“If you’re done inspecting my space,” the Captain said as he moved around his desk, “perhaps we can get started. Take a seat.”
“I prefer to stand.”
His brows shot up, as if not used to having his orders disobeyed. “This might take a while. You would be more comfortable sitting.”
“With all due respect, Captain, I didn’t come here for a morning chat.” She was not one to waste precious time. “If we could get this over with, I have a tavern to run.”
Stroking his jaw, his eyes bore into her as she remained still, holding his intimidating gaze. “You’vegot quite a mouth on you. I could have you whipped for your insolence.”
She smirked, the man’s arrogance causing a sudden wave of irritation to wash over her. “I’ve faced fire-breathing dragons, it will take more than a royal uniform and a few lashes to frighten me. Besides, how did you know I was the one you were searching for?”
“I suspected, but I wasn’t sure until I saw you standing in front of my tent. Now, let’s see.” Grabbing a paper from the closest pile, he began to read out loud, “Burglary, trespassing, fraud, assault–”
“The charges were never proven.”
The Captain stood up, walking around the desk at an agonizingly slow pace, then picking up another long parchment, continued to recite, “–smuggling, theft, aiding a fugitive–” she winced “–and finally, deserting a military position.” Clasping his hands behind his back, he stepped right up to her. “Scared yet?”
Anger simmered in Nyra. “If I had been allowed to leave like a normal human being then I wouldn’t have been forced to do what I had to in order to survive.”
“You abandoned your position.”
“You gave me no fucking choice.”
“Tell me, dragon slayer, do you know what the punishment is for treason?” He leaned in. “Death by a thousand cuts.”
A sudden calm enveloped her, the words that were meant to scare her into compliance doing the very opposite as the not so distant memory of Nyra’s last encounter with a certain winged beast wiggled into her mind.
As the fear of being scorched alive arose in her once more, making his threat of torturous execution appear childish and inconsequential.
“I have a proposition for you,” the warrior continued, “one that will benefit us all, should you accept it.” Moving back to his place behind the desk, the Captain plopped himself down on the awaiting chair, and opening a drawer, pulled out a palm sized object. It landed on the table’s surface, the morning light shining off of it in brilliant beams of silver.
Her breath hitched.
A sly grin spread across the Captain’s stern features, his eyes twinkling with victory. “She remembers.” Taking the scale fragment in his hand, he twirled it, the Sun’s rays reflecting off of it, blinding Nyra from where she stood. “You are to go back and finish the job that you had started all those years ago, dragon slayer. Inexchange, all charges against you will be dropped, and you will be a free woman once more.”
Confusion raked her insides. “I don’t understand.”
Chuckling, he leaned back in his chair. “You didn’t kill it. The silver beast still lives.”
She froze, not daring to move as his words sunk in. “Impossible,” muttering, her mind raced. “I watched it plummet to the ground, my spear lodged in its chest, right above its monstrous heart.”
The Captain watched her, the pads of his fingers scraping against the sharp edge of the scale. “Not quite. Raiden is an ancient dragon, one of the very first Kaminari that ever roamed the land of man. So ruthless, that no Raijin ever rode him. It will take more than an ordinary spear through the chest to kill him.”
Furious for being deceived, she seethed, “Why the fuck wasn’t I informed of this the first time that I was sent after him? Why make me believe that I had killed him, only to come back years later and drag me back into the whole mess again?”
Silence ensued.
The Captain’s jaw ticked as he contemplated on his next words. “We weren’t aware that he still lived. The village was desolate after Raiden’s attack, therefore no living witnesses were present at the time to confirm hisdeath. The previous Captain also failed to inquire about Raiden’s state after your sudden departure, taking your immaculate reputation as the kingdom’s best dragon slayer to be enough of a confirmation of the beast’s demise. It wasn’t until about a year ago that we realized how wrong we were.” He sighed, palming his face. “He’s burning villages left and right, not leaving a single soul alive as he goes. It appears that he’s searching for something,” his eyes pierced her, “a certainsomeonethat had dared to threaten his life, and he won’t stop until he gets his claws on her.”
Realization swept over Nyra. “You mean to hand me over to him.”
He cocked his head, observing her before confirming with a nod. “And to make sure that you follow through with our deal,shouldyou accept it, I’ve added your friend’s life as an added incentive. Just in case you decide to run away again, of course.” He stood up, strolling over to where she stood motionless, a mask of indifference sliding into place as he inspected her. “What is one life compared to thousands, dragon slayer? If you are quick, you might just make it out alive.”
They stared at each other, neither one of them daring to break the silence as Nyra slowly processed everythingthat had transpired ever since coming into the Captain’s tent.
How the fuck did I get myself into this again?
Was this to be her destiny? To die at the mercy of some ferocious beast, the very same one whose supposed death had urged Nyra to go running from the military, abandoning her post, not being able to stomach the idea of killing another one of those magnificent creatures in cold blood?
