Where was she? Samara could smell damp earth. Dirt, rock, water. It was dark—her eyes were closed and she couldn't open them yet, still at that point between asleep and waking. Slowly she came to and when she realized she could finally move, she panicked. She tried to jump up. A hand gently pushed her back down.
"Don't move."
That voice. She knew it. Samara opened her eyes at the same time the voice called for someone:
"Roslyn, she's awake."
Samara squinted in the darkness as her vision came into focus. She was in a bed in a poorly lit room. An orange glow. Flames danced against a rocky wall. A cave?
Her head pounded. Her mouth was dry.
"Where am I?" Samara asked Danteous. Her voice was hoarse.
"Bring water." A new voice. Soft and feminine.
A woman with long blue hair sat at the end of the bed, placing a gentle hand on Samara's leg. Silver bracelets jingled on her wrist.
"Samara, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" The woman's light-colored hair was adorned with jewels. Her eyes were a striking blue color a few shades darker than her hair and didn't seem like they belonged to this world.
The woman was a blue dragon.
Yet those striking eyes seemed soft and kind. No malice in them.
"Where's everyone else?" Samara asked, ignoring the woman's question. The truth was, she felt like she had been beaten with a bag of bricks. Her whole body was sore. She was parched. But Leela, Kit, and Rufus were her only concerns at the moment.
"They're safe. They're here too, see?" Danteous pointed and Samara squinted in the dark. Barely, she made out the figures of Kit, Rufus, and Leela, all in their own beds in what looked like a makeshift hospital room. The beds were made of logs tied together. The mattress beneath Samara felt like it was filled with feathers. In between the beds were privacy screens, but she could still see that her friends were being well cared for, just as she had been.
"You're the first to awaken," the woman said.
Another woman with short, wavy blue hair handed a cup to the woman sitting beside Samara. Her hair was a darker shade of blue, but her skin was just as pale as the other dragon's. She gave Samara a friendly smile before leaving.
"Drink slowly." The long-haired woman with the kind eyes held the cup of water out for Samara.
She wanted to gulp the whole thing down, but knew it would make her sick if she did. As she sipped, she tried to remember what had happened. She remembered running to Kit when the girl had fallen, but nothing after that.
"What happened?" Samara asked, leaning back against the pillow. She grimaced as the movement caused pain throughout her whole body.
"You and your friends were inflicted with mountain sickness," the woman explained. "It's something that happens when your body isn't used to the thinner air at such a high elevation."
"Oh...." Samara felt foolish. She should have known. They all should have, well except maybe Kit. "And who are you?"
"My name is Roslyn." The woman smiled.
Samara glanced around the cave as a horrible thought occurred to her. This woman was a dragon. The woman who gave her the water was a dragon. The people taking care of her friends (checking pulses and writing on sheets of paper) had green and blue hair. One even had silver hair like Danteous. All these "people" that were caring for her and her friends were dragons.
They didn't seem to be a threat. Of course they could have easily smothered Samara and her friends while they were sick. But she couldn't help but worry they had been taken right to the enemy.
"Where are we?" She asked Danteous again, this time with caution.
"Bear Cliff."
Samara's stomach dropped. She stared at him, heart pounding. Teeth clenched. She might have punched him if she had the strength to lift her arm again.
Danteous sensed her anger. "It was the closest place I could get you the help you needed." He lowered his voice and leaned closer to her, whispering, "He's not here. We're in a safe part of the tunnels, few even know of your presence."
"You don't have to be concerned, Samara," Roslyn added. "We're not your enemy. I've allowed only those I trust to help care for you and your companions. Dalton and I have placed a shield around this part of the mountain so the other dragons can't sense you."
She looked to Danteous for confirmation. He nodded.
"I wouldn't have brought you here if I thought your life would be more at risk than it already was. The caves are guarded. There is someone I trust to tell me if my father returns to the main part of the cliff. We're being cautious."
"You can trust us," Roslyn said with a gentle pat on Samara's leg.
Samara released the breath she had been holding and scoffed. She doubted that very much. But what other choice did she have? She could barely move. She was even too tired to argue. She looked at Leela, who was lying motionless in the bed across from her.
"Are they gonna be okay?"
"They're only sleeping," Roslyn assured her. "You're lucky Danteous found you or you might not have made it."
Samara looked at Danteous again and he smiled. She knew what he was thinking. Samara rolled her eyes but managed to smile back.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm glad you were following us this time."
"Not just me. I wouldn't have been able to bring you all here without Saigon."
"He won't tell Cyril?"
"No, we can trust my brother," Roslyn said.
That took Samara by surprise. "Brother? You're...." She couldn't believe she was surrounded by her enemy's family. She felt very unsafe, despite their reassurances. She was afraid she and her friends had been saved just to be handed over to the black dragon.
"I am Cyril's sister," Roslyn acknowledged in a regrettable tone. "I have tried all I can without outright opposing him to make him understand that what he plans is wrong." She sighed. "But we won't discuss that right now. Our main concern is to make you and your friends healthy again so you can be on your way."
"You're just going to let us go?" Samara raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, you're not prisoners." Roslyn stood. "I'm going to check on the others and view their reports. You get plenty of rest and tell my nephew if you need anything. He hasn't left your side since he brought you, other than to check on Leela." She smiled, patting Danteous' shoulder before leaving them there.
Samara watched her for a minute. Roslyn went to Kit, placing a hand on her forehead. She then turned to one of the other dragons (the one with silver hair) who handed her the piece of paper they had written on that she assumed had Kit's stats on it.
"Do you need anything?" Danteous asked.
Samara sighed, looking up at the ceiling of the cave. "A drink." Sharp rocks dripped from above her like icicles. She felt overwhelmed. They had almost died. Now they were surrounded by dragons. At Bear Cliff. Where Cyril could show up at anytime.
What would Kalahari do if she were here?
Well, for one thing, this never would have happened if Kalahari had been here; she would have known not to have a snowball fight at such a high elevation that they weren't used to, especially when they were already weak from cold and hunger.
Danteous laughed. "I don't think that would be a good idea right now. Are you cold?" He pulled the blanket up around her. "I can get you another blanket."
She shook her head, watching him carefully as he sat back down in the chair next to the bed.
"You don't have to ... you know, stay here with me."
"I want to. Unless you want me to go, of course." He looked at her, waiting for an answer.
She thought about it. Did she want him to go? No, she realized. Despite their situation, he was the only person that was comforting here in this cave full of dragons.
"I don't," she admitted, taking his hand. He seemed relieved. "You don't have to sit in that uncomfortable chair either." The chair was just a regular wooden chair, no cushions or anything.
"I didn't want to be presumptuous."
"I'll control myself," Samara said sarcastically.
He grinned and sat on the bed beside her, but made sure to sit on the edge. Samara rolled her eyes and took his arm, placing it around her shoulders so she could lean into his chest. He seemed pleased with the gesture and settled more comfortably on the mattress, wrapping his arms around her.
"Get some more sleep," he whispered, touching his lips to her forehead.
Samara nodded, snuggling against him. Feeling safe and protected as she closed her eyes. Forgetting their past and their complicated relationship. None of it mattered right now.
***
When Samara woke up again she was alone. She panicked at first, forgetting where she was. Then, seeing the same flickering torches and her friends sleeping in the nearby beds, she remembered what had happened and relaxed again. She saw Danteous standing near Leela's bed now. He felt Leela's forehead and held one of her hands for a few seconds.
There was concern in his eyes as he looked at his sleeping sister. Samara could tell he cared for her even though she couldn't stand him. How could this be the same man that tried to kill Richard back in Midland? That seemed like so long ago now.
Samara narrowed her eyes at the memory of that night. She remembered how she had felt. How she had been disgusted by him. And angry.
Now.... She clenched her fists around the blanket that covered her.
This is so confusing and frustrating, thought Samara. With the exception of Blaine, she believed all the dragons hated humans ... especially them: the Conjurers. But here was a handful of them, nursing her and her friends back to health when they could have easily slaughtered them or left them to die on the top of that mountain.
She raised her eyes and looked back at Danteous. He still had a faint scar on the side of his face where she had burned him—if it hadn't healed by now he would probably be scarred forever. She felt guilty, but that guilt quickly turned into something else—anger, bitterness, something. He had ruined what they had with his choice to attack Richard. Her trust in him had been broken. She had been willing to give him a chance, to forgive him for leaving ... and then it had all been broken.
Was he trying to make amends now? Or was this part of his so-called plan like Leela had said? If saving their lives and bringing them here to a secret place to heal was a part of his plan, it was quite extensive, she had to admit. What would be the point?
He truly seemed to care.
But she had been fooled before....
And what about Roslyn? How much did she know about Samara and her friends? Did she know they planned on finding the orb and destroying it? She said she didn't agree with Cyril. Did that make her an ally or did she just mean that she didn't plan on attacking humans with Cyril? Just standing by and letting him do it would be just as bad. If Samara could speak with Roslyn alone, perhaps she could convince her to join them.
That could be risky though....
The best thing to do was leave this place and get on with their journey, Samara decided, looking at her sleeping friends.
She was worried that none of them had woken up yet. Somehow she had managed to awaken, go back to sleep and wake up again before any of them had even opened an eye.
What if they never woke up? She swallowed, her mouth going dry again. The cup of water was still on the table so Samara took a small sip of it.
How long had they been here? She looked around the room and got a better view of everything. The cave was huge. Colorful stalactites dripped from the cavernous ceiling. Stalagmites spewed out of the stone floor like cooled lava. Torches hung on the walls sending dancing firelight throughout the room. It was comforting despite the macabre feel. There were the three other beds lined up against the walls. Leela was directly across from her, Kit was to Samara's right, and Rufus was on Leela's left side. There was plenty of space between them, along with the screened dividers that offered a bit of privacy if they wanted it.
At the moment there was no one else in the room besides Danteous. She wondered where the others had gone. That was when she noticed the faint smell of food. They must have taken a break to eat. Suddenly the smell of the food made her stomach grumble; the aroma of meats smoking and bread baking made her realize just how hungry she was. Her mouth watered.
She needed to get out of this bed and stretch her legs.
Lifting the covers, she started to move her feet over the side of the bed when she heard Leela's voice:
"Get. Your. Hands. Off me."
Samara looked up just in time to see Leela take a swing at Danteous, who dodged her fist. Afraid Leela might hurt herself, Samara jumped up from her bed so she could go help calm her down. Bad idea. She had moved too quickly. Blackness filled her eyes. The room spun. She stood still until her vision cleared.
"Leela...." Samara heard Danteous' voice trying to calm her down and once she could see again, she saw him holding Leela's wrist to keep her from swinging at him again. That wasn't going to stop Leela though. Her fist started glowing with blue light. Samara ran to the bedside, stumbling once on her unsteady legs. Danteous caught the feeble magic attack with his other hand. Leela tried to glare, her eyes drooping. She had used too much energy.
"Calm down before you hurt yourself," Samara told her.
"I might have known you'd be okay with this." Leela seethed. "Where are we?"
"He saved us. We passed out on the mountain. We're in the caves," Samara said. She put her hands on Leela's shoulders, urging her to lie back down.
"You're safe here, Leela. No one intends on doing you any harm," Danteous added.
All the commotion brought in the others. Roslyn led the way, hurrying into the room. She looked concerned as she made her way over to Leela.
"Who are you?" Leela demanded, then turned back to Samara and snapped, "Get your hands off me!"
"Not unless you promise to stay calm and listen," Samara said. "You're weak right now, just relax before you hurt yourself."
Speaking of being weak, Samara felt like she might collapse to the floor. Her legs felt like they were made of jello. She was using every ounce of strength in her to hold Leela down.
Roslyn rushed up to the table beside the bed and poured a cup of water from a pitcher sitting on it.
"Here. Drink this, you'll feel better."
"Who the hell are you?" Leela tried to sit up again. Samara held her down.
"Can you give her a shot or something?" Samara asked Roslyn. She was only half-joking.
"I dare you," Leela hissed.
Samara rolled her eyes.
"That won't be necessary," Roslyn said, touching Leela's arm. "What can I do to make you feel more comfortable, Leela?"
Samara felt Leela relax. She stopped struggling and trying to fight Samara. Leela looked at Roslyn suspiciously but didn't say anything except, "Get him out of my sight."
Roslyn looked at Danteous and nodded. "It's for the best," she said gently.
Danteous nodded in agreement and stepped away from the bed, looking disappointed but knowing he wouldn't be any help with Leela at that point.
Roslyn assured the other dragons that she could handle things from here and told them to go back to the dining room. Samara saw half a dozen people turn around and walk where they had come from, to a corridor on the right side of the cave. As they left, she caught the stare of the woman with waist-length silver hair that had been caring for Kit. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed like the woman was glaring at her—perhaps not all the dragons were so supportive of them being here after all.
While Roslyn briefly explained everything to Leela, Samara looked at Rufus and Kit, who were still sleeping even through all the commotion.
"Do you feel more at ease now?" Roslyn asked Leela when she finished.
Leela frowned. "Not really. We'll be leaving this place as soon as possible."
Roslyn nodded. "I understand. Are either of you hungry?" She seemed to be trying to change the subject now.
"Starving," Samara said.
Leela was now sipping the water Roslyn had given her and nodded. "Yeah, I could eat."
"All right." Roslyn smiled and stood. "I'll tell the kitchen to get your food ready."
"Is there anywhere I can clean up first? I feel like a trash pile," Samara admitted.
"Yes, ask Danteous to show you. Be quick. When you return I'll have food ready at your bed."
Ugh, that probably isn't a good idea, Samara thought. But everyone else was busy. If she didn't feel so disgusting, she would tell Roslyn she could wait.
"Are you going to be okay?" Samara asked Leela.
Leela nodded, then mumbled, "Sorry ... for being so angry earlier."
Samara thought she might faint hearing her apologize. That rarely happened. Whatever Roslyn had done when she touched her earlier must have really worked on Leela's mood.
"It's okay, I'm used to it," Samara said with a wink. She squeezed Leela's hand before promising to be back soon. She made her way towards the corridor she had seen everyone else go to. She found Danteous waiting there, just out of Leela's sight as per her order.
"Roslyn said you could show me where to clean up."
"I can." He smiled and held his arm out for her to take. Feeling weak again now that the excitement with Leela was over, she happily took it in case she stumbled again. She could barely make her legs work. All she wanted to do was wash up, eat, and then sleep for a few more days.
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Image: unknown from Pinterest. Depiction of Danteous.