Beru, The Lost Knight

We soared over the trees, Bral's wound sealed as he kept a constant fire on it. I was too small, too weak to be noticed by him. Lady Cynthia was under his spell, but there were no words spoken. The dragon's mood sour, and turning worse as the missing limb aggravated him. The forests gave way to a sea of gray on the second day of flight. Bral sending jets of flames at creatures that came close, repelling them, before the rocky shores turned to a frothy sea.

I could sense the dragon accelerating his flight with his flames. Fatigue reaching him, but he pushed on, changing his course to go over the land bridge and fly over the ocean. I could feel our Queen's spell building up while lady Cynthia slept. Slowly undoing the control that Bral had over her mind. The dragon didn't seem to notice, perhaps he didn't care, more concerned with the festering stump. I had no idea how long this journey would take, and we were slowly eating the older members of the small Hive I managed to sneak with the lady.

Hunger was the enemy, none of my kin allowed to move under my orders. Of the eight hundred that managed to sneak under the lady's dress, only four hundred remained. Their sacrifice not forgotton, as I worked desperately to keep at least one member of each cast alive. I struggled moving around the information the queen gave me, since it needed so many of us to hold onto it. I was forgetting things, having to choose precious memories to discard. What mattered most was protecting the lady and finding the strength to rescue her from Bral's clutches.

On the night of the third day, Bral slowed down. Lady Cynthia began to rouse, as the dragon quickly descended. A craggy island with sharp rocks, and large holes. I could scarcely see the islands in the distance, my eyes not suited for such vast space. As the lady awoke, I spoke to her. |"My lady, we have managed to free you from the dragon's mental control. We hope he has yet to notice, but you need to adhere to his words. You need to not make him suspicious."|

Cynthia held her head, |"My head feels like it's throbbing Beru. What happened? Is... Is Mimi okay?"|

|"The Queen survived, and I snuck within your clothes, my lady. Please, it is of the utmost importance we keep this act up. I cannot see well, I need you to tell me what you see."|

Cynthia moved, still held within the dragon's claw. |"We're descending fast, I see islands. All of them jagged, made out of stone. Like some kind of earth elementalist forced them to rise from the depths. Bral is descending towards one of them."| The world went dark, as the dragon's wings flapped. A small roar echoing through the tunnels. |"I see torches Beru. Kobolds are coming."|

Bral growled, his voice low. "Do as they say, I need to talk to the others. Keep your mouth shut, girl." The lady was roughly dropped on her rump, nodding her head quickly. Creatures the size of scaled children approached, looking much like lizardmen, but smaller. Plumes of wild hair kept at bay by horns the same color as their scales. Most of them wearing bone armor of some kind or another. Their weapons crude, made of wood and stone or bone. It was just like the stories told during the plays.

The lady let me enjoy what she made out of the creatures, while I was at a loss for information on them myself. Bral's voice growled at the kobolds, "Take her to the chambers. Treat her with care and keep her fed. She bore a hybrid before, I need to talk to the others."

One of the kobolds spoke up, "Master, your arm. Should we get some cloth for it?"

Bral's eye flickered to the offending kobold, causing them to freeze in place. They held their breath, almost whimpering as Bral changed to his humanoid form. "I'm talking to the others, and the wound is cursed. Are you suggesting your meager magic can deal with something I can't!?" The kobold quickly shook their head, starting to speak, but Bral continued. "Hold your tongue, and I shall forget this. Now do as I said, I expect her healthy enough to move to the communal cells later."

The other kobolds chirped in a language we didn't understand, before their small hands worked to help the lady to her feet. Bral himself walked down the tunnels alone. His fire hastening his jog as the tunnels themselves became smaller. The lady was half carried, half led to a cell a few tunnels in. One of the creatures asking what she needed, while others were sent off to fetch water and something to eat. Once in the cell she was asked to undress so they could clean her, and her clothes.

She reluctantly discarded her clothes tossing them and my Hive into the pile of straw that might be her bed. The head kobold hissed at her action, before ordering a lesser to grab her clothes and clean them. It afforded me the precious seconds I needed to get into the straw. Warriors and scouts sent into the bed to eat the bedbugs, and lice that lingered within its confines. It was a precious meal, that was sorely needed. The lady herself made to sit, as she was scrubbed down by the scaled creatures.

Any wounds that lingered, were dealt with by the kobolds, the lady crying out in pain a few times. She ate the stale bread, and drank the slightly muddy water these creatures brought her. In an effort to distract herself from the 'hospitality' she received, she turned to me. |"Beru... is Raul okay? What happened to Drake, and Sarah?"|

We slaughtered the last of the bugs, feasting on their chitin and blood. |"Raul survived, and Argus carried Drake and Sarah to safety. I do not know if they are okay right now, but I doubt our Queen would allow any harm to come to them. I am sorry that is all I can remember right now."|

|"That is enough."| The kobolds seemed satisfied with their work, leaving the room as a set of rags were brought for the lady to wear. The cell door was locked, as two of the creatures were made to stand guard and tend to the lady's needs. I ordered a couple workers to breed to get the breeders to start preparing themselves for establishing a proper Hive. The Lady quietly poured us pools of water to drink, while letting more than a few crumbs fall our way.

Slowly we crawled under the lady's rags, hiding away as the hours went past. The lady taking care of her bodily business as needed, and moving her limbs to regain some limberness about them. We made a some idle talk, while discussing the plans we could come up with. I learned how this kind of situation was something expected when it came to dealing with dragons. That they could take any lower nobles they wanted, in order to keep good relations with the kingdom of fire. I learned a bit more about the lady's early life, and how hunger was quite the problem in the kingdom. So many sent to die in pointless wars to cut down on mouths to feed.

Finally the head kobold came back, with the group following them. The cell was opened, and we were moved to a slightly larger cell, much deeper down. The tunnels were large enough for small dragons to move through, while it didn't take long for us to find out why. The lady could hear the shrieks and moans of creatures in separate tunnels that connected to this area. A line of cells that we could see, as Cynthia herself was put inside an empty one with an unoccupied one across from us.

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Lady Cynthia

The kobolds closed the cell doors behind me, the entire area festering with the musky scent of sex and sweat. I didn't have it in me to tell Beru about the claw marks and dried blood stains I saw on the walls of our cell. I was starting to think it was a curse to have my senses about me, in this dimly lit place. The moans and screams echoing from further down. The kobolds talking about the chambers of the young dragons. They seemed to switch between their local language and fire kingdom standard rather often, like some kind of game.

It was strange looking at them, all their scales different colors with their fluffy hair one of three different colors. Their eyes black as if it were one large pupil pushing against their whites. Most of them had scars on their scales, some even missing tails. I confirmed it once I saw them use magic, but their scales were the color of the magic they could use. Their hair likely showing how powerful they were. I would have thought they would be stronger, in the den of dragons, but they seemed to struggle, typically having a few of them handle a certain task.

I smiled bitterly to myself, as I dropped Beru's Hive on the bedding again. Watching as he went about eating every pest inside the pile of straw with a piece of fabric and a pillow on top. Every lower noble girl's dream right here, a place where we didn't have to worry about food, or our lovers being sent out to war. I shook my head at the notion of a dragon lover providing private chambers with lesser creatures catering to every need. Becoming a true dragon bride as we told ourselves whenever one of our friends were taken.

If nothing else I admired the dragons playing along with the lie. The same dragon never appearing in the same town more than a few times, and never after taking someone. I lowered my head, seeing that my cell was left unguarded. I walked to the doors, finding them locked. A lamia with light blue scales half slithered, half crawled to the cell in front of me. The doors left unlocked, as a couple pinkish white kobolds helped her along. The kobolds in question began to mend the poor girl's flesh, her elfish ears twitching as she laid out in her cell completely drained.

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I swallowed hard, realizing the fate that awaited me. I jumped the second I heard a female's voice in my mind. |"It seems you managed to break free from the dragon's control."| The voice was tired, but not quite broken. I looked around to see who discovered me, to find the lamia's golden eyes focusing on me before looking away. |"I'll make you the same offer as everyone here. I'll hypnotize you so that it's easier to deal with this situation we find ourselves in. The kobolds aren't very good at explaining it, even though they try their hardest."|

I blinked, moving to a corner in my cell. |"Who are you? Why are you here?"|

A couple seconds of silence passed, before I heard a soft chuckle, |"I believe you're one of the first humans that didn't call me a foul beast after coming here. I'm something like a vice warden, since the kobolds struggle with planning, or taking care of things properly. Before you ask, there isn't a way off these islands unless you can fly. Even then, you'll have winged naga chasing you down in the hopes of gaining favor with our dearest parents. My name is Malice by the way, what is yours?"|

|"Cynthia Catswell, and I've learned that humans can be worse than a lot of monsters. Though I think dragons aren't very high up on my list right now."|

Malice chuckled mentally again, |"They aren't high up on mine either. Anyway, I imagine you want to survive?"| She waited for me to confirm, before continuing. |"There are a few rules to follow: One, do not defy a dragon or their orders. No matter how ridiculous it is, do your best to fulfill their desires. Two, do not attack the kobolds. They are weak, but there are thousands of them. They really do hate it when one of them dies, and might take to keeping food and water from you. Three, your ass will be used, or you will start to starve until you give in. That's just the way things work down here. We're training for the young dragons to learn how to control their strength and bodies."|

I rolled my eyes, |"Which is why you're going to make the offer to hypnotize me, again?"| I waited for her confirm, before continuing. |"Thank you, but no thanks. I don't plan on losing control of my mind while I work on making plans for getting out of here. You're free to join, but I won't die here."|

Malice laughed, |"Really? What kind of magic are you hiding? What kind of talent do you have?"| She waited for me to tell her both, before laughing harder. |"You heard what I told you earlier, correct?"|

|"I have, but you aren't aware of the friend I made. If I know anything about her, it's the fact that she won't let someone defeat her. She will come, if not for me, then to regain the pride she probably lost."|

|"You're putting a lot of faith in someone, but can they slay dragons? Who's to say I won't tell others about your plans?"|

The kobolds left her cell, as she slowly coiled up on herself. I looked towards her, her eyes focused on me. |"Because I doubt you're nice enough to hypnotize others for the relief it offers in this place. At least with a name like Malice."| I shrugged, as I saw her smile a little. |"You're trying to grow your magic while down here. What are your goals? What would even be the point of telling your captors, when you've been here so long you call yourself a vice warden?"|

|"I like you, Cynthia. You figured all this out from just a few words I uttered in your mind, and the situation we're both in?"|

|"No, but you're confirming some of what I said right now. Politics and subtle word choice help to reveal the motives and meaning behind one's actions. I doubt a mind mage isn't able to figure some of this out on their own. You are either here because you want to be, or you are forced to be. I refuse to believe you crawling to your cell was just an act to get a bug user like me to spill her grand secrets for escape. Tell me, do you really love dragon dick that much?"|

Malice slammed the tip of her tail to the ground, hissing angrily as I pulled the right string. |"I'm here because my mother died giving birth to me, and my father had no use for a mind user!"| Her words were filled with venom and hatred, as I felt the intensity of her gaze focused on me. I refused to back down, smiling a little. |"I first learned about my magic when I went into the dreams of others, learning about the world outside. I spent my entire life thinking it was my place to please anyone that wanted to use my body. Then I met another mind mage that showed me everything she knew about the outside world. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to live like this?"|

I shook my head, |"Not quite as much as you do. I wasn't trying to provoke your wrath, but I'll recommend keeping those motives of yours better hidden."|

|"I can hypnotize myself and pretend to be another person while in those chambers. You didn't answer my question about your friend."|

|"Right now, she can't slay dragons. It may take her years or even a few decades, but that's why I can't just wait here idly. It's not a question of if she can kill dragons in the future, or if she'll come, but when. She wants to keep those she adores safe, and Bral just proved dragons are a threat to that goal."|

|"Bral? That's as common as a dragon calling themselves Drake, or Dagon. I'm going to assume you mean The First Rays of the Sun, since the kobolds were talking about how he lost an arm. It was in Eclipse, wasn't it?"|

It hurt a little to learn I wasn't even given his true name. Something I thought precious, because he was Drake's father. I nodded slowly, |"Is that his true name?"|

|"No, it's his current title. He's a young adult with fire magic. His control is pretty good, and I hear his talent has the older dragons watching him. In Eclipse terms I believe it goes; fire elementalist, pyromancer, fire lord, and pyre monarch. I'm still not sure what the differences between fire lord, or monarch are."|

|"You know? I never asked, but I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a difference and they just wanted to put the fire lord beneath something else. Anyway, where are you going with this?"|

|"Ah, well dragons all start on the 'mancer' side, before becoming adults. Then they become lords, kings, monarchs, whatever people call them. The point is, he's got a good talent that makes him something like a rising star among dragons. That is what the fire kingdom calls it when a soldier is on the fast track to becoming one of the top ten, right?"|

|"That makes some sense. What does this have to do with my friend?"|

Malice hissed a little, closing her eyes. |"She'll need to fight through a lot of dragons to get you out. I'm just saying you shouldn't have your hopes up. If you decide you want me to hypnotize you that's fine, but after two weeks the kobolds will start to starve you. It's better if you give in now while you have meat on your bones, because the young ones are rough and have killed humans before."|

She fell asleep, the fatigue catching up with her. Slowly other cells were filled with the rest of the prisoners. Some of them laughing madly, while others quietly nursed their wounds. The same pink kobolds tending to those that were bleeding, while a few people moved between the cells with enchanted collars around their necks. They did much the same as the flesh knitting kobolds, going about their grim task silently. The ground shook a little, as tremors spread through the tunnels. Young dragons, half Bral's size walked through the tunnels laughing about who they were going to take tomorrow. Looking through the bars at the prisoners.

One of them lingered on me for a second, sniffing the air. He laughed, muttering to himself, before they all passed. The kobolds and people with collars resuming their work. It was a display of strength, knowing that those young dragons could be anywhere in these tunnels I knew nothing about. The kobolds that checked on me didn't even lock my cell again. The message clear. Something would happen if I was caught outside.

I didn't even want to think about it, turning my attention to Beru. |"Beru, how long until you have a Breeder?"|

|"A couple days at most, my lady. Then they will produce larvae that will grow into the castes in two weeks after that. I figure two breeders is more than enough, since giants will be spotted quickly. Not to mention we don't have a good source of food and water yet. I was thinking about spreading to the different cells to slowly find the source of food."|

|"Beru..."|

|"The scouts themselves could get rid of the lice and pests for the other prisoners. Truly it is sad to have so many pests compromising the health of your soon to be friends. We do plan on saving them all, my lady?"|

|"Beru, please. We'll be lucky to escape with just ourselves at this moment. I might not even have two weeks at this rate, according to Malice."|

|"That's who you were talking to, my lady? The lamia across from us, correct?"|

|"You didn't know? How did you figure out she was talking to me?"|

|"We can sense mental links, my lady. My queen even showed me how to sense the minds of other creatures, and I had to sacrifice a couple plays to remember the method for passing it on and using magic with my breeders. A tragic sacrifice, but I fear I would never forgive myself if I couldn't aid you in some way. The connection wasn't hostile, so I didn't risk revealing my Hive. It is nice to know they can't sense us, since I am trying to suppress our abilities. Honestly, that lamia is like a child before the greatness of our Queen."|

I let out a small sigh of relief, |"That is comforting to hear, actually. Do you think it is possible to have a few of your scouts work on mapping out the tunnels? I'm trying to find a safe way to get deeper where no one will look."|

|"While I won't remember this conversation, I will have the objectives and send up to twenty scouts at a time. I sadly do not have much right now, but it is better than nothing. Thankfully I'll have a better mind when the breeders come in. We'll need to carry one with us, or the larvae that will become more. I still think slowly spreading through the cells and establishing a network is the best course. Though if you do not feel safe here, we shall find a place where you do feel safe."|

I smiled a little, |"Thank you Beru, you have no idea how much this means to me."|

|"With respect, my lady, I hope it means enough for you to retell me the great tales of those plays I have all but forgotten. I remember the names, but not the substance or the characters now. All of it gone, and I feel like lamenting the loss of such great works. Knowledge deserves to be preserved and protected. The truth must be sought out, and the other morals I shall not bore you with."|

I laughed a little, at the silly bug. Here we were in a den of dragon rapists, surrounded by broken prisoners. All while trying our very best to keep Beru hidden, since he'd burned alive at best. And, here he was lamenting the loss of the stories he liked so much. The realization made a dam break, as I started laughing harder, the mad ones joining in as I just kept laughing. My sides hurt, my lungs burning by the time I finished. I had no idea how much I needed something so simple.

Beru didn't know it yet, but he was the speck of light in this hopeless situation. Without him, I knew I had no hope of escaping into the tunnels and avoiding whatever might come. I'd probably have given in to Malice's offer, had I been alone here. To spend my days in a daze, while my body was used. It was a cruel thing, to have hope here. Yet, it was all I had, and so I will believe in Mimi and Beru. No matter how long it takes.