit back into her tunic, knowing how lame her excuse sounded.
"Then how do we know that you are really a Dragoon?"
"I defeated you as easily as any of the other Dragoons could. Furthermore, how else would I know everything about the Dragon? His name is Michael and he is the best Dragon, having the best speed, agility, and attack, as well as a strong defense. He is the Darkness Dragon and he was born as his mother died." –I knew I shouldn't have told them. Humans always deny anything new because they can't stand not being in charge of everything.-
"We don't know if you're making it up." Kata said uneasily.
Rose growled softly in her mind. "It doesn't matter whether or not you believe me. The fact of whether or not I am the original Dragoon is unimportant. What matters is Michael. I have to find him and calm him down. That is all you need to know."
Kristoff started to open his mouth to protest her reasoning again but Darius cut him off with a dismissive gesture of his hand. "Enough. Kata, Kristoff, as Lady Rose said, the fact of her past is unimportant. Kristoff, go check on the hunters and see if they had any luck finding the Dragon… Michael. Kata, start cooking dinner. Lady Rose, if you would follow me, I'll show you where you will be sleeping."
Rose followed him silently until he slowed his pace to walk alongside her. He didn't say anything, just stared at her for a long time. She made a face. "What is it? You think I am some crazy nutcase?"
Darius shook his head. "Actually, I believe you."
That made her pause in her steps. "Do you?" there was no relief or gratitude in her voice, only a weary annoyance, like a cat that has been pet too many times.
"It does seem a bit farfetched, but I believe you. You seem like a decent person and you don't look like you would lie."
Rose made a derisive sound and gestured to her sword. "With this, I don't have to lie. But I am not a decent person, Darius. Do not make the mistake of trusting me. As a repayment of allowing me to rest here, I will help you to hunt. It seems that you will need my help."
He thought about her words and opened a door. "This is your room. If you don't like it, there's another one."
She looked around. Rather large, with a nice clear space in the front so that she could practice. A large window big enough for her to leap out of easily, sturdy walls, and a cabinet next to the bed.
"This room is fine. Thank you." Rose nodded, turning to face him. He was so strange, as if he actually cared about what she thought. This must have been the first time she interacted with anyone other than Michael in at least a thousand years and it didn't seem like she would have to kill any of them. Even if they knew she was a Dragoon, it did not matter. But if they ever found out she was the Black Monster…then etiquette or not, she would kill all of them. "It is satisfactory for my tastes. I have been in worse places." She stepped into the room.
She stumbled, the flash of thought cutting across her mind, intruding her thoughts. Michael's thoughts were so…different. Violent, in turmoil, fierce. Like he was broadcasting his pain for everyone to hear. He was screaming, in pain. She absorbed his pain, trying to calm it. But his mind was detached from her now. She couldn't feel him anymore. She doubted that she could communicate with him. What happened to him? What made him like this? Why did he go out of control? So many questions flooded her mind, unanswered.
"Are you all right?" Darius asked quietly. She brought her mind back from the void into her own physical body to find that he was supporting her with her shoulder slung over his neck. "Is there something in the room?"
"No. Just a dizzy spell, is all." She replied, taking her arm away and sat on the bed. "I'm fine."
"I don't believe you."
"Fine, then don't."
He stared at her for a moment before snapping, "Why are you like this?"
She was surprised at his forthright and unusual question. "What? Like what?"
"Like this! So cold and distant." His voice had risen slightly and his blood was racing faster. He actually was feeling whatever the hell he was expressing now.
"I am the cat," She murmured to herself.
But he had sharp ears. "That hunts by herself." He finished the famous Serdian quote. "What happened? Why are you so reserved?"
Rose glared at him. "We have met not an hour ago, Lord Darius." She tossed in the title sarcastically. "We are not on a friendly enough basis for me to share such information with you."
"All right." To her annoyance, he sat down next to her. "I'm your friend. Now we are on a friendly basis. To prove it, I will tell you something personal. My father died from drinking and my mother drowned when a water monster kept her underneath the surface too long. Your turn."
She pushed herself off the bed and leapt to the door, and turned to face him. "You are a very annoying Human being." She snarled at him.
He gave her an irritating grin and his eyes sparkled. "I know. Kata and my brother tell me that all the time. Well?"
"I will not answer your question. Either come with me to hunt and keep your mouth shut or don't come along. I'll bring back meat with or without you." Rose told him coldly. "I am leaving now. Whether or not you follow is not my concern."
"Wait." He grabbed her arm to stop her and she tensed automatically. No one was allowed to touch her, no one! Not since Zieg. She had sworn to herself that no man would touch her until she could forget Zieg and she knew that would never happen. She quickly considered the consequences if she cut off his arm now, and decided against it.
"Wait." He said again, trying to turn her to face him. Surprised at the strength that it took, he instead walked around to face her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. It was none of my business."
"You're right. It's not."
A look crossed his face, and he smiled. "You're different from the others, did anyone ever tell you that?"
She shrugged. "You coming or not?"