The netting dug into Frimri's scales like long, harsh daggers running over her entire body. Pain and agony were all she felt as she was lifted higher and higher into the air.

It pained her emotionally to be this way, too. The sky had always felt like freedom to Frimri, as it ought to to any dragon. But being trapped like a fish in a net made the sky feel like a prison. Like a cage.

For weeks, it was like this. The people piloting the airship knew that dragons only needed to eat once every two months to survive, and they didn't feel a need to keep them fed more frequently. They just wanted to make sure that their captives were safe.

They'd given Frimri some water through an opening in the side of the netting, but she hadn't been able to drink it because of how tightly the rope-like material wrapped around her body. She was lucky she was still alive, since so many other dragons had perished on the journey from Ozi to... well, to wherever the hell they were headed.

Frimri tried to stay calm. At least they weren't actively torturing her, though who knew what would come to pass once she finally reached her destination. The last thing Frimri wanted to do was fight with the Red Serpent. Frimri did not want to give away her strength to them if it could be avoided at all.

And yet, Frimri couldn't help thinking about the past. About the dragons she might never see again. She thought of the Archdemon, Nulgath, and even Fendur, for his own part in this tragedy. But, more than any of them, she thought of someone who wasn't a dragon at all, oddly enough.

She thought of Tahsi. That goofy little kobold who meant so much to her. He was the one Frimri would miss most. Him and their unhatched child. Of course, the humans aboard the airship probably wouldn't care or notice, but Frimri cared. And it hurt. It really fucking hurt.

But Frimri kept herself alive by focusing on the present. On keeping her mind clear. If she focused on the pain, then they'd know something was wrong and take advantage of it. So, she forced herself to think about things other than the pain. Things like inner peace, meditation, mindfulness, and...

A loud squawk interrupted Frimri’s musings.

Surely it was some absentminded gull swooping around in the air. She could and would disregard it and get back to her thoughts. Her dragon-mind palace, as it were. She could ignore anything else that came along today.

It squawked again, this time twice as loud! The damned bird must’ve been right next to Frimri’s scaly ear. The noise jarred her senses, making her wince. She hadn't realized she was so close to bursting into tears.

Frimri huffed in frustration, puffing a small cloud of ice from her nostrils in the noisy nuisance’s direction. The gull froze solid into a block of ice and then tumbled far, far down through the air.

"What are you doing?" a voice called out. "You're not supposed to be moving!"

Oh no, Frimri thought, I'm dead. This is the end. She tried to move as little as possible, hoping that whoever had spoken would believe she was unconscious and try to pull her up rather than cut her loose.

"Stop moving," the same voice said.

But Frimri knew better. Her heart sank deeper and deeper until it felt like it was going to crush her lungs. She'd failed.

“Sorry,” said another voice. “I’m just really bored of standing lookout.”

“Well, get over it,” said the first voice. “All new Red Serpent airship warriors have to stand watch. It's tradition. We'll be leaving soon.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” said the second voice. Frimri heard the sound of feet shuffling. “What a fucking asshole. I hate standing watch.”

Frimri sighed in relief. No one had been talking to her after all. She was saved from having to pretend she wasn't listening.

Another squawk, this time a bit higher above her head. Frimri couldn't tell if there was a bird was getting closer or further away from her. Either way, she wished it would stop. She really didn’t feel like she could enter an appropriate dragon-meditation with all these distractions. There was a reason they stayed deep in caves to sleep. Humans were so loud and clumsy and—

The squawks grew louder and then began sounding out again. Frimri could hear a few voices talking behind the one that had spoken before, and she assumed those other voices were part of their group. Frimri wondered why there were so many people with them. Were the Red Serpent so important that they needed a whole army on every airship they owned?

Then, suddenly, there was a thump as the airship lurched again. Frimri gasped. What was happening?

Another lurch and a sputtering. Then, silence.

"Is everyone okay?" someone called out.

"What in the name of—" someone else shouted. "Hold on, hold on, we're losing power. Hold on tight."

Frimri held her breath, hoping she would be okay. For a moment, she thought they might crash. Which might even have been ideal. Frimri could probably have escaped if they crashed. But then she heard another loud thumping and then the ship seemed to settle back down.

There was a long pause. The humans all moved in unison toward the bow, trying to see what had happened. Frimri waited, feeling anxious. Would the human soldiers cut her down? Would Frimri be killed?

Someone in the crowd spoke up, calling out, "What's happening?" as they approached the prow. Then Frimri saw the ship's captain, a short, stout man with dark hair and pale skin looking out at his crew. He had a red-striped scarf wrapped around his neck and a black bandanna tied over his forehead.

"We’re approaching land!” said the man.

The crew cheered with joy. Frimri heard the scrape of metal and the creak of rigging being tightened. The crewmen sounded like they were enjoying themselves. Someone popped the cork on a bottle of alcohol.

So that explained all the horrible squawking gulls! Frimri was happy for them.

As they approached the shoreline, Frimri could make out the shapes of trees and brush.

Frimri wondered where they were headed. She wanted to know if she would ever get out of this hell. Were they going to kill her? Were they going to, gods forbid, eat her? Was she going to just get locked up somewhere else instead? The uncertainty was terrible and draining.

After more shouting and the sounds of wood scraping against wood, Frimri caught sight of a few other airships flying nearby. They were all Red Serpent forces. Frimri had a horrible sinking feeling about what was coming next.

"All ships prepare to anchor, now!" called out the captain.

The crew cheered again. Frimri saw men and women climbing down ropes off the ships towards the ground below.

She tried not to worry. She tried to remember that she should feel comforted by the fact that she was a dragon and, therefore, functionally immortal. She was supposed to be impervious to harm. Right? But, deep down, Frimri knew she wasn't. Just a little fear had wormed its way into the core of her being, and she didn't know how to fight against it. If that human player had had the power to kill her, Frimri had a feeling the Red Serpent could do so, too.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The first drops of rain touched Frimri's scales. She felt it hit through her thick hide and the cool, refreshing feeling it left on her skin. It was an odd sensation. Frimri never had much experience with rain, but she had learned that she enjoyed it. She hoped that if she ever found her way back home, that she would have the opportunity to fly through a storm of her own. If she ever got to fly again, that is.

Then, Frimri felt something strange. It was a kind of buzzing, like static electricity. And yet a little different than that; it was deeper and stronger. Frimri couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then, as they drew closer to the ground, Frimri realized that the buzzing was caused by the hundreds of small, black birds fluttering about. She hadn't noticed them because they flew so quickly in flocks of thousands, but each one had the body of a raven and the head of a bat.

Frimri felt a tepid yet strong fear wash over her psyche as the swarm grew thicker and thicker. They landed all over her body and started to peck, peck, peck. The horrible pecking.

They're harbingers, Frimri thought to herself. They were the spirits of the dead, come to collect the souls of those who died. Frimri had never seen such creatures before, but she knew of their existence. And they’d chosen her as a target. She must’ve been terribly weak.

The creatures were everywhere, flitting in from both sides of the airship as well as above them.

“Hey!” shouted someone from the ship. “Someone get these pests off the prisoner!”

Frimri watched as strong gusts of wind battered the harbringers, shooing them away from her.

“Hey! Watch it!” called a voice from the ship. “No magic, remember? The Red Serpent doesn’t use such evil things!”

Frimri thought that was odd. She’d never heard someone in Beaubinte refer to magic as evil before.

She saw the humans throw rocks and other objects at the creatures to drive them off. But, Frimri worried, they couldn't last forever. She was certain that, when the harbingers returned, they would return even stronger, and she didn't want to face them if they came. It was time for Frimri to make a stand, and she did just that.

Frimri roared. Loud and fierce. She let loose a blast of ice breath. She wasn't sure it even worked at first, but the harbingers fell back.

“It’s awake!” said a voice from the ship. “Damned pests woke up the dragon!”

“Gods damn it!” yelled another. “Get the gas! Quickly!!”

There wasn’t much time before a terrible, acrid smell filled Frimri’s nostrils as a loud hissing drowned out her thoughts. And soon, in a way, she found the peace of mind she’d been searching for earlier that day.

----------------------------------------

When Frimri awoke, she was in a dark, musty cavern. Her throat was sore, her head hurt, and her vision was blurred. Usually, a cavern would’ve felt like home, but this place felt sinister and alien. Frimri had never been in a cave like this before. Not really. At least, not one that had been built by people. She had flown inside natural caves, but she was unfamiliar with the ways of such a place. Frimri didn't see any light source around her save for the glowing orange of torch light beyond thick, metal bars that were bolted into the walls of the cave.

There was something else strange about the room; Frimri sensed that there was something familiar about it, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Frimri didn't know if she could take a deep breath without choking, but she was hungry. Frimri wanted something to eat. She wondered if she could reach the torchlight, but she couldn't tell. Frimri couldn't feel her claws at all. She thought at first that she might be paralyzed, but then she realized she was unable to move her tail. That made sense. Frimri was bound, and the only thing she could do in her current predicament was lie there.

Frimri was hot. Very hot. Frimri tried to stretch her neck to see if she could see the source of the heat, but her scales stuck to something soft. Frimri struggled with it for a few moments, wondering if maybe she needed some sort of oil or something, but her efforts were in vain. Frimri tried to roll over onto her side, but she couldn't budge at all. Her scales were like glue. Frimri had never been bound before, but she felt as though she'd be trapped forever, and it was terrifying.

Frimri tried to calm herself down by focusing on her breathing. She didn't have time to panic, and Frimri hated panicking. She was the Frost Dragon of the northern winds. She didn't lose her cool, despite how scary her situation might be. Frimri at least figured she could meditate in this situation, but Frimri knew the only way she could meditate was to relax her mind and body. Frimri was not comfortable letting go of her consciousness again so she couldn't meditate properly. Instead, Frimri just had to breathe through her constricted throat. Frimri inhaled sharply, feeling the air flow past her burning scales. As Frimri took in more and more, she started to realize that the cave walls weren't warm enough to produce the amount of heat Frimri was feeling.

The scent of something cooking reached Frimri's nose. The smell of food. It was an aroma Frimri craved so badly, but it also brought with it a terrible fear – Frimri was certain she recognized the scent of humans cooking. She smelled onions frying. Frimri hated onions. They always made her sick, and they didn't taste good at all. But, in this moment, Frimri desperately wanted the salty flavor of meat. She wanted to eat the humans. Where were they? What were they doing to her?

Frimri strained against her bonds, but it was clear to her that she couldn't break free. Frimri tried to concentrate on the task ahead rather than being upset that she wasn't able to eat the humans cooking onions. That was a distraction. Frimri would need to focus only on escaping. If that was possible. Frimri was not sure why anyone would try and trap a frost dragon, but she knew of only one reason a dragon would be captured.

Collateral.

After all, logically, they ought to have just killed her. So if they aimed to keep Frimri alive, it was to use her for something.

But what? Maybe something valuable was bound up in Frimri's body. Something important. Frimri wondered if it was perhaps her magic. Seeing as the Red Serpent seemed to think magic wad evil for some reason. A dragon like Frimri didn't usually let go of her powers easily, but she also didn't normally get caught. Frimri was a well-trained dragon, but she was not used to being so helpless. Frimri had to find a way out somehow.

Frimri started to wonder how the humans got her to this place and if they could undo her bindings. Frimri tried turning her head to the left, and she was pleased to discover that she could move her head now, although it still burned. Maybe they would be able to help Frimri. Then Frimri remembered the strange way the tunnel seemed to bend in on itself. Could Frimri be inside a box?

A bell rang.

“Alright, mister dragon, time for lunch!” grumbled a gruff voice.

Mister dragon? Didn’t these fools realize that Frimri was a she? How could they be so oblivious? Frimri would have to make them aware very quickly. Frimri could feel her tail growing tired of its useless position as she kicked back at the ground. Frimri decided to use her

teeth to tear through the binding and escape this strange prison. Frimri bit down on the rope, only to immediately regret it. The rope burned like hell and stung like a thousand wasps.

“Woah there, don’t get too wise,” said the man. He was a big, burly goblin. “Those ropes are triple dragon proofed. We did our research, y'know. If you bite through those, you'll die. You're lucky we're here. If you weren't, you'd be dead right now. We don't take chances with our clientele!” he grinned at his own joke. Then, he hoisted up the large pot he carried and slid it between a small gap in the prison bars. “And there’s your lunch. Be sure to eat it all. We can’t have our prisoners wasting away.”

Frimri saw the pot first. The steam poured off it, and it was full of onions. They smelled heavenly, but Frimri was terrified that her captors would see her eating the onions. Frimri was trapped, after all. Frimri knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from enjoying their delicious flavor. Frimri was going to take advantage of the opportunity to eat them before someone else came to check on her. Frimri tore a strip of meat from the end of a chicken bone and put the rest of the meat in her mouth. She ate as fast and as much as she could manage without the humans seeing, not wanting to risk losing the precious meal. When Frimri finished, her stomach growled.

Then, Frimri heard another bell ringing.

“Ah, lunch! Time for more tasty lunch,” it was the same goblin from before. Frimri looked over his head to the wall opposite the door. There were two men leaning there. One was tall and thin, the other was the goblin, who was short and plump. Frimri didn't think either of them were particularly handsome. They both looked like they had the brains of a pile of rocks. But Frimri decided that she had to make the most of her situation. The one with the longer hair had a very strange smell coming from him. It smelled like death. Frimri couldn't quite place the smell. Frimri decided that she was going to kill the man with the strange scent if she ever had the chance.

The goblin from earlier pulled up another pot and slid it into Frimri’s cell. It was more onions and chicken.

“Alright, that should be about enough for today! Now be a good dragon and take some rest! I'll be back later to check on you. Oh, and the other guy will be along soon. Don't be afraid, he's just here to help. He's a special kind of wizard, after all! He'll tell you what a special dragon you are. Heh heh. And then, maybe he'll cast a spell on you that will keep you quiet while I'm gone!”

The goblin walked off, and it was just the strange smelling man there, now. He smiled.

“Alrighty, then,” said the man with a crooked smile. “It’s about time I got to work removing your magic from you. It’s much too dangerous and evil for a creature like you to have that power, especially if you’re to remain under our control.”