Day 18 – April 18 – Dragon Food

I just had to do one story with names containing a lot of apostrophes...

Day 18 – April 18 – Dragon Food

“I never should have stayed a virgin,” Ke’el’se’ah said to the empty field around her. Sure it sounded like a good idea – until the town decide you’re the perfect girl to sacrifice to a dragon. Well, the Dragon, when you think about it. It’s not like they’re a usual part of the country’s fauna. The previous one had “visited” some five hundred years ago and the whole race was considered a legend – until this one showed up about a week ago. She sighed and tried again to get her hands free of the rope. And she wished she had hidden her knife better. Then, at least, she could have cut through the ropes and freed herself. Of course, they needed a virgin. A virgin who was also an orphan was even better. The elders in the town figured the people wouldn’t mourn as much if it was an orphan. It was good to know she was loved.

Not quite sure what to do with the dragon’s sacrifice, they had drugged her a bit with bitter tea, carried her to a fallow field and tied her to a stake. Then, for good measure, they packed some kindling about her feet – maybe the dragon likes cooked meat, one said – and then they even strew some herbs over the wood. She could tell from the smell of the bruised leaves it was parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Go figure. Then one of the women placed a crown of daisies in her hair. As if she needed to look pretty for the beast that was coming to devour her at any moment.

Ke’el’se’ah struggled against the ropes again, but the knots only tightened. Why did she have to live in a town where everyone knew how to tie proper knots? Couldn’t they have tried bows and at least given her a chance to free herself and run away? If she knew this was coming she could have married someone. Preferably someone from another town where the townsfolk didn’t have the need to sacrifice innocent people to dragons.

The sound of membranous wings beating the air came just before a screech and a roar of purple flame. When Ke’el’se’ah saw the great silver dragon, she could only stare in terror. The great beast landed on the field and dug deep furrows with its claws. It turned its head from side to side, screeching and scorching half the field.

“Run, puny humans!” it shouted in a deep, but feminine, voice.

Ke’el’se’ah opened one eye – perhaps she could reason with another woman, even if the woman is a dragon. The dragon seemed to enjoy herself as she trampled the ground and sent purple and red flames into the sky.

“Run and flee to your simple abodes of grass and mud where I can easily herd you and set the town ablaze! Fear me!” she shouted and punctuated every few words with a blast of flame. She huffed and puffed around the field a minute or two longer before walking up to Ke’el’se’ah.

“Maiden,” the dragon asked in a learned accent. “Why do you remain in the field?” She looked the girl up and down and spotted the kindling and stake. “Are you my sacrifice?”

Ke’el’se’ah nodded, still too stunned to say anything.

The dragon sniffed at the herbs. “Where is the mint? Everyone knows dragons only eat mint with their meals – opens up the lungs and sinuses, you know.”

“I – well, I am an orphan and a virgin and no one in the village will miss me much if I am eaten.” Why bother to lie at a time like this?

“And your crimes?” the dragon frowned.

“Crimes?”

“Yes, you know, murdering someone, murdering quite a few people, cheating, stealing, kicking a dog, making political promises... what crimes did you commit that made them choose you  as the one to be eaten? How old are you anyway?”

“I am eighteen. Uhm… I’ve never murdered anyone… or kicked a dog… I’m not really into politics…”

“So your village elders didn’t pick a criminal for my lunch?”

“What? No! The old books all say that a virgin should be sacrificed. Well, usually she should be a princess as well, but we don’t have anyone like that at home.”

The dragon sighed, spewing clouds of dark smoke that made Ke’el’se’ah cough. Then she retrieved a book from somewhere on her person, turned to a page and pointed with a claw to a paragraph.

“And I quote,” she said and started reading. “’Twas in the year 1392 that the evil princess Sha’g’hael’le not only let her army into the neighbouring country where they slaughtered 30 000 innocent civilians, but she also treated her dog badly. She did all this before she was married. It was decided that she was better taken care of by the local dragon and since that day the dragons have patrolled the land for the worst criminals.”

“What do you do with them?” Ke’el’se’ah asked.

“We eat them, silly. Less grisly than hanging and cheaper than waiting for them to rot in jail. You’d be surprised how long some wizards can survive on oxygen alone.”

The dragon used a claw to cut through the rope binding Ke’el’se’ah.

“But, if you’re not going to eat me… who then?”

“I believe there is a certain Kraig’gho’re in your town… he was not very nice to his cat, Dumpling, last week. Dragons like cats even better than dogs, you know.”

“Kraig’gho’re was the one insisting I be the one sacrificed!” Ke’el’se’ah said.

“And you know where this rascal lives?”

“Yes.”

“I think I will have a word with this Kraig’gho’re,” the dragon grinned. 

THE END