The Twilight Dragon

Duke came to visit as often as he could, and we would spend my free moments talking and walking in the woods in the afternoons, and at night we would have more...intimate moments.

Spring rolled into summer, and before long we had been together for several months. We were resting near my home after such a moment when he started speaking.

"You know, one of these days we should take a trip down south, by the ocean port. A holiday of some sort. It is very beautiful there, like nothing you've ever seen." He took my hand and kissed it.

"I've seen the ocean." I informed him factually. He laughed.

"I know, in books and paintings. But trust me, it is very different in real life."

"Maybe." I said noncommittally. The problem with being with a dragon that was hundreds of years old, besides the obvious physical differences, was the fact that Duke had seen so much, and I, so little in comparison.

"Okay, think about it." Duke said with a relaxed smile. "I think you would enjoy it though." He rolled onto his back to look at the stars, and I curled up to him.

"The soil is rich there too, and full of life. Just imagine all the food, roasted chickens, turkey, flame grilled salmon, potatoes made in every single way you can imagine. Remember the mead you liked? There would be gallons of that there. There's so much I want to show you." He said wistfully as he looked at my hand in his.

The thought of all that food did perk my interest "Okay." I said with a giggle. "We'll talk about it tomorrow after I finish my work."

"Wonderful."

When he left for the night I went over to my usual spot to look down at the village. Instead of the usual large bonfire there were several larger spots of light today, and there was a lot of noise. I wondered if there was a celebration I did not know about. I decided I would ask Duke about it tomorrow but for tonight, I went back to my home to sleep.

*******

But Duke was not there the next evening, and as I waited around my tree for several hours, I had a very uneasy feeling about the whole situation. Duke, cocky and occasionally annoyingly carefree, never missed one of our meetings. Unhappily I spent the rest of my evening braiding a basket worriedly, running yesterday's conversation through my head as I tried to recall Duke saying anything about not showing up today. Had I angered him? No, of course not, he would have told me right then. It was difficult getting to sleep but I had no choice as I had work the next morning.

Something was wrong when I walked into the village. There were carts overturned, produce on the ground, and the overwhelming smell of smoke and dust. The villagers all looked somber and fearful, their eyes darting to me and then away as they hurried back into their houses.

After trying several times in engaging in conversation I finally spotted an opening.

"What happened?" I asked an old woman as I helped her and a bearded man with their overturned cart. The old woman clucked her tongue and hurried back into the house once we were finished, but the bearded man stayed.

"It was...some sort of cultists, demon worshipers." He said quietly in a surprisingly timid voice. "They wore black robes. They did not harm us but some of the families...they took." His hands shook and he looked around, as if afraid they would hear him.

"A great black and red dragon...at first I thought he was with them, but he tried to stop them. But they had dark magic, they overpowered him and took him too." I gasped, and he was startled by the noise.

"I would return home if I were you." He said as he pushed the cart towards the back of his house and slammed the door, ending the conversation.

"No...Duke." I sat down to process this news. This didn't seem real, even as I watched the villagers struggle to clean up the chaos that the cultists had done. There were holes in roofs, smashed fences and blood...there were also deep scratches in the ground near the large bonfire gathering area. They must have been Duke's...

I studied the deep etchings in the ground and discovered that not only were there claw scratches in the area, indicative of a great struggle, but there were also deep wheel tracks leading out of the village. Who knew what those cultists wanted to do with Duke, would they perform spells upon him? What condition would they leave him in?

I did not know how much of a head start the cultists had, but after ten minutes of debating, I set off towards the brothel to say goodbye to Donya.

******

"Brothel's closed." A large bald man grunted when I neared. His forearms must have been as large as my legs and he had them crossed intimidatingly.

"I work in the kitchen." I told him. "Let me in."

He didn't budge and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll tell the girls that you were nice to me."

He shifted just slightly to the side, almost as if by accident, and I squeezed through the very narrow space to open the door. His body brushed up against mine and I felt a hand brush up against my ass. Ugh. I walked up the stairs to the main area and to Donya's room.

Although the guy at the door said that the brothel was closed, I still listened outside the door to avoid interrupting Donya when she was with a patron. Thankfully I was in luck, there was only silence. I knocked and heard Donya's voice. "Come in."

Donya's was sitting at her desk in her robe, frowning as she wrote in a ledger. "Lianne!" She exclaimed. She looked exhausted, and even her normally perfectly hair looked un brushed. She somehow still managed to look stunningly attractive however. She pulled me into a hug, which was quite awkward since I could feel her breasts through the thin robe. Still, I appreciated the sentiment.

"Thank goodness you're alright." She said as she pulled away. "You were not working yesterday and I had hoped you stayed far away from the village."

"They took Duke." I informed her in a factual way, struggling to keep my voice even. Her concern had only made my news harder to tell.

"The cultists?" She put a hand to her mouth. "Are you sure? We locked the doors after the commotion started and didn't open them until dawn."

"Yes, the villagers saw, and I'm going to after them." I said matter- of- factly. "I just came to say goodbye, I probably won't be seeing you for a while." I handed her the basket I had woven yesterday while waiting for Duke.

"You're going after them? Don't be ridiculous Lianne, you could be killed." She said as I started to leave.

"He could be killed too; I can't just wait here without even trying."

I heard the sound of the basket fall to the ground as Donya moved with surprising swiftness, her hand sweeping out to block the door.

"Move your hand!" I snapped at her, furious.

"You haven't thought this through." She insisted in a rushed voice. "They must be hours ahead by now. It could be days before you even catch up to them, and what then? Have you even thought of what provisions to bring? How will you protect yourself against the bandits on the road?"

I glared at her, but had to admit she was right. I wasn't thinking clearly.

"We need a few hours to prepare." She said, "Just to get supplies, weapons."

I nodded, slowly thinking it through. "You'll help me?" I asked, looking up.

"Well of course." Donya said as she headed towards her wardrobe. "I'm coming with you."

I crinkle my nose at this. "I appreciate the thought, but you'll only slow me down."

"I have coin to purchase supplies, and my legs are longer than yours. I can keep up." She stated, tossing the robe onto the chair and giving me a view of her backside. I wondered how many men she lured into her bed with that view.

"Trust me, you're going to need all the help you can get."