The Dragon's Kiss

The Yellow Marguerite.

The group had been approaching Kel since she first came to Serin. If she had known they would end up kidnapping her, she would have answered their summons in the first place, despite Lucy's warning.

But even if she had, it was clear that these people were never going to take no for an answer.

"This is where you've been hiding then?" Kel snapped, turning away from Soren and Lila. "Is this some kind of hidden room in that inn or whatever?"

"The Seven Lions Inn?" Soren replied. "We're near that place but also very far away."

Kel could hear the delight in his voice as he delivered his vague explanation.

"You make me sick," she murmured, making a face at the bile in her throat. "What do you even want from me?"

"What do I want?" The bedframe creaked as Soren sat down next to Kel.

With both hands, he scooped the hair dangling against her neck and gently pulled it behind her back.

"I want this. I want this so badly," he said softly, running his fingers through the ends of her hair. "In fact, I wish it was mine instead of yours."

"... stop that," Kel shuddered, tugging her hair out of Soren's hands and over her shoulder.

With a snort, Soren returned to his place beside the chair where Lila sat like a statue, quietly observing the two.

"I'll come for you when you've cooled down a little," he chuckled, heading toward the door. "Until then, stay here and behave."

His words were calm, but the way he slammed the door revealed his anger. What a terrifyingly unpredictable man. Kel had to get out of here.

Slowly, she turned to Lila. When their eyes met, the woman opened her mouth to speak, but Kel abruptly looked away. It had been her own hypothesis that Lila was secretly a part of The Yellow Marguerite, but having it confirmed felt like a punch to her stomach.

"Princess, why don't you let me explain?" Lila pleaded, gingerly laying her hand on top of Kel's again.

"No. I don't care," she hissed, snatching her hand out from underneath the woman's warm palm. "Just.. just tell me where we are."

That wasn't the truth; she did care. Inside, she was dying to hear what Lila had to say, to let the librarian's soothing voice explain away all of her fear.

But she couldn't give in.

Even if the emperor wasn't sure, she was positive. Lila was a traitor. There was no number of comforting words that could change that.

Lila sighed. Kel wondered what sort of face she was making. Was she looking regretful, or did she have the same disgusting smirk she wore that day in the library? Either way, she couldn't bring herself to look.

"This is an underground facility, older than most every building in the capital," Lila finally answered. "Few know of its existence, and even fewer know how to get inside."

"Underground?" Kel questioned. "I was sure I heard birds chirping when I woke.."

"Ah! Their cage is over there next to your bed," Lila pointed out.

Kel glanced over, spying a shining silver cage with two brilliant blue birds perched inside. Even under the low lights, their sapphire feathers glowed vividly.

"Their singing is nice," Lila continued, "but the main reason they're here is to make sure the air is safe to breathe."

Using birds to test the air quality was a practice Kel was already familiar with. Usually, a single small caged fowl was brought into mining tunnels with the workers. If something happened to the bird, the miners knew the air was deadly and they needed to leave.

It was cruel but necessary to save lives. The miners in Mevani always used common gray birds. Even if a few died, the world remained unaffected.

The longer she stared at the colorful birds next to her bed, the sorrier Kel felt for them. Such rare and lovely creatures sitting in a beautiful cage, waiting for their deaths. She had felt the same way until recently: a lovely fake princess with rare golden hair, locked away in the Dragon's castle, waiting to be caught and executed.

"So how'd you get here? Last I checked, you were on your way to the dungeon," Kel demanded bitterly, her eyes still glued to the birds.

"I can't tell you that," the librarian answered.

The chair legs screeched across the floor as she stood. "Perhaps I should leave you to rest now."

Kel listened to her soft footsteps cross the room.

"You aren't going to tell me why that man brought me here?" she asked as Lila opened the door.

"... you aren't in any danger, Princess. Please get some rest."

After Lila left, Kel remained frozen, watching the birds sing sweetly and obliviously. Despite her efforts to stay alert, she quickly drifted to sleep to their song.

Her slumber was disturbed by dreams full of nothing but the emperor. Each time, he was kneeling pitifully in the triangle-shaped clearing, calling for her.

The surrounding forest was completely barren. The tree branches were all blackened, like dark skeletal fingers grasping at the gray sky.

"I'm here!" Kel would shout repeatedly, tumbling through the corpse-like trees toward the emperor's hunched figure.

No matter how loud she yelled or how fast she ran, she could never get through to him.

"I don't want revenge on you!" She finally stopped, melting into a sobbing puddle. "I know it wasn't your fault Barclay died! I'm sorry for everything!!"

Desperately reaching toward the emperor, she whimpered, "I'm right here, so come get me."

With a start, she awoke, lying sideways on the bed with her hand still stretched in front of her.

The caged birds were snuggled up next to each other, their tiny chests rising and falling as they slept peacefully. How could they look so at ease, so comfortable behind those silver bars, when they were only being used? Nobody cared if they lived or died, so what right did they have to be calm?!

Kel clutched her chest, sniffing as water streamed from her eyes onto her pillow.

"Come get me. I'm right here."