Fire Dragons (Dragon Adventure Series 2: Book 1), Page 2

  Chapter 2

  When Draig woke the next morning, his back legs were shackled and despite his great strength, he could not break the metal links that bound him. In the past, the human’s metal craft had produced steels that were too soft and malleable to hold a dragon captive. Even their swords and arrows lacked sufficient temper to cut through a dragon’s tough scales unless placed between them. A nearly impossible feat while a dragon was fighting back or in flight. What concerned Draig the most was not his inability to break free, but the fact that this new metal was far stronger and tougher than anything he had ever seen before. He knew that if the humans started forging it into weapons, dragon blood would soon be spilt.

  With no means of escape, Draig filled his lungs with air so he could unleash his fiery wrath upon his captors. He figured that if he couldn’t break the chains, a little fire might change their mind about trying to enslave him. Either way, he was not going down without a fight, and he opened his mouth and aimed his head directly at them. Then he exhaled as hard as he could, but all that came out was dragon slobber and a few puffs of smoke. Draig immediately reached up and felt his throat, and he suddenly realized his pyrophoric gland had been damaged from the fall, and he could not breathe fire without it. Shackled and fireless, Draig had no means of escape and his captors marched him to Cothi as though he was a prisoner of war. As they led him through the town, angry villagers threw stones and cursed at him as he passed by them. The harsh welcoming was made worse by the fact that the town had been attacked by Fire Dragons a few days prior to his capture. Draig suspected it was his brother’s doing, and he wondered if his brother would return and rescue him since he knew he was coming to Cothi. It seemed odd that he would attack the town and then send him to it, but Ironclaw often did things that were difficult to rationalize.

  When Draig’s captors led him to the south end of the town, he quickly realized why they had not killed him when they found him on the riverbank. The Cothi gold mine needed a large animal to run the ore crusher at the mine’s newly expanded mill.

  “Don’t move,” a guard said as he fitted Draig with a large harness while another guard held his sword between two scales on his chest. Draig knew the men had no idea he could understand them, but they bossed him around like fools often do when they are in charge of creatures they think are beneath them.

  Once the guard had the harness secured around Draig’s neck, he led him over to the arrastra and connected it to a large block of stone designed to crush ore from the mine.

  “Pull the stone!” the guard ordered as he whipped Draig until he walked around the circular mill on his own. The stone was heavy but Draig had powerful legs and he was able to drive the mill while nervous miners looked on in awe of his strength. With each rotation of the stone, the massive rock crushed the gold bearing ore in an endless cycle of hard labor. Draig was forced to run the arrastra until it started getting dark, at which time the miners put away their tools. Once the miners were gone, the guards unhooked Draig from the mill and led him into a poorly lit side tunnel near the entrance of the mine. Based on the smell, Draig could tell it had been used to house mules that undoubtedly ran the mill before it was rebuilt so it could crush more ore. Draig wasn’t sure why the mules were sold off or taken to another mine, but it was obvious that he was their replacement.

  “Get into your cage you stupid lizard!” one of the guards ordered as he cracked his whip at him. Draig did what he said, and once he was inside the enclosure, the guard ran the chains from his leg irons over to a metal ring embedded in the floor and then locked them together.

  “That ought to hold you,” the guard said as he stepped out of the cage and closed the door. “If not, this one will,” the guard added as he placed a second lock on the door to the cage. Draig waited for the guards to leave, and then he pulled on the chains as hard as he could. When they didn’t break, Draig realized they were made of the same steel as his shackles. It was an unbreakable alloy that he might have been able to melt if only he had not lost his fire.

  When Draig heard voice in the distance, he laid down in his cage, hoping that his compliant behavior would be rewarded with some food or water.

  “Is he secure in the cage?” the mine owner asked as followed the guards into the tunnel.

  “Yes, the blacksmith you hired seems to be better than the old one,” the guard replied.

  “He better be, I’m paying him more than the old one,” the owner grumbled.

  “Did my new pet give you any trouble going into his cage?” the mine owner asked as he eyed Draig as though he was some sort of prize he had won.

  “Lord Wellington, he only responds to my whip,” one of the guards remarked as though the owner would praise him for his efforts.

  “Well, that’s what it’s for,” the owner replied in a sharp tone.

  “How long are we going to be stuck taking care of him?” the guard asked.

  “Until I don’t need him anymore,” the owner replied.

  “Maybe we should be paid a little more each month if we are expected to handle a dangerous animal with razor sharp claws and teeth,” the guard hinted.

  “I’m already paying you two lazy slogs more than you’re worth,” the owner insisted.

  “He might not be able to breathe fire, but he could still injure or kill one of us if we are not careful around him,” the guard replied.

  “You make a good point. I’ll have my slave girl care for him since she is even more worthless to me than you two are,” the owner sneered.

  “So does that mean we don’t have to handle him anymore?” the guard asked.

  “Of course not you fool, she’s not strong enough to bring him to and from the mill.”

  “Then what is she going to do for him?” the guard asked.

  “Since you seem to be unclear on what I expect from you two geniuses, let me spell it out for you. The slave girl will be responsible for feeding him and cleaning up his mess. You two dolts will be responsible for bringing him to and from the mill and keeping him motivated. Is that clear enough for you?” the owner asked in a demeaning tone.

  “Yes, Lord Wellington,” the guards replied.

  “Good. Now, go to the slave’s quarters and tell Megan she needs to take care of my dragon twice a day... use the whip if she gives you any guff, and make sure she has a key to the cage door.” the owner ordered as he turned to leave.

  Shortly after the guards and the owner left, a timid young woman carrying two small pails entered the tunnel and approached Draig’s cage.

  “Please don’t kill me,” the girl said under her breath as she set the pails down so she could unlock his cage. When Draig saw how frightened she was of him, he moved to the back of his cage and sat down. Without taking her eyes off of him, the girl opened the cage door just enough to slide the two pails in, and then she closed it and locked it as fast as she could. It was obvious she was terrified of him, so he waited for her to back away from the cage before he got up to eat. When she turned to leave, he noticed bloodstains on her blouse, and he felt bad that the guards had whipped her until she agreed to take care of him. It was a painful reminder that they were both the property of the mine owner, and the whip was the incentive to do what they were told.

  As the days turned to weeks, Draig slowly gave up hope that his clan would find him and rescue him from the mine. Despite the fact that he spent every day outside running the crusher, he never once saw a Fire Dragon pass overheard. It seemed that Cothi was just too far south to warrant an attack, now that the humans had pushed further to the north. He was aware of this fact because he listened in on what the miners talked about whenever they were bringing ore to the mill or separating the gold from the pulverized rock. Most of it was meaningless gossip, but occasionally something interesting would catch his attention. He knew that the Fire Dragons had been holding strong in the Cambrian Mountains, but the humans were bringing in more soldiers to push them out. He also learned that the mine owner was hated by nearly everyone w
ho worked for him, and his men called him Lord Smellington behind his back. As far as Draig could tell, no one liked the mine owner and he knew it. Since he had no friends, he used his money to buy them, and when that didn’t work, he tried to make everyone else as miserable as he was. Draig saw how bitter and angry the mine owner was all the time despite his great wealth, and Draig realized that happiness and misery were not always caused by circumstance, they could be created by perspective. Draig knew he was a prisoner, and he knew he would be forced to work hard each and every day, but those things were out of his control and dwelling on them would only result in endless frustration and disappointment. It was actually easier for him to just accept the things that were out of his control so that he wouldn’t spend his days at the mine being miserable like it’s owner. He knew there was little chance of rescue or escape, so he did what he was told and held onto a sliver of hope that things would one day change for the better.

  As time wore on, some things did improve at the mine. The guards stopped whipping him since he didn’t fight the harness or the mill. Megan stopped trembling every time she had to change the straw in his cage or bring him food and water. One time she accidently stepped on the tip of his tail, and rather than lash out like a wild animal at her mistake, Draig moved to the back of his cage and let her leave. In that instant her whole perception about dragons suddenly changed when she realized he was not the dangerous creature everyone had made him out to be. The fact that he was able to distinguish between an intentional act and an accidental one led her to believe he was far more intelligent than he was letting on.

  “I’m sorry,” she said in a soft voice when she saw he was curling up his tail like he was in pain. Draig nodded his head and she wondered for an instant if he understood her. “Did you just nod at me?” she asked before Draig looked away. He wanted to talk to her, but if anyone found out he could speak, he feared what they would do to him.

  The next morning Megan brought him extra food and he knew it was her way of apologizing for stepping on his tail. When he stuck his muzzle into the bucket to eat, he felt her touch the top of his head for a split second. When he lifted his head to see why she had touched him, she looked away and pretended that it wasn’t her. The instant he lowered his head into the bucket, she reached through the bars and touched him again. Rather than lift his head and try and catch her in the act, he quietly pushed his tail through the bars and then poked her in the leg with it. When she looked down, he quickly withdrew his tail and pretended like he didn’t do it.

  “Someone’s tail must be feeling better?” she remarked. Draig wiggled it in the air a couple of times and then finished eating his meal. “Why do I get the feeling that you understand everything I say to you?” Megan said as she opened his cage and stepped inside. Draig laid his head down and pretended not to care that she was walking over to him. When she came within a foot of him, she slowly reached out her hand and ran it down his muzzle. Draig could tell that she was curious about him, and so he didn’t object to her petting him. It seemed to make her feel better and he liked it, though he would never admit it to another dragon. Fire Dragons after all, where to be feared by humans and not viewed as their friends. It was a clear distinction in the real world, but one that Draig chose to ignore because he liked Megan and she was kind to him.

  One day when Draig woke up early, Megan opened his cage and came inside. She came over and petted him as she had many times before, but rather than move on and start cleaning out his cage, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

  “I know you can talk,” she said in a soft voice. Draig pretended that he didn’t understand her, but he was curious as to why she thought he could speak. He knew that she suspected he could understand her, but he had never given her cause to believe that he could also speak her language.

  “Go ahead and say something,” Megan said as she looked at him expectantly. Draig was certain that he had never uttered a single word to her or anyone else since he had been taken captive, but she seemed to think he could for talk some reason.

  “It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone,” Megan insisted as she started to clean out his cage. Draig looked away, figuring that she might have heard a rumor that dragons could talk, but didn’t really know that he could. It had been a long time since any dragon had spoken to a human because they could not be trusted. It was a lesson learned the hard way and although communicating with humans was not forbidden, it might as well have been.

  After several minutes of silence, Megan looked over at Draig and waited for him to make eye contact with her.

  “You have a brother, and his name is Ironclaw. You’re not fooling me. I know that you understand what I am saying and I also know that you can talk.” Draig felt his heart pounding as he tried to figure out how she knew those things about him, but he still did not respond. The fear of being exposed was too great. He knew that if Megan told his captors that he could talk, they would ship him to the mainland and make a spectacle of him. At least working at the mine kept him near his home and he was not behind bars day and night as he imagined any animal on display would be.

  “Are you done cleaning his cage?” a guard yelled from the entrance to the tunnel.

  “Yes,” Megan replied as she cringed at the sound of his voice.

  “Then get out of my way,” the guard ordered as he pushed her aside before she could do what he asked. Draig saw him being mean to her and he had grown tired of it, but he didn’t want to make things worse for Megan by doing something obvious, so he followed the guard outside like normal. When the guard pulled Draig into position to attach his harness to the mill, Draig intentionally stepped on the man’s foot with all of his weight.

  “Get off of me you oversized lizard!” the man cried out in searing pain. Draig ignored the guard until he unsnapped his whip and starting hitting him with it. Even then, he took his sweet time moving because he knew the pain he was causing the guard was far greater then the sting of his whip. If there was one thing that Draig really despised it was a bully, and Megan had done nothing to deserve the abuse.

  For the remainder of the day Draig kept thinking about Megan as he pulled the stone around the mill in an endless circle. He felt bad that he didn’t talk to her, especially since she had been so kind to him. He knew that all Megan wanted was a friend, and he had ignored her out of the fear of being exposed. It was the first time in his life that he felt ashamed of his actions, and he promised himself he would find some way to show her his gratitude.

  Once the sun went down, the guards unshackled him from the mill and led him back into his cage just as they had done a hundred times before. The only difference this time, was that the guard with the injured foot pushed over his food and water on his way out of the cage.

  “He gets nothing to eat or drink!” the guard ordered as he glared at Megan before leaving with his friend. Once the guards were gone, Megan fetched a little water and poured it into the pail so that Draig would have something to drink after working all day under the hot sun. Draig immediately came over and drank the water not only because he was thirsty, but he didn’t want Megan to get caught giving it to him if the guards returned.

  “I’ll bring you some more in the morning,” Megan whispered as she sat down next to his cage and then started humming a sweet melody. Draig wasn’t sure if she was doing it to be nice, or if it was her way of unwinding from a long day of servitude. Either way, her Celtic rhyme put him at ease and he laid his head against the bars closest to her. When she finished with the song, she reached over and gently ran her hand down his muzzle a couple of times.

  “Would like me to sing you another one?” she offered. Draig pretended not to hear her, but her voice was pretty and it was hard not to respond.

  “Why won’t you talk to me? Are you afraid the guards will find out and think you are possessed by a demon or something? I promise I won’t tell them, for they are no more of a friend to me, than they are to you. I know you can understand what I am saying, and yet
you refuse to speak to me. Perhaps if I tell you why I am a slave at this mine you will understand why I would never tell Lord Wellington or his guards about you. Several months before you were brought here my husband was killed in an accident at this very mine. Since he had borrowed money from the mine owner against his future wages, his unpaid debt was laid upon me. With no income of my own, I became the mine owner’s legal property, and it will take me to the end of my days to repay what my husband owed him. To make matters worse I am pregnant, and when my child is born he will also be a slave since I have no means to care for him. I am not bitter about what has happened to me, but if I had a friend to talk to then I would not feel so alone in the world,” Megan admitted as she lowered her head in despair.

  “I want to be your friend,” Draig said in a low voice.

  “I knew you could talk,” Megan exclaimed as the sadness drained from her eyes.

  “You must not tell anyone about this,” Draig insisted.

  “Your secret is safe with me,” Megan promised.

  “I apologize that I have not spoken to you before, but if the mine owner ever finds out I can talk, he will sell me off to the highest bidder and what little I have will be taken away,” Draig said with a worried look on his face.

  “I thought you might be worried they would think you were possessed and try to kill you if you spoke to them,” Megan remarked.

  “Yet another reason they must never know I can talk,” Draig added.

  “Well, I have nothing to gain by betraying your trust, I hate Lord Wellington,” Megan insisted.

  “I am curious how you knew that I could speak?” Draig asked.

  “You mumbled your brother’s name one night while you were sleeping. I never heard you speak after that, but I was sure it was not my imagination,” Megan admitted.

  “You are a clever girl and now that you know I can talk, we should start at the beginning. I heard the owner refer to the name Megan one time, but neither he nor his guards ever call you by that name when they are addressing you. Is your name Megan?” Draig asked as politely as he could.

  “Yes,” she replied as though it was the first time in a long time that anyone cared enough to ask her that question.

  “Megan is a pretty name. I believe it means ‘fairy maiden’ in your language,” Draig replied.

  “How do you know so much about us when we know so little about you?” Megan asked.

  “Because dragons live for a long time and we make a point of learning about the other inhabitants in our realm.

  “I would like to know more about you,” Megan said as she ran her hand down his muzzle again.

  “Well, like humans we all have names and mine is Draig Goch, which means red dragon. I know it’s not very original, but many of our names are descriptive just like yours are.”

  “Where did you live before you were captured?” Megan asked.

  “I lived in Snowdon with the rest of my clan,” Draig sighed.

  “My husband and I lived in Gallia, but when Lord Wellington’s silver mine closed in that region, we borrowed some money from him so we could come here and work at his new mine. You already know the rest of that story,” Megan sighed.

  “I’m sorry, is there anything I can do to help within my limited means?” Draig offered.

  “Your friendship is all that I desire,” Megan said as she leaned against the cage so she could be closer to him.

  “It would be my honor,” Draig said as he curled his tail around her through the bars.

  “I had no idea that dragons could be such compassionate creatures,” Megan remarked as she ran her hand along his dark red scales.

  “Dragons have families they love and care about just as humans do. The only difference is that there are no orphans amongst us. All of our young are cherished and cared for equally. If a baby dragon loses its mother, then another dragon will take him in and nurse him as her own,” Draig revealed.

  “I wish humans were that kind to each other,” Megan sighed.

  “Some are,” Draig replied.

  “Yes, but not here,” Megan remarked as she thought about the life that lay ahead for her child as a servant to the mine owner.

  “In our culture, there is little separation from top to bottom. We don’t have slaves, and our elders and leaders vote on decisive matters so that no single dragon can rule over the rest. We have a limited number of laws and all dragons are expected to follow them... there are few exceptions of course,” Draig admitted as he thought about his brother.

  “Am I the first human you have ever spoken to?” Megan asked.

  “Yes. It is frowned upon because humans have proven to be dishonest and don’t keep their word, whereas dragons live by them.”

  “So dragons value their word like men value their wealth?” Megan asked.

  “If you mean that we hold it sacred, then yes. We are creatures of honor, and our word is our bond. If we make a promise, we will do everything within our power to keep it,” Draig explained.

  “Can a dragon and a human enter into an agreement?”

  “I suppose... but as far as I know it has never happened. Humans and dragons have never shared their lives in the way that you and I have. It takes trust and friendship to compel one to make a promise to another,” Draig hinted.

  “I appreciate your efforts to make this easier for me, but I don’t want to burden you with my troubles,” Megan said as she looked through the metal bars that separated them.

  “You are my friend, and if I can help you I will,” Draig offered.

  “I have a key to your cage, but the guards have the key to your shackles. If I was able to get their key and set you free, would you take my child somewhere safe after it’s born?” Megan asked as her light green eyes shimmered with hope.

  “No human has ever been raised by a dragon,” Draig replied.

  “I thought it might be forbidden by your laws,” Megan sighed with disappointment.

  “It is not forbidden, but the dragon council would pull out their scales if I brought a human back to our clan and told them I had promised to care for it,” Draig replied.

  “I am sorry I asked. It was a stupid idea anyway,” Megan remarked.

  “It is not stupid for a mother to want her child to be cared for and loved. I have seen how they treat you and there is no doubt your child would suffer the same abuses under Lord Wellington’s stewardship. It is unacceptable and no one should be born into such depravity. If you set me free, I am willing to help care for your child until a suitable human family can adopt him. Would that be acceptable?” Draig asked.

  “You would be willing to do that for me?” Megan asked with a look of surprise and relief.

  “I would, but I see no reason why I can’t take both of you with me so you don’t have to give it up,” Draig suggested.

  “If I leave, the mine owner will put a bounty on my head because I’m his property. Then I would be forced to live as a fugitive as would my child. The only thing worse than being a slave, is being one that is wanted by the law,” Megan replied.

  “Why is that?” Draig asked.

  “Because bounty hunters are not known for their mercy with women and young children, and knowing the mine owner, the bounty would be issued dead or alive,” Megan said with a look of fear in her eyes.

  “If I take your child, won’t Lord Wellington issue a bounty for it even if you stay?” Draig asked.

  “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but if the child goes missing after you escape, what do you think the mine owner will assume happened to my child?” Megan asked.

  “He will blame me for your loss and never suspect that I was actually helping you smuggle the child out,” Draig admitted.

  “I am sorry, but in this case your reputation for killing women and children is an advantage we can use to trick him,” Megan remarked.

  “It’s okay, I’ll play the part of a ruthless killer if it saves your child.”

  “Thank you, I really believe the o
nly chance my child has for a normal life is if you take it from this awful place,” Megan said as she rubbed her hand along Draig’s tail a couple more times.

  “I want you to know that I am helping you not because of your offer to set me free, but because you are my friend and have shown me nothing but kindness. I hope you can see that dragons are compelled by honor and not by bribery,” Draig said with a sincere look in his eyes.

  “I believe you, and the fact that I am placing my child under your care is a testament as to how much I trust you,” Megan replied.

  “It is our custom to seal promises with our blood in order for it to be binding,” Draig remarked.

  “How do we do that?” Megan asked.

  “Just put your hand through the bars and I’ll do the rest.” Megan nodded and then looked away while Draig made a small cut on the underside of his talon and a matching one on her palm before pressing them together for a few moments. “Your blood and mine are now one. Your child is under my protection for as long as it lives,” Draig promised as he let go of her hand.

  “Words cannot express my gratitude and the relief that your promise brings to me. No mother wants to see her child enslaved and abused and you have spared it of that fate. I sincerely hope that your promise to me does not cause you trouble once you get back to your clan.”

  “The good news is that no matter how much the council opposes me, a promise sealed in blood is unbreakable, and they must therefore accept it without question,” Draig said as he licked the blood off his talon.