Dragon 6 chapter 17 - edit (Patreon)

“It isn’t far,” Regina declared, picking her way through misty jungles at the base of a mountain.

I couldn’t believe how oversized everything felt. The trees were all big enough that it would take at least a dozen men to circle. And the air was just so thick with moisture that it made it feel like I’d just gotten out of a bath.

We had taken a good chunk of the morning working our way through various arches to the current jungle. Regina had started getting more selective with the archways that she went through as the morning went on.

“Close enough to fly?” Brit asked excitedly.

“Probably. We are in Tiamat’s territory now. It’s unlikely anything is going to bother us if we fly.” Regina seemed to consider it for a moment. “You’ll have to ride someone.” She looked at me. “It’s going to be fucking hard to talk people down if a male flies in.”

“Don’t worry. You can ride me down to the village all day.” Hiplina let out a low growl and pawed at me.

“He rides with me.” Regina slapped her hand away. “Don’t think I haven’t heard the rumors, Hip.”

The other dragon snorted and looked around at the rest for a little help, but none of them seemed to want to mess with Regina. I felt more comfortable knowing that she had the respect to back her promises she’d made to me.

“Get on. I’ll fly down.” Regina stepped away and started to shift.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I was tired of walking. Even if she flew, being in the air would feel good. I jumped on her back as she finished her shift.

The others were right behind her as she took to the air. Her large wings shattered the treetops as she pumped them, lifting us higher.

I got a better view of the gargantuan trees as we moved higher into the air. The main feature of the area, and why it was probably so wet, was a giant waterfall off the side of the mountain, and just beside the waterfall, spewing up water where it hit the ground.

I could make out an open space near it, likely a basin carved from the mountain by the water. The water ran as a stream through it and down another waterfall.

“Is that the village?” I asked.

“Yes,” she growled, circling a quarter of the mountain and flying into the village. She shifted when she landed and caught me in her arms. “Don’t shift while you are here. If they realize your dragon isn’t sealed, there will be problems. I cannot protect you from that chaos.”

Regina put me down, and our entrance into the village attracted nothing more than a few glances as we moved. I tried not to stare, but I was taking in all of the other villagers who didn’t seem shocked at all at a bunch of dragons landing in their area.

“Is everyone here dragons?” I asked.

“Most. There are a few others from the Wilds that have joined,” she explained.

The other dragon women landed and Britanica glared at Regina. “I think we should all get a chance with the ‘king’.”

“Bite me,” Regina scoffed. “I will present him to Tiamat tomorrow. Hands off until then.”

They didn’t like it, but they held off.

“See you tomorrow, king.” Brit waved with a shit-eating grin.

“You know, if Tiamat doesn’t see you tomorrow, I will have to let them at least try for your favor,” Regina told me. “They may have gotten caught up when we first found you, but they would treat you right, even Hip if you let her."

I let my eyes wander the village. Men walked around the same as women, but they walked slightly behind a woman most of the time. And I noticed them dodging out of the way of the powerfully built and scantily clad women when they weren't accompanied.

Nobody seemed to mind their nakedness as the women I’d traveled with strolled through the town. The men, however, were mostly clothed in one large cloth, almost like dresses.

I was catching some looks with my odd clothes.

“Let’s both get changed. Come on.” Regina realized the attention I was getting at the same time as I did, pushing me forward through the village.

As we went, I tried to get a sense for their numbers. Based on what I was seeing, there were likely several hundred dragons in the village. That was several times the dragons outside the Wilds, and these had been eating mana-rich meat.

Or at least, the women had.

Opposite of the waterfall, there was a large stone temple. It looked like stacked trays. Each one was smaller than the last. No one came and went from the entrance.

“That’s where Tiamat resides?” I made a guess.

“Tomorrow,” Regina reminded me. “Going now wouldn’t be very useful. It’s too late in the day. I’ve never heard of anyone successfully entering after noon.”

I nodded, deciding to take her advice if it meant the best chance of meeting my mother. Who I knew could be temperamental all too well.

There certainly didn’t seem to be anybody moving around the area. The two guards standing at the door watched us as Regina led me across the village.

“This is my place.” She pushed me through the rough wood doorway.

Inside was small. There was a table by the doorway, and beyond that there was a sleeping chamber and a small room with a basin full of water.

“The water is fresh, or at least it should be.” She stepped into it and grabbed a rough brush, starting to work herself clean. “We can go bathe in the waterfall tomorrow, but this is quicker. Dinner will start shortly.”

“Dinner?” I asked, surprised at the normalcy.

“We’ll eat before it gets dark. Then we will come back here to sleep. There’s a communal dinner with plenty of food and meat; we are dragons after all.” She snorted and went back to work scrubbing herself in the water.

I stood awkwardly to the side. “Need me to get you a towel or something?”

She frowned at my question, not seeming to understand. Plush towels were apparently out of the question.

“Hand me the strigil.” She gestured to a table, and I picked up a hook with a handle. But it wasn’t sharp at the end, and one of the edges of the loop was flat. “What? They don’t use these anymore?” She held her hand out for the rough metal tool.

I watched with a little interest as she stood up in the basin and used the curved part to scrape away the water on her skin, taking the dirt with it. “No. Can’t say we do.”

“Huh.” She worked on her chest, scraping away the water around her bosom gently, and a little slower than the rest.

I met her eyes, realizing she’d been watching me stare.

“Like what you see?” She raised an eyebrow. “Your request doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a woman, if that’s what you want. I won’t bite.” She smiled at me as she started working the strigil lower down her abs.

During the time we’d been traveling, she’d been my enemy, but as she bathed, she seemed less like a foe. And as I’d taken in her body at that moment, it was hard to ignore how attractive she could be.

But I wasn’t going to sleep with a captor.

“No thanks.” I turned away, and the moment soured.

“Pity.” She scraped herself a bit more, then there was a pause in the noise followed by the sound of water pouring out.

It sounded like she’d wrung her hair out above the basin. “Comb, please, and next is your turn. I think I have something that’ll fit you.”

I shucked off my clothes, standing tall. I wouldn’t wilt like the men outside. I ignored her gaze as I put my clothes into my bracer and slipped into the basin.

Sinking down, I let my body relax into the water, not caring that water threatened to rise up over the edge and pour out on her floor. Dunking my head under, I scrubbed at the dirt covering me.

When I came up, Regina handed me the strigil.

I frowned at it, but I knew what to do. It seemed a bit like shaving, but without a blade. Running the coarse metal over my skin, I was actually a little impressed at how well it cleaned and dried me.

Regina watched me without a shred of guilt, and my glare only made her smile as she raised an eyebrow as if begging me to argue. Knowing it was no use, I just focused on completing the task.

She got dressed, but apparently, that amounted to no more than a typical bikini. Although, I had to acknowledge that it looked much higher quality than what she’d worn hunting me.

Rather than just simple leather, this was dyed a vibrant green with fringe and beads woven around the edges.

“Here. Wear this so you blend in a little better.” She pulled what I thought was a sack out of the trunk.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I sighed, picking it up and stepping out of the basin. It was like a poncho. The thing was a single sheet of cloth with holes for my head and arms.

Wrinkling my nose, I put it on, acknowledging that it at least smelled fresh. After I finished, she handed me a thick cord that I used to pull it in and cinch it to my waist.

“Now you look like a male.” She smiled at me, looking me up and down. “Careful with that bracer though.”

I put a hand on it possessively. “You aren’t taking it from me.”

She held her hands up. “No, I won’t. But a man wearing a metal clasp has a certain meaning. Though, most wear it on their bicep.”

“And what does it indicate?”

“That you are claimed.” She grinned predatorily.

I decided to ignore what she was hinting at. “Well, I am. I told you; I have mates. Now, let’s go get some food. Breakfast sucked on the way here.”

She only laughed and led me out. “Stay behind me. I will protect you.”

I grunted in acknowledgement as I watched the other men. They kept close and traveled with women. With the new information, I glanced at their biceps.

Those that walked directly behind a woman often had a gold or silver metal band around their arm.

“Are the bands forced on them?”

“Why would they be?” She scoffed. “The men here are happy for a woman’s protection. They are lucky to join a household. You are the one who’s rude. The others would have happily taken you into their family after a few rounds to make sure you weren’t a dud.”

It was my turn to scoff. If women were their best source of protection, a man would likely need to find at least one woman to protect him in a village. There were always unsavories in any society.

Regina led me closer to the waterfall, where the village seemed to open up. Men worked at firepits while women laughed boisterously nearby. They ate food and gossiped. Every now and then, a woman would fly down and drop off a freshly hunted carcass before shifting and joining the others.

“Do your best to help the other men as they cook. If you come with me now, it will only cause you to stand out.”

Stepping over to where the men gathered, I noticed that they were working on gutting a giant boar and skewering it while a woman held the boar in place with one giant claw. The men looked strong, and well fed. Even if they couldn't shift, they were still dragons.

“Let me help.” I could use some of my dragon strength, and make this easier on them.

Without access to their dragons, they just hadn’t been able to harness the strength and power within them. But they seemed healthy and happy.

The two men holding the spear stepped back, and I held it firmly in one hand. With my other hand, I held the spine of the boar. Holding them steady, I shoved it clean through in a single go.

“Strong. I haven’t seen you before.” An older man wiped his hands off while two others hefted the now skewered pig and put it on a spit over a fire.

“Zach.” I held out my hand.

He looked at it strangely, and I realized I was operating on a custom that may not have translated over. “You aren’t from here are you?”

“Nope.” I didn’t hide it. “Lived elsewhere. A group of hunters found me and dragged me back here.”

He eyed my bracer. “Claimed?”

“Yes. Not by any woman here,” I scoffed.

Some laughter from the women caught the other dragon’s attention. “Sure.” He didn’t sound like he believed me.

Regina was amid a group of women, surrounded by women I hadn’t seen before. Many of them were pointing at me and giving me hungry looks. Meanwhile, they seemed to be playfully egging Regina on, trying to get her to tell them more.

“How else can I help with dinner? I’m afraid I’m not a great cook, but I can lift.” I wanted to help the men.

“Can you chop?” he asked.

I frowned. “Chop?”

He grabbed my shoulder. “I’m Mortius. Claimed by Tindrel; she’s a good woman.” He said it quickly, seeming to want to defend her. And giving me the impression that other women weren’t.

“Hopefully there aren’t too many bad ones.” I said it lightheartedly, but I watched his reaction. He gave me a hard stare as if to warn me to let him help me.

“If you know what’s good for you, you would let someone like me help you find a woman. You’re new and don’t know our village. I can help you avoid some of the pitfalls.” Mortius took me around a rock where they hid the work from the women who were enjoying dinner.

“Chopping.” He pointed at wood for the fires.

“Ah,” I sighed, seeing a rough and dull ax for the job. I tried not to roll my eyes. “This is what you give the new ones to do?” I asked.

He only smiled at me. “Yes, until they have a woman. After that, you get a little more respect, you may earn different jobs. It depends on who claims you.”

“Then tell me more about Regina?” I asked. Knowing more about my captor couldn’t hurt.

“Red?” he asked for confirmation as I picked up the ax.

“Yep. She’s the one who hunted me down.” I lined up a log and swung with just my human strength. The dull ax bit into the wood but didn’t split it.

I grunted as I put my foot on the log and pried it out. “Is she a ‘good one’?”

He shrugged. “Reds are temperamental at best, but they are strong. She’s a hunter, and a good one. She’s young. I don’t think she’s claimed a man before.”

Lining up the log, I used a little of my dragon strength. The ax cracked through the log, splitting it this time. The man looked down, frowning a little at my success. He had likely expected it to take a few more swings.

“So, she’s unknown, so you’re going off her color?” I asked.

“My woman is a good woman. She’s a blue; they are tender to those they claim.” He tried again.

I paused, feeling like he was selling his family to me. Which, was uncomfortable. But so far, he was the only person who had talked to me in the village.

“Maybe after we finish here, I can meet her?” I tried to keep him talking.

“Wonderful. Here, let me help you.” Mortius kicked away the split wood and put a new one in place for me.

Using a little dragon strength, I split the new log in one stroke.

“Strong,” he complimented me, watching me closely.

I did my best not to roll my eyes. “Yeah. Say, do you ever miss your dragon?”

“Huh?” He frowned. “No. With it, I would be unable to live in the village. We are just too aggressive for our own good. Our dragons must be removed so that we can all live under Tiamat's protection.”

“Of course. Sorry I asked.” I frowned and split the next log shortly after he lined it up.

He seemed happy enough, but watching the men live without their dragons bothered me.

Knowing what it felt like to have your dragon tucked away, I knew they must feel the beast somewhere inside of them. A yearning to break free and feel the rush of flying. Yet, the logic I'd been told since coming here was sound. Other male dragons made me prickle, being in a village with dozens of them would drive me to the edge.

So it made sense, no matter how much I disliked it, it was their way of life.

“So, Mortius, tell me more about my new home.” I smiled and split another log, even as my shoulders ached.