One week since the portal incident and the start of the dragon test.
Frustration marred Lisa’s face—though she couldn’t see it, the lack of progress in her core made it easy to feel, even blind.
Her core hadn’t deepened at all. After that first easy drilling, progress had simply stopped. She wasn’t sure why it had changed.
Some good news, despite the setback: her theory about dissolving it from inside held some truth. The core was melting, softening where mana was stored, but it barely flaked away when she tried. She didn’t count that as progress.
Add to it: Liri taught her zero new things. Every day that passed was just filling the well and mundane gossip. The whole week had been a wash of annoying disappointments, from start to her now seemingly dragon-eating end.
The only reason Lisa knew today was the day of her death—she’d lost track of days otherwise—was Liri panicking, knowing her father was coming to visit.
The last visit was too long ago for Lisa to remember clearly. Too brief to recall much beyond a vague feeling of pressure and the sense that he had a stick up his butt. Beyond that, she didn’t remember much that made him worthy of the title he claimed…
Then she felt it—a shift in the air. And even if she’d missed that, the spike of fear through the bond from Liri would have told her everything.
A shimmer broke through Lisa’s mundane thoughts, and a sense of foreboding pressure settled on her, reminding her the fairy king wasn’t just a name.
“A week free to do as you wish and this is what you amount to?” a deep voice spoke calmly.
Good to see you too, majesty….
Lisa mock bowed toward the voice and heard a hmm in response as the pressure lessened.
Was he using magic on me? Or was that just a normal greeting….
“Um, Daddy… we filled the well… a bit… not much… but we tried!” Liri’s voice seemed to echo in the small room, repeating in waves the fragment of her desire for validation.
Why is Liri acting so defeated? She chose to send the mana. Own up to it. And it’s not like we’re not going to make more….
Well, you will. This is probably my last day.
Might as well go out with a bang.
“Be nice to Liri. She couldn’t use her mana because of me.”
“WHAT?!” The father’s voice boomed, and a wave of mana force followed, making Lisa flinch before she could stop herself.
“Daughter. When were you going to tell me?” The king’s voice was calm, level, demanding answers.
“Never?” Liri’s voice squeaked back.
And Lisa laughed. It was too perfectly timed not to.
“You mock me, child?” The king’s voice held a dangerous edge, and with it, the pressure built slowly once again.
“No? But you gotta admit, it’s funny,” Lisa spoke bluntly and felt Liri’s shock and panic, unsure how to respond.
Lisa shook her head. Even blind, she felt the tension mounting. It was too much. They were supposed to be family.
Guess I better smooth this over instead of making it worse for Liri. If this is my last day… dumb kid better be grateful.
Lisa breathed in deep, then out slowly, focusing her thoughts. She reached for the bond and sent a wave of calm toward Liri—and maybe toward herself. The king’s presence, even with her being blind, still felt a bit intimidating.
“She did everything for me. Even tried training me. I’m a slow learner and wasn’t ready to have mana in me. So… I, um… sealed the mana away.”
She felt the gaze of the king press down on her, almost choking her life force.
Is that a mana sense? Or what? Why is it smothering me….
“You’re not lying,” the king said with shock and disbelief.
“No? Why would I?” Lisa shot back, feeling the pressure release.
Yet even blind, she could swear she felt a sinister grin from the king’s face from the feeling of his presence. That made Lisa sweat a bit, unsure how much worse he could make things versus getting eaten by a dragon…
“So it seems. Your honesty should be rewarded, as well as your willingness to defend my daughter’s honor.”
Wow. A nice change? This is going better than I thought it could!
Lisa smiled, nodding, unsure what had changed, as she listened to the king address Liri.
“The lake delay is a minor affair. Truthfully, it was meant to stall humans’ desire for our power—nothing more. The trade we gain is more a formality than a boon. I’ve been working on a separate space with mana sources that should keep us secure. I would never have trusted you in the first place to handle this if I didn’t have that.”
She felt Liri deflate a bit. Despite the good news, it seemed her desire to prove herself was a side project to the king, to the point that her failure held little worth…
“Still, your efforts are not in vain. This will be proof of your independence and add to your legacy. So do keep it up, daughter.”
The feeling in the bond of Liri’s joy was infectious, and Lisa couldn’t help but smile.
Good for you, you little runt. Now help me understand magic better and maybe work on seeing….
“And for you, human… I look forward to the tribute you bring from the dragon.”
What?! Oh. Yeah. I’m no better than Liri—how easily I let that looming threat slip by me… Well, at least the king’s not expecting me to face the dragon anymore.
“She’s been giving me a hard time, but I think that’ll change when she sees you.” the king replied calmly
Lisa nodded, happy with the positive changes. Everything was working out. Liri worked things out with her dad. The king wasn’t so mean. And she didn’t have to face the dragon!
Sure, sure. I’m just glad we’re getting along! I don’t mind… getting… the… tribute… still… from the dragon….
“What’s with that face, child? Do you not trust me? You’ll be with my daughter. You’ll be fine.”
It took a minute for Lisa to process his words, torn between shock, uncertainty, and wanting to risk her last moments slapping the king.
You smug bastard. You’re still using me….
A feeling of a shimmer. A shifting of the air. The wet cool smelling stone of the cave she’d grown accustomed to, changed to a heat in the air and an undertone of sulfur…
He portaled me without me even moving?!
She felt relief from Liri, despite being in an unknown place…
God damn it, my cane!
That stupid old-ass fairy—I’m going to get my foot in his floating ass if I live long enough to swing at him….
“Why are you upset? This is good news!” Liri’s voice broke through Lisa’s anger with her joy.
“I can’t see…”
“And? What’s new…”
“I don’t have my cane, princess…”
“So?”
You can’t be that slow….
“How am I supposed to walk and not fly off a cliff edge or into a lava pit?”
“Hell, how am I even going to test the ground before I stumble on every minor rock or crack in my way?”
“Weelll…” Liri replied, drawing it out yet saying nothing more.
Do you really not see how bad this is for me? Is it because you fly everywhere, you runt? You think it’s that easy?
Well, if I could fly, even blind, it would be a lot easier….
It was only after a moment of fuming that Lisa’s anger subsided just enough to notice Liri was deliberately floating in a pattern near her for Lisa to track.
“Good girl!” Liri cheered in Lisa’s face—close enough to slap, and very tempting.
Never mind the king. Liri, I’m going to kill you first. Then I’ll let the dragon eat me… or if I’m lucky, find a way to kick the king before I die….
Lisa let those thoughts simmer. Even if she wanted to follow Liri, she could stumble and smash her face on hard stone. Any jagged surface could pierce her mid-fall…
You’re asking for a lot of trust, pip-squeak….
Yet despite those morbid thoughts, Lisa took slow steps forward. She hated the unknown feeling in the dark—never knowing what was before her, just more darkness, an endless abyss.
She wanted to map the area, count her steps to a wall and every direction she could. But she knew it would just be delaying her fate.
The princess may be in another castle, but the dragon is here. Well, technically the princess is too, and not being saved from the dragon, but leading me to the dragon….
Whatever. I’m just stalling.
The walk crept slowly forward with a shuffle of steps that she felt in the bond was annoying Liri, even as the fairy said nothing.
Yet with every movement forward that did not lead to her death—even if it was guiding her toward it—she gained a bit more steadiness in her steps.
So with shoulders straight, she walked on confidently. Each time Lisa felt Liri shift in the bond, Lisa followed. So far, every step was smooth.
A couple minor near-stumbles on small rocks spiked her panic, but nothing she didn’t recover from quickly—more out of defiance than feeling secure.
It did help that Liri kept sending consoling vibes through the bond. Lisa focused on them each time it happened, lest the darkness grin and push her a bit over that edge.
“Be honest with me, Liri. Is this dragon going to eat me?” Lisa couldn’t help but ask as the steps seemed to keep going with no end.
“Why would she do that?”
“Uh… she’s a dragon?”
“Okay?”
Liri, I swear I’m going to strangle you if you start that again….
It seemed Liri felt the intent in the bond, as she huffed and sent back her own annoyance.
“Why would Daddy send me to face something that would kill me or my pet?”
“Because he’s evil?”
“WHAT?! No. No, he’s not…”
“Daddy may be strict. And has expectations. Doesn’t like you. Maybe. But harm you or me? Why would he? We literally helped this dragon be free…”
Have your kind never faced betrayal? Wait, I remember your dad hating me for being human—the same kind that killed your mom. Is he keeping that from you? Or do you just like to trust humans anyway?
What is the deal with that anyway….
Yet even as those thoughts swirled in Lisa’s mind, Liri’s voice kept talking, bringing her back to the issue at hand: the dragon.
“It’s why we’re seeking tribute. She’s been getting fat and stingy, pampering herself, building treasure. It’s why we’re at her cave. She didn’t like living with Dad all day.”
Well, regardless, if she eats me, at least she’s smart enough to get away from the stupid king….
But a dragon building power is not a minor thing. Maybe that was the real test? See how the dragon treats me, and then the king would be justified killing it if it got out of hand?
Well, at least he’ll avenge me. Even if it was using me… So it’s a wash either way.
As they crept deeper into the unknown, Lisa started to notice the ground felt much smoother. The area felt purer, as if they’d stepped into a domain. It was mostly pleasant. She felt the heat less, and the smell of sulfur seemed to fade with the cool air.
Liri never stopped chatting, helping her stay calm despite her fate.
The void still graced Lisa’s eyes, yet somehow she felt something before her. The dragon. Or at least what they sought. A door? She wasn’t sure. She just felt they were near.
Liri confirmed it through their bond.
A feeling of kinship? With a dragon?!
Yet as Lisa tried to focus on those feelings, a sense of being watched brushed her as if looking at her soul.
A scream—what sounded like a terrified child—spooked Lisa into a jolt, shattering those trailing thoughts.
At first Lisa assumed it was Liri, but the sound was off. Much louder. Older. The bond confirmed it scared even Liri, as panic and uncertainty flowed between them both.
When the scream finally stopped, Lisa wasn’t sure what happened.
Did someone else appear? Sneaking in, not expecting to see the dragon? Did they see the dragon?!
Maybe I should scream too….
But if this is my end, I’d rather keep some dignity….
“Have mercy, please!” a voice filled with terror spoke, making Lisa frown, unsure.
“Okay?” she responded, not knowing if it was meant for her, Liri, or the unknown dragon she was too clueless to know was before her.
Yet later, Lisa would learn that was indeed her first meeting with the dragon. And it was bowing to her—the unseeing mage that made a dragon scream.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGqFOisS75
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