Book 3: Chapter 1 (1/2)
“Chief, are the preparations ready?” A young man with tanned skin tapped on the flap of a leather tent with the butt of his wooden spear. He waited a few moments before pressing his ear against the tent. “Chief?”
There was a faint grunt, followed by a gruff voice. “It’s almost done. Come in and help me apply the finishing touches.”
The young man rested his spear against the tent before lifting the flap. An old man with a grizzled beard stood over a young girl, who looked to be about seven years old. She was wearing an outfit made of animal carcasses. Bones provided the frame of the dress for the animal meat to rest upon, and sinew tied it all together. The old man had a brush in one hand and a jar of sauce in the other. He smeared the sauce on the back of the girl’s outfit before raising his head, nodding at the young man.
“What do you need me to do?” the young man asked, looking around the tent. It was bloody, and animal hides littered the ground.
“Rub some salt and ground peppercorn into the outfit. Dragons love salt and pepper.”
The little girl made a face as the young man approached her, holding two jars of spices. “I hate peppercorn.” She turned her head to face the chief. “Uncle, are you going to cook me?”
“Stop wriggling,” the chief said as his brush almost slipped. “Uncle’s not going to cook you. Today’s the day of offering; you’ll get to see your parents again. Don’t you want to see your parents again, little one?”
“But Aunt said my parents went to sleep and will never wake up again because of the bear,” the little girl said. “Did Aunt lie to me? Or are you lying to me? I don’t like being lied to, Uncle.”
The young man grimaced as he finished adding salt and pepper to the girl’s outfit. “Chief…, do we have to do this?”
“It’s necessary,” the chief said, his face unchanging. “With the taxes from the empire increasing and the recent drought, an offering’s the only way to ensure our tribe’s survival.”
The young man sighed as he tousled the girl’s hair, sprinkling it with bits of salt. He shook his head and helped the chief pack away the cooking tools before exiting the tent, equipping his spear. “If only the emperor weren’t such a devil, things would be different.”
“Don’t say things like that,” the chief said as he led the girl outside the tent. A bug flew up to her, but the chief swatted it with a palm filled with fire, incinerating the poor insect. “If you’re mistaken for a rebel, those devils will come after the whole tribe.”
“Where are we going?” the little girl asked, her gaze switching between the two adults. “Are we going to a feast? I like feasts.”
“Yes, we’re going to a feast,” the chief said, smiling at the little girl as he grabbed her hand. He raised his head towards the sky, staring at the peaks of the mountains that protruded beyond the trees. A few winged creatures could be seen in the air above them. The chief’s face hardened as his hand tightened around the girl’s.
***
Sera yawned, causing wind to whistle through the cave. She smacked her lips a few times as she climbed to her feet. Her head swiveled around before stopping on an indent in the ground. “Vernon?” she asked, bringing her snout down to the indent. She sniffed it before raising her head. “Where’d he go?”
Sera frowned as she lumbered towards the exit of the cave, poking her head outside the entrance. A jet of orange flames rained down from above, striking her snout. Her eye twitched as smoke drifted off her scales, causing her nostrils to curl. She stomped out of the cave, unfurling her wings, and glared at the five dragons in the sky before letting out a roar. Four sky-blue dragons were ganging up on a golden dragon, but they stopped mid-attack as their attentions turned towards the ground. “Watch where you’re shooting your breaths!”
“Sorry, Aunt Sera!” one of the sky-blue dragons said as she landed on a ledge overlooking the cave. “But it’s Uncle Vernon’s fault for dodging. You can’t only blame me.”
“You little rascal,” Sera said and rolled her eyes. “I bet it was you who wanted to wrestle with your uncle this early in the morning, Alora.”