A flash of blue shoved before me, and the Wyvern hit the other man hard. Both palms shoved against the tan one's shoulders, forcing the man back, but he merely spread his shoulders and chest. They looked ready to fight, and the snarls coming from each sounded feral. Behind them, their tails lashed. The dangerous barbs were still retracted, but the whips were deadly enough.

Each sentence came out louder than the last, and none of them made any sense. The Wyvern pointed towards me. The tan one pointed towards the other side of the tree. Both males had their muscles tensed as if ready for a fight, and they shifted back and forth, each one taking his turn to lean in a little closer. Thankfully they didn't attack.

Not until the tan one took a step towards me. That was more than the Wyvern could take. Moving faster than anything I'd seen before, he lunged, shoving the tan Dragon onto his rump. The man snarled out a string of sounds, but didn't immediately get up. Instead, the Wyvern pointed to the far side of the trees. Letting out a breath, the tan one nodded.

And then, the Wyvern turned to me, but he didn't make a move to approach. He simply knelt, picking up two small pieces of wood and placing a larger one before him. Treating them like dolls, he mimed what he'd been unable to convey in words. The smallest stick was meant to be me. The slightly bigger one was him. The one lying on the ground was the tree.

When he lifted one of those hairless brows, I nodded to show I was following along. Then, he clasped his stick with two fingers, the tips of them sticking out too much, and carefully laid the smaller stick - me - on them. Balancing the smallest stick on the Wyvern one, he bounced the pair over the "tree."

He was asking if he could carry me over!

The Wyvern had seen my wounded feet. He knew the debris would hurt. The others had strange feet, so this wasn't a big deal for them. To me, it would be painful, so he wanted to help. The Wyvern. He was offering to actually help me?

So, with my heart racing and my mind trying to prepare for how he would betray me, I nodded. Mostly, I agreed because he'd asked. The two of us hadn't shared a single understandable word, but he'd stopped the other Dragon from grabbing me, and then he'd figured out some way to ask if he could actually touch me? It was more than any of the Righteous men had ever done.

Slowly, carefully, he approached me. Always watching my face, he reached down for my hand. That, he lifted over his shoulder, right around his neck. The chain connecting my arms slipped down my back, but the Wyvern simply ignored it as he bent to scoop an arm beneath the backs of my knees. When I didn't flinch or squeal, he lifted.

The moment my weight was off the ground, I grabbed at him for support. His shoulders were slick, but that was simply his strange skin. The muscles beneath were hard, giving my hands something to clasp. As carefully as he could, the monster most feared by the Righteous curled me up against his chest as if I were a child. And then he walked towards the tree.

Getting over it wasn't an ordeal. His legs were long enough that it was just a big step. I worried my weight would make him stagger, but he didn't seem to notice. Then again, he'd lifted me as easily as I would pick up an infant. There was only one problem.

Something about the whole thing felt… nice. Maybe protected was a better word? For a split second, I dared to hope this strange man-creature might even help keep me alive - but I knew that wouldn't happen. I'd been taught better. For as long as I could remember, the Wyvern had been singled out as the most nefarious of the Dragons. He was the one who would lull a man into submission only to destroy him when it was more convenient.

And cradled in his arms, I now understood exactly how that was possible.

NineteenAyla

We walked for hours more after that, and didn't stop again until it was very dark. The green Dragon began gathering wood. The yellow one cleared an area for a fire. The brown one disappeared along with the tan one, and the Wyvern found a tree well away from the group to sit beside. I simply knelt where the fire would eventually end up.

We were obviously on a trek to somewhere, but I had no clue where. Everyone else seemed to know, though. Maybe it was one of those tribes of heathens I'd heard about? If that was the case, did I really want to run away before I got there?

Callah had a suspicion they might not be as evil as we'd been taught. Or maybe they were, but evil wasn't a bad thing? Then again, if she was wrong and the heathens were cruel, was I placidly allowing myself to be led to my own demise?

In truth, I hated this. Trying to think so hard about every single thing in a world which was nothing but new things made me exhausted. The effort of just walking all day had worn my body out. All of it made me aware of exactly how weak I really was, but one thing stood out: the Wyvern.

All day long, he'd been kind. Could it be a ruse? Sure. The bigger question was what I would do if it wasn't. I'd already seen enough to know the Elders hadn't been completely right. The Dragons hadn't immediately pounced on me. There were clearly people on the surface of the world. Earth was definitely habitable, so why were the Righteous still locked in the caves? And if they'd been wrong about that much, was it possible they were wrong about the Wyvern too?

But did I want to risk it? Now that the sky was dark, my eyes were working well again. The streaming tears had stopped and I could actually see. This was my chance to get away. All I had to do was wait until the five Dragons took their attention off me. Even better, I'd wait for them to fall asleep.

By the time the fire was blazing, the rest of the Dragons were back, and they carried what had to be meat. I saw two rabbits, some kind of bird, and a few other things I couldn't identify.

The yellow one set about cooking the animals, but I had no clue how to help. There was no stove here. I couldn't see any tools I was used to using, so I merely watched. Since the others didn't seem to expect me to do anything else, I shifted back, away from the heat.

When a whistle pierced the night, I turned, finding the Wyvern looking at me once again. He lifted his hand and crooked a finger, gesturing for me to come towards him. Summoning me.

With a deep, nervous breath, I obeyed. The Wyvern had clearly taken an interest in me, and I wasn't convinced it was a good thing. The last man who'd tried had been Reynold Saunders, and that had ended disastrously.

The leaves made my feet protest, but I managed, wincing with each step. The Wyvern's eyes narrowed, and when I made to sit, he offered me a hand, giving me something to lean against while I made it down to the ground. Then he offered me more water. With big gulps, I accepted. As soon as I paused for a breath, he tapped the end of the bottle and gestured for me to wait. I tried, but I was so thirsty I had to have another drink. Again, he let me, until I took another breath. Then he took the bottle back, making me groan in complaint.

That made him chuckle. It was soft but the amused kind. Closing the top, he shook the bottle, and held his finger to the side. "Das awhl."

I had no idea what that meant, so I shook my head.

He scrunched up his face. "Dee boudalz olmast ampti."

Still nothing. The Wyvern shrugged and gave up. Leaning his head back on the bark of the tree, he closed his eyes, relaxing completely. I decided to take the chance to truly look him over. His skin was dark but it wasn't really scaly. It looked patterned, but not like a fish. I wanted to touch it, just to be sure, but I wasn't nearly that brave.

He had no eyebrows, but he did have hair. Long, matted locks hung just below his shoulders. Dreadlocks, I thought they were called. A few had decorations in them, mostly carved wood, but some had metal or other items. Nothing about him was overly ornate, except his color.

All of the Dragons had a unique pattern, but his was the most striking. Maybe not the most beautiful, since the yellow man got that word, but the Wyvern's color was definitely striking. He was so dark with those thin, pastel lines from his upper lip, across his face, down his back, and all the way down to his feet. His throat and belly were a dark grey. On his face, from his nose to his temples, were more lines, but these ended at his hair. His face seemed very human-shaped, but his nose was different, broader at the top between his eyes, almost like a cat's.

"Zazen," the green man said, making me flinch. I glanced over to see him walking towards us with part of the cooked rabbit.

The Wyvern cracked open his orange eyes and smiled. "Daunkz, Omden."

The green one ducked his head and handed it over, then gave me a pointed look. Having no idea what that was about, I glanced over at the Wyvern. He was peeling away meat, gently eating the chunks from his fingers. Uninterested, I turned back to look at the fire, watching the silhouettes of the Dragons moving before it.

The Wyvern tapped my shoulder, interrupting my thoughts to offer the carcass in his hands. I shook my head, but he smiled, pulling a tidbit off just to hold it out. I shook my head again, yet he refused to give up. He pointed at it, then pointed at me while still holding the remainder of the rabbit in that hand.

Giving in, I sighed and held out my hand. When he placed the warm meat in my palm, he was grinning. Bracing for the disgusting taste, I took a bite, then paused. It tasted nothing like what I was used to eating! This didn't taste like the meat they fed us in the compound. I took another little nibble just to be sure.

My confusion must've shown on my face. The Wyvern chuckled and offered a piece of the carcass, indicating I should take more. For the first time in my memory, I did. I pulled at the meat, unused to eating with my fingers, and groaned in pleasure. The Wyvern laughed, giving me a sly smile.

That was the same kind of look Gideon had given Meri before their wedding. It was how Reynold Saunders had looked when he'd told me my father had beaten him to marrying my mother. It was the type of smile that proved the man had other thoughts besides simply being kind.

Licking at my fingers, I shifted over, trying to casually put distance between myself and the Wyvern. He grabbed my arm, his hand moving like a snake, preventing me from escaping. When I sucked in a breath, he lifted his section of the rabbit and passed it to me. My fingers were barely on it before he scooted away, leaving enough space for a man to sit between us. Without a word, he'd made his position clear. Smile or not, he wasn't planning on doing more than sharing a silent meal.

I ate my fill, more than I was allowed in the compound, then offered the remains back. He stood, pulled off another chunk, and wandered towards the others. One of the guys accepted what was left, picking at the bones and then tossing the clean ones into the fire while the Wyvern grabbed something from the packs that had traveled with them. He returned with a single blanket.

In the space between us, he spread it on the ground, scooped a handful of leaves under one edge for a pillow, then returned to his place. When I looked over, he pointed at it, then leaned back and closed his eyes. I quickly claimed the makeshift bed, but kept my eyes on him. If he tried to join me, I'd run. The chains might still be on my wrists, but I could use them as a whip if I had to. A weak and ineffective one, but it was better than nothing.

Beside me, he sat perfectly motionless. The Wyvern's chest rose and fell slowly, as if he was sleeping, but I wasn't fooled that easily. When a log shifted in the fire, I looked over, glancing away from the Wyvern for a single second. When I looked back, his eyes were open and resting on me.

He smiled again and dropped his lids. Evidently, he wasn't going to move. Giving in, I closed my eyes and let my mind start to drift. One day ago, I'd been a good woman. I'd never wanted to become a problem.

That hadn't changed things at all.

Maybe I was weak. The walk had made that clear enough. Still, that didn't mean I was stupid! It also didn't mean I deserved what those men wanted to do to me. Plus, it wasn't like I'd ever asked for much. I just wanted to be myself. That was all I'd ever hoped for.

But because I'd had the misfortune to be born a girl, I was supposed to be happy cooking, cleaning, and making babies until it killed me. If I refused, I'd be punished - severely. After all, a woman's life was much less valuable than a man's.

"A woman's duty." That was all I ever heard about, but out here, I had no idea what to expect. Each time I thought I understood, these Dragons confused me again. So, I was just going to take this one step at a time.

If I was completely honest with myself, this world was better. It was definitely more beautiful, but I wasn't thinking about that part. While my day of walking in the glaring light had been hard, it had also been something. I was experiencing something new. Maybe I didn't have the comforts of home, but this new world gave me other things. I just wasn't sure if they were all lies.

At least it was warm enough I didn't need blankets. That was my last thought before my mind began to drift. I was almost asleep when the sound of something screaming in the forest jerked me back awake. It hadn't been that far away, and it sounded really big! A clawed finger touched my shoulder, making me flinch and spin, but the Wyvern was still there, watching me calmly.

He pointed to his ear, pointed to the forest behind him, and lifted something from beside his hip. It was a strange, curved piece of metal that fit around his hand. He had another hanging on his other side, but I'd assumed it was some kind of primitive decoration. Slowly, he dragged the edge of his finger across it, making it clear the thing was sharp, then dropped it beside his thigh again. When I kept watching, he simply smiled and motioned for me to lie back down.