“He has taken my fire. I cannot start one.” He growled again. “He is also preventing me from changing into the phoenix.”
Instead of despairing, I set up a pair of sticks and began to rub them together. I had gone on my fair share of camping trips and always made sure to keep my basic survival techniques up to par. It took a little while, but I was eventually rewarded with a spark that slowly but surely spread across the pile of wood into a glorious fire. I sighed in both relief and exhaustion and warmed my hands over it. Tarasque was still standing. And he was staring at me very oddly.
“What is it?” I asked.
Instead of answering, he rounded around the fire and took a seat beside me. His gaze flicked to my hovering hands before copying the movement.
We sat in silence for a while. Unfortunately, the quiet time didn’t seem to mollify Tarasque. He kept on shooting me and the fire glances, each one more furious than the last. Finally, jaw and fists grinding, he flew to his feet and stormed toward the cave’s entrance.
“Where are you?” he hissed. “WHERE ARE YOU, NECOC YAOTL!?”
Alarmed, I scrambled up and ran after him.
“Tarasque!”
He ignored me, continuing to rage, curse, and threaten as he exited the cave. I tried to grab his arm, but he shoved me to the ground. He went out into the storm, but fortunately, he didn’t go far. I watched his distorted form as his pent-up emotions exploded out of him.
A dark chuckle rang through my mind.
My, he can throw quite the tantrum.
I pursed my lips together, refusing to give that despicable monster any satisfaction.
Oh, come now, little key. I just revealed to you a terrible truth, and yet it is the almighty dragon king who beats his fists and drums his heels in the aftermath. Surely you find that irony somewhat humorous?
I didn’t answer.
Of course you don’t. I never would have chosen you if you were capable of such cruelty.
“Why did you choose me?” I demanded, unable to stand it any longer. “Why me, Tezcatlipoca? Why me out of all the humans in the world?”
As you know, that would be telling, little key. Something I’m capable of, true, but only at the right time.
Meaning he would tell me—gloat to me after I did what he wanted. After I helped humiliate Tarasque. Break him.
But I would never do such a thing. Tezcatlipoca knew that, he just said so. And if that’s what he did want, surely he would have directly threatened people I loved by now?
You know better than that, my inner voice chimed in. Humiliating someone, breaking them doesn’t always involve overt methods. Quite the contrary.
Yes. That was so true.
I stared at Tarasque. His rage was now spent. He was on his knees, head bowed. Unmoving. I ached to go over to him, to comfort him, to help. I scrambled to my knees, then stopped.
Your Highness…do you love me?
Of course. How could I have been so stupid? I wasn’t here to torment Tarasque, not by myself. I was here to soothe him, to calm him, to strengthen his attachment to me. Then Tezcatlipoca would have a carrot to dangle in front of his nose along with a horde of terrible lies. I was Tarasque’s only companion here, and I had no idea how long Tezcatlipoca intended to hold us prisoner. Years. Decades. Centuries. A millennia. If he grew to trust me…love me, and Tezcatlipoca hurt me or killed me or worse…that could drive him over the edge.
I continued to stare at Tarasque’s broken form. While I remained unmoving, my mind sang me praises while my heart gave me hell.
You can’t save everyone, Mercedes.
I waited for Tezcatlipoca to speak, to order me to go after Tarasque. But those were a fool’s thoughts. Tezcatlipoca wouldn’t confirm my suspicions. He would merely watch and laugh.
I climbed to my knees.
Don’t do it. If you do it, it will be on you as much as Tezcatlipoca.
Painfully, I got to my feet.
You’re being selfish. You want to help him only because you can’t stand to watch him suffer. Better this suffering now than losing his mind and identity later! Don’t you dare do it!
I covered my mouth with my hand. What was I supposed to do? What was the right thing to do?
I turned around, praying that I would see him walking back to the cave. But he was still out in the rain.
Two choices, and either one would make me a monster.
Biting my lip hard enough to draw blood, I walked out into the rain. The roar beat against my ears. Or maybe that was just Tezcatlipoca’s laughter. There really wasn’t a difference. I knelt beside Tarasque and put a hand on his shoulder, half-expecting him to shove me again. But he didn’t. He didn’t even look at me. I took his arm and gave it a gentle tug. To my shock, he stood up, albeit slowly and without meeting my eyes. I guided him into the cave and didn’t stop walking until we reached the still blazing fire.
I let go of Tarasque cautiously and took it as a good sign that he didn’t fall or even stumble. I sat down in front of the fire. After a moment he did so too with painstakingly slowness.
“They are eating me,” he whispered.
“I know,” I whispered back.
“My true self is being consumed. My people are being consumed. And I cannot help them. I am trapped here in a world of that twisted monster’s creation.” He turned to look at me. His emerald eyes glittered feverishly in the firelight. “What if we can keep our identities? They will be all we have left. We cannot escape from here. My people are at the mercy of one who has no mercy. As are the ones you love.”
I couldn’t deny he was right. Nor could I deny the despair that sliced through me. So what if we kept our identities? By the time Tezcatlipoca was finished with us, the rest of the dragons could be twisted. My family and friends could all be dead. Only Shadow would be there.
Unsure as I was about our relationship, I clung to his memory like it was the only star in a bleak night sky.
Remember how hopeless everything seemed with Xavier, I told myself. He was about to kill Shadow. He was just about to rape and torture me, yet we both survived. We survived to love each other and battle the outside forces who sought to tear us apart.
Granted, there was no comparison between the power and reach of Tezcatlipoca and Xavier, but the memory fed my strength. It rekindled my hope.
“He wants you to care about me,” I said. “His hope is that after a certain amount of time, you’ll care about me enough so that my pain and or death will cause you great anguish. It’s the reason I didn’t go after you right away. I thought if you were callous toward me, or even hated me, he wouldn’t be able to use me against you.”
“You are correct,” Tarasque said in an oddly blank voice. “Why did you choose to go after me?”
“For a moment I hated myself for it,” I confessed. “I thought I was being selfish. But I was wrong. Tezcatlipoca is mighty. He can read our thoughts and accurately guess what our choices will be. I would be surprised if he couldn’t predict the future. But he’s not infallible. He can’t predict a wholly accurate future.”
“How do you know?”
“To be honest, it’s nothing more than a feeling. But it’s a feeling that I know I can trust.” I sighed at his disgusted look. “I’m not as naïve as you think I am, Tarasque. I hope you realize that someday. Remembering who I am is only ten percent of the battle. Staying who I am is the other ninety.”
***
Tarasque
She turned away to stare into the dancing, crackling flames. I found a dark rock on the cave floor a more therapeutic sight. However, it did not stop me from mulling over her words or the hidden meanings behind them.
She was now aware of the purpose of her presence, and the potential harm it could cause to me. I wanted to scoff at the notion that I could grow to care for her, but I was done with foolishness. I already trusted her against my better judgment.
But was it truly against my better judgment to trust her? After all, she could
have kept her newfound knowledge to herself. Instead, she divulged it. Out of trust. Before she followed me into the terrible storm outside when the anger and despair became too much. I stared at my arms, the thin, frail, naked skin. Exactly how my skin and my people’s skin would be when those filthy dark creatures were through. I gripped my arms, fresh hatred and disgust clawing at me. My eyes flickered towards Mercedes’ arms. She was wearing a golden silk siren tunic over loose trousers. The sleeves, once pale and shining, were dark, dull, and soaked. Icy drops of water fell from the material. They hit the ground with silent pings.
After a brief glance at the terrible storm outside, my chest constricted in a growing guilt. Her presence had fed my explosive emotions. Or more specifically, her calmness. Instead of growing angry at my inability to create a fire, she used her own primitive skills to give us warmth and light. She succeeded where I failed. Just as she succeeded in maintaining control when Necoc Yaotl showed her those hideous lies about her father. I would not have been so calm if my father had been the target of those lies. I would have raged. I would have done something foolish.
Like I did mere minutes ago.
“How do you do it?”
She looked at me. “I’m sorry?”
“How can you maintain such control after Necoc Yaotl told you such horrible lies about your father?” It took everything I had not to let my desperation show.
She bit her lip. “He’s smart. Incredibly smart. I remember eleven years ago, mere weeks after my father and I had that dinner, GreenCorp had been accused of taking bribes from the greedy oil companies who wanted to keep the people reliant on fossil fuels. Igor Stewart was the man who started the accusations, and he was also the man who provided the evidence.”
“Igor Stewart?”
“My father’s second in command. He’s a brilliant lawyer. Knows the system and human nature like the back of his hand.” She stared at me pointedly. “You saw him, that is you saw an image of him in that little show Tezcatlipoca put on for us. He’s the one who told my father he would help him give GreenCorp a taste of their own medicine.”
I blinked, stunned. “That fits too perfectly to be mere coincidence.”
“Exactly,” she said seriously. “That’s why Tezcatlipoca chose it. What better way to shake my faith than facts that I can’t deny?” She shook her head. “But I know my father. And I know Igor Stewart. They’re both men of the deepest honor and integrity. No one will tell me otherwise.”
Now I recognized the violent emotion churning within me: envy.
It seemed impossible that a human girl whose age would register as a mere infant compared to a dragon would possess such unshakable faith despite what she had just seen. She had been angry, yes, but that anger had lasted a moment at the most. Not like mine.
Father, if you were ashamed of me before, that would be nothing compare to now. I am grateful you cannot see me. All I can do is swear that I will not let him poison me against you. I will be strong.
As my gaze flickered to Mercedes again, I realized something else: she believed in me. She believed I could be strong. That was why she had come after me despite knowing the consequences of me possessing a strong attachment to her.
I looked back at the stone. The realization should not have impacted me so severely. By all reason, by all sense, the faith of a young mortal should barely mean anything.
But I am not like other dragons. I’ve known that since I was a hatchling. I have just never been able to fully accept it. I want to be like other dragons…but I cannot.
My hand reached out to touch Mercedes’ wet arm.
“Thank you,” I said. My tone lay naked my gratitude and respect.
She was surprised at first, but then she smiled and clasped her hand over mine.
“You’re welcome.”
Neither of us let go. I noticed that her hand was quite warm despite her exposure to the icy rain. I moved closer until our bodies were practically touching. The warmth of her paled in comparison to the warmth of the fire. But it was not just the warmth of her body. Not at all. It was her kindness. Her faith. There was something about them both that made her incredibly intoxicating. I did not know what it was. I did not have to know.
Her face was lovely in the firelight despite stress and lack of sleep, and my human body stirred in the way it always did when I was near her. Only this time it was much stronger.
My knowledge of human intimacy was far from limited, and my desire to experience something of it with this particular human was not slight. I let my hand trail down her cheek.
“Tarasque?”
Her voice was soft, confused. Deciding to eliminate the latter, I brought our faces together. Just as my lips were about to touch hers, she drew away.
“Tarasque, no. I’m sorry, no.”
I froze. Her face was regretful, but also firm. Shielding my deep disappointed, I too drew away.
“Forgive me.”
My voice sounded cold, even to my own ears.
“No, it’s all right,” she assured me, despite my tone. “We just…we can’t be like that.”
“I do not see you as an object,” I said. “You are no mere piece of treasure.”
“I know,” she said, sounding almost weary. “But we can’t. I’m in love with Shadow.”
Only the words ‘love’ and ‘Shadow’ registered in my mind. They produced a mix of seething jealousy and confusion. As always, her vampire mate was the reason she would never wish to be mine. And while I knew of love, while I remembered Mercedes’ definition of the type of love she shared with her beloved vampire, I still did not understand it. And I wanted so much too.
But not nearly as much as I wish for the freedom and well-being of my people, I reminded myself. I will not be distracted from my goal.
The roar outside suddenly quieted. Mercedes and I looked at the cave’s entrance. The rain was gone.
“You think he wants us to leave?” Mercedes asked.
“I would imagine so,” I replied, getting to my feet. “I for one have no desire to stay here.”
“Then let’s see what he has cooked up for us next.”
***
Mercedes
Fortunately, Tezcatlipoca allowed Tarasque some of his shape-shifting powers back so we didn’t have to travel by foot to our next destination, whatever that may be. For a while, I just stared at the ground as I hung in Tarasque’s claw, trying not to dwell on what happened the night before. There were so much more important things I needed to be thinking about right now. Fortunately, my mind wasn’t locked on the issue, but it was one I couldn’t ignore.
Your Highness…do you love me?
No. He didn’t love me. Maybe he cared for me a little, but his feelings were definitely not on par with someone who was in love. Tarasque’s affection seemed to stem more from fascination. Not at all like Shadow.
Shadow…
Look ahead.
Tarasque’s sharp tone prompted instant obedience. Below the horizon, which had grown blue and brilliant, were a line of mountains so enormous and magnificent I knew they couldn’t be of my world.
The Saw Tooth Mountains, Tarasque said.
I remembered.
We flew onward. The mountains’ colors ranged from dark gray to burnt amber. Some were fat, some were thin, some were taller or shorted than the others. But they all connected to each other in some way like a family. Up close and personal, the sight was absolutely breathtaking. I was so amazed I didn’t ask Tarasque any questions. But he broke me out of my reverie by volunteering the information.
He is directing us toward Mt. Draco. It is where all dragon kings are buried. The sacred grounds of my forefathers.
I went very still. So, I was about to see what Tarasque had been willing to risk everything in order to protect.
It is unthinkable for outsiders to see the outside of Mt. Draco, much less the inside, he continued. If even you ever set foot in there on your own accord, I would have no qualms in killing you.<
br />
His voice wasn’t reproachful. He didn’t resent the fact that he had to bring me in there, illusion or not. Instead, he wanted me to be aware of the impossible honor I was about to be granted.
I will be as respectful and gracious as I am able, I said.
I know.
Despite not being in love with me, I knew he was hurt and disappointed from my rejection. But I had to give him credit; he wasn’t dwelling on my rejection. His focus was where it should be.
I was right to have faith in you, I thought, but didn’t send to him as a telepathic message.
Mount Draco was the color of hard granite. Tarasque flew us inside an opening that, from my limited perspective, looked as if it could contain the moon. We landed on the smooth, stone ground. Tarasque released me and I looked around. Against my will, I found myself admiring Tezcatlipoca for his ability to create not only such realistic physical illusions, but psychological ones as well. Surrounding me on all sides were statues of dragons carved out of metals and stones that held the exact same unearthly quality as the mountains they were housed in. I estimated that each one was as tall as the vampire’s royal palace. Their eyes, fierce with a ruthless wisdom gained over tens of thousands of years, reduced me to the status of an amoeba.
“They are far larger than this,” Tarasque said with deep disgust. “I suspect their majesty has been reduced for your benefit. He wishes for you to experience his latest lie as much as me.”
“Which one is your father?” I asked. Information was vital if I was to understand Tezcatlipoca’s latest lie.
Tarasque looked around, frowning. “He is not here. I suspect we are in the past.” His frown deepened. “I cannot bear to be in this pathetic form before my forefathers. I will return to my natural shape.”
Without warning, he grabbed me around the middle and began to change. When he was finished, I found myself wrapped in what could only be the end of his tail. He put me down by one of his front legs and I looked up at him.
He was noticeably smaller than before, undoubtedly due to possessing only one of three of his human bodies. Even so, I held little doubt that it would barely take any effort to crush the Empire State Building. He regarded me with not one but two slitted, fiery eyes, and I forced my numb legs to carry me to his claw. I put my hand on him, never breaking his gaze.