Cold metal rubbed against my snout when I strained against it. Chains jangled and clattered with each movement that pulled them through the metal loops secured to the inner walls.
My metal muzzle kept me from opening my mouth more than a few inches. The other shackles around each wrist and ankle made it impossible to leave my nest I was bound within. Even my wings were buckled on themselves to prevent them from opening.
I couldn't fly anymore. The ledge taunted me as I bellowed and tugged.
There was no more door either to give me my own space. I was on show for anyone to come and see.
It was humiliating and degrading to be like this. I didn't want anyone to see me, yet I wasn't going to be given that option.
I was meant to be soaring with Barebone today. I was supposed to be feeling the wind in my wings and the air beneath my feet instead of this torture.
They might as well have cut my wings off. Perhaps, they were planning to do that next if I even escaped this maze of restraints?
Hot tears streamed over my scales while I kept up the useless attempts to tear the chains from the walls around me. Each grunt that came with it sounded pityful when it echoed around me.
I eventually gave up when my strength drained from me. Instead, I waited for Barebone to make his appearance so his brute force could break me free.
I kept my head resting on the side of the nest as I waited. I even found myself dozing off like that until the sound of flapping wings startled me awake.
"Barebone!" I sobbed.
"Scala?" he dipped down to peer into the room "what on earth?"
His voice was a godsend. I cried at the sound of it and the sight of my savour hovering just outside where I would break to freedom.
"What have they done to you?" he cried out as he came to land "there's chains everywhere!"
"Just get me out of them" I strained, falling back down against the nest "help me."
As soon as Barebone's claws curled around the edge of the ledge, a piercing shriek split through the air and dug through my eardrums. The harshness of it forced him to bolt back into the air again. He hovered there, searching for the cause of the sound.
It only came again when he tried to land again, causing both of us to shout out in agony.
"I can't find it" he groaned and circled around outside, shaking his head to clear the ringing noise in the air "I'm not trying that again."
The only other enterance was through the mansion itself, and I knew Barebone was far too large to even squeeze down here, let alone make his way through the doorframe.
The humans knew what they were doing. Taunting me with escape was the cruelest part of it all.
"I'll go get your crystals, Scala" Barebone called out and looped around to take off "I'll be back soon!"
True to his word, Barebone was swift in returning with his mouth loaded with many smoothed crystals in all sorts of colours and shapes. He was hesitant in landing though, gliding back and forth a few times before risking it and storming through to dump the load so he could leap out for more.
I felt entirely useless as he swooped back and forth with more for my own horde. I didn't have the satisfaction of collecting them for myself or even marveling over each one as I rearranged them.
Barebone appolagised for each load he dumped haphazardly amongst the white quartz. The screeching even alerted the carers who banded together to try and shoo away Barebone when he returned with more.
He did let them stop him though. We were both in agony when he came back and ignored the rowdy carers swatting at him. It looked like he had cleaned out the whole market of thier crystals that gained the attention of the carers when he took to the skies again.
"These are worth a fortune" one marveled, picking up the attached price tag "especially for an amethyst of this size."
"Those are mine" I yanked on the chains when they gathered around to help themselves; picking and squabbling over the crystals they piled into thier aprons.
"Stop it" I moaned, tugging furiously now when they tumbled over the quartz and scattered it with laughter "STOP IT!"
"HEY! COME GRAB SOME FREE CRYSTAL!" one shouted from the doorway "QUICK! QUICK!"
More squabbling carers came darting and dived for the spread the others picked from. With all the shouting and cheering, it drew a crowd of carers who leapt in for as much loot as they could carry to safety in thier dished aprons they held.
Mushroom and Apple came running with another wave storming through. They hung back, getting shoved aside in the greedy rush for more.
It wasn't until Bee made his appearance that the carers scattered like insects, leaving only him and the children left.
"They robbed her" Apple breathed at the tiny flickers of colour speckled in the quartz.
I could only see four left from what had been many hours of collecting.
I had been so close.
"Scala" Bee sympathized when he saw my tears still rolling over the rocks "I'm so sorry."
"Why would you do this to me?" I whimpered to him when he came over to rest his head on mine "I didn't do anything wrong."
"My hands are tied" he whispered to me "it was this or remove your wings and fire. I don't want to hurt you. It's a nessessary evil for now to keep you safe."
He wiped my tears and stroked down between my eyes. The feeling was soothing; he used to do the same motion when I was a baby beside his bed.
How things had changed.
"There will be some happiness at the end of the storm" he spoke as he continued to run his fingers over me "I'm preparing a mate for you out of a selection of handpicked ones. They are all very talented and will understand you perfectly."
My head raised from the rocks to make Bee giggle before the children did.
"I want you to have a good season this year" he smiled "I know all the others haven't resulted in anything. I know you are ready for this now. You've been very good with the children here. It's time you had some of your own."
I felt my heart flutter and a glimmer of happiness cut through he tears. It only made the tears sting more when I cried with joy.
But my horde had been robbed. I wasn't ready yet. The lack of precious crystals made it look like I didn't have the motivation for something this significant.
"We need to keep the other dragon away while we pull together some selections. It'll only create conflict if we have two males after the same dragon."
The thought of my own mate and Barebone fighting over me had me flattered. I didn't even know this mysterious male that would be lined up for me and I was already swooning for his attention.
Maybe Barebone was right. Maybe I was desperate.
"As beautiful as it is to see the river dragon taking your fancy, it won't end well" Bee continued "river dragons raise thier broods in cold, watery climates. A fire dragon raises thiers in warm, fiery climate."
"So, it wouldn't work out anyway" Mushroom sighed.
"Exactly" Bee looked to him still in the doorway "as good intentioned as it was, none of them would be viable. They both have different ideals to what is the right way."
"That's a shame" Apple sighed now "I would love to see some little hot-water dragons."
"With scalding water as thier element!" Mushroom added, both of them laughing.
I smiled at the vision they were creating between them. It was an amusing and creative theory, I had to give them that.
"This one will be perfect in every way" Bee smiled up at me "a perfect match."
"Sounds too good to be true" Apple piped up before I could.
"It does" I added as I felt the worry set in and flatten my high spirits again.
"It'll be fine" Bee reassured Apple before turning to me "really. It will work out. Have some faith in me, Scala."
Maybe I did have to start trusting Bee more. He had always had my better interest at heart and had taken care of me before himself. Even though he had a roundabout way of showing it sometimes and was usually influenced by others to do the things they didn't want to do, he loved me.
I could trust the young man who helped raise me. He was the only one of the rotating staff here who had remained consistent and caring. Maitson and Monty just didn't put thier hearts into it like Bee did.
He really did have a way of surprising me.
"If you can prove you aren't going to be roasting anyone soon, I can get these chains off you" Bee beamed up at me "but there needs to be some good news passed on. She won't allow them to come off until she thinks you are going to behave."
She.
Who was this mysterious woman Bee reported to? Some kind of evil matriarch? How come I had never seen her around here before?
"We can help with that" Mushroom declared as he stepped into the room and stood beside Bee "I can keep people out of this room with a Warding Spell. That should stop this sort of thing happening again."
"And I can bring Scala food" Apple added excitedly and rushed over, but Bee didn't look so enthused.
"You are being picked up tomorrow. Unfortunately, you won't be able to help out here."
Apple's joy disappeared and she looked down at the ground. This was new information to her as well. She didn't have any time to prepare.
That's how come I had missed each child leaving. They were literally told at the last minute that they were leaving the grounds for good. Apple had been the lucky one to get a day's warning.
"You should be happy you are getting out of here" Mushroom nudged her "it's just me and Russet left now, right Bee?"
"I have a two little boys on hold at the moment" he replied "we are trying to sweep this under the rug before we bring anyone new in that might undo our progress."
"Give me some credit" I huffed "I'm not that bad."
But I had smashed all the windows out in the large ballroom and dragged a dead horse in it. I'd also scratched up the balconies when I had been marking them, and had threatened not only Bee and Maitson but the carer, Sue. I had placed a fake curse on Monty for entertainment and had broken the eggs they were set on collecting. I had also taken off with Russet and led Mushroom and Apple away from the safe grounds. Then there was Bareback visiting the mansion; an unknown dragon sure to cause alarm.
Maybe I was that bad?
Thinking about it all now, I could see why I was in chains. To them, I was lashing out and becoming the very thing they were trying to hide these children from.
I needed to change things and quickly.
"I'll come and visit before I leave" Apple pressed her warm hands to my head "I promise."
"Scala should be able to see her off. She can't be kept in here until she's assessed."
"That's the way things have to be" Bee shrugged to Mushroom who scowled at him "my hands are tied."
"I'll be here" Apple nodded with new determination to me "I won't leave you behind."
"Thank you, sweet Apple."
"We should leave Scala be" Bee ushered the children away "there is nothing we can do here at the moment."
Apple looked defeated. She rushed over to hug me tightly before leaving the room with Bee. Mushroom lingered despite Bee calling him away.
"I'm going to get started on that Protection Ward" he waved him away "I'll catch up later."
Both Bee and Apple left. Mushroom waited beside me, then ran over to check the coast was clear before pressing his hands to the metal on my snout.
"I'm getting you out of these horrible things" he whispered "we aren't waiting on some woman to decide on what is right for you."
"Mushroom!" I gasped in excitement only to have him hurriedly shush me and check the area again.
He closed his eyes and began muttering under his breath as he held the metal. At first, it did nothing. I watched him with doubtful glee until the air around us seemed to come to life with energy.
I felt it crackling on my scales when the metal began to glow and sizzle on his skin. He held on, determined to melt through it with his incantation.
To me, the melting metal felt like a tickle. I was already bred to withstand the dangerous element and harness it. Mushroom was one that was not.
But he wasn't having the skin melted from his bones. His palms were only branded with a black mark across them from where he had been gripping the metal.
He worked quickly on the rest while I remained motionless for him. The black mark spread and crossed across his palms as he broke each bind free.
His eyes were glowing the same electric blue as the night in the moonlight. He melted the last of the binds around my wings then slid from me so I could shake them off.
I was free.
I heard footsteps and turned towards them. Mushroom did too and rushed over to the doorframe to try and start his Ward before Bee could come rushing back in and pushed him aside.
"What are you doing, Clay?!" he cried out and clutched his hair.
Clay.
I smiled at the name of the boy trying to hold Bee back, whose commotion had attracted the attention of nearby carers.
"GO, SCALA!" he screamed when they broke through and stormed towards me.
I rushed for the ledge and heard the air around me fill with shrieks that rang out when I hovered there, peering back at everyone crammed only a breath away.
There was nothing they could do but helplessly watch. Clay shoved to the front to beem at me with tears in his eyes.
I let out my own shriek of victory before gliding in an arch to stretch out every knot in my body and really rub in how useless they all were now.
Clay whooped with glee and hugged Apple who rushed to the front to cheer out with him. Even Bee had a small smile when he watched me grin back.
"Thank you" I whispered as I left them behind to sail to peaceful freedom.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
