The time went by much too fast… and yet, much too slowly. Rosalea had mastered her thinking and feelings a lot better than she ever had before, and so she did not find herself drawn toward the ground just because the realization she would have to face the dragon was at hand. Yet, she felt so much anxiety about the future that it was easy to just lay in bed at night, awake, and paralyzed with it.

The day came. That morning, Rosalea was invited into the house for the first time. Haidi was not confrontational, other than telling Rosalea to please sit and not touch anything. Rhainnon got dressed first. When she emerged from her room, she was wearing a bright green dress that clashed with her blue eyes and made her skin look a little yellow. It was still a very pretty dress, but it didn’t fit quite right and added a lot of weight to her frame. It would have been a very pretty dress on someone else. “I am impressed that you managed to find something that is so pretty that looks so off,” Rosalea said when Rhainnon showed it to her.

“One of our neighbors gave you an even more interesting dress to try,” Rhainnon said with a little bit of a smile. She pointed in her room. Rosalea was confronted with an intensely red dress with blue accents that were visually striking, but so bright that she instantly did not want to have anything to do with the dress. I look like a winter holiday gone wrong, she thought as she looked herself over when she had it on. The red took the little color out of her skin that she normally had and made her silver hair seem brighter. Worse, the dress was also very frilly and cutesy with lots of bows. Rosalea felt that it belonged to someone with normal hair, normal eyes, and who would smile many more smiles than Rosalea ever planned on smiling in the whole course of her life.

She had never been closer to Rhainnon or to any friend than during those few days. Rosalea even thought on some level, aside from the terror of the dragon coming by whenever it suited his black fancy, she could find being stuck here livable. Livable… if she had been able to choose… if she wasn’t so trapped.

All the same, at sunset she and Rhainnon lined up with twelve women and fourteen young men in two rows down the center of the square. People were ordered by age. Everyone was nicely dressed. She was further down the line than Rhainnon, she was sixteen, and Rhainnon was not quite fifteen yet. They waited. Moments later, she saw the dragon, her magic registered that there was a big magical beast not too far off, but by the time it landed, all her magical senses were dulled to nothing.

She wanted to flee, but she wanted even more not to give this dragon any satisfaction over her, so she wanted even more not to come to her knees. It was the only thing that made it so that she could repress that frightened feeling was that pure determination to be the master of herself despite the spell.

If she had encountered the dragon under some other circumstance, she probably still would have been intimidated by it. It stood about twice as tall as most of the houses, probably around twenty feet spanned between the bottom of his paw to the top edge of his shoulder, and his neck and head obviously added a bit more height beyond that. He was long enough and big enough to take up most of the space in the square. Rosalea had heard once that dragons grew in size with their age, so she thought that this dragon must definitely be a bit older than most. He was mostly sky blue, but his under belly was a more silvery color, though in the right light, it still had a definite blue sheen to it. As he folded his wings against his body, Rosalea saw that they were purple, and likewise, the frilled mane that extended from the top of his head down to his tail tip, were accented with purples. He had two very white horns over the top of two fan-shaped ears that moved and focused on sounds the way she was a little used to on most animals.There were a few slash marks up on the front of his body that had obviously penetrated the sky blue scales and had grown in silvery also.

He would have been intimidating no matter what circumstance she met him in. But, feeling his immense magic suppressing hers, feeling his curse always on the edge of bringing her to her knees, being this close to him as he began to look over everyone… it made everything so much worse. She wanted to close her eyes and pretend that he was not there, but she could not make herself look away.

The big monster started at the oldest end of the line, where someone who was almost twenty-nine stood calmly; she didn’t even seem too surprised to see the dragon, and Rosalea guessed maybe it wasn’t her first time. It would be nice to be a person by-passed by the dragon once and to feel confident you would be passed over again.

***

Kaylar sighed. He hated days like this, but at the same time he loved them. He glanced down the line, where the one in bright green stood. He had come to this village specifically for her. He had watched her magic developing, the same way he had watched over her father’s developing magic. It was nice to see that she had organized it, and it was clear that she was going to be quite powerful. It was also clear that she was going to be Uryan. Ultimately, he felt that he could not leave her here. People had mostly forgotten that her family had changer blood, but a wild animal accompanying the girl everywhere would make them remember.

But then, there was this second girl now. She was clearly connected with Rhainnon; she was currently living in the family’s barn, and he assumed that she had taken work from them. He did not know how it would end for someone so obviously as changer as that one if he took his chosen girl. She had what looked to be Ieshan mannerisms and her magic, like Rhainnon’s, was black. She also had clear yellow eyes to make her situation even more tenuous.

He walked down the line as he contemplated, examining each one closely. She’s so stubborn, he thought as he approached the new girl. She was standing there with her eyes downcast and making a valiant effort not to tremble, but she was also thoroughly pushing his spell back. Kaylar was silent as he walked the line, pausing to listen to thoughts and gauge the different feelings. He could change his mind. He could take the new one instead. He got to her, and paused, looking down at her.

Go away, was what her thoughts said. She was standing very still. She was almost motionless. She had a clearly handed down dress on, and it clashed with her terribly. She was very odd looking even without it. “Look at me,” he rumbled.

He watched her already very fair skin turn a little paler as she slowly tipped her face up. Her eyes would not look at him though. He concluded that what made her odd was her hair. It glistened like he would expect blond or golden hair to do, but not when it was the color of an old woman’s already. He suspected her hair had always been such a color, given the richness of the silver. It is almost as if someone made you look this way, so you would be unique. She was otherwise formed very beautifully, as if she was meant to be patterned after porcelain or ice, but then there was the gold of her eyes, and the strong emotional demeanor was intense to face.

He watched a small muscle in her face spasm. She was terrified, he observed as he worked harder to hear and sense what she was feeling above the others surrounding her. She was also working hard to master her fear, and evidently being successful at it since she was still standing. How is it that he can block magic? I feel blind and deaf… She broke off and her eyes snapped to meet his own rather intensely. They had been wide with fear until just a moment ago, and now a little rage glimmered there. The rage undermined her fear in her emotions as well. No. You get out of my head.

The thought was clearly directed at him. He fluttered his wings a little, really quite startled. She could sense that he was inside her head? She was actively aware of the parameters of his spell in a way he simply wasn’t used to. With his experience with changers, most never realized they were not the only beings capable of mind magic. But this one not only caught on, but caught him in the act. How magically sensitive was she?

He looked a bit closer. Well, she did have more magic than any human should have a right to. Perhaps that was the reason? And magic of every kind, that’s also very unusual. All the same, she irritated him a little with all of this stubborn attitude. Her reaction to fear was to try and talk back, to tell him what to do. What an obnoxious teenage girl. He leaned forward, whispering so only she could hear, “I would be more careful, were I thinking I was facing potential death.”

She turned whiter, but she did not look away from him. She was too proud. He walked by. He took some satisfaction in the fact she wobbled like she wanted to kneel down again when she thought he was no longer looking at her.

Rhainnon is almost the opposite of the newcomer, he thought as he stood over the girl and looked down. Everything that was bizarrely beautiful about the outsider was sharply contrasted by the conventional beauty this girl had with her bright eyes and dark hair. Her thoughts were a lot more tractable.

I just have to stay calm. I don’t know the dragon has come here for me, and there is not too much chance it is for me. Soon, I shall be having dinner with Rosalea…

Instead of analyzing why her magic was not working, she was too distracted by not panicking. Her response to panic was to pep talk herself through it, not to strike out at the thing that scared her. She is in every way the better choice for what I want. He moved to the end of the line, pretending to evaluate each one, and prepared to make his selection.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

***

Rosalea was awestruck by the dragon, though she was not willing to admit it to herself, especially when it stood over her and inspected her. She felt paranoid, the world was darker without her magic active in it, and that dullness helped her feel even more vulnerable. She looked at her hands and saw magic was not able to leave her body. The spell must be mind magic, it made her do its bidding, made her magic and body do its bidding.

Rosalea felt a wave of fear slide through her. It felt like something that started at the front of her stomach and swept backwards and up her spine. What sort of power could block out magic like this? Without making any one fall unconscious? She glanced around, but she could not tell if everyone was feeling this. Rosalea had a guess that he was powerful by the nature of the spell she had been cursed with, but had not truly grasped how powerful until she realized his presence could block her magic and lock her down. It was a terrifying level of control that multiple Ieshans could not exert on other humans.

She felt her knees weaken as if to pull her down as she panicked, and she closed her eyes and clenched her fists and resolutely stilled her pulse to a more normal level. The feeling went away slowly.

The dragon had stood over her, and he had talked to her. She could feel how much bigger than her he was when she compared himself to just his paw. The silvery blue under belly reminded her more of plates whereas the rest of him seemed scaled. He walked with a gait she associated with most four-legged creatures, his tail swished back and forth. The feathery fan at the end sent small pebbles and dust skittering when it brushed near the ground. She had to close her eyes again, as he was getting very near her now. Maybe in another world, I would be just as interested and curious about him as any other animal I have ever met, but in this world, I cannot stand how frightened and angry I feel.

She trembled as he moved back up the line. He pointed with his claw to a girl further up the line that turned rather white but took a shaky step forward. Then he pointed to another close to Rosalea, then Rosalea herself, as well as Rhainnon. Rosalea stepped up with Rhainnon, who had grabbed her hand. The girl quickly released it as the dragon looked at both of them. The rest of the line stepped back, and Rosalea heard several people burst into relieved tears.

The dragon looked them over one more time, and Rosalea realized the four of them were finalists for whatever choice he was about to make. Listening to the sobs behind her, she actually wished she could be one who was crying with relief. The dragon looked them over again. Rosalea started to will the dragon to go away, but she realized that he could hear her, and she stopped. She felt desperate for him to leave as she tried to control her thoughts. Time dragged on.

“I have made my choice,” the dragon said at last. Rosalea looked up, her heart pounding as she heard the words. “You, on the end, Rhainnon.”

Rosalea surged toward Rhainnon, or at least… she tried to. She felt the spell on her mind instead force her to take two steps backwards. Rhainnon took several staggering steps toward the dragon.

The next moment, she disappeared. Rosalea couldn’t explain it; she did not know of any magic with this capability. No one could just make a living thing disappear. Yet one moment she was there, and the next she was gone.

The dragon said nothing more and stretched his wings out and took off, leaving everyone in the square to be battered by the wind.

Rosalea lowered the arm she had raised to defend herself from the onslaught of the wind, and continued to stare at the spot where Rhainnon had been, uncomprehending. She had thought herself as more than a little educated in magic, but she could not explain how Rhainnon could just disappear. She was gripped on the shoulder by someone, and she looked up, quite startled to see Ian. In her dismayed focus, she had not even heard him come up to her. His face was gaunt, worn, and haggard looking, but determinedly calm. “Rosalea, come.”

His voice sounded much worse than his face had looked. Rosalea could not imagine what sort of pain he was in… his daughter. He led Rosalea to the outskirts of his ranch. “Haidi and I … well, Haidi made me agree that if Rhainnon was gone, I would send you away. I… know you have nowhere to go, but…”

Rosalea took his hand. “Listen, I understand. You do not have to explain yourself to me.” And Haidi doesn’t know how much reason she may truly have to hate me. I… taught Rhainnon magic… and she is gone now. It is exactly what she had feared. With that realization cutting through the shock of the situation, Rosalea couldn’t bear to look at Ian any more than he could bear to send her away on her own. What harm had she caused her friend? What harm had she caused her whole family? Her eyes glassed over, but she blinked rapidly and beat the tears back. She’d already hurt Ian, she couldn’t cry in front of him and let him console her. She would take her things and go away from him and swear to never hurt him again.

He had Annie tied to a fence post. She was saddled, and all of her packs were full. “I have paid you in full, and put all your belongings on her. I don’t know where… anyway, hopefully this will help,” he pressed a heavy sack in Rosalea’s hand. Then he turned and walked away.

Rosalea looked down into the leather bag and saw it must contain a good fifty gold or more. Annie snorked at her as she approached. She patted the mare, and then she glanced through the saddle bags. That is at least a couple months of supplies, she thought as she untied Annie. She led Annie away from the area.

What a place to get trapped, Rosalea thought as she looked around. The forest was scraggly at best; almost the whole area that was not farmland was full of cattails, reeds, and boggy areas. Only on the north side, where Rosalea had originally entered this place, was the ground high enough to support any trees. That way then, Rosalea walked with Annie in that direction, still wearing her ridiculous red dress. She hoped whoever had lent it to her didn’t want it back any time soon.

Did the dragon take Rhainnon because of her magic? Rosalea asked herself. The question, once directed at herself, made her eyes sting and burn. She clenched her jaw and her teeth in an effort to stop her tears. But if the dragon is really that drawn to magic, then why did he take her over me?

Rosalea felt the bonds of the spell she was under start to act up as they reached just inside the tree line of the woods. She sighed. Apparently they were not allowed to go any further away from the town… at least with whatever her current thinking or mood was. So, she stopped them, and pulled Annie’s loaded down saddle off, and let it drop with a large thud to the ground. She then let the mare graze, and laid down in the grass with the saddle as her pillow. She really just did not have any motivation to unpack, to see if this was even a suitable place for the night. She could only feel intense sorrow.

She missed Rhainnon terribly, and it made her sick inside to think she was dead. It was hard to think that Genya and Nerric were gone, but she at least was fairly certain that they were alive. Though, if the chances were slim that she would ever see them again before, it was utterly impossible now.

Despite herself, she did begin to cry. At first it was just little tears that stung her eyes and seemed to be grudging about coming at all. Then, as she thought about it more, really grasped the idea that Rhainnon was dead, and she was stuck here, the tears really began to flow. She had come back to this place because she cared about her friend - and now her friend was gone. To make matters worse, she was trapped here and would never see anyone else again either. She was trapped and she had no friends here at all… just her horse.

The weight of it really began to settle in. How dismal the situation really was, how hopeless it was… and the adversary who brought it on, was not the sort she could fight. As powerful as she was, she was lacking skill, training, or even enough power to fight back.

She awoke sometime in the middle of the night feeling very stiff and sore and cold. She sat up, and slowly recognized her surroundings. Her eyes felt hot from crying, and she was a little ashamed for falling asleep in the position she had. The stupid dress had all manner of terrible wrinkles in it now, and some dirt and grass stains. She rubbed her eyes and looked up. She wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, but it was late and in the middle of the night. She got into her pack, feeling around in the dark and got out her bedroll, set it out, and took her dress off, leaving her with only her shift on, and crawled in. I guess before, my prospects were not good. I was just wandering and burning slowly through what I had stolen with no idea where I would eventually end up. I just, I did not think it would be here, and that I would cause such pain to myself and everyone around me. I wish I had never come at all. Her mind just felt full and numb both at once. She settled for something that she had not done in a long time. “Myajacs,” she whispered, “please help. Please.”

Since she was not used to praying, she left it at that and hoped that it was sufficient.

***

“Rayale!”

The bound Myajac winced at the reference to his name and looked up calmly at the Nearly One Being. “I know, Kaylar did not do what I expected.”

“These dragons of yours are almost more trouble than they are worth. Even if I rather like Kaylar.”

“Kaylar and his family have done good work for us in the past,” Rayale protested. “I thought he would want a healer, but I did not think he would opt to go with Rhainnon when her magic is not developed yet.”

“So we kill this Rhainnon. She’s just a watered down Uryan with that nasty vision magic I wish to stamp out.”

Rayale clenched his fist so abruptly, that the pen he was holding creaked like it would break. He put it down carefully before he spoke, “Rhainnon has not done anything to warrant that even if she has a little tiny bit of access to a forbidden magic, and besides, if you do not want a future Myajac with psychotic tendencies with us, you best let me find a way to get her stability in her life.”

“It does not matter, you and I can master any one once we are one.”

I am so tired of all this death, the intensely familiar thought nagged at him again. “It is no fun if you win through bullying though, is it? You said you would let me help, stop overruling my plans and let me try to shape these lives the way that I will.”

Even though the Nearly One Being’s face was featureless, Rayale knew his brother well enough to feel the glower coming through it at him. “More ink then, supplies for you to do your plots. I suppose if it goes too badly, we start over and do it my way.”

Vials of ink, blank books of paper, more pens appeared all around him, as if his brother had done him a big favor, but the real favor was when his brother disappeared again. All I have to do is figure out what I can do to keep a girl’s friend alive and make a greedy dragon want another magical human in his life. So what is the first step?

He opened a fresh book and began writing.