The Dragon Blood Guardian *COMPLETED*

Truth and Lies

I was then thrown over a muscular shoulder and though I should have bothered crying out or clawing at his thick back, I allowed him to carry me up what felt like a flight of twisting stairs. I simply saw no point in fighting it. Clearly I'd done enough damage as it was and if this was the act of the infamous Ravens seeking to silence a disturber of the peace, I wasn't looking to add to my charges.

Of course, the thought that this wasn't the town's police, that instead I was being manhandled by a sinister character of ill-repute, did cross my mind. However, other than the quick silencing of a burlap bag and the unceremonious toss over his shoulder, my treatment wasn't terribly threatening. No cuffs around my hands, no binding upon my feet, and no knife to my throat. Perhaps it was because I was behaving or perhaps it really was just someone looking to shut me up.

We were crossing a wooden floor, the hollow footsteps echoing in a quiet hallway. I never felt the heat of the sun upon the back of my neck, nor the salty breath of the sea, so I assumed we were still in the lounge. After a few strides, my captor stopped and rapped on a door. There was a muffled response, made even more indistinguishable by the coarse fabric around my head. Next there was the click of a latch and the creak of hinges, before we moved again. Not long after I heard the door shut in place, I was lifted from my captor's shoulder and placed gently upon my feet.

I stood on carpet and, from the light sound of seabirds, I could tell that several windows were open in the room. The squeak of floorboards as someone shifted their weight, as well as a dismayed sigh, indicated that several people were in the room with me, but likely not more than three. It was a number I could handle and though I didn't know how high above the street we were, the windows offered a potential escape route if needed.

"She was down in the lounge screaming about the crown jewels," said a soft, but deep voice. One that sounded vaguely familiar.

"Oh Adelaide, you should have just stayed at the Oasis."

"Martinell!" No longer interested in playing nice, I tore the sack from my head and threw it to the ground. Before me stood Vincent, Reggie, and an older fellow with a braided black beard.

"Will she cause problems for me Vincent?" said the man, stroking his braid and watching me from the corner of his eye.

"She can't, not here," replied the dragon pirate with a firm severity. "Reggie here can buy you a drink while you consider my price and while I address this loose end. A loose end I promise will be tied up before your purchase."

"It better be Vincent," replied the man before dropping his hands and turning for the door. "I want insurance that this sale is final."

"Of course," Vincent answered with a gracious smile, but once Reggie directed the man to the door and they disappeared into the hall, the rogue turned his tired eyes to me and the smile disappeared.

"You know by the law of the Free Peoples of Nikenji, these jewels..."

"Couldn't sell them fast enough could you?" I snapped, crossing my arms and tapping my foot. "Too hot even this far out."

"What can I do?" he asked with a shrug before turning to face the three windows along the wall and the clear blue sky waiting beyond them. "Drackenridge's recent victory over Raidenfall has made some people wary."

"What you can do is return me the jewels and tell me who your client is."

"Well, we both know that's not going to happen." He leaned out the window, pressing his palms into the frame as he drank in the crisp air. The breeze tussled with his light hair and the sun warmed his handsome face. He turned to peer at me from over his shoulder, a crooked smile twisting his lips. "So what to do with you? I can't have you running around demanding the jewels, it will only scare off customers. The Ravens won't get involved unless you try to steal from me, which I recommend you not do..."

"So I hear," I answered with a deep grumble.

"So what does that leave me?" He turned around and rested his back against the window frame. "I don't have the time to just drop you off at another deserted island."

"You didn't even do that the first time!" Frustration overtook my composure and with a few heated steps I crossed the room and drew close to my rival. It was his smirk and the resulting heat on my cheeks which kept me from coming face to face with him. Instead I kept him out of arm's reach and paced the floor. "It was neither deserted nor an island."

"We're all islands," he said, popping up from his slouched position on the window and taking a step to halt my pacing. "Just the larger islands we tend to refer to as continents and countries. Nevertheless we are still surrounded by water." When I refused to meet his gaze, he took another sidestep and cocked his head. "And I meant desert not deserted."

"That's a load of bullocks," I hissed. "Do you even know the truth of yourself when you lie so easily?" I turned away, unable to handle the weight of his eyes upon me. Instead I took up his vacated position at the open window. We were a few stories up and the buildings across the street sat on a steep hillside. A few people dressed in dark robes walked by below us. Every now and then they looked up to admire the architecture, but when they met my anger-filled eyes, they scuttled away.

"I know myself better than most, but keeping it from others is perhaps why I've developed a habit that you've found so alarming."

His voice was closer than I expected and when I turned in surprise, I found him less than a half meter from me. I pressed myself into the window frame, my hands braced against the wall while I struggled to breathe.

"My question is do you know yourself Adelaide Blanc?" he asked with a twisted grin. He placed a hand above my head, gripping the frame as he leaned in. "Is this determination due to your character or a need to have purpose? What is it you want captain?"

"To serve my princess," I answered, my spine straightening with conviction and bringing me closer to his dark, rugged face.

"Why? Why put so much effort into protecting someone like her?"

"Because it is my job," I answered with fire licking my words.

"If your job is what defines you, then I feel sorry for you." His head dipped and it was the proximity of his full lips that made me realize just how close we were. An invisible hand clenched my throat and I had trouble finding the words needed to push him away. Part of me wondered if it was my own hand that kept me silent and basking in such unrelenting attention. "You know," he continued, moving ever closer, "I think the best solution to my problem is to just keep you by my side until this is over. Then I can make sure you don't get into any more trouble."

"You can't just chain me to you," I said, my words breathless and lacking the conviction I needed to make a point. "That would violate the Raven's laws. There's absolutely nothing I could receive in exchange that would make it worth ignoring my duties to crown and country."

"I can give you a taste of what you could receive in return," he said, his free hand reaching up and gently grabbing my chin. "A sample, free of charge, if you're willing to..."

So lost in his eyes and the fire spreading along my skin, radiating from the touch of his fingertips, that neither of us noticed the dark figure scaling the wall and sending a blast of energy straight into Vincent's side. Before I could call out, several bodies breached the room and with a wave of their hands and a chant upon their lips, a blaze engulfed us and stole my words away.

***

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