TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

Dracul.

“Rise and shine sleepyhead.” A voice calls me out from underneath the murky depths of unconsciousness.

My eyes open up tenderly at first to the sight of Elena smiling back at me.

“Elena.” I call out, my vision still a bit clouded. “Where the fuck am I?”

“Elena’s not here.” Came the cold voice. “I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with me.”

The coldness of the voice, like iron pikes slithering over my heart, this wasn’t waking up to the life back at the castle, the vileness in her tone was the very spike of adrenaline my body needed jarring me awake as well whatever dormant memory laid in my head.

“Who the fuck are you?” I growl. “Where the fuck am I?”

Her eyes twinkle viciously and a hint of a smile plays upon her face.

“Finally.” She sighs. “We’re getting somewhere, do you need a minute more because by now you’d have begun-”

“I’ll have your head off your bloody neck.” I growl rushing up at her only to be pulled back by luminescent chains.

“That.” She finished her statement. “You’re such a predictable man, thinking your claws and fire can burn away everything, you’re living in the past, let me welcome you to the future, Jacob!”

The sound of heavy boots assaulted my ears, they filled in with a sort of ringing that caused me to raise a hand to them, in the midst of these nausea and pain, a huge dark skinned man walked up to her bowing ever so lowly in reverence.

“You called mistress.” He inquired in a deep baritone. “Are my services finally pleasing to the high lady.”

“Yes.” She said caressing the huge man’s chest. “I want you to introduce our friend here to a painful future, no mercy, no remorse.”

“Yes my lady.” He says solemnly. “I am born to serve.”

Her eyes lit up like a child’s with the prospect of torture on the line.

“Suffer Dragonkind.” She spat. “Suffer just like we all did, In the meantime, I have a Kingdom to rule.”

She turned and proceeded to leave, her appearance beginning to shift ever so slightly until it became very much like a king’s draped over in a dark cape that had a sense of familiarity to it, it didn’t come in that moment but I knew I had seen it somewhere.

“My lady is gone.” He says in a thousand voices, his eyes shifting colors like a kaleidoscope. “You focus on me now.”

****

Whatever he did, he did it slowly and he did it accurately, spasms of intense pain wracked my body, reducing me to a creature merely able to grunt and groan, through this pain I could hear whispers of his thoughts making their way down my head.

“Give in.” It cried echoing away. “Serve, Break.”

It was not more than few commands at a time but nerve wracking pain would follow for what seemed to be forever, occasionally he took breaks careful not to let me slip into unconsciousness.

“Water!” I groaned. “Bloody water!”

“You’re not in your castle.” He says ever so coolly. “You have no say here, you get water when I think you deserve it.”

As a good measure he got a full pitcher of water and dumped it away, it took all my resolve not to scramble after it like an animal and for the first time I hear him burst out in a deep laugh.

“I envy your resolve Dracul.” He says lightly. “Most men are quick to break under the whispers.”

“I am not most men.” I tell him. “I am stronger than whatever sorcery show you put on.”

He smiled.

“Maybe you do deserve that taste of water after all.” He smiles.

Seemingly on his whims the vase returned filling up to the brim with water, he walked towards me and I closed my eyes awaiting the refreshing taste of relief that never came, his hard laughter caused me to reopen them.

“You may not be most men.” He tells me. “But they always break, they will always break.”

The pain slammed into me, more intense than our previous sessions had been, too intense, the beast inside wouldn’t, couldn’t let the noise continue, a heavy roar escaped my lungs, there was a familiar tear as I felt two leathery wings sprout up from my back.

Half formed, I opened my fast changing maw and a burst of fire escaped me, burning off everything in sight, not stopping until the raging beast was sated, I considered him dead and turned to make an escape.

“Tickles.” I hear from amidst the carnage. “Did you really think that’d do it, Empress was right your species are foolish.”

I lunged for another attack but he was quicker, binding more of those luminiscent chains more and more until i was held immobile and furious.

“Seems all we’ve been encountering has been child’s play.” He says and I notice a sark liquid streaming from his sides. “How about we amp up your dosage?”

“Not so much.” I tell him. “You’re bleeding.”

“Seems I am.” Hr smiles with bloodied teeth.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

The pain comes with a sense of fury this time, I embrace it fully knowing that only then would I learn to understand this place and kill this motherfucker.

Elena

“Again.” she yells at me, her staff descending rather rapidly and rapping at my fingers. “Concentrate Elena!”

Scrunching up my face un disgust, I turned to her was it possible to have so much disgust and distaste for a word and person, it’d been days since I got here and time seemed to be inching towards forever, for me it was one spell after another, one incantation to the next, while they both judged, Gulliver from his corner with a smirk on his face that I wanted to char off so badly and hia Grandma who went from sweet fuzzy sunshine to an absolute demon.

“I can’t.” I say for the umpteenth time. “It’s not fucking working and if you would please stop hitting me with that frickin cane!”

There another rapping at my hands, this time invariably much harder than the last.

“You and your no good horrid friends, you show promise, but promise gets killed without the work, you’re no where near the basics and still you sleep soundly at night powerless and weak, maybe I’ll stop rapping your fingers, the minute you show some effort.”

“Just show some effort.” I cry. “What the fuck have I been doing since all these days. And how the fuck does this get me closer to Dracul?”

“Those who play with fire without knowing of it’s power get burned badddd.” She says.

“You’re like a baby with a weapon of mass destruction, either you grow up or–”

“I’m fucking done.” I tell her.

“I tell you when you’re done.” She says.

But I’m already in motion, there’s a swift command from her and I hit an invisible wall.

“You’re done when I say you’re done.” She says her tone too level.

Anger builds up like a storm inside of me, burning it’s way down, infecting every single fibre of my being, completely maddening it was, my only focus was on the fire spell she’d be trying to teach me.

“Infernia!” The words burst forth from my mouth. “Infernia!”

The magic bent to my will hearing my thoughts and heeding my commands with increased efficacy, a huge fireball shot from my hand pushing back with an increased recoil force that had my back slamming hard against the barrier.

“Fuckin-”

The other words left my mouth as I crumpled up against the ground, a piece of my sanity daring me to look up at Gulliver’s grandma, a bit of her clothes were charred off but other than that she seemed fine.

“Playing with fire, it always gets you burned child.” I hear her say just before I fade out of consciousness.

**

The smell of lilies filters across to my nose and I awake to Gulliver crushing them with curses stringing from him.

“Oh look she’s awake maybe she could take over from-”

“No.” She cuts him off. “Apply the lilies gently to your grandmother, show me a bit of appreciation besides you do it so very nicely.”

Another string of curse words escapes his lips and he casts me a harsh look.

“Unfortunately we’ve all been paying the price for your brashness child.” She calls from her laid down position. “And don’t you dare apologize we all know you’re not sorry.”

She was right, I was not.

“It’s not what I intended.” I say looking down.

“Well the difference between you and what’s out there is intent, know yours now because I’d sooner put you down than have another one of her running loose onthe streets.”

“Her?” I question. “Who’s that?”

The air seemingly took on a frigid nature and Gulliver became too interested in the roots he was mashing up.

“Rest girl.” She says getting up. “Think on what you know and for hell’s sake crush those things properly.”

There was a look that passed between them, just who the hell were they trying to keep me from.