EIGHT
She awakened to the sounds of footsteps scurrying about the tent, and she cracked open an eye. She jumped when she came face to face with a small, curious girl, no more than six, looking back at her, a tiny cloth toy clutched in her hands.
Bella sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked over at the other side of the bed and saw that Rogan was gone, a dent in the covers the only sign he had been there. For some reason, Bella felt disappointed.
“What’s your name?” Bella asked, and the child simply stared back at her, a look of wonderment on her face.
“Okaay….” Bella said as she inspected the young girl. “Not very talkative now, are we?”
The girl said nothing but pointed, and Bella followed her gaze. Bella had forgotten about the tiny tattoo on the underside of her wrist she had gotten many months before. It was so small, in fact, that Bella hardly thought of it at all. At the time, it had held a great amount of significance, but most days, the tiny star-shaped emblem seemed just something she was glad wasn’t much bigger. She had recently begun thinking of internship interviews and was happy the tattoo wasn’t much of an issue.
No one had really commented on it, and even Bella’s Aunt, who had sharp hawk eyes, had missed it. Bella smiled at the little girl who was looking at her expectantly, as if some kind of explanation was in order.
“It was a stupid thing I did. I was—um--” Bella mimicked drinking, and the girl cracked a smile.
“Never do that, by the way,” Bella told her, and the girl held up her wrist. She had the same tattoo.
Bella gasped. What did that mean? She could only stare at the girl for a long moment. The girl had said nothing and was simply staring back, albeit with a tiny, beatific smile upon her face. The flaps to the tent came open, and Bella turned to see Rogan walking into the space, a sense of urgency in his stride.
“We must go,” he said without preamble, and then he noticed the small child standing silently near Bella.
“Adrastas, you should be with your mother! She has been looking for you all morning,” he reprimanded, and the girl smiled and shrugged. She approached Rogan as if he were not her king, but an older brother, reaching out for a hug. He gave in without hesitation, and the young girl pointed to her small tattoo and then back to Bella.
“What?” he said and sauntered over to Bella who hesitantly held out her right arm. The little girl ran back to Bella and placed her tattoo side by side with Bella’s and jumped excitedly.
Rogan said nothing and turned to the little girl. “Adrastas, go find your mother. I will find you later.”
The girl pouted, and Rogan gave her an indulging smile. “I promise.”
The girl’s face lit up, and she bounced excitedly on her toes before leaving the space and going outside.
Rogan shot Bella an indecipherable look and walked away to a side table. He began fixing a drink and stood with his hand upon the bridge of his nose, an expression of frustration.
“What, Rogan?!” Bella snapped as the dragonshifter continued to drink. “I said, what is it?!”
Rogan sighed. “I don’t know where to begin. This situation is so—unusual in itself that I just—I don’t know.”
“Tell me.”
Rogan looked Bella full in the face, and Bella ignored the instant feeling of electricity arching between them. She decided to ask about that later. At that moment, she was concerned with the way Rogan was looking at her, his eyes growing wide with concern.
“That tattoo,” he began. “Where did you get it?”
Bella shrugged. “I don’t know. I was at some party, I found a group of friends, we all went out on the boulevard, I was drunk and I just remember coming to in a chair with some weird guy inking me.”
“Do you remember what the man looked like?”
Bella was about to shake her head when, like lightning, something struck her cold. She squinted her eyes, her mind taking her back to that night.
“He was a bald guy, but he had a tattoo all over the back of his head. A--” Bella thought hard. “A skull with shadows--”
Rogan said nothing but stared at Bella, his prismatic eyes shining. Bella shot out of bed and advanced towards him.
“What does this mean?! Tell me!”
Rogan shook his head. “I am not sure, but I do know that that is the mark of the Shadow King.”
Bella cursed. “So it’s not only enough that I get sucked into this world, promised to someone I don’t know, but I’m marked by a Shadow King?! Great, just great.”
Bella began to pace, and Rogan caught her hand and stilled her. “We will figure this out.”
“Oh really? Right after we meet your cheerful dad and I leave my life behind to marry you?!” Bella was about to continue her rant, but then a thought occurred to her and she stopped.
“Why is that little girl marked then?”
Rogan sighed and swallowed. “Her mother was a concubine to the Shadow King. The girl is his bairn,” Bella gasped, and Rogan continued, “Her mother promised fealty to me to nullify his claim. The Shadow King is—not one to be crossed. When she escaped him, he sent many of his hunters to kill her and take the child; it was only her oath to our clan that saved them.”
Bella mulled over what he said and looked up to the ceiling with a frown upon her face. She really wanted to not like Rogan, but she couldn’t. Everything he seemed to do was the mark of a good person. But he isn’t a person, she thought, he is a dragon. It felt a rush of cognitive dissonance that the man standing in front of her was a creature of lore and myth.
She sighed and leveled her gaze onto his. His eyes were shining bright and had a hint of bright yellow at the outer edges mixed with a bit of green. They were beautiful the way they changed, and Bella fought the impulse to stare at them a bit longer as she closed her eyes and walked off.
“So what now?” she asked and then turned back to him. She stepped in close and nearly missed the way a muscle ticked in his jaw before he nonchalantly shrugged.
“We leave as soon as possible and get to my father’s kingdom. We get our union blessed, and we seek to rebuild my people.”
“You say this as if I would ever just stay here. As if I don’t have a life of my own.”
Rogan shortened the distance between them even more; his eyes were penetrating as they looked into her own. A breath caught in Bella’s throat as the heat of his body slammed into her. He smelled of something deep and masculine, and she felt her body constrict. She swallowed and made a noise in her throat before speaking.
“I’m just saying I have—er—a lot going on back home, and I’d really appreciate it if--”
There was no warning as he dived for her mouth. His soft lips made quick work of removing any shred of her resistance as she melted into him. His tongue quickly plundered the depths of her mouth, and she moaned, her arms snaking around his neck to play in the thickness of his hair. She felt electric sensations filling her as he kissed her and touched her. He growled and plunged his tongue deeper. She could feel his hands slipping beneath her gown, and she allowed it. Her body was on fire, and it seemed she couldn’t get enough. He began to walk her back towards the bed, and her legs hit the edge. He lowered her gently, and she breathed in his scent, a myriad of feelings pulling at her and washing over her center.
Rogan blazed a fiery trail down to her neck, and Bella quivered. She clung to him, her body wanting something more. She heard a sound, and Rogan jumped up, his tone harsh as he spoke in his native language. Bella sat up and saw it was one of Rogan’s men. She was embarrassed and tried straightening her hair and gown. She took in a deep breath and let it go. Rogan and his soldier were speaking animatedly now, with the soldier gesticulating wildly and Rogan growing silent. Rogan nodded and left the room without even a backwards glance.
Bella pulled her knees up to her chest. She couldn’t believe she had almost had sex with him! What was wrong with her?! She shook her head and willed her racing heart back to normal. She nearly gave herself to—to a man who wasn’t even a man! And he had the nerve to chain her up like some—some criminal! What were you thinking, Bella?! She chastised herself. It was a stroke of luck that a soldier showed up when he did or she would have—she gulped.
Bella had never been with a man. It was a secret that she often carried around the carefree and liberated students about her campus. She often played the part of the worldly singer, but in all reality, Bella was a virgin. Sure, she’d made out and did everything but sex, but when it came down to the dirty deed, she had never felt comfortable enough to actually go through with it. Everyone assumed she had lost her virginity to one of the few friends she had growing up, a boy named Thomas, back when she was 14.
She and Thomas had shared a closeness that people often mistook for romantic love. This suited Thomas just fine, as the gay teen hadn’t wanted to come out to his family at the time. Everyone had assumed Bella and he were an item, and suddenly Bella found herself cornered by her aunt and getting a talk about being responsible and “keeping her goods” to herself. She’d been so embarrassed that she didn’t have the heart to admit to her aunt that she hadn’t actually done anything. Thomas had moved away with his family the next year, leaving Bella heartbroken. The rumors of their “love” remained behind however, and no one knew the truth.
She sighed heavily. It was for the best that things got interrupted, though it did smart a bit that he rushed off without even a glance in her direction. Bella had heard about things like that happening to other girls, though it often happened after the act had taken place, not before. It made her feel dirty somehow.
Bella slowly unfolded her legs and climbed off the bed. The wind was whipping at the tent with renewed fury, and she could hear a bevy of voices outside. Curious, she frowned and pulled at the chain holding her leg before taking a quick peek outside.
The tents had mostly been packed up, and the wagons still sat in a protective circle. Rogan’s men were running here and there through the snow, issuing orders and packing things back inside their housings. A sharp wind was tearing about the clearing, and Bella spotted Rogan on the far side of the circle in an intense discussion with a few men whose grim faces looked on.
Bella shivered as the wind whistled past her thin gown. She clutched the flaps around her and then stared in awe as servants wielded balls of energy that melted the ice and snow about the wagon wheels and levitated watering buckets for the horse-like animals pulling the wagons along.
Bella stepped back into the comfort of the tent and made her way back to the bed. She lay face up on the soft mattress and soon heard a rustling. She sat up and saw Alannah and Hildevar, small devious smiles upon their faces.
“What?” Bella asked, and Hildevar simply curtsied, along with Alannah.
“What are you two smiling about? Why are you--?” a thought struck Bella, and she stopped. A wave of heat infused her cheeks and she could feel her face flaming.
“It is nothing to be ashamed of, my queen. He is your husband-to-be after all,” Alannah supplied, and Bella groaned.
“I guess word travels fast around here,” she muttered.
Hildevar gestured to a long heavy gown she held in one arm. “My queen, we must prepare to depart. There is a grave danger that comes upon us. We must leave as soon as we can.”
Bella nodded and let Hildevar and Alannah help her to the bath. They quickly eased her into the dress and strapped it around her. The laces were tight, but they looped about her body fetchingly. Bella gazed at herself in the mirror and could hardly recognize the beautiful woman staring back at her. Hildevar pulled a heavy, thick fur cape around Bella’s body and slipped on gloves and a head covering.
“My queen, let us depart,” Hildevar urged, and the trio set off outside into the cold. It stung Bella’s face as she walked with Hildevar and Alannah to the wagon. Bella looked down to see that the chain had disappeared. She climbed into the wagon and shot Rogan a look as he busied himself talking with the driver.
Rogan glanced at her and down at her ankle, and Bella frowned.
“I thought it only fitting,” he said, and Bella sneered and turned to sit in a chair near the hearth.
The heat in the wagon was a far cry from the tempest that lay outside, and Bella sat back and soaked in the warmth. She could hear the wind wailing outside and got up to look out the window. The conditions were near white-out, and frost lined the window pane outside the wagon.
Bella sat down on the comfy chair and watched as Hildevar and Alannah paced the large space and talked in hushed, soothing tones. The wagon started to move with a jolt, and Bella sunk deeper into the cushions of the chair. Rogan was talking softly to the driver as he leaned out of the small door where the driver sat.
Bella craned her neck and watched as the caravan slowed. Rogan whispered something to the driver, and he nodded. A low humming was coming from the sides and bottom of the wagon, and Bella paused, her heart racing hard. There was something undefinable in the air, and even Alannah had stopped her cheerful gossiping with Hildevar to listen. A noise rent the air, and suddenly the wagon was moving at a speed that Bella hadn’t felt the entire time. They were moving at lightning speed, the wagon jostling softly, and Bella pushed herself more tightly into her seat.
There was something amiss, and Bella stood to confront Rogan. She was sure the dragon king knew exactly what was going on. She stood and walked unsteadily over to Rogan, who was looking out of the doors with a look of concentration on his face. He didn’t turn to Bella, but simply addressed her with his back turned.
“You are welcome, wife,” he said and, Bella bristled.
“And I’m thanking you for--?” Bella prompted.
“For releasing you from your confinement, though I found it most fitting for such a disposition as yours.”
Bella rolled her eyes and nearly growled. She was struck dumb with awe, however, as the wagons reached a body of cold, nearly frozen water and slowed, transforming into boat-like structures with the horses bobbing in front in floating boxes connected to each wagon. Bella hummed with excitement as they rushed across the frigid waters. She could feel the wagon softly bobbing from side to side.
The action was somehow soothing, and Bella found herself sliding down onto a cushiony chair and peeping out a porthole-like opening nearby. Water sloshed across the sides of the boat, and Bella gripped the arms of the chair as the wagon rolled a bit. Rogan glanced over at her and shot her a smile, only for her to roll her eyes.
They were halfway across the waters when the wagon pitched violently to the left. Rogan made a noise of surprise. The driver tried hard to calm the horse-like creatures who had begun baying loudly.
The wagon pitched once more and breath stilled in Bella’s throat. She looked back out the porthole and could see heads bobbing in the water. Did some of the servants fall overboard? Bella wondered.
Suddenly, a high-pitched scream rent the air, and a cacophony of wails followed. Rogan cursed in his native tongue and made a series of hand gestures. He spoke loudly in a strange tongue and was followed by Hildevar and Alannah. All the wagons righted themselves, and Bella looked out onto the waters once more, noticing that, though they had seemed to stop moving, there were random splashes in the water. Bella’s eyes widened as she realized what she was seeing.
Rogan pulled the driver inside, who sat breathing heavily in a corner. Alannah bade him drink water, and the man nodded. Bella looked into the porthole and could see the horses were shielded in some kind of dome, and each caravan sat, patiently waiting.
Bella stared at the surface of the waters for a moment, and she paused. The heads popped up and down with a fast fury, and Bella sucked in a breath.
“Those are mermaids!” she gasped, and Rogan shrugged.
“If you are referring to the sea monsters there, then yes.”
“Mermaids aren’t monsters--” Bella began and then quickly stopped when she spied a mermaid trying to desperately get to one of the horses, long fangs bared and eyes promising certain death. The mermaid’s hands were tipped with sharp claws, and the thing was hissing madly, as if angry that fate would deny it a meal.
Shocked, Bella stepped back from the window as a loud bang shook the wagon. Rogan groaned, and the driver grabbed a crossbow. Rogan nodded. Bella watched as Alannah made a noise in her throat and Hildevar hummed.
“What’s happening?!” Bella demanded.
“They are trying to get in. We have mage-worthy protection; they will not succeed.”
Bella nearly let out a scream as the mermaids bombarded the wagon in careful silence as they sliced their way across the frozen waters.
“I always thought that mermaids were nice beautiful creatures that sang all day,” Bella muttered aloud.
Rogan shot her a look of disbelief. “Whoever told you such a lie?”
Bella shrugged. “Cartoons, maybe.”
“I do not know what these cartoons are, but they are not true. Mermaids, as you call them, are vicious creatures and live not only in the Darklands but in open waters around the realm. They have been responsible for the deaths of many fishermen. The only good sea monster is a dead one.”
Bella shivered as a mermaid stood up on her tail and seemed to gaze right at her. It seemed to be smiling, and Bella felt a sliver of revulsion. The mermaid looked like a woman, but it sported a long set of fangs, claws and armored-looking scales up its arms, chest and body. It had begun to creep closer to Bella, and she backed away from the window.
“Um, guys, that mermaid is giving me the willies,” she said to no one in particular, and Hildevar looked out of a side window.
“I have never seen a sea monster behave that way,” Hildevar mused.
“Behave like what?” Bella asked, and Hildevar continued to stare out of the window.
“It’s not attacking. It’s just—I’m not sure…” Hildevar continued.
The sea monster lunged up to the window, and Hildevar yelped.
“I cannot ken the ways of these strange creatures,” Alannah muttered as the mermaid placed a clawed hand on the window.
“She can’t come through this window right?” Bella queried.
“No,” Hildevar answered. “There are protections drawn upon the window as well as shields—it couldn’t possibly--”
The mermaid began to draw a circle on the window with its claw. It then made a series of hand movements, and Hildevar gasped. Rogan came to stand by the window and looked out.
“Impossible!” he yelled, and he ran to grab a crossbow along with the driver, who shooed both Hildevar and Bella out of the way.
“What is she doing?!” Bella exclaimed, and Alannah pulled Bella back a few feet.
“I believe that she is drawing a—it can’t be!” Alannah exclaimed as the window glowed red then blue.
Glass exploded inward as the sea monster broke through. Rogan shot at it, and it batted him away as if he was a bothersome fly. The driver then ran to it, seeking to wrestle it to the ground, but this too proved fruitless.
The mermaid stalked forward and advanced upon Bella. Bella looked about her and grabbed a long thick stick and brandished it like a weapon.
“You are nothing like the little mermaid!” Bella yelled as it hissed at her. “I am so disappointed!”
It sneered and continued moving forward. Hildevar began chanting, and the mermaid ran over and slapped her unconscious. Alannah tried as well and found herself on the floor with everyone else. Bella could hear the shouts of Rogan’s other men as they began surrounding the wagon, but she knew by the time they arrived, it may have been too late.
“Come at me, bro,” Bella quipped and swung.
The mermaid smiled evilly and grabbed the stick. It looked at it curiously before snapping it like a twig.
“Yooou….” it said, and Bella jumped, “have so much power. The Shadow King will reward me handsomely.”
“There is no way in hell you’re taking me to the Shadow King, bitch!” Bella exclaimed, and the thing laughed.
Bella yelled as the creature caught ahold of her hair and pulled her close. Bella screamed, kicked and yelled and found some satisfaction in the fact that a few of her wild blows landed on the mermaid, who hissed in pain.
Then, Bella and the mermaid were outside in the cold. The feel of the wind on Bella’s face took her breath away, and the feel of the frozen waters on her skin made Bella shudder and grow still. Bella felt as if sound were coming from far away. She was being pulled beneath a thick layer of ice and panicked. She couldn’t feel her limbs and couldn’t move. A bubble was cloaking Bella’s face, and she could see blurrily the shape of the mermaid above her. Bella struggled a bit before beginning to fall into a dark tunnel of unconsciousness.
Just when Bella had ceased her struggles, she felt the pull of something strong, a rush of water and then the merciful taste of air. There was a loud, shrill screaming, and Bella cracked open an eye just in time to see Rogan yanking the mermaid out of the water and hitting her hard with a blow to her head, rendering her unconscious.
Bella gasped and moaned. Rogan ran over to her and pulled her close. The feel of his warmth cutting through the cold was a welcome feeling, and Bella gave in to her instincts and lay within his embrace.