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Around us were the ruins of some old building, cold stone and damp moss covering the area. It was a far cry from the home I had once known. A gaping maw awaited us in the ground, and trepidation filled my heart. Buck’s sorrow made me think of my own father and how frustrated and angry he was going to be that I had left. What if my absence took such a toll on him that he died as well? I wasn’t sure whether I could bear being away from him as he took his last breath. Knowing this, my heart swelled with pity for Buck. No doubt, he was angry at himself for notbeing here, and I didn’t think he needed these other two men to be angry at him too.
We slipped into the shadow of this tunnel that sloped down. As dragons, we had superior eyesight, even when in our human form, so the darkness did not hold any fear for us. I could see the way the tunnels had been hollowed out. It was a remarkable feat of engineering. Other tunnels spilled off in other directions. I could hear the soft murmur of sounds coming through from these, and it made me feel better that there were more than just these two dragons waiting for us.
We walked for a few minutes before a chamber opened. Brett lit a fire and amber light spilled over us. There were blanketed chairs and drinks. Mason got us some refreshment. The mood was still somber, and it was impossible to ignore the animosity between these men. Buck had already told me he was an outcast, and clearly these two were not ready to forgive him.
I smiled in thanks as Mason handed a wooden cup to me. I sipped the water and looked around the roof of the chamber. The stone was smooth, and it was quite impressive.
“Like what you see?” Mason asked, raising his eyebrows towards the ceiling.
“I do. I’ve not seen anything like this before. Where I come from, we live out in the air. They wouldn’t like living like this. They’d see it as hiding from the world,” I said.
“Sometimes hiding is the most sensible thing to do,” Brett said. There was an edge of anger in his voice. I wasn’t sure whether I had done anything to upset him. I bowed my head and decided I would keep quiet unless I was asked a direct question.
“Brett, don’t be like that with her. She’s been through a lot,” Buck said, and my heart warmed to him for defending me.
“Don’t mind him, he’s just in a bad mood. He’s been in a bad mood for about five years now,” Mason added, flashing a kind smile towards me. I was beginning to feel more relaxed.In Mason and Buck, I could at least find allies, and Brett, well, I wasn’t sure what his story was. I couldn’t afford to become too relaxed though, because I was in the home of my enemy. These were a group of dragons, who had been insulted and admonished and who, I had been taught, were wrong for the way they lived.
But there were also three of them. I blushed and averted my gaze, unable to stop the thoughts from intruding into my mind. Three dragons, just like in my vision. It had been hot and intense, with their glistening bodies, drenched with desire, twirling and tangling around me, entwining me in an inferno. Could it portend my future? Was it really so obvious and evident? I thought visions were supposed to be subtle, nuanced… and maybe it was. Maybe it was just a coincidence that these three men were standing before me.
It wasn’t as though I was attracted to them anyway, at least not the two I had just met. I barely knew them. And Brett, with his stocky frame and scowling face seemed like he was made of rock. I got the impression that nobody would ever be close to him. Mason was leaner and possessed a furtive glance. He wasn’t like Buck; he lacked the same confidence. But something was different in Buck since we had returned as well. The wind had been taken from his wings, which I guess was to be expected when faced with the truth that he had found here. There was an undercurrent of animosity between the three men, and I felt like I didn’t belong here. All I wanted was to keep quiet and not cause any trouble. Maybe this had all been a mistake and I should never have left home in the first place.
“And why do you think that is?” Brett snapped, glaring at Mason. Mason’s smile vanished.
Buck rolled his eyes. “You’re not still angry about that, are you?” he asked. I knew little about these men, but I was certain this had been the wrong thing to say. Brett’s face turned a shadeof crimson and there was thunder in his eyes. He bristled with tension, but before he could say anything Mason leaped in front of him and held him back.
“We don’t want to fight,” Mason said.
“Don’t we?” Brett hissed through gritted teeth.
Buck looked sullen. I caught his gaze, but he looked away before I could discern the meaning that was hidden in his eyes. There was a long history between these three men, a history that I had not witnessed and did not wish to be a part of. I suddenly felt a pull to leave. The doubts were strong in my mind, and I knew that if I returned swiftly then perhaps nobody would suspect a thing. I could tell Dad that I had just wanted to spend some time alone and think of Ilvar’s proposal. I’m sure I could find some way to escape marriage with him. If I just explained it to my father in a different way, he might start to see things from my point of view.
I rose and sidled to the exit. “I think that perhaps I should leave…” I said.
They all turned to look at me, each one of them training their eyes upon me.
“You can’t go,” Brett said.
“What about the news you brought with you?” Buck asked.
“You can tell them. I think I made a mistake in coming here, in leaving my people. I don’t belong here,” I said.
Mason remained silent. His gaze passed between Brett and Buck, waiting for one of them to make a decision. I wondered whether this was the way it had always been for the three of them; Brett and Buck as opposite ends of the scales with Mason in the middle, waiting to see which one of them countered the other.
“Kadie,” Buck called out in a pleading tone.
Brett moved with surprising speed. He filled the exit, his large body somehow growing before me, as though he swelled with grandeur.
“You can’t leave,” he said in a deep, growling voice.
“Get out of my way,” I replied, although my voice lacked the same strength as his. I had never been intimidating.
“Brett, stop being an asshole,” Buck said.
“She can’t leave. She knows where we live now. You brought her back here,” Brett did not hide the accusing tone in his voice. “If she returns to her own kind, then they’ll ask where she’s been. Do you think they’ll miss the opportunity to attack us? I bet they’ve just been waiting for a chance like this. Fuck, I bet they even sent her for that very purpose. And she played you like a fool,” he wasn’t looking at me any longer. His attention was solely focused on Buck.
“It’s not like that. I wouldn’t do that,” I said, but Brett seemed deaf to anything I said.
“You should listen to her Brett,” Buck said, “what she has to tell you is important. Do you think I would have come back if it wasn’t?”
