It’s a tale as old as myth and legend. The girl sacrificed to a monster to save her village, kingdom, or people.
The maiden sacrifice That’s me Or was me, once upon a time Tied to a stone altar in a forest, waiting to get eaten by a dragon
How did I get here, you might ask?
Good question Don’t worry, it’s actually a very fun story Spoiler: I don’t get eaten by the dragon
The mountainloomed over the village, starkand grayand particularlygloomyonthis, the DayofSacrifice Aperpetual mistclungtothemountain’scrags,shroudingallbutitsbaseinsuchthickfogthatmostofitcouldn’tbeseen.Hidingthe monster’slairfromthesightofthoselivinginhisshadow
The pathopened up as itjoined the maincobbled road thatled throughThysia. Sandstone homes stood beside the road, growinglargerandclosertogetherthenearerIcametothevillage Acity,really,withseveralroadsbranchingfromthecentral publicplaza.
At the center of the village, the market square opened before the columned citadel, where the village elders met and conductedthesmallersacrificesforthedragon.Throughouttheyear,thecitadelclaimedalargeportionoftheharvest,ofthe goatherds,andofalltheproduceofthevillagetosupportthevillageeldersandthecitadelguards
Mama bustledaroundthe table,her darkbrownhair gleaminginthe morninglight,the same color as myowncurls.She wasseveralinchesshorterthanme,butthatdidn’tstopherfromsqueezingthebreathoutofmewithherexuberant,squishyhug “Thewaterdoesn’tmatter.Notontodayofalldays.”
Thoselowoddshadn’tsavedClarissa.Shehadbeenmybestfriend,untilshe’dbeenchosenasthesacrificefiveyearsago. Ionlyhad four more years until Iwas safe forever Onlya few more years, and Iwould never have to fear the Dayof Sacrificeagain.Atleast,notformyself.
Withshakingfingers,Idroppedmytokenintothejar.Thesecondeldermadeamarkonhisclaytablet,checkingmyname offthe list. Ifa girl didn’tcome forward, the guards would be sentto dragher to the square, and she would automatically
becomethatyear’ssacrifice.
Giving a shiver at the cold breeze whipping through the square, I turned away and strode down the steps, joining the gatheringofgirlsatthebaseofthestairs,thelineofguardsatourbacks
The head elder strode fromthe citadel, dressed inwhite robes withstripes of sacrificial purple alongthe hems of his sleeves.Amatchingpurplesashwrappedfromhisrightshouldertohislefthip.
Theheadelderhaltednexttotheelderwiththejar Heswepthisarmsout,takinginthecrowd “Tomorrowwewillbegin theoliveharvestandbaskinthejoyofafruitfulseasonandthepromiseofprosperityfortheyeartocome.Buttheprosperity oftomorrowisboughtwiththesacrificewemaketoday Withoutthissacrifice,themonsterofthemountainwouldsweepfrom hislairanddestroyourolives.Wewouldlosenotjustthisyear’sharvestbuttheharvestforyearstocome.Ourcitywoulddie. We woulddie.Wesacrificetoday,sothatourchildrenandgrandchildrencancontinuetoenjoytheprosperitywehavetoday.” Agoodspeech.Onethatsankdreaddeepintomytoes.
We’ll just skip over the rigmarole of being prepared as the sacrifice The elders’wives stripped me of my clothes, then chivvied me off to the sacred pool Needless to say, I was pampered and perfumed and prepared as thoroughly as any sacrifice ever was.
Instead of my old clothes, I was given a diaphanous light purple dress Purple, the color of sacrifice But not the royal purple the elders wore. No, this dress was a maidenly pastel.
Why is it always a maiden? Do maidens taste better than non-maidens?
Or is it because it’s other appetites that the maiden is supposed to feed?
Another spoiler: things don’t get that kind of icky. Just to clarify.
“Right Bitemytonguewhilehe’sbitingme Gotit”Ibarelykeptfromrollingmyeyes Icouldeitherbreakintoterrified shakingor pretendbravadothroughanexcessofcheekiness.Besides,itwasn’tlikeitwouldmatter how lippyIwaswhileI wasgettingeaten.
Her eyes flared, her tone as intense as her graspingfingers onmywrists. “Youare the sacrifice. Youmustembrace the solemnityofthissacredmoment.Ourwholecitydependsonyou.Youmustappeasethedragon.Whateverthedragondemands, youmustdoit Givewhateverhewantsfromyou”
“What do you mean? Isn’t the monster just going to eat me?” I couldn’t help the shudder that wracked my spine. The braveryfrommyflippant words was wearingoff Myfingers tingled, myhead felt light, but myheart pounded hard inmy throat.
“Iunderstand Iwill notlookuponthe dragon’s face” The words fell, numb and empty, frommymouth I’d beentaught fromchildhoodthatitwasforbiddentolookuponthedragon’sface,despitealltheartworkdepictinghim.
Icouldn’tthinkaboutit Icouldn’tabsorbthattonightIwould Iwould Isqueezedmyeyes shut.Iwantedtogohome.Iwantedmymama’s hugs.Mybapi’s gruntofapproval.Our grove inthe secludedvalley
The head elder’s wife finallyreleased mywrists. She satback, wavingatthe trayoffood. “Come now, do notlookso sorrowful.Eat.Celebratetoday.Youarehighlyfavoredtobechosenforthisduty.”
Forthisharvest,myparentswouldbegiventhefirstuseofthecity’solivepresses.Ouroliveoilwouldbethefirsttothe market, and myparents wouldn’t have to give anyof this year’s harvest to the citadel since theyhad alreadysacrificed so much Ateveryfestivalandfeastdayforthenextyear,myparentswouldhavetheplaceofhonornexttotheelders
THE GOLDEN ORANGE ofsunsetbeamed throughthe high, rectangular windows and shimmered onthe surface ofthe washing pool.
Thetrayoffoodremainednearlyuntouched Ihadtakentopacing,theskirtofmythindressfloatingaroundmyankles The door scraped open, thenthe elders strode into the room, followed bytheir wives. Several guards marched inafter them,takingupapositionbythedoor.
Theheadelderledtheway.Hiswifepushedmealongwhiletherestoftheeldersandtheirwivesclosedaroundme. Westeppedoutofthebackchamberandintotheechoinggrandhallofthecitadel “Nessa!” Mama shoved pasta line ofguards, her face tear-streaked, her eyes red and a touchwild. Bapi stalked ather heels,hisjawhard,hisfistsclenchedasifheintendedtofighttorescuemefromtheguards Towhatend?Ihadbeenchosen.Myfatehadbeendetermined.Therewasnothingelseformebuttosatisfythedragonso thatmyparentsandthecitycouldsurviveanotheryear.
I blinked, tryingto clear mytears I barelyhad the time for one last glance over myshoulder at myparents mybapi grippingmymamaasshesagged,keening,inhisarms beforeIwasdraggedthroughthedoorsandontothecolumnedporch beforethestairs.
Atthe end ofthe village, a thintrackled up into the mountains. Mostofthe elders, all oftheir wives, and the villagers remainedbehind,leavingonlyme,theheadelder,andtheguardstomaketheclimbupthemountain
The guards stepped back, and the head elder tooktheir place. He tested the knots, thensweptone more glance over me. “Fortunatelyforyou,itisadarknight Thereisnoneedtoblindfoldyoutokeepyoufromseeingthedragon’sface” Noblindfold.Allthebettertowatchwhenthedragonateme.
Theguardsturnedtoleave,marchingdownthepathwithoutsomuchasabackwardglanceatthemaidenthey’dlefttodie The head elder leaned closer, his voice lowering as he pinned me with his gaze. “Remember. Do not look upon the dragon’sface.”
Now we are back to where we started. Me, tied to the stone waiting for the dragon to eat me.
Do you know there’s an ancient word for ritual sacrifice by dismemberment? Sparagmos. Such a visceral word Then there’s omophagia The eating of the raw flesh after sacrificial dismemberment
Funny that the ancients needed to come up with actual words for those things.
That was what was about to happen to me
Or so I thought.
Cold seeped through my thin dress from the stone beneath me. My damp toes ached, and I found myself shuddering uncontrollably,andnotjustfromthecold
Diditmatter? These were mylastmoments Eachofmynumberedbreaths puffedinsilveryclouds above me Yetdying withtreesotherthanmybelovedolivegrovearoundmejustaddedinsulttoinjury.
I kept myeyes squeezed shut. I wasn’t doinga verygood job at holdingmytongue, but I’d at least be a good maiden sacrificeandavoidlookingathisface “Ididn’tmind Really Youcouldjustgoawayandleavemehere”
My breath twisted tight in my chest, my muscles aching with strain, even as I couldn’t help but give in to shivering. Apparentlyhedidn’tliketoeatfrozenmaidenfordessert.
I tugged my feet away fromhim What was he doing? Why would he cut me free? Did he want me unbound for some reason?Tohuntmedownintheforestbeforeheateme?Totakemebacktohiscavetotoywithmebeforetheend? Thenhishandwasonmywrists,andmyeyesflewopen Hewasablackshadowagainstthestarlight,aknifeglintinginhis hand.
Whyhadhegivenmeablanket?Didhepreferhismealswarmratherthanchilled?Hehadsaidhelikedroastlamb.Butit seemed breathing fire might have been the quicker way to toast me than wrapping me in a blanket Wouldn’t the blanket’s threadsgetcaughtinhisteeth?Diddragonsbreathefire,asthelegendssaid?
Thedragonsighed,his breathcloudingthespacebetweenus.“IwishIcouldhonor your choice,butyoucan’tstayhere. You’lldie.Iknowyoudon’tbelieveme,butyoudon’thavetofearme.Iwon’thurtyou.”
Yet the memoryofthe head elder’s cold gaze and his wife’s clutchingfingers sent a shiver throughme. Perhaps it was foolish,buttheydidn’tfeelanysaferthanthedragon.
Besides,ifIran,I’dendangerthewholevillage.Thedragonwouldcomeforme,andwhoknewhowmuchofthevillage he’dburn Hemightseemstrangelypolitenow,butthatwasbecausehe’dgottenthesacrificehe’ddemanded Reachingoutslowly,thedragontuggedtheblanketmorethoroughlyaroundme,tuckingitaroundmyfeet.Hecradledboth ofmyfeetinhishands Hispalmsweresurprisinglywarm,eventhroughthelayersofwool Mytoes tingled as feelingflooded backinto them. Iwasn’tevengettingthatskittering, want-to-pull-awayfeeling. Being abletofeelmytoesagainwasjusttoonice.
After long moments, I sensed his eyes on me again. His deep voice rumbled, low and gentle in the space between us despitethehintofagrowltothetone.“Isthatbetter?Canyoufeelyourtoesnow?”
Thedragonfumbledmeforafewmomentsashetuckedtheblanketmoresecurelyandwarmlyaroundme Thenhesettled me inhis arms, curled against his chest. He was rather warm, and once I got over the feelingof havinga stranger’s ironmuscled arms around me, I snuggled deeper into the blanket, rested myhead against his chest, and let myself sagwiththe exhaustionofthecoldanddrainingadrenaline.
Withawhump,thedragon’swingsbeattheair,launchingthetwoofusintothesky Iwhimpered,butIkeptmyeyessqueezedshut.TherewastoomuchIdidn’twanttosee.Thegroundvanishingbeneathus. The emptiness of the air around us. My home disappearing forever. The dragon’s face, far too close to me where I might accidentallyglimpsesomethingIshouldn’t
The wind whippingbyus was evencolder atthis height. Flakes ofsnow stungmyface. Itucked myselfdeeper into the blanket,warminitsvoluminouslayersandthedragon’sheatradiatingfromhim
The dragonwouldn’thave carted me offto his castle ifhe’d intended to kill me rightaway. He had mentioned he liked lamb Perhapshe’dhadabowlofstewearlierinthenightbeforecarryingmeoff Maybethatwaswhyhe’dbeensouninterestedineatingme.He’dsnatchedmeonafullstomach.
Thefoodwaslikelysafe.Perhapsitwasintendedtofattenmeup,buttherewouldbenothinggainedbyrefusingtoeatit except a death by starvation instead of by dragon. Would starvation be better? It would certainly be longer than death by dragon.
Totteringbackto the bed, Icurledup inthe blanket, notbotheringto change intothe nightdress or wiggle underneaththe covers,andcollapsedintosleep.
ChapterFour
As you might imagine, waking in a dragon’s lair was a disconcerting experience. Almost as unnerving as being carted off by the dragon in the first place
But most bewildering of all was the fact that I was alive and unharmed A sacrifice isn’t supposed to see the morning. Yet there I was, very much alive, watching the dawn.
Iwasn’tonthesamemountainI’dwalkedupthenightbefore.Notsurehowthatwaspossible,butclearlyitwas. With the light of dawn spreading through the room, I took in the space The fireplace filled the wall across from the window,the embers fromthe nightbefore still glowing.Afireplacepoker leanednexttoit.Perhaps Ishoulduse thatonthe dragonwhenhecametonight,ifIdared
Straighteningmyshoulders, Iheaded for the door. No sense waitingaround here. Myroomdidn’t have anyfood, and I wasn’tabouttowaitaroundhopingPhoebeorsomeoneelsewouldbringmesome. I’dnearlybecomewolfordragonfoodlastnight.Iwasgoingtocelebratebeingalivebyenjoyingbreakfast. Hopefullythe dragonwouldn’tbe outand about. He had implied thathe wouldn’tsee me until tonight. And Phoebe had invitedmetowander downthecorridor toknockonher door lastnight Icouldn’timagineanyone,evenoneofthedragon’s trustedservants,wouldbesoblaséifthedragoncouldbefoundlurkingaroundthecorner. Perhapsdragonswerenocturnal?Itwasanoddthoughtthattheoverlordinthemountainshouldbesostrangelyboundby time.
The servants were probablythankful for those tendencies. Itwould be a terrible bother to have to worryaboutaccidentally lookinguponhiminthedaytime.
Withthoseassurancesbracingmyspine,Iflungopenthedoorandmarchedintotheunknown Ifoundmyselfinaperfectlynormal,boringcorridor.Thewallswerethesamesolidbutsmoothstonewithdoorspaintedin brightcolors setoneither side Mydoor was atthe veryendofthe corridor,sothere was onlyone waytogofromhere A distantechoingofvoicesandlaughtercamefromthatdirection.
Laughterwasgood,right?Surelyifthedragonwasaround,noonewouldbelaughing Istrolleddownthepassageway,followingthesounds as theygrew louder.Afew other passageways branchedoffwhile theoccasionalwindowalcovebeamedenoughlightontothestonewalls.
Atthe far end ofthe room, a nookformed a semblance ofa roomonthe far side, thoughitremained opento the larger space.Another,smallerfireplacedominatedthespacethatwasrecognizableasakitchen,eveninthisstrangeplace.
Phoebe bustled around the worktable inthe kitchen, stirringsomethingina bowl, flippingsomethingina panover one sectionofthefire,stirringalargepotovertheothersideofthefire
Amanrose outofhis seatinthe far corner Ihadn’tevennoticed himonmyfirstglance around the room, sittinginthe cornerashehadbeen.Hewasoneofthemorehuman-lookingpeople,thoughhestillhadpointedears,easilyvisiblesincehis darkbrownhairwascroppedshort,aswashisscruffofabeard.Heworealeatherjerkinoverabluetunic,buthisclothesdid littletohidethebreadthofhisshouldersandthepowerinhismovements Ashedrewcloser,Isawthathiseyeswereabright shadeofblue.
HeglancedfrommetoPhoebe “Bepolite,everyone Wehaveavisitor” Phoebehaltedwhatshewas doingandspun.“Oh,mercyme,you’reanearlyriser.Iwas goingtobringyoubreakfastin your roombefore showing you around I apologize for that Well, you’re here now Everyone, this is ” She paused, then glancedatme.“I’mafraidIhaven’taskedyourname.”
“She’llwanttostepoutofthedoorwayfirst.”Thetall,broad-shoulderedman’svoicewasarichbaritone,thoughitdidn’t holdtherumblethedragon’svoicehad “Shewillgettrampledifshestaysthere” “Oh, right, of course.” Phoebe gestured to me withher ladle. “Come in, come in. Youwon’t want to stand there inthe doorwayoncethegnomesarrive.”
Still giving that rhythmic song-chant, they each approached Phoebe one by one. She ladled something out of her pot porridge,mostlikely,thoughIcouldn’tgetagoodlookatitfromhere intotheirbowls Aseachonereceivedtheirportionof breakfast,theyspunontheirlittlepointy-toedshoes,andmarchedbackthewaytheyhadcome.
I stood there like a tree, watchingthem. Where had that dragontakenme whenhe’d flownoff? Perhaps I should have lookeddownafterall NotthatIwouldhavebeenabletoseemuchinthedark
Thatwas true,butIcouldn’ttrustPhoebe Notfully Sheworkedfor thedragon Theyall did Theymightseemniceand friendly, but I’d have to keep up my guard around them. I still didn’t know what the dragon wanted from me or why he demandedamaidensacrificeinthefirstplace.He’dsoundedreluctanttoeatme.Didthatmeanhehadadifferentpurposefor me?
WhileIwaseating,mostoftheothershadclearedout,asiftogiveusabitofprivacywhileIate.Iwasthankfulforthat. Everythingwasalreadystrangeenoughwithoutgoingthroughanexhaustingintroductionsessionwithallofthem AssoonasIgulpeddownmyfinalbite,IspunonthebenchsothatIcouldfacePhoebe,Evander,andDaphneatthesame time “Sowhatwasitthatyouneededtoexplaintome?”
How?When?HadIactuallydiedonthatstoneonthemountain,andIhadn’tevenrealizedit?Islidmyhandsovermyself I stillfeltveryreal.Veryalive.Notlikeasoulwanderingaboutwhilemybodylayfrozentodeathsomewherefaraway.“AmI dead?”
Iwas still reelingfromthe news thatIwas ina differentrealm. Until I’d seenDaphne, the gnomes, and the others, I’d thoughtIwasatleastinthesamerealmasmyvillageandparents ThatIwouldbeabletopeeroutawindowandseethetiny speckthatwasmyhomeifIlookedhardenough.
I HUDDLED ON THE BED,mykneesdrawnuptomychest,asdarknessdescendedoutsideofthewindow
The dragonhad said he would come tonight. After Phoebe and the other servants had beenso pleasant to me all day, I couldn’timaginethatthedragonwascomingtoeatme
The door creaked open, thenthe dragon’s imposingfigure stepped inside, his wings brushingagainst the lintel. I could makeoutnothingofhisformbeyondthatinthedarkness.Hehaltedjustinsidethedoor.“Ihopeyourdaywaspleasant.” “Yes”Ihuggedmykneestomychest Whywasthedragonaskingaboutmyday?Whywouldhecare? Hemadeamovement,thoughIcouldn’tmakeoutmorethanafaintsenseinthedarkness.“Youmaylightthecandle.There isnoreasonforustostandhereinthedarkness”
Therewaseveryreason.“Ican’tlookuponyourface.” “Yes,youcan.Youmaylightthecandle.”Thedragon’svoicerumbledevendeeperinthedarkness. What was he saying? Iwasn’t supposed to lookat the dragon’s face, and yet Iwas also supposed to do everythingthe dragoncommanded.Howcouldthosethingsbesocontradictory?Whywouldthedragongiveacommandthatwentagainsthis ownorders?
So far the test had been easy to spot But the tests would get harder There must be a reason none of the others, even Clarissa,remainedhereatthedragon’scastle.
You can see what a pickle I was in. I found myself in an entirely new realm, surrounded by people who were acting all too nice
Yet I had the words of my elders ringing in my head Be a good maiden sacrifice Don’t look at the dragon’s face. Appease him by any means necessary, for the good of the village.
Apparently there were some courts in the Fae Realm where the food was provided already cooked This particular mountainwasn’trankedhighenoughintheCourtofStonetogetsuchtreatment,butthecookingwasminimal.
Afterwatchingtheparadeofgnomesclaimtheirbowlsofporridge,IdishedoutmyownbowlandsatnexttoDaphneonce again
She grinned atme betweenbites ofher porridge. “Did youhave a good dayyesterday? Itisn’tas scaryas youthought, huh?”
Thatmademepause.No,itwasn’tasscaryasIthought.I’dstuckbyPhoebe’sside,likelygettingunderfoot.Butshehadn’t acted like I’d been an imposition Even the dragon had been strangely courteous during his nighttime visit, never stepping fartherintomyroomthanthedoorway.
That left me alone with Evander Or, nearly alone since Phoebe was still puttering around the kitchen The others had alreadyeatenandleftforwherevertheywenteachday.
Evandergaveasmallnodinmydirection “I’dliketoshowyouaroundmore,nowthatyou’vehadachancetosettlein I haveataskforyou,ifyou’reupforit.”
“Task?WhatwillIbedoing?”IgrippedtheedgeofthebenchIwassittingon.WhenEvandersaid I have a task for you, hereallymeantthe dragon hadworkforme.
Itwouldbesomethingawful,Ijustknewit.
“EachcourtintheFaeRealmproducessomethingthatissharedwiththeothercourtsinreciprocalagreementsthatbindthe whole realm.” Evander clasped his hands behind his back, the motionpullinghis blue tunic taut over his broad shoulders. “Somecourtssharefood Othersfabricorclothing Stillothersshareknowledgeorrevelry TheCourtofStoneminesprecious metals,gems,andstone.Thisparticularcornerofthecourtminesforgemstones.”
Polishinggemstonesdidn’tsoundsobad.I’dtakethatoveralotofotheroptions.Stillstrangethatthedragonfelttheneed todemandmaidensfromourvillageforsuchatask.Didn’thehaveenoughhelphereintheFaeRealmtoputtohardlabor? Evanderspunonhisheelandstrodefromtheroom Ihoppedtomyfeetandtrottedtocatchup,thoughIstayedapaceor twobehindhim.Itdidn’tfeelrighttofallintostepwithhim.Hewasthedragon’ssteward.Iwasmerelyacaptivemaiden. He led the wayoutofthe large gatheringroomand downthe passagewayI’d walked downearlier Iwasn’tsure, butI thoughtweturneddownadifferentcorridorthantheonethatledtomybedchamber.
“Is your room comfortable? Do you have everything you need?” Evander glanced at me as we walked, his mouth an intriguinglineinhissquarejaw.Notquiteafrown,notquiteasmile.SomethingelseentirelythatIcouldn’tread.
“Rightto the hard questions” Evander’s steps faltered for onlya momentbefore he returned to thatslow, steadystroll, thoughhisgazeswungawayfrommetostareahead.“I’mafraidIcan’ttellyoujustyet.Youwouldn’tbelievemeevenifItold you”
Evanderheldmygazewithsuchasadnessinhiseyes Whenhespoke,hisvoicewaslowandsoft “Safe” I longed to trust the emotions I saw there. But I couldn’t. Shouldn’t. He was loyal to the dragon, and he’d say or do whateverhewastold
Evenlie.
If the other maidens had been safe if Clarissa had been safe then they would have returned to the village. Clarissa wouldhavefoundawaytotellmeshewasalive Theirfamilieswouldn’thavedisappearedonlymonthsafterthemaidensdid At least I now knew where I stood withEvander. I could askmyquestions, but he would tell me whatever the dragon wantedmetohear Icouldn’ttrusthimoranyoneinthismountain
Agloppy,snarlingsoundcamefromthestonetoourleftamomentbeforeoneofthosegelatinousstonecreaturesplopped outofthewallintoourpath Itwaveditsstone-coloredpincers,blinkingwideblackeyesupatus Evander stepped forward, thenkicked the creature, sendingit tumblingdownthe corridor. At mysqueakand flinch, he glanced at me “Stone gremlin They’re relatively harmless, though their pinch stings Just kick them or whack them hard enough,andthey’llgoaway.”
Maybe I was overly suspicious, but I didn’t think that polishing gems was the only reason the dragon was demanding sacrifices. He had to have some other reasonfor me. For all the girls who had beensacrificed over the years. Perhaps he neededtotestmefirst,toseeifIwastherightgirlforhispurpose
Had all the other girls failed? Where were they now? Locked in some deep, dark part of this mountain? Dead? Was Clarissaevennow“safe”butsufferinginsomedungeonbeneathmyfeet?
Wefollowedthetunnelaroundafewmoretwistsandturns,crossingbackandforthonsteppingstonesoverthecreek After afewminutesofwalking,thetunnelopenedintoanotherlargecavern.
Thisonewasringedwithbenchesandcouchesrichlyupholstered.Brightlycolored,plushrugscoveredeveryinchofthe stone floor while so manychandeliers hungfromthe ceilingthatthe roomwas brightas daylight Afew stone cubbies with woodendoorsringedtheroomabovethecouches.
At the far side of the room, a set of doors blocked off the tunnel, set so snuglyinto their frames that I doubted evena smidgenof light shone past themto the other side. Above the noise of grindingand sanding, the faint sounds of the gnome chantingcamefromthefarside
ManyofthepeopleI’dseeneatingbreakfastearlierloungedontherugsandcouches,pilesofstonesonthetablesbesideor before them. Some of the people held polishing cloths while others were working pedal-powered grinding wheels. Occasionallyoneofthemstood,addingthestonetheyhadbeenworkingontothepilebesidesomeoneelseorputtingthestone inoneofthecubbies.
Theybrieflyglanced up, nodded to me and Evander, thenwent backto work Perhaps theydidn’t dare let the dragon’s stewardseethemslackingoff.
Theleadgnometookanotherstepcloser Whenhespoke,hisvoiceboomedsurprisinglydeepfromsuchasmallbody Yet thevoicestillseemedsmall,despiteitsdeeptone.“IamBossGob.Allowmetointroducemycrew.”Herattledoffalistof names so quickly there was no chance I was going to remember them, not to mention they were all so similar I couldn’t possiblykeepthemstraight.Nob.Dob.Hob.Andsoon.
“The gnomes have their own language apart from the normal fae language we all share Even other fae can’t always understandthem,unlesstheywishtobeunderstood.”Evandershrugged,thetorchinhishandbobbingwithhismeasuredsteps. “Thegnomeslikeitthatway Theyprefertokeeptothemselvesasmuchaspossible”
“Do theymind our visit?” Ishivered and rubbed myarms. The gnomes looked almostcute. Buttheyprobablyhad sharp teethandcouldturnviciousifthreatened.Iwouldn’twanttobeswarmedbythem.
As he spoke, we rounded another corner and stepped into the largestcavernyet. Gems glittered inthe lightofthe torch, shoveledintomessypiles higher thanEvander was tall The piles disappeared into the darkness ofthe vastspace, the torch insufficientlighttoreachthefarcorners.
Atthe far side ofthe room, a large woodenwater wheel turned inthe currentofthe creek, spinninga barrel filled with whatappearedtobegemstones.Afewofthegnomesscurriedalongraisedwalkways,addinggemshere,takinggemsoutthere, addinginsand,rinsingsandaway
Allthewhile,theykeptupthatsteadychant,almostagruffsong,stayinginperfectrhythmwitheachother,thesqueakofthe wheels, the whooshofthe waterwheel, and the poundingoftheir tools onstone. Perhaps there was a kind ofmagic to that cadence,thethrumofthemountainitselfbreakingforthintheirsong
And strangely, seeingthese hardworkinggnomes relaxed somethinginside me. These gnomes mightbe strange withtheir capspulleddowntotheirnosesandtheirgruff,barkinglanguage,butintheend,theyweren’tthatmuchdifferentthanmyfamily andneighborsbackhome.Theyweresimplyhardworkingpeoplelivingunder their dragonoverlord,justasmyvillagewas. Theyservedhiminadifferentway,andtheydidn’tseemtofearhimthewayThysiadid
“This is the tumbler used to give the stones a firstpolish.” Evander gestured to the contraptionswarmingwithgnomes. “Oncethestones arepolished,thegnomes loadthemintothecarts thattheypushintotheother roomfor thefinal polishand distribution”
I never would have guessed, looking at the mountainlooming above the olive grove, that all of this was going on just beyondtherealm
Evander closed the door behind us, thenmotioned me to a seatonone ofthe couches He gave me quickintroductions, thoughIdidn’tremembermostofthenames.Oneofthegoat-leggedmen afaun,Ilearned setapileofgemsonthetablein frontofme.Awoman,herskinfaintlyglittering,handedmeapolishingclothandexplainedwhattodo.Evanderpointedout thevariouscupboards.EachonewasdesignatedforanothercourtorplaceintheFaeRealm.
Theheadelder’swifehadmadethedragon’sdemandssoundfardarkerthanmerelypolishingstonesandavoidinglighting acandle Ifithadbeensomethingsimple,thentheothergirlswouldbehere Clarissawouldbehere “No, that would be creepy.” The dragon’s deep rumble held far too much horror for the monster who demanded my sacrificeinthefirstplace
A mysterious purpose no one would explain. A dragon who didn’t seem to want anything anything besides me to do the forbidden and light the candle despite demanding sacrifices A steward with broad shoulders and a handsome face who I didn’t dare trust no matter how nice he seemed If I was going to get answers, I would have to find them myself.
As Itiptoed downthe tunnel, pools oflightand shadow spread around me fromthe candle Iheld inmyhand. The stone stretchedintothedarknessaheadofme,brokenonlybytheoccasionalbracketholdinganunlittorch.
Hestrolleddownthecorridor,hishandsinhispocketsinamannerthatwouldhaveseemedcasual,exceptthatitmeanthe wasn’t holding either a torch or a candle to light his way. He wore his typical blue tunic and leather jerkin, which just highlightedthebreadthofhischestandthestrengthofhisshoulders.
“They’ll be fine withoutyou” Evander gestured toward the tunnel ahead ofus, a hintofa smile dimplinghis cheek “I imagine rockpolishingcangetboringafter a while. The dragon’s paperworkcertainlyis. We mightas well stretchour legs together.”
Hismouthcurvingwithasmile,Evanderfinishedwithmylefthandandwavedtomyright Ifumbledtoswitchthecandle between my hands, nearly dropping it. At least the balm had soaked into my skin, not nearly as greasy as I would have expected
Heplunkedthefoodintomyhand.“Skippingmealsisn’thealthy.Lifealwayslookslessdauntingonafullstomach.” Istaredatthegyroinmyhand,notsureifIwantedtoeatfoodthathadbeenridingaroundinhispocketforwhoknewhow long. There didn’t appear to be any lint or fabric threads clinging to the gyro, nor was it smushed the way I would have expectedofsomethingthathadbeeninapocket.
He stood there, stuffingthe lastofhis gyro inhis mouthand chewingthe bite as ifhe wanted to getthroughitbefore I openedthedoor.Yetheremainedwherehewas,makingnomovetoforbidmefromopeningthisdoor.
The room stretched farther than the dim candlelight pierced, the edges blurring from gray into black. Piles of loose parchments,boundbooks,andhalf-woundscrollswerestrewnacrossthefloorintheimmediatevicinityofthedoor.Beyond that, the mess of parchment was tamed into crates, set onshelves, or stashed incubbies Except for a patchnear the door, everythingwascoatedinalayerofdust,whichappearedtogrowthickerattheedgesoftheroom.
“Itdoesn’tappearthatthemagicalcleaningworksforthispartofthemountain”Itiptoedaroundthejumblenearthedoor “This is justa store room. No reasonitneeds to be clean.” Evander stuckhis hand into his pocket, fished around for a moment,andwithdrewwhatappearedtobeahandfuloflooseparchments Hedumpedthemontothemess Iglancedfromhimtothepilebythefloor.“You’rethedragon’ssteward.Shouldn’torganizinginherebepartofyourjob?” “Yes,itis the steward’s job.” Evander shrugged,steppedaroundthe mess,andjoinedme.“Ihave other priorities atthe moment”
WhatIcouldreaddidn’tseemallthathelpful Afewlinesaboutnumbersofgemssenttovariousfaecourts Arequestfora particular cutofdiamond. Ahalf-burned parchmentcontainingwhatseemed to be a complaintaboutthe inferior qualityand sizeofthegemssentto theresthadbeenscorchedaway AstarkexampleofwhyIshouldn’tangerthedragon Maybe somewhere in this mess of papers I’d find records about the other sacrificed girls. But it would take me days, weeks even, to read throughall ofthis. Notto mentionthatwiththe layer ofdust, the dragonor his steward would know if someonehadbeeninhere,disturbingthings.
I found the wall, thencircled the room, searchingfor anyadditional tunnels branchingfarther into the mountain. Afew
