Chapter 13
Kariah awoke with a start, frightened and confused, inside of a large dank cavern that was lit by several burning torches which lined the rough stone walls. She slowly sat up from the cold stone floor where she lay and stared around fearfully. The cavern appeared to be a natural formation, but the torches spoke loudly that it was inhabited. Huge piles of gold and silver coins lay scattered about the cavern's floor, mingling with fist-sized gems that glittered in the torchlight.
She put a hand to her aching head, trying to remember what had happened and how she came to be in the dank cavern. The last thing that she could remember was the enormous scarlet dragon standing over her and struggling with a scar-faced man, then everything went black. She gasped in fear as she suddenly realized that she was inside of the dragon's lair, then screamed in terror as her eyes fell on the dragon itself. It lay curled up against the far wall near the cavern's opening, where it watched her with huge unblinking eyes. She screamed again, then scrambled back against the cold stone wall, trembling in fear.
The dragon made no move to attack, but merely stared at the elf maiden with an odd detachment. It eventually laid its great head down on the cool stone floor and closed its eyes, though Kariah knew without a doubt that it was still very much awake.
The scar-faced man, Kaviel, suddenly appeared in the mouth of the cavern. “I see our guest has awakened!” He smiled an oily smile, rubbing his hands together eagerly. He moved closer, stopping only a few feet from where the young girl cowered, then stared down at her with a contemptuous sneer. “Tell me, wench,” He snarled after several long agonizing moments. “Who are you, and who is that freak that carries my sword?”
Kariah remained silent, staring at him with a defiant expression.
He knelt down until they were face to face, their noses nearly touching. “You will answer me, elven slut! I have very little patience for your kind, and I think you would find having your skin slowly filleted from your body a truly unpleasant experience. I suggest that you cooperate, and answer me!” He smiled cruelly, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth.
Kariah suppressed the urge to vomit. “K-Kariah. M-My name is Kariah.”
Kaviel continued to stare at her with crazed eyes. “And who is the freak that carries my sword?”
“I-I'm not sure.” She lied, thinking quickly. “H-He never told me his name. I met him after my village was destroyed. We were searching for somewhere safe to hide out for a while.”
The scar-faced man laughed. “Safe? There is nowhere in this world that is safe from my wrath!” He began to foam at the mouth. “I will have that sword! It is mine! It belongs to me, and I will have it!”
Kariah saw no other option, but to try and lead the madman away from the others. “I met them all a few weeks back in the Deolan grasslands. They were kind enough to allow me to travel with them, for a price.”
The frothing man stared at her with suspicious eyes. “Where did the large one get the sword?”
She shrugged. “He had it in his possession when I met him.”
“And where are they going now?”
“Somewhere far away from the dragon, I’d guess.” She tried to sound like she believed this to be true. “We were trying to escape the dragon's wrath when we journeyed here. Since it’s no safer here than where we started, they will probably find somewhere else to seek refuge.”
“Surely they will try to find you.” Kaviel said, suddenly looking anxious.
She snorted and shook her head. “Those men are mercenaries. They only tolerated my presence as long as I paid them.” She put on a tragic expression. “They are probably miles and miles from here by now, happy to be rid of me!”
Kaviel cursed, then grabbed the frightened girl by the front of her tattered blouse. “If I find out you have lied to me,” He growled threateningly. “I will make sure you regret it!” He shoved her hard to the ground, and turned to stare at the enormous dragon. “Watch her!” He commanded harshly. “If she attempts to escape, kill her!” He stalked from the cavern cursing under his breath, his expression worried.
The dragon stared at the man with unconcealed hatred, then it heaved a great sigh of resignation. It glanced over at Kariah, who was still huddled against the stone wall fearfully, then stretched out across the cavern floor and quickly fell asleep.
Kariah remained huddled against the stone wall for nearly an hour, watching as the dragon slept. She finally gathered enough courage to rise to her feet, intending to inch her way towards the cavern's mouth.
“It is no use.” The dragon's deep voice boomed through the cavern. “There is no way for you to escape. That wretched dog ordered me to keep you from escaping. I have no choice but to obey him.” The enormous scarlet beast slowly lifted its massive head and gazed at the elven girl with huge eyes. “Besides, even if you did make it out of here, there are nearly a thousand dragonspawn and goblins just outside of this cavern. You wouldn't make it very far.”
Kariah nearly fainted. She backed against the wall again, a terrified expression on her delicate features.
“Do not fear.” The dragon rumbled reassuringly. “I will not harm you as long as you do not try to escape.”
“P-Please! Just let me go!” She pleaded tearfully.
The dragon shook its great head. “If I were able, I would. But I haven't the power to resist the madman's commands. That damned gem he carries holds control over me, and as long as he possesses it, I must obey him. I have no choice.”
Kariah stared at the scarlet beast with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. “Then you're not willingly following him?”
The dragon snorted humorlessly, and smoke billowed from its nostrils. “Of course not. If it wasn't for that cursed gem, I would have already ripped him to shreds!” It snarled in angry frustration.
She watched the beast for a moment, then decided it was speaking the truth. It spoke with an all-consuming hatred for its human captor that could not be faked. “So, all of the people that you have slayed have been killed because he forced you?”
The dragon nodded, then hung its head in shame. “I would never willingly kill an innocent. I am not a monster.”
She took a moment to allow this to absorb, then asked. “What are you called?”
The dragon raised its head proudly. “I am Tempest.”
The elf maiden stared at its impressive physique with appreciation. She stepped forward timidly, though she was still cautious. “I’m Kariah. I am honored to meet you.” She stopped, suddenly remembering something. “You are the dragon that Dar spoke of!”
The huge scarlet beast nodded once more. “Aye. Dar of the Alena is a very old friend. I was quite surprised to see him after all these years. It has been many centuries since I last saw him.” It sighed deeply. “We used to spend quite a bit of time together, before my kin and myself were trapped inside of that cursed stone.”
Kariah felt a sudden surge of hope. “You can help get us the gem from Kaviel, then!”
“Nay, my young elven friend.” Tempest shook her head, her voice full of sadness. “The gem will not allow it.”
The girl's face suddenly fell. “Oh. Well, I guess I can only hope that Damion and the others try to come find me and stop Kaviel.”
The great scarlet dragon looked curious. “Tell me of this Damion. He is a sorcerer, is he not?”
Kariah couldn’t see the harm in answering the question. “Yes. He can perform very powerful magic. He can do almost anything! He can even change into different forms.” She smiled a bit whimsically. “He frightened me at first, but as soon as I was able to see past his outer appearance, I realized that he has a big heart, and, of course, he is an amazing warrior. He is so large and strange looking, but....” She smiled. “He makes me feel safe and protected.”
“It sounds as though you love this human.” Tempest observed, leisurely scratching her scaled belly with one sharp talon.
“Love?” The elf maiden exclaimed. “That’s not possible! He and I coul
d never be together!”
“And why is that? Because you are elven, and he is not?”
Kariah's face flustered with embarrassment. “Well...” She suddenly frowned, her face growing even redder. “I would really rather not discuss this.”
Tempest chuckled. “As you wish.” She stared at the girl closely. “You look hungry. Do you wish to eat?”
Kariah smiled, then nodded eagerly, suddenly realizing how hungry she was.
The dragon slowly rose and retrieved a large pack that leaned against the wall. She deposited it before the elf maiden, then settled back down. “You’ll find food and drink inside.”
The young girl rummaged through the pack for a moment, then produced some dried beef and a flask of cheap wine. She quickly ate her fill, and washed down with the weak-tasting wine. “Thank you for the food. Dar was right when he said you were an honorable creature, worthy of respect.” She sighed. “I hope they can discover a way to stop Kaviel. The man is mad!”
Tempest chuckled deep in her chest. “I hope they can, too, but I fear there is little chance as long as that mangy dog possesses the gem.”
“Don’t underestimate Damion. He is unlike any man you have ever seen. He can do things others can only dream of. Dar once said that he had the blood of dragons flowing in his veins.”
This caught the dragon by surprise. “What?” She asked, her eyes widening with disbelief. “How is that possible? He is just a mere human!”
The elf maiden laughed. “Damion is no mere human. His mother was violated by dragonspawn while he was still in the womb. Their attack left its mark upon him. He is much larger and stronger than any normal human, and his magic is frighteningly powerful. He could probably level a mountain if he really wanted to.”
Tempest was quiet for several moments. “That is very interesting.” She grumbled thoughtfully. “Dragonspawn are distant cousins of the dragons, though we usually deny that fact. They were a result of some crazed magician’s experiment. He attempted to create his own breed of dragon, but he failed. The dragonspawn were the result. If what you say is true, he very well may have the blood of dragons flowing in his veins.”
“Like I said,” Kariah's face was a bit smug. “Don't underestimate Damion. If there is anyone that can stop Kaviel, it’s him.” Her expression grew curious. “How did Kaviel come to possess the Dragon Gem anyway? Dar said it had been lost centuries ago.”
Tempest snorted in disgust. “The bumbling idiot stumbled across it while looting the ruins of an old keep that had once belonged to a sorcerer named Balik.” The dragon's eyes flashed red with momentary anger. “Balik was the one who imprisoned the dragons inside of the gem. From what I have gathered from Kaviel's ramblings, he found it in an underground chamber, deep beneath the keep. He discovered that the gem possessed great power, and somehow managed to release me, only to place me in enslavement far worse than the gem.” She snarled angrily. “When he realized that he could control me with the gem, he forced me to reveal its secrets. When he learned of the Dragon Sword, he began to search all over for it. It is the key to the gem's power. He knew that if the gem’s full power could be unleashed, he’d be unstoppable. He forced me to destroy everything in his path in his search for the fabled blade.”
Kariah was horrified. “That’s terrible! The man must be insane!”
Tempest was silent for a moment, then asked. “Do you know how Damion came to possess the Dragon Sword?”
The girl smiled, then quickly described their encounter with the dwarven swordsmith, and how Damion recovered the sword from the troll clan.
“He destroyed an entire clan of trolls?” Tempest was clearly impressed. She suddenly sighed. “But the sword is no good without the gem.”
“Damion can still tap into the sword's power.” The girl informed the scarlet beast. “It may just give him the advantage he needs to stop Kaviel.”
Tempest heaved another great sigh. “Well, all we can do for now is wait for him to arrive.” She stretched her huge serpentine body across the cavern floor. “The scarred dog will be returning soon. We will continue our discussion later.”
Kariah agreed, then huddled against the stone wall, and closed her eyes wearily. She could only wait, hoping against hope, that her friends would arrive soon and put an end to this nightmare.