Draikan: The World of Dragons

~ 24 ~

~ Chapter Twenty Four ~

Growing up in a modern world, there were so many ways a person can investigate something. The technology or people with the best capabilities will be at anyone's disposal. But of course you need to be financially capable of using those resources. Unfortunately, I don't have either for my predicament.

I have to find a ring, a ring that has been frozen over to keep its shape. And I don't know where to begin. The siren didn't give me much clues or how this ring looks like. So I don't know whether the item is big, small, wide, thin, or if it contains anything else like jewels.

I blew out a breath and laid my head back on a rock. It's been about two days since the encounter with the siren. I've overworked my brain so I desperately needed a warm soak in the springs to clear the stress.

I wasn't completely alone, a few handful women worked on laundry on the other side, where the cooler water ran. Whereas I floated around in the hot spring, ignoring them. In the few weeks that I've been here, I've grown accustomed to bathing nude in front of the women. However, currently they have been glancing over at me with judgement clouding their eyes. I can feel the burn of their gazes on the side of my face.

And it's all because of the whole scene everyone witnessed two days ago. The dragons believe I have made a choice of having Zander as my mate. Ruby even mentioned that depending on the master's mood, there possibly won't be another mating ceremony for me. But of course, with my luck, it won't be that simple. Plus I don't want it to be that simple either.

I need time to find that stupid ring.

Now if I were a ring made of ice, where would I be? In a freezer so I wouldn't melt. But these dragons don't have that sort of technology. They gobble up everything so nothing is left over. A fridge isn't needed.

I submerge into the warm waters one last time and then I quickly step out. I squeeze my hair, removing the excess water, and let it fall down my back. I dab myself with a towel before putting on a two piece outfit. My top was strapless and it came down to my waist. The bottom was a skirt that barely reached my ankles. The ensemble was simple as well as the yellow tint to it. Even though it's not my choice of color, the outfit was still cute.

I picked up my dirty dress and began to walk away. I didn't want to be surrounded by anyone today.

But just how the past two days have been unfortunate, today wasn't going to be any different. Just as I was walking out, Libelle had been just arriving.

"Ah, Kaida. I was looking for you." She said with a smile on her face.

I inwardly cringed, but kept my face passive. "How can I help you?"

Libelle put a hand on my shoulder and guided me away from the entrance. As well as from the nosy women with super dragon hearing.

"Let's go somewhere more privately. I need to speak with you about something important."

Those words weren't something I wanted to hear. I hope she didn't want to talk about the incident with the siren. Zander made a version in which explained that I was lured out by the siren and almost killed. So it's a story I have to stick with. Especially hiding the part where I had a conversation with the enemy.

In the lonely hall, Libelle turned to me and stared at me with a serious look on her face. "I want to apologize. It's come to my attention that you found some disturbing news. I didn't want to keep them from you in order to keep you here. I kept the truth from you because I didn't want to scare you further. I remember how terrified I was when I first arrived here. It's a whole new world and you're all alone."

Although her words held truth, I couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't really being honest. She's destroyed all my belongings in order to erase the existence of another world. My world.

I gave Libelle a small smile."It's okay. I'm alright now. Zander and Landon came just in time to rescue me."

"That's good.. Listen, kaida, there's actually one favor I wanted to ask of you."

Her tone of voice changed. It almost sounded desperate or border lining desperate.

"If it's something I can do, I'll think about it." I am not making any commitments here.

She grabbed my hands and held them tightly. "As a mother, I don't wish to see my son perish. There's a choice that no one dares to ask for during the mating ceremony. But I want to save my son if he's unable to defeat Zander. It's called the surrendering act. It's a law formed long ago when too many men were dying for the same woman. If the mate in question demands it, then no one is allowed to die. Please. On the night of the final battle between the remaining two men, ask for this option."

There was such an option all along? Why hasn't anyone used this at all? So many men could have lived and moved on with their lives, forgetting about their losses.

Something didn't add up.

But I doubt Libelle would tell me. So instead I simply nodded and said my goodbyes. Using chores as an excuse to get away faster.

I blew out a breath as soon as I got out of the cave. I have less than two weeks to figure out where that ring is and Libelle wants me to save her son. Clearly she apologized in order to ask for this favor. Or else she wouldn't have ever mentioned her fault in not disclosing any information about this place.

I made my way to the cooking area. It's time I start my investigation. And the best place to ever find clues or information is from women who love to talk about anyone and anything.

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A/N

Posted: 11/11/19

I'm baaack. Thank you for all the good wishes on my surgery. Everything went well and I can see better than I ever did with glasses on.

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