Marked By a Dragon

Chapter 11 - My Dragon

Chapter 11 – My Dragon

                “So Violet, tell me about yourself.” I said enthusiastically, plopping down on the cold hard floor and crossing my knees. I placed my elbows on my knees and leaned in slightly, making sure she could recognize that I was harmless. I felt Caij sit down next to me, looking uncomfortable as he tried to look relaxed while copying my position. I let out a tiny snicker and smirked at the man next to me, before turning back to Violet. She looked a little lost, so I made a vague hand motion and said, “Start with the basics. What you are, why you’re here, yadda yadda yadda.”

                A ghost of a smile crossed the girls face as she looked at me, and then she took a deep breath, her curious yellow eyes instantly capturing my attention.

                “Well,” Violet’s voice was soft and wispy, matching her fragile looking stature. “My name is Violet, and I’m from Russia.” I smiled at her, already guessing as much by the thick accent she carried with her. “I’ve been here for almost three years. I’m… well to put it bluntly I’m a were-leopard.” My eyes widened with shock, and I slid my glace over to Caij. The man did not look surprised at all, which aggravated me. The jerk probably new from the second she stepped into this cell! I huffed in annoyance, before bringing my attention back to Violet. She didn’t seem to notice my tiny tantrum, and continued with her explaining.

                “Ailden… he killed my family when I was 14. He wanted me because I was the mage in the family. Every family of leopards has a mage born into it, and I was the lucky one.” She spit out bitterly, glaring at the wall. The more I learned about Ailden, the more he pissed me off. I was ready to blast him into the next millennium! “He never made it clear on why he wanted me in particular, but he has always beaten me. Eventually I got used to it, and now I just block out the pain. I haven’t shifted since being here, being too scared to let my primal side out in fear of not being able to reign it back in.” The last part was a whispered sigh, full of pain and regret. I felt sorry for this girl.

                “Hey,” I whispered gently, reaching my hand out and resting it on her own. She looked shocked, before a small smile graced her lips. “You don’t need to be scared. I’m a witch, I’m sure there’s some spell that could help you out, right Caij?” I asked, turning my head in his direction. He hesitated for a moment, before nodding slightly. “That’s great! We could just let-

                “Ashlyn. No. You will not be doing this.” Caij said stonily.

                “What? Why not?” I asked, genuinely confused. I looked from Violet to Caij multiple times. “I want to help her.” I whispered into the silence. This girl brought out my protective side, almost as if she were a delicate flower needing protection from a harsh storm. Caij sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before looking up at me, his violet eyes piercing straight through me.

                “We need to break out of here. We were very close to escaping last time, and lately I have been hearing the roar of another dragon not far from here. Soon Ailden will be forced to investigate, which I have gathered he plans to do so tonight. With Violet’s help, if she were to give it, I’m quite positive we could break out and be gone before that devil realizes what is happening.” Caij spoke, his voice hard and unrelenting. I opened my mouth to immediately argue, to tell him we could not just expect Violet to help us, when she spoke.

                “I’ll do it.” Violet’s small voice was strong, and full of conviction. I looked at her in complete shock, before dropping my head in defeat. I wanted nothing more than to escape this hellhole, but I didn’t want to put anyone in danger. I sighed before lifting my head and meeting Caij’s hard stare. His eyes softened when they met mine, and I smiled softly.