Bonds of Fire and Force

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. No, they’d come fifty years before, ridden by elves as the realms crashed and ruptured, burning almost to the ground before the seven heroes had stepped in to stop the calamity.

Now there were dragons in the valley. They had thrown off their riders and demanded tribute from the villages that surrounded the valley. No one knew what happened to the tributes that were sent, just that they were never heard from again. Tribute was demanded once a year, and this year the village of Vadori is called to offer the tribute.

They came with the dawn, wearing human guises so as not to terrify the people and the village of Vadori assembled in the square with its daughters dressed in white and offered for the taking. Save one, save Valeria, who stood at the edge of the crowd dressed in the sack cloth that was all that was afforded to the village outcast.

She watched the dragons move through, tall and elegant, the most beautiful people she’d ever seen. Except they weren’t people and the fear in the air for the daughters of Vadori was so thick that it was almost a miasma on the air. Valeria took her courage in both hands and stepped forward, out of the crowd and away from the fringes.

“What’s this?” one of the dragons stepped away from the procession and towards Valeria, making the people of the village part like a wave. “Little one, what do you think to do?”

“If it pleases you, I would offer myself as the tribute from Vadori.” Valeria’s voice shook but she managed to fight the words out and not flee as one of the female dragons walked to her and took her chin in one long, elegant, clawed hand.

“I see,” the dragon looked her deeply in the eyes for a moment before releasing her and turning to the rest of the village. “Take your daughters home, we will take your cast-off as tribute.”

The relief that rippled through the village, borne on their sighs, was extreme and for once, Valeria almost felt appreciated. And then the village fled, leaving her with her captors. Who were all smiling at her for some reason?

“Well, little one, my name is Jaira.” The female dragon told her, taking Valeria’s chin again and gesturing to the three males that were with her. “My husbands, Omaris, Kieran, and Moshari. Will you tell us your name, little one?”

“I-I’m Valeria,” she stuttered the word and her name. “What will happen to me now?”

“Now we go home, to the valley, and we have a chat.” Jaira turned, laying a warm arm across Valeria’s shoulders. Her skin heat was far greater than normal, which made sense, since for all she looked human, she was a dragon and now owned Valeria. “Tell us about you, Valeria. What makes you offer yourself to the unknown?”

“I don’t have anyone or anything waiting for me here,” Valeria tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “The unknown is better than the loneliness here in Vadori.”

“Well, you certainly won’t be alone in the valley.” Jaira’s words were cryptic, but she led Valeria into the center of them and together they walked down into the valley.

It was a beautiful valley, well-tended and lush. Valeria hadn’t expected the sense of community that descended on her as soon as she crossed down over the little river that ran through it and into the village at the bottom. All the dragons were wearing human form save three that she saw in their true form.

She didn’t really have time to look though, Jaira kept her moving through the valley to the massive cave at the back where all four dragons took her inside to come face to face with five massive ancient dragons arrayed in various places about the cave. The four she was with shed their guises, tearing out of them like wet paper to face the others.

“And who have you brought us, Jaira?”

“This is Valeria, Elder.” Jaira dipped her head on her long scaly neck to look down at Valeria. “Our first volunteer tribute.”

Valeria tried to wobble into something approaching a curtsy, but her leg gave out and he just ended up on her knees. “Elder, I-“

The elder’s head came towards her, propelled on that long neck to eyeball her with enough intensity that Valeria felt as if she was going to go to pieces. “Sound and true, a fine tribute.”

“I’ll take her to be settled and then introduce her to the pool tomorrow, if that is acceptable?” Jaira asked the elder, who simply nodded.

“Pool?” Valeria looked back and forth between the Elder and Jaira. “Please, I don’t understand.”

“You will,” Jaira shimmered back into human form and helped her back to her feet. “I promise, I’ll explain everything, Valeria.”