Silya & The Dragon

Silya's heart pounded in her throat and her body coursed with adrenaline. Involuntary shaking had started in her legs so that she collapsed and fell, trembling with fear. Her back and the back of her legs ached from where her fresh wounds oozed thick red blood. She could smell the metallic smell in the air around her, and it nearly made her sick to her stomach.

"Get the fuck up, bitch!" As the man barked the order, he delivered a swift kick to the back of her head, knocking her down as she had tried to stand.

Her disorientation made getting up hard, and the pain from the kick made her head throb—but it was only mild compared to the shock her body had been put through only an hour or so before. Silya couldn't see the man since she had been blind folded, but she knew it was the thick round one; one of Askar's brothers that she unfortunate circumstance of meeting earlier in the day.

Begging hadn't gotten her anywhere, and her body was so weak she thought she would die before she got where she was going. She half hoped she would despite there was a nagging hope in her, a fiery optimism that was slowly being extinguished as the sharp rocks underfoot cut her feet.

"You fucking whore, you deserve all of this. If you'd just laid down and let him have his way with you to give him a babe, you'd be better off, and you could continue to live that spoiled life you're so used to living," Malas sneered. "You should know better than to strike a man."

Silya's other brother-in-law spoke up as they made sure Silya walked onwards, as slow as it was. It was the tall and slender brother with narrow shoulders and a thick beard that hung down to his chest. "No, I don't think so, Malas. She's better being beaten and left to die. She was never good enough for him anyway. A common whore has more decency than this bitch. If she wasn't so disgusting I would have fucked her like a whore already."

"Ah, Mastik. You love whores too much." Malas laughed.

"More than you love food, brother," Mastik quipped with a chuckle.

Silya continued to try to walk, but her legs were about to give out. She was afraid to speak anymore after what had happened the last time she spoke—they had heated a knife and pulled her tongue out and threatened to cut it out, although they hadn't. It was a torture tactic, but they had let the heat of the blade touch her upper thigh, where it instantly gave her a very severe burn.

"I—I'm about to pass out." Silya warned as her walking slowed and eventually stopped. She could feel the world spinning and she let out a yelp as she crashed to the ground, the world spinning faster and faster.

"Get up!" Malas yelled.

Silya was still conscious to her surprise, but Malas' voice was fading, and so were his yells. She felt no expected blows to her body, and soon her senses faded to black.

There was no telling how long it was, but she woke up thrown over someone's shoulder, her head bouncing along the way. She realized it was Sal, the brother that everyone bullied. He was the youngest among the four brothers. She heard the men talking, and she stayed limp to feign that she was still unconscious. For what felt like half an hour, although she had no concept of time, she thought she might give away her act if she moved.

The young man's shoulder wasn't comfortable because of the new muscle he was developing that was tensed and flexed as he walked, and she wanted to squirm so desperately. After a while, she couldn't help but shift on him. Her whole body ached and she grew nauseated when she realized he was covered in her blood.

He turned his head sharply to look at her, but her voice was quick to call out to him "Don't look at me! Please," Silya whispered urgently. "Please don't let your brothers know I'm awake," she begged, thick tears streamed down her face, stinging the small cuts there.

Sal was alarmed but listened to her, tossing her gently so she'd be readjusted as he walked. He didn't respond at first, and instead seemed angry, but the façade ended within minutes. It was clear to Silya he wasn't a sadist like the other three. He hadn't raised a hand to her even as his other two brothers beat on her and whipped her raw at Askar's house. "Please help me, Sal. I'm so hurt," she whispered softly.

"Eh, Sal? Everything alright back there? You're starting to drag. We got a ways to go!" Called Malas to his younger brother.

"Yeah, everything is fine." Sal answered. He hated his brothers—all of them. "I'm just getting tired." Under his breath, he whispered to Silya, "I can't. They'll do to me what they did to you. They've beat me before."

"That's why you need to train more and work out! You're so weak you can barely carry such a small thing. You aren't carrying a cow!" Malas sneered at his younger brother, slowing down and seemingly thinking of stopping so he could hit him. He carried on his way ahead of them instead, deciding it wasn't worth the extra time.

"The dragon is not too far from here?" Mastik asked.

"Yeah, not too far from here at all. We're almost there. It flies out during the day or even for several days at a time. Askar had me watch its dwelling for a few days."

Silya forced herself to stop crying and listen to each of the men. Sal wasn't going to help her. They were taking her very far out, and considering a good part of the way had been by horseback, she had no idea how long it would take her to return even to the city limits by foot if she escaped—and she knew she wouldn't be able to walk. Was she really going to die by some dragon? Her world went dark again.

*****

When she awoke, she realized she was bound. Her hands were tied painfully tight behind her back and her body was sore. As she came to her senses, she realized the fabric over her eyes had loosened, and on the cold ground, she managed to sit up. She was against what she guessed was a cave wall. It was damp, and cool water dripped down parts of it.

Silya wiggled her body against the smooth wall, trying to let the water drip into her mouth. It was cool and refreshing and it felt good on her hot, dry skin. She was beyond dehydrated, and she drank as much as she could before she tired. She moved her head back and forth, and the blinder finally fell off. It was no surprise that she still couldn't see.

Her whole body throbbed with pain, and she felt some of her wounds still bleeding. It hurt even to sit up. The fabric of her sheer nightgown was shredded to bits in the back and front, and it barely clung to her frame.

She whimpered as she fought against the bounds. She was weak and she wasn't sure if she would get out of this place. She honestly had no idea how big the cave was, which direction to go or how deep she was in. There was no light at all. She had no concept of time. She slept and woke several times, each time failing to get out of her bounds.

When there was a great rumbling sound, something that sounded like thunder that echoed throughout the caves, she jumped and looked around, her chest rising and falling. She could hear unhuman footsteps approaching, and a raging growl echoing. It was the dragon.

"Who dares enter my home?!" Boomed a deep, gruff voice. The dragon was growling and searching, wet stomps carrying it forward as it searched its cave.

Silya was shaking again. She was going to be torn to pieces by the beast! Or burned to death. Her heart was pounding and her skin burned from the adrenaline rushing through her. She didn't say anything, not sure how to respond. She didn't want to be found.

"I can smell you, you filthy human." The dragon growled aloud. "I'll ask again. Who is there?!"

Silya refused to say anything, whimpering as she pressed herself into the wall as much as possible.

Instead of the booming voice, a sudden light and extreme heat came rushing through the room—the dragon's fire. It shot a distance from her, but it made contact with the wall, and it sent the whole space into a sudden illumination as a carved ring built near the cave's ceiling caught fire. It was a built-in torch.

Silya knew she was illuminated, and she could now be seen. She looked around now, and a flash of gold caught her eye, just outside of the large room she was in. And that's when she saw it.

The dragon came forward through the room, towering over her with great wings. The golden dragon was nearly three times her size, and she froze and looked up at it as it whipped its great spiked tail back and forth. Her breath caught in her chest. The dragon was looking at her with eyes that matched its scales. "Plea-please don't k-kill me," She begged. "I-I don't want to die... please..."

The dragon paced in half circles a distance from her, observing her. "How are you here? Did someone do this to you?" The dragon asked of her as it paced.

"Yes." Silya said, swallowing dryly. "My husband's brothers. They left me for dead, they knew you were here..." She said shakily, averting her eyes from the dragon's nearly glowing orbs. "I don't want to die." She said again.

"They have invaded my home, but you have not. I am not going to harm you for their crimes." Stopping directly in front of her, the dragon lowered its head to gaze at her curiously. "They have brought you to refuge. You are safe."

The room was beginning to spin again, and she felt faint. She looked at the dragon, blinking and trying to keep her focus, but his golden eyes and scales faded from view as she went limp.