Using the oar slowly, I paddle out from the village and in a tight arc, going straight for the mysterious platform. I have to know what they’re keeping there. It may be something that will completely change my decision about whether I want to stay here or not. And whether I will recommend it to Theodora.
I don’t bother looking behind me to see if anyone’s watching from the village. If they are, then so be it. I’m a free person and I can do whatever I want. If they didn’t want me to check what’s in that cage, they should have given me a straight answer when I asked.
When I get closer, the nameless, reason-less terror strikes me again. I grip the oar tighter as I fight the urge to turn around. But I’ve felt it before, both a couple of days ago and once months ago, and I think I know what it is.
I put the oar beside me as the bow bumps softly against the platform.
There’s a swish of something moving through water.
“Hi,” I say in English. “Anyone there?”
“You know there is,” says a crystal-clear and icy smooth bass voice from below.
I panic and push the boat away from the platform again. The hairs on my arms stand up from primal fear. “I… I didn’tknow.”
“I see. Well, you finally dropped by, Callie. Excuse me for not getting out the fine china.”
Although I was prepared for it, the sheer menace in that voice makes me want to paddle right back. But I’m here now, and he’s in a cage. “The men must have told you my name. What’s yours?”
“I am Vyrathion,” the dragon says. “Yes, they can talk about nothing else than the woman. If only you knew the things they say about you!”
I slowly paddle back to the platform. “M-hm. Vyrathion, I don’t know much about dragons except what I’ve been told. But I think you are stuck in your human form because you don’t have gold for your hoard. Is that true?”
“Doyouhave gold, Callie?” the dragon asks, and I think I can spot some luminous green eyes deep inside the immensely densely built cage. “Or are you only here to torment me, like your friends in the tribe?”
“Do they torment you?” I ask. “Or are they simply keeping you here so you won’t hurt them?”
“Look at this cage,” he seethes. “At all times I’m two-thirds submerged in water. Do you not think that’s torment in itself? And their mocking! They know I can’t get out of here to find gold for my hoard. If I could, I would leave Xren altogether. So theypaddle over here in their ridiculous little tubs and poke me with sticks.”
“That… that’s not nice,” I manage. This is very different from how I thought it would go.
“They’re immensely fascinated by me,” Vyrathion goes on. “They can’t stay away. Of course, in my dragon form, I could break out of this disgusting cage and go home. Look at this! Wood! As slimy and dirty as anyone has ever seen. And I have been here now for months, with no possibility of ever getting away again.”
I have to keep in mind that he’s just an alien, not really a magical dragon. Although he might as well be one. “Is that what you would do? You wouldn’t burn the village to a crisp after they treated you like this?”
The green eyes look away. “You must have me mistaken for some other dragon. Yes, some of us are vengeful and cruel. And I often fantasize about revenge. But these men are too pitiful to be worth the effort. No, if I had gold, I’d simply return to my main hoard and lie on it for a century, regaining my strength.”
“How did they catch you?” I ask, aware that I don’t really have time for this but also not super happy about the discovery.
“There were dozens of them. They used ropes and wires and sharp iron blades. They trapped me in this cage and dragged it out into the ocean.” His voice is dark and full of pain.
“And they will just keep you here forever?” I ask, aware that I can’t trust what a dragon says, but also kind of appalled that the tribe would do this. The cageisslimy.
“You think they tell me their plans?” Vyrathion snarls. “I’m sure they’ll show me to the other tribes that are coming to trade. Imagine how impressed they will be!”
“Do you know why they trapped you?”
He chuckles, a cold sound like ice cubes falling into a crystal bowl. “The cavemen don’t like things that are different, Callie. You of all creatures should know.”
I use the paddle to change the position of the boat, so that I get a better look at the dragon. He looks dark, but there’s some bright green there as well. At least the parts of him I can see above the dark water. “M-hm. They’re not keepingmein a cage.”
“But aren’t you just as much a captive as I am? Were you brought here by your own free will? No?”
“Well, so, I…” I stop. He may have a point. “I’ve been promised that I can go… elsewhere. After the splix run.”
“Afterthesplixrun,” Vyrathion says in a mocking way, aping my voice. “And then it will be after the great hunt. And then after the tree-felling. And then after the feast. And then after they build just one more platform. And then after they build just one more boat. And then after the weather clears up. Before you know it there’s another splix run and you’re still here. I’ve heard how they talk about you, Callie. Your Crat'ax is the chief of the tribe in all but name. And he’s not the kind of man who’ll let anyone go. Ask me how I know.”
I look over at the village. There are a couple of torches lit, perhaps a guard making a round.
