“So you said before. Look, your father owes my father. Once your father pays up, you’ll go free. I promise.”
The sheer complexity of his words took some time to sink in. When they did, I lay still, disbelieving. “What? Say again?”
He sighed. “I know. It sucks. My old man swears your old man cheated him long before you or I were born. If your pop pays up, I can let you go. Easy peasy.”
“You doped me, kidnapped me, over a fuckingdebtI don’t fuckingowe?”
“Uh, that’s about right, yeah.”
Forcing the pain back, forcing the nausea into submission, I slowly sat up. The stench of my vomit pierced my nose, but I planted my feet on the cement floor. Out of my vomit, of course. I stared at Magnus, who stared at me through the glass prison he’d put me in.
“Why?”
He shunted his gaze from mine. “My old man, well, he’s a bad dude, you know?Reallybad. If I don’t do what he says, well, I’m fucked.Reallyfucked.”
“Better you than me, asshole.”
Unbelievably, he chuckled. “I know. I reckon I’m too much of a chickenshit to say no to him. I’m working on it though, I am. I tried to tell him I won’t grab you, hurt you, but he, well, he’s sort of – forceful. If you know what I mean.”
I staggered upright, my hair in my face, and leaned against the clear wall of my prison. “You’re just a numb nut. A coward. Can’t say no to your old man. Kiss my ass, pecker head. And get in here and clean this shit up.”
“Sorry, no can do. On both suggestions. There’s a bucket of water behind you, and a drain right there. Wash the puke down the drain. I’ll fetch you another bucket later.”
I gazed blearily at the bucket he mentioned. “Is that what I’m supposed to piss in?”
“Um, yeah. But you’ll have plenty of food, booze if you want it. Everything you need, you’ll have. Books, magazines, movies.”
I eyed the television, the DVD player. The cot with a pillow and blanket. The bucket. The bright lights and cameras surrounding my prison. I smiled.
“You think you can hold me, numb nuts?” I inquired. “Do you haveanyidea what I am?”
“Unfortunately, yeah. I do.”
I shifted. The cell contained me, but only just. Lifting my muzzle, I parted my immense jaws in a wild bray of laughter. I cracked my tail against the glass imprisoning me. It held, true, but I had yet to set it aflame.
“You havenoidea who and what I am, dumb ass.”
I blasted flame against the glass, fully expecting it to melt, to ooze to the cement floor, to free me from its paltry prison.
Instead, it repelled my flames back at me, burning my muzzle, my eyes, my tongue, my chest. I yelped in pain, shut my flames down, gaping at the smoked, yet intact shield between me and freedom. “What thefuck?”
Magnus shifted.
His colors a mix of black and blue, he stood, towering over me, his jaws parted to reveal his ranks of jagged teeth, his forked tongue. His blue eyes brilliant, they blazed down at me with what I thought was compassion. His serpentine neck, ridged with sharp spines even as mine did, whipped around to bring his muzzle close to my face.
“Jade,” he muttered, “Iamsorry. I’m a dragon, same as you. My father made this jail dragon proof. I can’t help you, though I wish I could. Just take my advice – stay cool. Your father will make a deal with mine, and you can go free.”
I craved to sink my teeth into his muzzle, then rip it wide open. Then flame down his fucking, asshole throat and kill him. I couldn’t. Whatever his father built to keep me imprisoned would work. Not my strength, not my flame, not my snarky attitude would free me from this place. I retreated from him, and sat on the cement floor, coiling my tail around my feet.
“Go away,” I growled. “Go away to kiss your dad’s ass. You’re not a real dragon. Dragons have guts, have the courage to do what’s right. And, son, that ain’t you.”
***
“I’m Arnaud.”
“Good for you.”
I lay on the cot, staring up at the ceiling, which appeared to be steel beams and cement behind the bright light. The effects of the dope Magnus stabbed me with had long since departed, leaving me angry and scared. He’d opened the panel that slid sideways, and pushed a tray of food in. That was hours ago, and I hadn’t touched it.
