Dragon's Cave

I held the bread, meat, and water in my hand tightly as I walked to where Caelus, and the girl, Leora was. I glared at the wet, cold ground as I took long, graceful steps. I was finally free from the dragon...but instead...this girl was put in my place. Well, I wasn't completely free. I still have to keep Caelus and the girl from escaping...so my job isn't done. I have no choice though. I would rather do this job than die. I stopped when I saw Leora with Caelus. I sighed and muttered,"Sorry for being late. I have brought food." I went up to the girl and handed her the bread and water. Then I turned around and began to walk away. However, I stopped, turned around, and said,"I will be guarding from outside. If you need me, then come find me." I continued walking, clutching my staff tightly in my hand.

Drip, drop. Drip, drop. The water sounds are engraved in my mind. 'How long...how long have I been in here?' I wondered to myself. Every turn, every entrance...I've memorized all of it. This cave gave me horrible memories. The memories of people dying. The bloodshed. I clutched my staff more tightly. My aqua eyes brimmed with tears. I will never escape this place, and I knew it. The tears fell down my white mask, and quickly wiped it away. I haven't shown my emotions in many years. I stood outside of the cave's entrance, and formed a seal to keep anything or anyone from coming in. I stood in front of it. If anyone were to get to Caelus, they will have to go through me.

As I was sitting on the cold, stone floor playing with the ends of my tattered dress, I heard the sound of boots clicking against the stone somewhere in the darkness. The clicking was swift, as if its owner was in a hurry. I stiffened in the only beam of light in the cave, but then relaxed when Emilee’s familiar face appeared just moments later. I jumped up quickly with a smile spreading across my face. The smile faded when I saw Emilee’s frustrated expression. Although she wore a mask that covered most of her face, her emotions were still easy to recognize.

"Sorry for being late. I have brought food.” Emilee murdered coldly. Before I could respond, she placed water and bread in my hands and then stalked off. Before she was completely enveloped by the darkness, she turned and looked at me. "I will be guarding from outside. If you need me, then come find me." She hastily stated. Then she continued back into the darkness. The sound of her quickening footsteps faded moments later.

Sighing, I returned to my spot on the floor with the food in my hands. My angry stomach roared viciously at the sight of food again. I flushed slightly and tried to quiet my stomach by taking a huge bite out of the bread Emilee had given me. After a few more bites of similar fashion, the hungering beast finally quieted down. Taking a few sips from the water, I felt satisfied at last.

My mind switched to Emilee (after it wasn’t worried about food anymore). Questions circle inside my skull like a tornado. Why did she leave for so long? Does she not like me anymore? Did I say something? Why did she go back out again? How, why, when, where, what! I shook my head I couple of times as if to shake the thoughts away. Whatever the reason may be, it has to be a good one. I reassured myself. She is that kind of person. I rested my head on my knees.

Looking over at Caelus, I saw that she was fiercely devouring the meat Emilee had brought for her. I giggled at her.

“Looks like you are enjoying yourself, Caelus.” I said smiling. “I told you Emilee would come.” I rose from my spot on the floor and placed my leftover bread and water on a large rock that came up to the middle of my thighs. Retrieving my shawl from the floor, I spun and twirled in the retreating light of the day as it darkened into a new night. A feeling of joy washed over me and I acquired that familiar sensation to sing. I took a deep breath of the cool cave air. Twirling once again, I opened my mouth and let loose a soft melody.

The words came naturally to me as if they were buried deep inside me soul. It was instinct for me to sing, pure instinct, and I was proud to own it. Somehow the words I sing are always familiar no matter if I have sung them before or not. As I sing I feel as if someone else is singing along with me. It’s as if someone is connected to me. I always wondered why I felt this way.

I continued to dance and sing deep into the night until finally my feet were numb from the cold and my tongue bled freely from over singing. My movements slowed and my words slurred. My eyelids felt extremely heavy. The ground got closer and closer. And then I blacked out.

An angelic figure clothed in white lay against the coolness of the cavern floor. Rhythmically, her chest rose and fell in her sleep. Her golden hair was horribly tangled while her dress was tattered. Her mouth was covered in dried blood. Everything was perfectly still and quiet, something the girl had rarely experienced. Usually the sounds of the great dragon Aconite would fill the cave and echo off the walls. Even his snores would shake the cavern walls. He must have been still for some time now if Leora could sleep for this long uninterrupted.

The one small opening at the roof of the cave shimmered brightly with the light of day, casting a soft glow that bathed the sleeping girl in warmth. She stirred. A pair of bright blue eyes blinked in the light. Suddenly the silence was disturbed by a loud sneeze. Leora sat up on the cold floor rubbing her face. Flakes of dried blood migrated from her face to her hands causing her to look at them closely. She sighed while trying to remove the blood from her face. I did it again didn’t I? As if to answer her thoughts, her tongue tasted of the red substance painting her face.

Once she believed that all of the blood was gone, she looked around. There was no sign of Aconite or even Maedoc. She knew Aconite was in the shadows somewhere, but he must have been in a bad mood to be hiding like this. He was awfully big to not be seen so not being able to see him was only because he didn’t want to be seen. Her scaly companion’s location, however sketchy it was, was known to her, but what about her other companion? Maedoc has been taking care of Leora sense she was a babe. She loved him like a daughter would love her father, but he never seemed to return that love. He even has begun disappearing for days at a time. Today has been the third day sense she had last seen him and she was beginning to worry. Feeling alone, the young girl hugged her knees in the only speck of light in her cage of shadows.