Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire- Chapter Fourteen

Finally the surprise faded from her eyes, and she murmured in a sweet, tinny voice, "Sorry, I cannot. You must stay in there or they will have my head." I shook my head in frustration. Somehow, I had to make this woman open the door.

"You don't understand," I started, then pulled away to loop my hair around my ear and give her eyes access to my tattoo. "I'm the Diànlì shuòshì." Her eyes widened once again, throat making tiny squeaks that sounded like the calls of a sparrow. Still she did nothing, and I decided to try something else. No matter how uncomfortable it made me.

"I, as Diànlì shuòshì, the most powerful of all Dragon Masters, command you to open this door." I cheered silently when she approached the stone doorway. Her nimble fingers flipped a few locks and her weak arms pulled back several steel bars, until finally I felt a release on the door. It tumbled open, bringing me with it as I had been leaning on it for support.

"Thanks," I said, brushing off my tunic, but when I looked up the bird-lady was sprawled on the ground, collapsed in a slump of unconsciousness. Seeing her there made me cringe, and I  dragged her smoothly to sit in the mismatched wooden chair.

Now all I needed to do was find the statue. I hadn't been in there for too long, so it couldn't have gone far. They'd left my bag somewhere on a hook in the entrance to the dungeon. I decided it was worth a chance; maybe they hadn't had the chance to return it to its resting place.

My swords were with my backpack as well, but I had to make the journey down the long tunnel with only my arms and legs for protection. I started slowly, checking every few seconds to make sure nobody was traversing from either side hallway.

As soon as I spotted my belongings I knew I had been lucky. The knapsack was still bulging with the asymmetric form of the Sacred Dragon Pearl, seemingly untouched by the Royal Guards that had rudely carried me to the jail cell. Well, it was kind of rude. They did think I'd stolen one of the world's most valuable treasures.

It was nervewracking travelling through the halls with no idea where I was going, not to mention the Guards probably knew I'd gotten out somehow. I could only hope they didn't hurt the poor woman who'd helped me.

Finally, finally, I saw moonlight tinting the stone walls pale orange. The moonlight came through a large picture window, with different shades of glass coming together to form a beautiful image of one of the early Grand High Empresses. She looked rather like Hayden, with her soft brown hair and icy blue eyes.

I checked for a latch; it was a small, almost hidden piece of wood that kept one part of the window from swinging open in the grasp of the wind. It came out with quite a bit of struggling and jiggling. The window creaked open, as though it had been closed for quite a while. It was when the strong gale slapped my hair about like driftwood against a cliffside that I realized just how far up I'd travelled in my excursion through the palace.

The ground below was a patch of green felt on a quilt, peppered with trees and flowerbeds that resembled tiny crumbs of food. I leaned out carefully, glad for my immunity to heights, glancing around for anything that would be useful in my escape.

There. The window ledge served as a seat while I positioned myself for the descent, heart racing in anticipation and excitement. Being up high had always been exciting to me. I flipped postions, keeping myself up with my crossed arms and my legs pushed against the outside wall.

The wind buffeted me, almost sending me flying over to the right and away from my goal. I waited with gritted teeth, biding my time until the gusts died down and I could perform what would hopefully get me out of the palace and away from the Royal Guard.

Finally my chance came, and I pulled my arms back into my sides and plummeted to the distant ground. Just like I'd planned, my body shot down like a lead weight, sleek and aerodynamic. I was aiming for the huge banner that was strung across half of the grounds.