Belle and the Dragon’s Curse
by
R. J. Ross
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Published by:
R. J. Ross at Smashwords
Belle and the Dragon’s Curse
Copyright © 2011 by R. J. Ross
Cover art by Leslie Neal
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Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Belle and the Dragon’s Curse
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CHAPTER 1: M.A.R.D.
Shards of moonlight shattered over the ground as a single dark figure crept through the shadows. Thick leather soles made for a soft step on the cobbled stone streets. It was a good town, as far as towns went, the streets were clean, the smell was pleasant. It was the sort of town that Belle hadn’t grown up in.
She shifted her leather bag over her shoulder, peering from side to side to look for any wayward travelers at such a late hour of night. The streets were empty and the only movement was the slight flicker from the gas lamps above them. The large stone buildings with their domed arches and high pointed roofs towered over her, giving her the shadow that she needed. She took a deep breath, feeling her tightly wrapped chest brush against the dark gray linen man’s shirt that she wore. Her pants were of the same color, the only variation being the dark brown leather boots that came up to her knees. The outfit was perfect for night work. Her short black hair was suited for the job as well, worn like a young boy’s, which made it easy for her to go unnoticed. Even her dark brown skin fit well into the night. She was a thief, and being hard to see at night came in handy when running away.
But this time she wasn’t stealing. She was on a mission. Her hands fisted tighter on the straps of her bag as she crept to the nearest building, slipping through the door and into the darkness within. Breaking into a magic college was probably one of the stupidest ideas she had ever had, she thought. The jerk talking in her head had better be worth it.
‘Where the frail have you been?’ The voice echoed in her head so loudly that it made her jump before she peered into the darkness to try and find the source. The hallways were large domed areas with floors that shined in what little light there was. Various busts of dead people stood on pedestals against the walls, all people that she didn’t recognize, and most wearing crowns. Hanging above them were large detailed tapestries of Mainland kings that had died long ago as well as some philosophers. Belle ignored these, creeping past them and to the staircase at the end of the hall. Each step threatened to creak as she made her way to the room where the mental voice had come from. ‘Oh, I see, too good to talk to a frailling gryphon, is that it? Think you’re big stuff because you can hear animals, huh? Well I’ve got news for you, sister! You’re frailling well—’
Once she got to the door of the room, Belle reached into the bag, digging through the various objects, tools, food, a water container, and most importantly, one of the new sets of lock picks that were illegal in most areas of Mainland. It was her prized possession. She paused, looking down at the lock for a few minutes before sorting through her picks. Soon she was on her knees, her tongue sticking out slightly as she went to work. It was a newer version, one that she hadn’t had the chance to practice on, so it took a little longer. But the soft “clack” she earned a few minutes later gave her a great sense of satisfaction.
She slipped into the room, moving so her back was to the wall as she looked the area over. There was a lantern on a wooden desk to the right, along with various scrolls covering the surface, some of them threatening to fall off. A half eaten pastry lay forgotten on the upper right hand corner. Next to the desk a rack held more scrolls, and a few actual books. Belle almost whistled. Books were hard to come by, although that had been changing lately. But these were the leather bound sort that cost top dollar. Whoever worked here was serious about what they did.
‘I’m over here, sister.’ The voice brought her back to her task at hand. A metal cage sat in the opposite corner of the room, where a window beamed light down on the half lion, half bird creature inside of it. He was a gryphon, still young by the size of it, roughly that of a large cat, and not too healthy. His red feathers looked as if they were molting, or he had been plucking at them. His beak, though sharp looking, was a dull orange yellow, instead of the bright orange that it should have been. She could almost count his ribs through his dirty red fur. ‘You’re not a very pretty sight either, you know,’ he growled inside of her head.
She reached up, automatically touching the large hideous scar that covered most of her left cheek. Welted skin twisted in an intricate fashion over the once smooth dark brown flesh. Then she scowled, forcing her hand down as she moved across the room to stand in front of his cage. “I didn’t realize the job required a pretty face,” she told him coldly as she knelt down next to his cage door and got to work. The sound of someone moving behind her came too late.
“Hold still!” The command made Belle jerk and turn in shock at the sight of a young female mage holding one hand out palm aimed at her. There was a small flicker of light coming from the female’s hand. A fireball, Belle thought as she slipped the picks into the cuff of her pants and reluctantly raised her hands. She wasn’t equipped to handle a fireball. “Back away from the cage please,” the woman said, motioning slightly.
“I can explain,” Belle said, only scooting a few inches to her right.
“You were trying to steal my gryphon, weren’t you?”
“I was trying to get him to shut up!”
“Wh—what?” The female hesitated and her hand fell slightly. Belle took advantage, shoving herself to her feet and racing across the room toward the door. She reached for the handle just as a flash rushed past her head, hitting the door and catching it on fire for a brief second before the flames went out. “I said to hold still!” the female said in frustration.
‘Great… just frailling great…’ the gryphon muttered as he laid down again, his head resting on his front talons, his wings drooping beside him. ‘I finally find someone that can hear me and they turn out to be an idiot.’
“Would you be quiet?” Belle demanded. She took a moment to glare at the beast. “Ever since I came to this stupid town you’ve been complaining! I’m sick and—”
“Complaining?” the woman asked. Belle flushed as she realized what she had admitted to. “Who was complaining?”
Belle gulped, then took another step backwards, her back hitting the charred door as her hand reached down, grasping for the doorknob. “No one at all,” she said as she pushed on the knob. It didn’t budge.
“The security here works backwards,” the woman said, bringing up her hand again. She was shorter than Belle, probably standing at five foot three and less than a hundred pounds soaking wet. Her hair was long and reddish brown and knotted on top of her head in a way that made it look as if it would fall at any moment. Her skin was fair and pale, showing that she didn’t spend much time outside at all. She wore traditional scholar mage robes; a deep purple flowing robe with oversized sleeves and pouches for any number of things. The robe matched the color of her eyes, oddly enough. Those purple colored eyes were almost hidden completely behind a large pair of spectacles.
“What do you mean, backwards?” Belle asked, although she was afraid she already knew. “You’re telling me I can’t leave? I didn’t even steal anything!”
“But you were going to,” the woman said. Her jaw set stubbornly as she spoke. “We don’t have anything worth stealing here. At least nothing that would go for much on the black market. So tell me, why are you here and who was complaining?”
“I don’t have to tell you anything,” Belle said defiantly, even though she knew she was caught. Absently she glanced over at the gryphon, wondering why she had even bothered. He looked as if he would die any moment—
“Was it the gryphon? Was he the one complaining? That’s why you were trying to open his cage, right?” the female asked as she lowered her hand slightly.
“That’s ridiculous. Everybody knows that gryphons can’t talk,” Belle muttered. She didn’t look the other female in the eye.
“I used to think so,” the female said. “But you said you came to try to ‘quiet him.’” She moved a little closer to look at Belle’s averted face. A gasp escaped her as she saw the scar. “That scar--”
“I had a little accident when I was a kid. You gonna make something of it?” Belle asked, turning to stare up at the female. She refused to flinch.
“By the looks of it, you’re still a kid. How old are you?”
“Seventeen,” Belle said as she reluctantly let go of the doorknob. “And what happens if I try to leave?”
“The warrior mages that live here will come running. It’s a special warning device. I’m surprised you didn’t notice it,” the female said thoughtfully. “Of course, not many places have them, so—” She stopped, as if only then realizing she had been distracted. Belle almost laughed. She would have, had she not known she was about to be sent to jail. “Tell me what he said, please?” the female asked. The question made Belle jerk out of her thoughts and look at her incredulously. “The gryphon. What did he say?”
“Look, lady, I know you’re just trying to keep me occupied until one of your friends comes to help you drag me off to the insane asylum, but honestly, I’m not crazy. Even I know that wild animals don’t talk. So if you would just—“
“I don’t know that,” the female said. “It’s never been proven, either. In fact all of my research says that animals communicate frequently. I’ve just never been able to understand what they’re saying. But you do, don’t you? You’ve contradicted yourself too many times, I’m afraid. It makes it rather obvious.” There was a hint of awe in her voice as she moved closer. “He talked to you. That’s how you came to this room. Please tell me--tell me why he’s not eating. Tell me why he refuses to drink? I’ve tried everything, he’s just intent on killing—”
“He wants his family. And his freedom. You don’t have to know how to talk to him to understand that, lady,” Belle said. Her dark brown eyes flashed with pent up rage. “You’re keeping him in a cage. No animal should be kept in a cage. Not like this.” She pointed at it and the gryphon gave a loud cry, as if in agreement.
“I know. I know he shouldn’t be here. But he was wounded. And with the attacks--” The woman’s shoulders slumped, tears making her eyes gleam in the soft light of the room.
“Attacks?” Belle asked. She glanced over at the gryphon in confusion. He hadn’t mentioned anything about attacks.
“This is Harbortown, right on the Dragon Seas. And lately we’ve been being attacked by a particularly large dragon,” the female said. She ran her hand through her hair and turned to look at the gryphon. “We don’t know why. Usually the dragons are content enough to stick to their island. Sure, they come once in a while, but never like this. And somehow this gryphon was separated from his flock. He was wounded and bleeding when he fell right in the center court of the Magus campus, almost on the doorstep of this building, to be precise.”
‘We were fighting off the dragon. No good fire breathers think they can poach on our territories. We showed him! At least, I think we did,’ the gryphon commented. Belle went still, a cold sweat breaking out on her skin. No, it couldn’t be Sama, she thought. Sama never came this far west. ‘I was knocked unconscious,’ the gryphon finished.
“You’re not helping him by keeping him here,” Belle said stubbornly.
“I’m keeping him from getting himself killed. Who knows where his flock is? And what if he tries to take on the dragon again? I can’t let that happen.” The mage turned, looking at Belle. “What’s your name?”
“I--”
“If you can talk to animals, could you try convincing him not to fight the dragon again? Could you keep him from going on a suicide mission? Please?” There was a hint of desperation in the woman’s voice. “I don’t want to see him die. We’ve lost so many beautiful creatures to that dragon already. I didn’t choose to research magical animals just to watch them kill each other.”
Belle went silent as she looked away for a second to think. Finally she walked toward the cage, grabbing one of the steel bars that kept the gryphon hostage. “You don’t understand gryphons, lady. They’ll fight until they’ve won, or they’ve died,” Belle said softly. “They’re stubborn, irrational jerks that don’t give a girl a moment’s peace. And as far as I’m concerned, if they want to go get themselves eaten by a rampaging dragon, then let them,” she stared directly into the gryphon’s eyes even as he glared at her, not backing down.
“You can’t mean that. How can you even say such a thing when you can talk to them?” the female asked.
“I can say that because I’ve been listening to this one all day long,” Belle said. The lock on the cage hit the ground, clanking loudly in the almost silent room. The door burst open and the gryphon took to the air, flying in circles over their head. “He would rather die in battle than in a box,” she said. One of the windows over their heads shattered as the gryphon flew through it, crying savagely into the night air.
The sound of feet pounding against floor made them both turn. The door burst open and two pajama clad mages stood there. The staffs in their hands were pointed directly at Belle.
“Mage Kia, are you okay?” one demanded. He was breathing hard, as if he had ran to get there. He was tall and thin, as was fitting a mage. His hair stuck up at odd angles and his night robes threatened to fall open.
“You! Put your hands in the air!” the other said. He was a little shorter than the other male and broader through the shoulders. He also looked close to losing his robe.
Belle looked at them with an inward sigh as she raised her hands. She idly thought about attacking, but her hodgepodge magic was no match for the well trained. And there was no other door to escape through. She glanced over at the female, smiling a bittersweet smile. “I guess I get the cage, instead, huh?” she commented as they led her away.
***
The cell they put her in was dark, bare, and vaguely disturbing, but not for the reasons most would find it disturbing. Belle sat on the wooden bench hanging from chains on the wall, and looked it over curiously. It was only six feet long and four feet wide, a foot of that space taken up by the bench. There was a pail at the end of the room near the outer wall, and a single window above it that let in just enough light to show how dark the room was. The wall she was facing was bare, save for a few marks made with white stones. None of them were legible. The door on her left was thick and heavy, with a small barred window that was a good foot above her head.
She had been in worse, she thought idly as she looked around. The gleaming black eyes of a rat sitting in the corner made her twitch. She hated rats. “What are you looking at?” she demanded, wishing she had something to throw at it. They had confiscated all of her things, even threatening to take her boots. They had even found the pick in the cuff of her pants. It was more than enough to put her in a bad mood.
‘Did you really let the gryphon go?’ the rats—and there were several of them lurking in the shadows, she realized—asked.
“So what if I did?” she asked belligerently.
‘She did! She did! Oh joyous day!’ The roar of squeaky voices made her groan and cover her ears with her hands despite the fact it did nothing to drown them out. ‘He’s gone! He’s gone! Oh happy day!’
That was one of the main reasons she hated rats, she thought darkly, eyeing the darkness to try and make out their forms. They were large, furry creatures with bald tails and sharp, vicious looking teeth. But the worse part was their love of talking over one another. No one rat could speak alone, they always thought the other needed help, or correcting. It was almost worse than the complaining gryphon.
“You had a thing against him?” she asked.
‘He ate our children! He ate my grandfather! He ate my boyfriend!’ the rats cried. She could almost swear she heard sobbing in the background.
“Inside the cage,” she said, dryly. Another problem with rats was the lack of common sense. Greed won every time.
‘He had more than enough food!’ they said. Belle almost nodded. She had seen that coming. Idly she looked around as her mind rushed through all her options. She pushed herself to her feet, heading for the door and standing on tiptoes to try and see out the window.
“Are there keys to this door?” she asked them.
‘Of course.’ The rats moved slightly and she could almost see how many there were then they went still again, fading out of view.
“Can you get them?” she asked.
‘Why?’
“Because you owe me for getting rid of the gryphon,” she told them even though she knew it wouldn’t be enough to motivate them. “And if you don’t, I’ll talk him into coming back to eat all of you!”
The threat got them moving. They scurried past her, somehow squeezing their bodies through the small crack at the bottom of the door. She bit back a disgusted comment as they brushed past her boots. She hoped they didn’t pass on their fleas.
A few minutes later she heard them speak again. ‘Keys! Got the keys! No you didn’t, I did! No, it was me!’
“Whatever, it doesn’t matter who has them as long as someone does! Now climb up to the doorknob and stick the key in the lock.” She was reaching, she knew she was, but it was worth a try. She glared up at the window of the door wishing she was taller, or that she wasn’t there at all. The sound of scratching on the door made her wince, wondering if rats were smart enough to use a key and why they hadn’t put her in one of the rooms that was easier to escape. Then a loud warning cry came from the rats and the scratching sped up right before everything went silent.
“Guys?” Belle called, listening for a reply. “Rats? Where are you? Where’s the key?” Something jingled from the other side of the door and she took a deep breath and started to relax. “For a second there I thought you’d abandoned me!” she said. Her hopes rose as the door swung open. She hadn’t expected-- she jerked to a halt, her eyes going wide at the sight of the female from before standing in front of her, the keys in her hands.
“This just proves you can talk to animals,” the woman said. Belle glared at her.
“What do you want? Revenge for letting your pet go?”
“No, I think--I think I was wrong to do what I did. You showed me that.” There was a hint of humility in her voice that made Belle go silent. Humility was more often than not a trick. “But I can’t let things go on the way they have been. And I need your help to make things right.” She turned, motioning Belle to follow. Belle crossed the room to grab her things from the table first. “My name is Kia Kruz. I’m a scholar mage, obviously, one of the heads of the M.A.R.D.”
“Mard?”
“The Magical Animal Research Department,” Kia said as she headed for a small set of stairs that Belle hadn’t even noticed when being escorted down. The steps were narrow and steep, making it hard to walk up in the darkened area. The stairwell was only large enough for one person to go through at a time. But Kia didn’t seem to notice as she kept talking. “And there have been more cases like the gryphon than you know. But the gryphon survived. Many of the others that tried to fight the dragon didn’t.”
They stopped at the bottom of the stairs as Kia looked both ways before proceeding. They turned down yet another small hallway, one that had a lightened area at the end. Belle could smell the fresh, salty air in the distance and knew they were about to leave the building. “What does that have to do with me?” Belle asked. She could almost taste her freedom.
“Something is making that dragon attack Mainland. And I need your help to find out what that is,” Kia said. She turned right before they reached the exit and looked at Belle. “You’re the only one I’ve ever met that might be able to talk to dragons.”
“What?”
“We’re going to Dragon Island,” Kia said almost cheerfully. “To find out what’s making the dragon mad, and what we can do to solve the problem.”
“Wait just one second. What makes you think I want to go to… that place?” Belle asked. “You might not have noticed, but I don’t like talking to animals. And I sure don’t want to be a hero! So go find someone else!”
“You saved the gryphon.”
“That was different,” Belle said as she looked for a way to get past the other female and out the door. Being stuck in the stairwell was making her claustrophobic. It was even smaller than the cell had been. She looked behind her, thinking of the cell she had just left, but couldn’t find the urge to go back. “I had no choice.”
“I’m sorry, but you have no choice now, either,” Kia said, seriously. “You just escaped from a prison cell, after all. They’ll be after you, no matter where you go.” She took one more step, her feet on bare ground and the wind tugging at her messy hair. A cry rose through the campus. “They’ll be coming for you now, both of us, since I abetted you.”
“Well great. Just great,” Belle said as she grabbed Kia’s arm and dragged her away from the campus as quickly as she could go.
***
The inn where they stayed that night was crowded with people that didn’t know each other sitting elbow to elbow, drinking as if they had been longtime friends. The smell of alcohol and smoked meat permeated the room. It made Belle’s stomach grumble loudly as she looked around.
Hanging on the walls were various sea artifacts, a helm from a ship, a flag from another town, dried fish pinned to plaques, and a net that seemed to separate the dining area from the bar. Not that anyone seemed to notice the difference. There was a wooden stairway toward the middle of the room that led to an upper level. The level only covered the back half of the building, leaving the front area with a high ceiling. The people were a rough, rowdy lot that spoke loudly as they ate, and there were more males than females. That wasn’t too surprising.
“We should try to blend in,” Kia whispered to Belle as they headed for the bar. “Excuse me, my little sister and I—”
“Little sister, huh?” the large burly looking bartender repeated, looking at the two females. Belle was a good five inches taller and several shades darker than the other female.
“We need to rent a room,” Kia went on. There was determination in her tone. “One that’s not too noticeable.”
“Ten gold.”
Kia nodded and started to dig into her pouch.
“For each,” the bartender said.
“What? That’s robbery! That’s—” Kia spluttered with outrage.
“Take it or leave it,” he grunted. He didn’t look too bothered by her reaction as he picked up a glass to refill.
Belle grabbed Kia’s shoulders before she could protest. “We’ll take it,” she told him, letting go of Kia and dropping a large oval shaped piece of gold on the bar. The bartender tossed a key with a number on it to her, which she pocketed quickly. “C’mon, sister dear, we need to get our beauty sleep,” she said as she dragged the shorter female toward the stairs.
“Where did you get that sort of money?” Kia whispered as they climbed up the rickety wooden stairs to the upper level. The level overlooked the bar and dining area. It was probably built to save money. Building two complete floors was expensive.
“From the big guy that was sitting next to us,” Belle replied with a shrug. “He looked drunk enough that I didn’t think he would mind.”
“That’s stealing!” Kia said. She looked shocked at the idea.
“Really, lady, I hadn’t noticed. Thank you so much for telling me!” Belle sassed, feeling comfortable for the first time in a while. She checked each of the rooms to see if the key unlocked them, going into the one it opened. The room was decent as far as rooms like these went. It had a medium sized bed that didn’t appear to have any crawling things on it, a rug on the floor, and a simple round table in the corner with a straight back chair. The walls were bare, save a single round metal piece used as a mirror. It hung over the headboard of the bed.
“There’s only one bed,” Kia said, looking around.
“You’ve never stayed in one of these, have you?” Belle asked as she headed farther into the room and dropped down on the edge of the bed. She checked to see if it would bounce. It did, barely. She gave a satisfied sigh and dropped backwards to stare at the ceiling. “We’re lucky to have a bed at all.”
“True. And it doesn’t look lice infested,” Kia said, eyeing the bed as if trying to look inside of it. “But we will have to pay the man you stole the gold from back in the morning,” she said as she headed for the table. “And we will need to find transportation. I would hope in a place like this you would be able to find a seafaring ship.”
“Oh, you probably would. If you like pirates,” Belle said. She was already half asleep with her feet still hanging off the edge of the bed.
“Pirates?”
“Didn’t you notice the name of this place?” Belle asked, not even bothering to open her eyes. “It’s called the Scurvy Dog.”
“I’m sure that not everyone here is a pirate,” Kia said, sitting down at the desk. “We’ll need a map to the island, as well. And provisions, and—”
Belle fell asleep.
“And I never did learn your name,” Kia finished softly as she glanced over at the sleeping female.
***
Morning came quickly, a faint light tracing over the room and stopping right on Belle’s face. She muttered something as she turned her face away from the light, but it seemed determined to wake her. Reluctantly she opened her eyes before yawning loudly, stretching, and getting to her feet to look around. The details of the night before flashed through her mind and she muttered something dark as she looked for Kia. The woman was no where to be seen.
Grabbing her bag and heading for the door, Belle wondered if she would be able to sneak out of the building before Kia noticed. Maybe if she—
The door opened and Kia walked in with a satisfied look on her face. “I’ve found our transportation,” she said as she headed past Belle to collect the things she had left on the small table. “He said it’s called the Golden Prophet. We’re supposed to meet with them in an hour. So we need to get supplies.”
“Wait, who is ‘he’?”
“His name is Tristan Prophet. Of course, he didn’t look as trustworthy as I would have hoped. He had an eyepatch and a strange outfit, but—”
“Strange outfit?” Belle asked as she fought and lost to another yawn. “What kind of outfit?” She reached up to situate the bag over her shoulder again, anxious to get moving, even if it wasn’t away from Dragon Island as she had planned. Her hand went higher, unconsciously brushing against the scar on her cheek.
“A lot of ruffles. His shirt, that was. And his coat was extremely long, going down to his boots, almost,” Kia said, as if trying to remember. “He had very light hair, as well, almost white.”
“Did he have a beard?” Belle asked. An image of an old, lecherous pirate was beginning to form in her mind. He would be six ten and weigh well over three hundred pounds, with large, scarred hands that he couldn’t seem to keep to himself. She made a face.
“No, of course not. He seemed to be quite the gentleman, actually. He just dressed strangely. I’m sure that with a ship called the Golden Prophet, he’s a God-fearing man of the sea.”
“I hope you’re right,” Belle muttered as she followed the now-packed Kia out the door and down the stairs. “What supplies will we need? Food? Water? Clothing?”
“He said he would supply the food and water, but I would like to have some things, just in case something happens. We’ll need some form of habitat when we get to the island, one of those large traveling houses that I read about!”
“A tent?”
“A what?” Kia turned and looked up at the female behind her on the stairs. “Is that what they’re called?” Belle shrugged as they started moving again. They passed the counter and headed out the door. “But yes, something like that. I’ve got a list here,” she said as she reached into the large pockets of her robes and pulled out a sheet of paper. “We need to do this quickly. We’ve only got an hour before we set sail. And--”
A vicious roar filled the air, slowly getting louder. The people around them screamed, heading toward the nearest shelter, covering their heads with their hands. Kia shouted something at Belle, but the noise was too loud for her to hear, so she shrugged, looking into the sky.
Ice blue scales glimmered in the sun as the massive dragon swooped down toward the town. His wings were a mile wide and had a row of silver claws at the ends, shining menacingly in the light. His legs were muscular, each movement clearly defined through the scaly flesh. His teeth were sharp and long, easily capable of slicing through even the largest bone. The roar that escaped him resonated in the gigantic chest, and the body that went with it cast a dark shadow over the town. As he got closer Belle noticed that his claws looked bigger than the horses that were screaming in fear from where they were still attached to their wagons. Her heart seemed to stop for a second as the wind from his descent sent a few of the smaller stalls on the street flying through the air, slamming into the larger, more permanent buildings.
The dragon dove and grabbed one of the screaming horses from the street then flapped his massive wings to lift again. The cart that was attached to the horse dangled for a moment before it fell off, crashing to the ground and splintering into hundreds of pieces. Someone screamed, shocking the rest of the crowd as they realized they had fallen silent.
“We have to get out of here!” Belle shouted as she grabbed Kia and dragged her away from the crowd. They weaved through the masses, slipping down an alley and standing there for a second as they tried to breathe again. “He’s—” Belle said, her hands touching her temples as her mind echoed with the blast of his angry shouting, “really, really mad.” It had been so loud that she couldn’t even understand what he was saying. What little she had hadn’t made any sense.
“I gathered that,” Kia replied, earning a dark look from Belle. A few minutes later a strong blast of air hit them, nearly sending them flying backwards into the nasty alley. “He’s leaving,” Kia whispered as they watched the blue dragon fly away. “Why is he mad?”
“I don’t know,” Belle said. She didn’t really want to find out, either. “But don’t we have shopping to do?”
Kia nodded before looking at the sun. “And we only have half an hour left,” she said as she straightened her robes. “We should get to it, then, shouldn’t we?”
Belle paused with a little smile pulling at her lips as she looked at the shorter female. She had just seen a dragon attack her town, yet she was still worried about what time it was. Now that was class. “Yes. We should.”
They walked back into the main street, heading for the clothing stall as if nothing had happened. The entire crowd was acting that way, going right back to their negotiations, as if the dragon hadn’t just attacked and stolen a horse. As if it had all been a dream. Belle idly wondered if this had happened so often that it was now considered common. “Does the whole western dragon appearing out of nowhere thing,” she started out, motioning to the sky, “happen often?”
“That’s why I need your help,” Kia said, softly. She fingered a fine white cloth for a second. “Tell me, what’s your name?”
“It’s Belle. Although it doesn’t really fit, now does it?” Belle drawled, reaching up to the scar on her face.
“Stop! Thief!!” The shout rang out over the noise of the crowd. Both females turned to watch as a teenage boy rushed past them. He was a little shorter than Belle and just as thin, with blonde hair and a wide grin on his face. The man chasing him was already starting to slow down, clutching at his heart as he took panting breaths of air. He was large and obviously in no shape to be chasing a boy. “This is the last time, brat!” the man shouted as he shook his fist in the air. “You hear me?”
Kia took the white cloth off of the rack, handing it to the older lady who owned the booth. “We’ll take this,” she said calmly reaching into her bag and pulling out a few gold pieces. “And that,” she said, pointing at one of the hand drawn advertisements pinned to the wall behind the woman. It had the picture of a tent on it.
“Yes, mi’lady,” the older woman said as she went to the back of the stall. Soon Belle and Kia were heading for the harbor, a long cloth covered object over Belle’s shoulder. It was heavy, and smelled strange, but she didn’t complain. Somehow she doubted Kia would listen.
“Now, we just need to find the ship,” Kia said as she looked around thoughtfully, scanning the names painted on the sides. “Look for the ‘Golden Prophet,’” she instructed Belle.
“I think I’ve found it,” Belle said. She pointed at the medium sized ship nearest them. It was built for speed with long, sharp lines that lacked an excess of surface area. There were two masts, the foremast and the main, each with large sails rolled up at the top, with a topsail above the main. There was only one jig, a triangle shaped sail behind the masts, striped red and white, and every inch of it seemed to shout “Pirate!” to Belle. “You sure this is our ship?”
“Does it say Golden Prophet?” Kia asked, turning to look at it. “No, that can’t be it. That says Golden Profit.”
“There’s a difference?” Belle asked, situating her bag and the bundles so her shoulders were equally bruised.
“Of course. One is supposed to bring messages to people, it’s a religious term, and the other is--”
“Cold hard gold.” The masculine voice made them turn and look at the men that had appeared behind them as they spoke. The one in the middle was dressed as Kia had described, his long black greatcoat falling to the top of his black leather boots. His dark red pants fit well, as if they had been molded to his body. Topping that was a ruffled white shirt that opened down the front, laced with a piece of leather that wasn’t tied. His face was close to beautiful with long, hard planes that looked as if they had been crafted by the hands of God. And his one uncovered eye was silver, a piercing color that showed only the emotions he wanted to be seen. He was amused.
There were two men behind him. One was a large and oddly familiar man wearing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of rough pants over thick soled boots. He was bald, with a black goatee and moustache. His upper body was well defined, sloped from the neck and rounded at the shoulders, tapering into muscular arms and large, capable hands. His chest was huge. It reminded Belle of the full grown gryphons she had run into before. There was a strange look on his face and she realized he was watching her closely. She flushed, looking away.
“Captain, forgive us for being late. There was an incident in town,” Kia said. Her voice was polite even though there was a wary look in her eyes.
“The dragon. Yes, we saw,” Tristan said. He didn’t sound too worried. “We should board now. If you’ve gotten all the supplies you need, that is.”
“Yes, of course,” Kia said, looking flustered. “Captain Tristan, before we go, I need to know if you’re—” Belle’s hand covered her mouth before she could go on.
“I’m sorry. My sister hasn’t had any sleep lately. Maybe we should put off departing until say, tomorrow?” Belle said, trying not to look at the large man staring at her.
“I’m afraid we can’t do that, miss--” Tristan let the question linger, giving her the chance to provide her name.
“Belle. And that’s really too bad. I guess we’ll have to find another—”
“I’ve already paid them,” Kia mumbled from behind Belle’s hand. Belle groaned.
“Fine. Let’s go,” Belle said as she headed for the gangplank. Before she got there the large man stepped in front of her, making her gulp and look up at him in shock. But he said nothing, merely reached out and took the tent from her, carrying it on board.
“Is there a problem?” Kia asked softly. Belle jerked.
“Um, no. No, it’s nothing. Let’s get on board before the dragon decides to come back,” Belle replied equally quietly. She was going to die. The big man was going to kill her. She just knew it.
“Are you sure?” Kia asked as she followed her onto the wooden deck and looked around. There were two raised parts of the ship, or bridges, one in the front and one in the back. On top of the back bridge was the helm, a large steering wheel with prongs studding the outer rim that allowed for easy gripping. In front of them on the lowered part of the ship called the bridge deck, were the masts, large wooden poles that were far too thick for any man to reach around them completely.
Belle didn’t notice the details. She was focused on the queasy feeling in her stomach as the ship seemed to lurch with every step. She didn’t like boats. They were too unstable, rocking to and fro with every wave, a few layers of wood separating her and the vast, deadly sea beneath. She took a deep breath to try and calm her stomach before focusing on Kia’s question. “Do you remember when I said I borrowed last night’s fare?”
“Yes, of course I do,” Kia said.
“Well what I didn’t mention was that I took a bit more than that one piece of gold,” Belle went on; barely breathing the words as she watched the large man in question enter a room. The room was under the raised part in the back, presumably the captain’s quarters.
“You what?” Kia asked as she finally looked at Belle, her eyes going wide. “How much did you take?”
“All of it?” Belle answered, as if questioning her own reply.
“Oh, dear. We must find the man and repay him—”
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Belle interrupted. Her face was still pale. “Because he just took our tent into the Captain’s Quarters.”
“Oh.”
CHAPTER 2: DRAGONS AND PIRATES, OH MY!
“You’ll be staying in the Captain’s Quarters,” Tristan said as he led them toward the door that the other man had taken their tent into. The room was clean, but slightly startling with red and black being the main colors. The bed was gigantic, with hanging sheets around it that could be tied back, or let down for privacy. It had a solid wood headboard that was three inches thick and curved at the top. It was nailed to the floor, as was everything else in the room.
There was a desk to the left of the bed, yet another well crafted piece of furniture. It was the type that had hidden drawers and false bottoms, meaning no end of surprises that could be stolen, Belle thought, her hand itching. She finally looked away, noting the thick oval shaped rug at the side of the bed. She wondered if there was a hidden—
“There’s nothing to steal here, so you should be safe if we get boarded,” Tristan said, sounding casual. “Well, as safe as two attractive females can be.”
“Boarded?” Kia asked, looking up at him in confusion. She placed her bags down on the bed as she waited for her answer. Belle winced at the attractive comment, fighting the urge to touch the ever-present scar on her cheek again. She was getting sick and tired of people reminding her of it, especially by ignoring it so blatantly.
“Pirates. They do that sort of thing,” he said as he turned toward the door. “Make yourself comfortable, ladies. My crew and I will keep you safe. You can count on that.” He reached up and mock-saluted before he walked out the door, leaving them to think over what he said.
“First he comments on pirates then he says they’ll keep us safe,” Belle said with a hint of irony in her voice. “He’s trying to get more gold out of you.” She walked over to the bed and dropped down on the edge. She smiled as it gave a little bounce. “And the whole stealing comment was more for a warning than a reassurance.”
“Hmm? I hadn’t noticed,” Kia said as she headed for the small round window in the back of the cabin. She looked out, watching Harbortown for a few moments. “I’ve never left Harbortown before.”
“Really?” Belle asked. “I would have thought with your job—”
“I was brought specimens to study. And if they couldn’t get what I was looking for, I had to rely on the information in the library scrolls,” Kia said with a slightly bittersweet smile. “They kept me hidden more often than not. Because I’m a female, and I’m a better scholar than they are.”
“Who are ‘they’?” Belle asked.
“My colleagues, the male researchers. But they’ll be far behind us on this trip, so no need to dwell on unpleasantness,” Kia said, dismissing the topic and heading for her things. “You recognized that the dragon this morning was a western. Not many people bother to. Have you had experience with dragons before?” She was digging through a small leather satchel as she spoke and pulled out a large pile of notes.
“Some,” Belle said, distracted by Kia’s actions. “What does that have to do with getting the dragon to stop rampaging?” If that was even possible, she thought. She really didn’t see how a seventeen year old human could possibly influence a dragon.
“I haven’t figured that out yet, but I believe in being prepared for all eventualities,” Kia said as she dropped down a few feet away from Belle on the bed. She laid out her notes between them. “There are two types of dragons, or at least two that we know of. The western, as we saw this morning has large, scaled wings that look similar to bats. Their body is larger than their necks and they have horns growing out of their heads, much like stags.”
She pointed to one of the drawings on her notes, running a finger lovingly over the sketch. “Sometimes there are bone-like ridges down the back and tail, as well as along the jaw. The eyes are believed to have two eyelids, the regular type and a second, clear eyelid that protects them during flight. They are carnivorous and eat frequently during growth. As they get older they eat at sporadic intervals. That’s the one that we saw this morning.”
“He was full grown,” Belle said, still looking at the picture.
“Yes, yes he was,” Kia said in agreement. “The second type of dragon is referred to as the eastern. They have no wings, and their body is long and twisting.” She shuffled through the scrolls, pulling a less detailed picture out to show Belle. “The neck and body are believed to be the same thickness, giving it a snake like appearance. They also have ridges, but there are usually two down the back, with a flattened area in the middle. Colors also tend to be more--”
“Flashy?” Belle offered.
“That’s a good word for it,” Kia said with a smile. “They come in reds, blacks, greens and golds for the main part. And often those colors are mixed. Their legs are shorter than those of the western dragon. Not much is known of the eastern dragon, since we’ve never actually seen one. What information we have on them is gained by sea travelers and pirates.”
“Since there aren’t many magical animal researchers at sea,” Belle added dryly.
“Exactly,” Kia said, nodding. “We should be on the lookout for an eastern dragon when we get to the island. This is the perfect opportunity to get more information.” She rolled her scrolls back up and stood. “But I think we should go on deck, don’t you? We’ll be departing soon.”
“One last look at Mainland, huh?” Belle asked, feeling the ship lurch and her stomach reply. She swallowed, fighting her sea sickness. It was too early to start hanging over the railing. The cool air of the sea hit her face as they went on deck, giving her relief, until she caught sight of the large bald man watching her from where he stood ready to hoist the anchor. Belle looked away.
“There she is,” Kia said, not noticing what was happening. Her eyes were focused on the docks. People were milling about and getting ready for their own voyages. No one seemed to notice the two females watching them. “Harbortown.”
“I was only there for two days,” Belle said. But she waved, anyway. “And most of it was spent listening to gryphons and rats.”
“Rats?” Kia asked, glancing over. “When did you talk to rats?”
“In that hole you people call a cell,” Belle said, making a face. “I hate rats.”
‘You’re telling me, sister.’ The voice made her jerk and look in the air first to see if the gryphon had followed them. ‘Down here.’ She glanced down. The sight of a large, roguish looking cat staring up at her with one green eye made her relax. His tail was missing, cut off sometime in the past and his fur was short and cream colored with dark brown spots. He had an eye patch over his left eye.
“Pirate cat,” Belle said, the first words she thought of jumping out of her mouth. The cat rolled his eye, turning his back on them and walking away.
‘You’d think she’d be a better conversationalist,’ he muttered sarcastically as he went.
“I’m surprised.” Tristan’s voice made them turn as he stepped behind them. “Bo Jangles doesn’t usually let people see him.”
“You named the cat Bo Jangles?” Belle asked.
“It was that or Spot,” Tristan said. Amusement glinted in his silver eye. “Are you ladies comfortable with leaving like this?” he asked, motioning to the dock. “No lovers you need to say farewell to?”
“We’re fine,” Kia said. She turned back to the dock in silent dismissal. “We won’t be gone forever.”
“Of course not,” Tristan said. “Then we’ll set sail,” he added before turning and walking away to direct his men.
“I can understand why the captain might have one,” Kia said, motioning to the strap that held the eye patch on Tristan’s head. “But why would the cat?”
“Some things you’re better off not asking,” Belle said, turning and leaning against the railing, pretending she was watching Harbortown as she mentally fought her stomach. If it was this bad now, she thought, it would be hellish once they got on the open sea. She jerked as a hand dropped on her back.
“Are you feeling okay?” Kia asked. “You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine. Just not very good with, well, sailing.”
“Oh. That’s not good,” Kia said, taking her hand away and looking around. “Is there anything I can—” The ship lurched slightly as the anchor was lifted, and Belle covered her mouth with her hand. She was almost translucently pale. “Why don’t I go see if I can find a spell? You stay right here, okay?”
Belle nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she turned back to the railing and Kia ran back to the Captain’s Quarters. She hoped she could hold out until Kia came back, she thought as she watched Harbortown quickly fade in the distance. She hated being sick. Something heavy thudded against the ground next to her and made her look up. There stood the large man she had stolen from. He had a water barrel on the ground beside him and another over his left shoulder. From the sound of it, both weighed more than she did.
Without a thought Belle turned and ran. She really had to stop stealing from scary looking guys, she told herself as she slammed into the room across from the Captain’s Quarters. She leaned back against the door and tried to catch her breath. Her heart pounded against her chest as she pictured how easily he could kill her. Stealing from pirates was liable to make that happen. He was probably just waiting for the moment she fell asleep. Then he would sneak into their room and pull out a—
Belle forced herself to calm down long enough to look around. It was obviously the kitchen, or “galley” of the ship. There was a long counter to the side, with dried goods on top, and a short male with a large cutting blade in his hand. She looked blankly at him, forgetting about the large barrels and boxes to the right and focusing on the man. He was short and thin with dark brown hair that was cut so that it barely reached the top of his ears. The bangs were longer than the back. His clothing was much like the Captain’s, well fitted black pants and a white tie-up shirt with loose sleeves, over which he wore a rough looking apron. He was handsome, she noticed idly. “Hungry?”
“Um, uh,” Belle stammered, still trying to get her balance. Then she realized what he had asked and blanched. “No. Definitely not,” she mumbled, feeling sick yet again. The smell of food wasn’t helping.
“Seasick?” he asked, returning to his chopping board. He looked vaguely familiar. She stopped as she finally realized who he was.
“You’re the other one, the one that was with the Captain earlier,” she said.
“And you’re the short lady’s little sister,” he replied.
“Oh, right. I guess that wasn’t much of an introduction, huh?” She headed past the boxes and barrels to the simple wooden table and chairs in the center of the right side of the room. She sat down on one of the chairs, feeling as if her legs would give out if she didn’t. “My name is Belle,” she said finally. “Do you know how to get rid of seasickness?”
“Seasickness?” he asked. It seemed that he had forgotten she was there again. “Dry land.”
“Not possible. We’re on a ship,” she said. She blinked as he turned to hand her a plate. “I’m not hungry.”
“Eat it anyway,” he told her before turning back to his chopping. She looked at the food, a strange, creamy looking soup with crackers and a chunk of cheese on the side. It smelled faintly of tomatoes. “So who are you running from? Your sister?”
“She’s not—” Belle stopped and played with the spoon for a second. “She’s looking for a spell to help me with the seasickness. I didn’t want to get in the way.”
“But that’s not the reason you looked terrified,” he told her. His knife scraped against the cutting board as he shoved what he was chopping aside—onions, she realized, wrinkling her nose as the smell reached her—then pulled out a handful of carrots, starting to chop them as well. “A little early to have angered one of the crew, isn’t it?”
“I’m just good like that,” Belle replied with a little shrug as she tasted the soup. Food was never to be wasted, even when you might toss it up. “This is good.”
“Thank you,” he said. She could hear the smile in his voice. “So tell me, who is it?”
“Who is who?” Belle asked as she took another spoonful and blew on it. She didn’t often get to eat this well. She planned on savoring it.
“The one you’re terrified of.”
“Not terrified,” she said, raising a finger to help make her point. “Cautious.” It earned a surprised laugh from the cook. “See, I already figured out what this ship is.”
“Oh really.”
“Yep. Not that I have anything against pirates, well, except for the killing, that’s not nice. But hey, it’s not like I’m the one dying. At least—”
“You’ve got quite the imagination, don’t you?” he asked, dropping the carrots and onions into the large simmering pot of water on the stove next to him. Then he headed for the larder, pulling a slice of meat out. It was a good sized chunk, two feet long and half a foot thick. There was a layer of fat on it, which would give it flavor. She wondered where he had gotten such good meat from.
“You’re kidding me, right?” she asked, eating more quickly now that it had cooled down. She took a bite of the cheese then paused as the taste reached her, her eyes closing so she could savor it.
“We’re merchants. Not pirates,” he said, cutting the meat into chunks. “And some times we pick up odd jobs. Like ferrying beautiful women across the ocean.”
Belle choked on her soup, then started laughing, wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand. “Don’t say stuff like that when I’m eating!”
“What’s that?”
“I can’t believe you said that with a straight face,” Belle said, taking another bite of cheese. “It’s bad enough that the captain lied to my face when he said it.”
“Said?”
“You both must have been talking about Kia,” she went on, eating a cracker. “She’s pretty enough, I guess.”
He tossed the meat into the pot and turned, leaning back against the counter and looking at her. His eyes were brown, a much softer color than that silver eye of the captain. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze Belle looked back down at her soup. She played with it for a little while, swirling it with her spoon then gently placing the spoon down next to the bowl.