5. Returning home
After Lina leaves, I move Priscilla to the free bedroom - I don’t know why but Red hasn’t wanted to live here and preferred sleeping on the sofa in my living room. Is she so serious about being “a guard”? Whatever…
“Ra-a-a-ay, will you order those tasty round things again?” Red asks pitifully, sprawled out on the couch. “Please?”
I breathe out. “Fi-i-i-ine…” These dragons will drive me into debt if they continue to consume so much junk food. But they need to recover asap. Right now I don’t have any willpower left to look for alternatives. This day was too long for my mental health…
After a long wait - sadly only one pizzeria is working that late, and they are quite far away - they deliver “a party set” of pizzas. And a few bottles of soda as a gift. …Oh, and I forget about the table again. Well, a countertop is fine too. Red immediately attacks the pizza with visible pleasure. I’m glad that she’s happy. But the golden dragon… I should bring her pizza as well, I guess. I release another breath and go upstairs.
She is still lying on the bed, as I left her before. Poor thing… Is she still cold? I’ve covered her with a blanket, so I hope her temperature has stabilized a bit. Yeah, a bit warmer. I pat her head slightly and just want to leave, when I notice that her eyes are open. Holy..!
Somehow I manage to not jump away, and slowly remove my trembling hand. Her keen gaze makes me uncomfortable… But after a moment she blinks and that tension is gone. Phew…
“Sorry, I was a bit disoriented, and haven’t recognized you from first sign.” Her voice is hoarse and feeble. She struggles to sit up. I should help her…
“Do you need help with feeding?” I’m not good at it, but seeing how weak she is, maybe it will be better for both of us.
She quietly chuckles. “Thank you, but I hope at least I could feed myself. Is it for me?” She points at the pizza.
“Yep. It’s hard to order something else at that time, and it also worked well for Red, so…”
“Oh, the other dragon, right. Huh, …nom nom… is her name Red? Munch munch… Very unusual. Is she …nom… here too?” It’s funny how she tries to talk with me with some manners and, trying at the same time to devour food as fast as possible.
“Yes, don’t worry about it. Please eat first, I see that you are quite hungry now.”
She looks at me confused and continues eating in silence. In a few minutes the pizza is gone.
The dragon intently stares at me. “So, I assume my savior wants something from me, am I right?”
I nod. “I want you to help Red with finding the way back to her world.”
“Heh, it sounds easy enough.”
“Really? I’m glad.” So, Red can return home soon…
We looks at each other in silence for a few seconds. I have a lot of questions, but I think she should rest now…
She smiles. “You can ask whatever you want. I’m fine. And, if you don’t know me, I’m Priscilla. My true dragon name is different, but this one is easier for you.” Oh, okay… I introduce myself and look up at her broken horns, thinking how to ask it better. She sighs and covers them with her hands.
“Please, don’t look at them. Once they were so beautiful, now I feel naked without them…” She becomes upset again.
“I’m so sorry. But why they …took them away?”
“When our horns grow, they absorb some mana from our body. The longer they get, the more mana. Basically, they turn a very powerful magic container. Mine had been growing for centuries. A lot of mages will buy them for a exorbitant price. And my blood… I mean, not exactly mine, but dragon blood in general is a powerful magical ingridient too.”
I see… “So, those mages are dragon hunters?”
“From what I know there’s not such thing as an organized dragon hunters guild or something, but they tried to hunt me down, yes. I wonder why…”
“Wait, you don’t know? Red and her friend have been attacked by them. That’s why she ran into some weird ruins and got here.”
“So, you say that they started to attack dragons more often. That’s a bad sign… When I was there, people used to hunt dragons mostly when they they wanted to “be free from the dragon authority.”
“A “dragon authority”?”
“Oh, it’s quite a long story, but in short: dragons are powerful so some of them had helped humans to survive, and then had became some kind of kings of their lands. Under dragons’ protection, humans quite fast became stronger in magic knowledge and technology. After that they decided that they want to rule themselves without any dragons. And started to kill or banish them.”
“Were you…?”
Priscilla smiles weakly. “Yes, I was a queen of a thriving land for a very long time. Then one from my court member put that knife to my chest and I was thrown out of the city. At least they didn’t kill me… I tried to attack the capital several times, bringing a lot of destruction upon them but getting heavily wounded too. I couldn’t just give up… After one of the attempts, I retreated and found a girl, who was a servant in destroyed dragon shrine - Lina. She was so happy to see me. The least person who still admired me. And I decided, ^%$& this country. And we wwent to the teleport and activated it. To my surprise, we appeared not in the same world, as we expected, but in a complete new one.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Was it the same portal that Red used to get there?”
She shrugs. “I’m not sure. Maybe? Not much is left to tell, we were found by some people who were investigating that complex and we made a deal with them. After that they taught us about this world, and we started our life here. Using my magic and knowledge of economics, I became a CEO of big company. And, to be honest, I’m quite proud how I’m managing it.” She satisfied smiles.
“Hmm, that’s interesting. I think Red didn’t meet anyone when she arrived. But how a CEO has got caught by dragon hunters?” It doesn’t seem like an obvious target, right?
“I’m not sure… I think those old friends of our just sold me to those hunters. No one else knows about my true identity.”
“But why?”
“Why dragon hunters hunt dragons?” She chuckles.
“No, I mean…”
“Heh, I got you. I think they actually were after Red, but no one knows where she is - maybe she managed to bypass those people who usually meet travelers - and the only dragon they know was me. And about how they got me… It’s quite shameful, actually. I was overconfident and thought that they were just a bunch of regular bandits, and I could easily deal with them. But they had that knife and managed to sneakily stub me.” Priscilla releases a deep sigh. “If that knife is applied precisely, dragon becomes paralyzed. It’s some regeneration issue…”
Just as I want to ask her about dragons, my phone rings. Unknown number, huh. I check the paper, and see that it’s Lina. How..? Is she a spy or something?
“Erm, hello?”
“Hi, how is Priscilla?” The familiar voice sounds worried. Straight to the point, I see.
“I think she is okay. She is awake now. Want to speak to her?”
A silence falls on the line. When I think that I lost a signal, Lina yells at me: “She is awake and you haven’t notified me?! Give her the phone, now!” Oh my gosh, why so loud…
“Lina is quite energetic, isn’t she?” The dragon chuckles again.
“Yeah, for sure…” With a sign, I give her my phone. They talk for several minutes with Priscilla mostly replying curtly, with just ‘yes,’ ’no,’ or ‘uh-huh’. I yawn. Priscilla turns away from the phone and tells me to go to sleep as she will stay here for a while anyway. As you wish…
The next morning I, as usual, go to the kitchen to grab some coffee. Looking at the window, I’ve slept for a pretty long time. When I get down the stairs, I smell coffee. What? Have Red learned how to brew coffee? Surprised, I enter the kitchen and see Lina drinking my coffee, sitting at the table. Wait, a table? There’s no trace of the broken one, and this one looks quite new.
“Surprised?” Line smirks at me.
“Please stop breaking into my house.” I give her a grumpy glance.
“I don’t follow your orders, human.” She waves her tail playfully.
“You are a human too, I guess?” Actually, is she?
“Well, in my world - yes, I am. In yours… Have you seen any humans with tails?” She giggles, wiggling her tail.
“So you say that animal features are common in your world?”
“Correct. We have different …how to call them… kinds of animal traits, depending on their origin. In Londor, my homeland, most people have lupine or feline features.” She seeps her coffee. “In southern countries like Eorzea, most people possess reptilian features.”
“Anyway, why are you here?” I’ve got carried away. I need a cup of coffee too…
“I wanted to visit my dear master as soon as possible. And I’ve also brought some clothes for her.”
Oh, right, she was almost naked. I didn’t even notice it because of her wounds. Wait, what? “Huh, is she going to stay here?”
“Of course. She’s weak now, so we are not sure if she can turn into her human form. And walking around as a dragon humanoid is not a very smart idea, don’t you think?”
“Well, yes…”
“If you worry about food or meds, of course, I will pay for it. I’ve already arranged a daily food delivery. It will be enough food for Red, so don’t worry about her either.”
Oh… I peek into the living room and find Red lying in her favorite spot. She notices me and looks away, embarrassed. So, that’s how you can easily win a dragon’s favor…
Suddenly, she sits up abruptly and looks at the staircase. I turn around and see Priscilla slowly going downstairs. I’m glad that she’s quickly getting better. At the same time I hear a quiet growl. I’m… not so optimistic about that. I’ve already learned that dragons behave like cats, I hope they won’t fight right now.
“Red, please…” I start to think how to calm her down, but, unexpectedly, Priscilla kneels down and asks Red’s permission for staying here. The growl stops as quickly as it started. I hear a clink - it is Lina dropping her cup of coffee. A long silence hangs in the air.
Red huffs and nods slowly. Priscilla stands up and walks to the kitchen, as if nothing happened.
I also have a chance to compare these two dragons. Unlike Red, Priscilla looks royal, with her slender dragon legs and graceful movements. Her tail is also thin, ridged and flattened on the sides.
“Lina, two cups of coffee for me and Ray, please.” Priscilla yawns, showing her sharp teeth, and enters the kitchen.
“Yes, master!” Lina immediately stands up and almost rushes to the kitchen counter.
While Lina and Priscilla are busy, I use the moment to speak with Red. I already feel that she is very confused, but when I get closer, contradictory feelings overwhelm me.
“Are you okay?” I touch her shoulder. Red slightly shivers and looks at me.
“I’m… not sure. I understand what is going on, but my nature is scared.” She wraps her arms around herself. “Imagine a kitten that have to protect her territory against a lion… I’ve never seen an elder dragon before, and I don’t know how to react.”
Well, my house is not your territory, but I get it. I grab her hands firmly. “Everything will be okay. She agreed to help you. So, don’t worry.”
Red makes a weak smile and nods. I feel that she is calming down.
After breakfast, we all gather in the living room. I sit in the middle of my sofa, both dragons take their place on the sides, with their tails hanging down loosely. Lina just leans against the wall.
After a moment of awkward silence, Lina coughs slightly and starts speaking: “So, we all know that Red wants to return home. We know the closest place that can do it and my master knows how to activate it. But we have problems: my master is too weak to activate it right now, and the portal could be controlled by those dragon hunters.”
“Is this a problem?” Red frowns. “I can deal with those mages if needed.”
“Portals become unstable after being used. So it’s too risky to go through again them right after their activation. The cooldown takes around a week.” Priscilla joins the conversation. “Imagine a trampoline, but it’s not idle, but actively oscillating. You can jump onto it, but no one knows where you end up.”
That makes sense. Anyway, no one else can deal with portals, so we can only trust them with this.
“So, you say that we need to just wait a week for portal to stabilize and Priscilla to heal, and then you will send Red home?” I try to summarize.
“In perfect scenario, yes, exactly.” Priscilla smiles at me.
“I will pay a visit to the portal and guys who monitor it. And who, apparently, sold us to those hunters.” A malicious smile plays on Lina’s lips. “They will have to tell me everything.”
I find myself trapped in a very cramped cage with stone walls pressing in on all sides. A narrow passage leads out, but it’s just beyond my reach. My wings and limbs are bound with something like magical ropes. When I struggle, they don’t tear; instead, they stretch just a little, absorbing my efforts to jerk free.
I glance around frantically, my claws scraping against the cold, unyielding stone. Suddenly, a strange mage appears in front of me. I roar at them, but they only laugh at me.
Desperately, I try to transform into my true form, hoping to shatter these bonds and the walls around me. But the ropes tighten, strangling me as I struggle. I pull and thrash, but the stone walls remain intact, their cold surface mocking my efforts.
Exhausted and defeated, I feel my strength ebbing away, and I revert back to my humanoid form. The mage’s laughter grows louder, echoing off the stone walls of the cage, and then they pull the knife out of their sleeve and stub me.
I wake up in sweat, trying to catch my breath. At the same time, the door to my room bursts open, and Red rushes in, glancing around warily. Not noticing anything unusual, she looks at me.
“Hey, Ray, are you okay? Why are you so terrified?”
“Ugh, it was just a nightmare, don’t worry.” I sigh. “Did I scream? I’m sorry to wake you up…”
“No, it’s fine. I was worried about mages, so, I wanted to check…” Red gets somewhat embarrassed.
“What an interesting ability you possess…” Priscilla also enters the room. “I haven’t noticed it from the start, but after that strong emotion burst, it’s clear for me now.”
“Do… you feel what I feel, too?” Oh, I remember now, I was feeling her pain when she was captured. “I’m sorry, I should have mentioned it before… By the way, do you know why is this happening to us?”
“As Red has said, don’t worry. About the origin of your ability… I haven’t heard about anything like this for a long time. Maybe if you share what you have seen in your nightmare it will help.” She pauses meaningfully.
Welp, if nobody is sleeping, why not to discuss it. I briefly recount what has happened in my dream.
“Oh, so you was a dragon, how interesting…” Priscilla pauses again, contemplating something.
“A dragon? Which color I wonder?” Red, on other hand, seems to become enthusiastic.
“Erm.. A green one, I think.” The dream was quite short and dark, so it’s hard to remember…
“What? Why…?” Red turns away, clearly disappointed. I’m sorry, it was just a dream!
“Really, why? Have you encountered a green dragon before? Or, if I may ask, have you seen any other dragon-related dreams before?” On the contrary, Priscilla becomes curious.
“Well, yes. Growing up, I used to see a dream about some dragon’s eyes looking at me. I’m not sure that they belong to the dragon, but they looked similar to yours, but green. I don’t remember seeing any dragon before, of course.” I barely remember my dreams, after all… “Do you have any ideas what it was?”
“I have a vague idea, but I need more evidence. I’d say there’s a high chance that your dream is not a dream at all.”
“Wait, so there’s a real dragon trapped somewhere?” This sounds terrifying.
“Maybe it is. Maybe it’s someone else’s nightmare. I can’t say for sure.” Priscilla shrugs and yawns. “Anyway, have a good sleep, my knight~” She leaves.
“A very suspicious dragon…” Red mumbles after Priscilla goes away. She sits down on the side of my bed. “I think you have actually come across a dragon or something magical before. And that dream is just an echo from your past.”
“But I don’t remember anything…” I sigh again.
“I’m not good at magic, but I’m sure that there’s some magic that can affect one’s memories. Anyway, don’t worry about it too much. If my friend is captured by those mages, I will save her and all other dragons that are in trouble.” She smiles at me warmly. “Good night.”
“What are you thinking about?” Lina’s voice returns me to reality. I shake my head.
“I’m not used to leaving Red alone for a long.” Even if I need to go outside - sitting in the four walls isn’t a good for my mental health… If it still a thing after all that’d happened.
“She’s not alone. Priscilla is with her.”
I sigh. “That’s even worse.”
Lina giggles. “I understand. My master used to often destroy stuff around her. Even now…”
“Oh, why?” I’ve thought they lived here for a dozen years.
“Well… She likes games. And when she rage-quits a game, she slams her keyboard. Not many tables have survived it.”
Now it’s my turn to giggle. “It’s hard to imagine. The dragon princess being a gamer…”
“Being a dragon in a non-magic world… I somewhat understand why she likes to escape from everyday work to imaginary worlds.” Lina stops. “This shop, it’s here. Thank you for helping me.”
“No problem. I needed to clear my head.”
“I got it~” Lina winks. “Relationship requires taking a break, right?”
I give her a grumpy glance. “It’s not a relationship… She is going to return to her world, her family and friends. Even if she had some feelings for me, it is just a fling.”
“You forget about yourself again…” She mumbles.
We enter the old pawn shop. I wonder what items Lina wants to buy in such shady shabby place…
A shop assistant - a boy a bit younger than me - looks at Lina with undisguised horror on his face. “W-w-welcome, M-mrs. Lina… W-what d-do you w-want today?”
Lina gives him a cold look and replies: “As usual.” Then she grabs my sleeve and heads to the door at the back of the store, dragging me with her.
Behind the door I see a way darker room with a big desk, and a sturdy bold man sitting at it.
He visibly shivers when he sees Lina, but manages to keep his smile, and greets us. “Oh, welcome-welcome, our favorite customer. What, khm, brings you here today?”
“I need something light and reliable for this man. And clean, of course.” She points at me.
“Lina, darling, you are going to bankrupt us. You know, it’s not easy - it’s not our main business.”
“Do I look like I care?” A spark flashes in Lina’s hair. “It’s your fault and your job to fix it.”
“But they took hostages! We didn’t have a choice.” He whines.
“Bob, please, I’ve heard this already.” I hear metal in her voice. But “hostages”, “fault”?
“This man, is he a gatekeeper?” I wonder…
“Oh, you are from this side? We have plenty of magical items for sale, if you have money, of course.” Bob stands up with a servile smile.
“They are more like magical black market than actual ‘keepers’.” Lina glares at Bob, erasing his smile.
Honestly, this kind of market is expected, knowing that magic exists. While I’m wondering what the government might think about it, Bob takes something from a drawer and puts it on top of his desk. “Is it good enough? We have two extra magazines, if needed.”
What? A pistol?! For me?! I look at a rather bulky matte black pistol with a chunky textured grip. Then I look at Lina and she raises a finger to her lips, indicating silence. “I will explain later,” she whispers. Then she grabs the gun, inspects at it from different angles and nods.
Bob breathes out and slams back with a visible relief. “I’m glad you are happy. Please come again.”
We leave the room after Lina hides the pistol, and after the door closes, I hear a quiet “what a damn witch…” Lina grins and touches the door. I hear a short zap and then a scream. Lina giggles and waves me to follow her to the exit.
(to be continued)