“And now he’s just being held captive?” I ask.
Gren’ix shrugs. “Nobody knows what to do with him. Killing a captive seems dishonorable, even if it is a dragon. And he sometimes tells us what to do, and it turns out well. I don’t know, Callie. I just want him gone.”
“Which of the men in the tribe trapped him?”
“Oh, the young and strong men, of course. Hmm, this doesn’t smell good, but it will make a good crop. I just know it.”
I decide not to press him on it. “I hope the crop turns out good, Gren’ix.”
Mek’tor walks with me away from the farm. “I’m sure you want to know if Crat'ax was among those who trapped the dragon. You know how nothing happens in the village without him.”
“I’ve noticed,” I mutter.
“I don’t know if it was hisideato trap the dragon. But it was his decision that it should be done. The dragon was not a danger to us, Callie. He was just…different.” Mek’tor gives me a significant look and turns to the side.
I give the dried berries to a boy, and get some food at the common Circle before I go to the hut early and lie down on the furs, pretending to sleep.
Crat'ax comes in later. He checks on me and sees that I’m asleep.
“Good night, my love,” he whispers before he puts a soft kiss on my hair.
It’s a struggle to not sniffle or wipe my eyes while I wait for him to fall asleep.
Then I get up, put on my old jumpsuit, and sneak out like before.
I’ve already put the food in the boat, so I can just get in, untie the line, and then paddle away from the village.
But there’s a place I have to go before I aim for the ocean.
“Told you I would make something nice happen,” Vyrathion says when I’m approaching his cage and fighting the urge to paddle fast away from him.
“It was a lot of splix,” I agree. “They’re very happy.”
“But you’re not,” he says in his icy way. “Do you finally understand?”
“That I’m a prisoner? Yes, I got that part.” I get out my knife. “These guys enjoy keeping captives.” The blade is sharp, and using it in a sawing motion, I snap several of the ropes that keep the cage locked.
“Are you sure you want to let me out?” Vyrathion asks. “You were so full of worries last time we spoke. Oh, cutthatrope, if you can.” He reaches through the thick beams and points with a clawed finger.
“I think these guys should have fewer prisoners,” I tell him, jaws tight. “And from what they tell me, you never did much to harm them. I will just ask you to stay away from the tribes. For your own good, too.”
“It does seem the smart thing to do. Ah, that did it. You got the important rope. The rest I can deal with myself.”
I sit back in the boat. Despite the darkness, I can tell that his skin is scaly. “What will you do?”
The dragon moves inside the cage, making a soft swishing noise. “I will find gold, and then I will leave this planet.Isthere any gold?”
I think back to what Cora told me. “I think any planet has gold. But the tribes don’t care for it. You may have to source it yourself.” I push off from the platform. I won’t experiment with the sail until I’m out of the bay, and out of sight from the village.
The green eyes glitter. “You’ve picked a good night to leave. There’s no moon. And when the tribe discovers I’m gone, most will want to hunt for me, and only a few will be left to look foryou.”
“It’s a bonus,” I tell him, my cheeks heating up a bit because he understood that part of my plan — this isn’tallfrom the kindness of my heart. “We’ll see how far I get.”
I turn the boat around and paddle as quietly as I can in an arc around the village. There are still torches burning, and a few men are still sitting around the glowing embers of the common fire, chatting quietly. In this darkness, they will not be able to spot me in my boat.
This was neverSurvivorat all. This was more like a prison break.
It takes me a good while to paddle out of the bay. The ocean cooperates, sending no big waves to give me resistance. And along the coast, it appears the wind is blowing the way I want to go.
