Page 32 of The Last Slayer
I stared at it. “My god. What are you?”
It had the body of a small reptile, but not a long snakelike one similar to wyrms or drakes. The closest thing in the mortal world that could compare to the indignant creature before me was a Tyrannosaurus rex. But this thing was all of four inches from teeth to tail. Its narrowed black eyes on me, the dragon—or was it?—shook its iridescent-scaled body and fluttered its butterfly wings.
Hmm…maybe I should call it Tinker-Wyrm.
“I am Toshi, Castellan of Besade and First Retainer to milord Ramiel.” Haughtiness that would make any European royal proud emanated from the tiny beast. Unfortunately, its high-pitched voice ruined the effect. “And who are you?”
“I am Ashera del Cid.” I was slightly annoyed that I didn’t have a blah blah blah of blah blah blah title that sounded impressive.
“Oh no!” Toshi squeaked. He immediately dropped to the ground, his snout touching the stone. “I have sinned, exalted one. Punish me!” he cried, his entire body trembling. Even his scales were shaking.
Damn. If this was the effect my name had on Ramiel’s staff, it was pretty awesome.
“Well…you didn’t know.” Magnanimity is everything.
“No no, I’ve been impertinent. Please punish me.”
It’s not a problem that comes up a lot, but the fact is it’s difficult to punish someone the size of your palm. What was I supposed to do? Spank him?
“Arise!” Despite his stern tone, Ramiel’s emerald eyes were glinting. “Lady Ashera wishes to forgive you.”
Toshi raised his head and looked at me with pitiful eyes. “Truly?”
“Yes, ah, truly.” Never let it be said that I abuse the staff—even if they’re dragons.
“Oh thank you, milady.” Toshi rose into the air until he was at my shoulder level, his foreclaws laced in front of him ingratiatingly. “I will do my best to ensure your utmost comfort. Welcome to Besade, Oh Great Dragonlady of Eastvale.”
Six
Oh Great Dragonlady of Eastvale?
Was he demented? I was not a dragonlady. And I certainly wasn’t of Eastvale. That hold belonged to… Well, come to think of it, I actually had no idea. The last dragonlord of Eastvale that I knew about had died during the Twilight of Slayers four hundred years ago. There must have been a replacement since then, but it certainly wasn’t me.
“Is something wrong?” Anxiety c
rept into Toshi’s small voice.
“No.”
He stared up at me, then blinked. “You don’t seem like a dragonlady.”
Instead of saying, “And you don’t seem like a dragon,” I gave Toshi a reassuring smile and shot Ramiel a we-need-to-talk look. He avoided my gaze, suddenly having developed a surpassing interest in a platoon of drakes marching in the distance. Maybe Toshi had made a mistake, although it seemed highly unlikely. He didn’t come across as the type to toss a title like that around for no reason.
“Toshi,” Ramiel said, still not looking at me. “We are weary from our trip.”
The tiny dragon zipped over to him. “Of course, my lord. How unforgivably rude I am!”
Uh-oh. Was he going to beg for punishment again?
Thankfully, Toshi skipped the theatrics and led us to the great hall. The inside of Besade was as medieval as the outside, although comfort took priority over fidelity to tradition. I couldn’t blame anyone for that. Old castles didn’t even have decent plumbing. Orb lights floated around and illuminated wide corridors. They looked like giant fireflies, although they’re not really bugs, just low-grade magic. Heavy tapestries depicting dragons cascaded from the ceilings. Red, gold and yellow, the hangings had to be at least several centuries old.
“Unlike Eastvale, Besade is built along the lines of old-style mortal architecture. European, if I may be so bold,” Toshi said, pointing at some of the columns and winding staircases. “Lord Ramiel is quite fond of their old buildings. They remind him of his childhood years.”
Role-player geeks would have given their eyeteeth to be there with me. Dragons, a huge and ancient magical structure with a complex layout…and there was probably some silly bimbo who looked like Valerie lying around somewhere at the center of the castle, waiting to be rescued.
“Much of the style had to be modified for our use, of course,” Toshi continued, circling around me. “If you’d like, I would be honored to give you a tour of the entire dragonhold and tell you about its history and mythos.”
I wasn’t really in the mood for a leisurely stroll around the castle. I wanted to talk to Ramiel and find out why the Triumvirate of Madainsair wanted me dead and why Toshi had called me the Dragonlady of Eastvale. At the same time I didn’t know how to decline in the face of such hopeful anticipation.
