Emptiness

Emptiness

*
I sit in the darkness of night, unloved and uncared for. No one notices with their eyes, but feels with their skin, my cursed presence. I am alienated and ostracized by all, whether that be their intention or not. I bear the pain of emptiness alone.

"Draconia, what are you doing?" My kin, in part. She bears the full resemblance of humans, where as I bear the resemblance of both humans and dragons. "Are you wallowing in your emptiness again?"

"No. Mistress told me to stay out here tonight." She is a beauty in human terms, long flowing golden hair and crystal sapphire eyes. She is tall for her 10 cycles, thin, with pale smooth skin.

"How many moons have you slept under this cycle?" She only asks out of curiosity, never concern.

"Every one. I don't really mind. It's better than being with people who loath and fear me." I can never keep the bitter regret out of my voice when I speak of the humans.

"Poor Draconia. If only-" She caught herself this time, but I know what she was going to say.

"Then I would be reduced to the activities you partake in." My words stung her as her unsaid ones have stung me.

"I guess I deserved that, again. Soon though, soon I will be old enough for bearing spawn, and then I won't have to deal with human lacking anymore." She stares hopefully into the dark night sky.

"She's calling you." I whisper, crawling deeper into my shell.

"Just one night, I would like to spend alone, away from the humans." She sighs and bows her head. "I wish I could be more like you."

Our conversation ends, just like it has the many moons past. She leaves to answer the primitive call of man.

**

I listen to the sounds of the inn. The loud rambling of humans, the clatter of horse hooves against the cobblestone roads, the noise of the human world. How I wish I could leave the sounds forever, to find the lands of my kin, dragons. If only Mistress, no Mother, would let me leave. Sister will someday leave, but I, I will live here forever, with only my emptiness.

"Draconia, there are some unruly men in the tavern that you need to get rid of." She never comes for me, she only calls, knowing I'll hear and obey.

So is the lot in my life, getting rid of unruly humans and maintaining the upkeep of the inn. I won't be on the Dragon Council, I won't become a Dragon Mother, I won't even be a messenger between dragons, I will be a tool for Mother to use.

The humans' behavior changes when I come near them. Their fear makes them behave as they should. Some feel me come and leave of their own accord, others, to drunk to understand, fight back. The latter end up either dead or severely injured. Tonight the men feel me coming and leave as fast as their drunken legs will take them as they throw their money at Mother.

"Wait in the storeroom, I will speak to you later." She throws their money into the box, not bothering to count it since she knows it was more than needed.

"Yes, Mistress." And so I shall wait, sitting in the cold, damp storeroom.

She comes in, with a dark, proud air around her. I know the words, but I wait patiently for her to speak.

"I have been summoned to bear another spawn. I will be gone for a week. Make sure nothing happens to your kin."

"Yes, Mistress." She leaves then, knowing what proud moment awaits her.

So begins another time of her absence where I will be left with the dealings of humans.

***

"There are rumors among the humans that dragon hunters are coming. I think that you should keep away from the humans until they leave." Sister brings water from the well for her bath as she does every morning.

"More of the same." I curl myself up on a chair, awaiting the moment when she yanks me in to join her.

"Not according to them. These men are, supposedly, very skilled at killing dragons, they even recognize their spawn." I feel her eyes bore deep into my soul, trying to sort through the vast emptiness for a spark of emotion.

"The same will happen to them as happened to the last ones." I cast my hand towards the pool of water watching it bubble and churn, steam rising.

"Thank you. Still, you need to at least be more careful. I'm supposed to make sure that nothing happens to you. I could care less what happens to them." She stands, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. Next, I thought, she was going to pull me into the pool with her, but, instead, she hugs me and lets go. "You may think that no one cares, but I do."

I don't want to hear any of what she has to say about dragon hunters or my safety.

"I can handle myself." I leave her to take a bath alone and prepare the inn for the humans.

A few were already waiting outside for me to open the doors. Farmers. These men are hard working and caring towards others, even me. They nod as they walk past.

I normally don't have to serve the food to them, but since neither Sister nor Mother are available, I have to. They wait patiently and talk amongst themselves. The food gets finished about the same time Sister gets done with her bath. She smiles and says nothing as she collects the plates to take to the humans. So goes the daily routine I'm glad I'm only a small part of.

****

Night is falling and I wish to be outside. Unfortunately, this is the time that there are the most humans in the tavern. Not many people travel through this town, and the new faces are easily recognized.

There are several new faces tonight. The ones of particular interest to me are a group of men, sitting in the corner. They brought in with them many strange looking weapons and smells. They watch Sister with more interest than most.

"I think those are the hunters." She whispers to me when she comes to collect their plates.

"Do you want help taking their plates out? If what the humans whispered about was true..." I don't have to finish the statement, she already knows what I mean.

"No, just keep close watch on them, just in case." She walks away and I do exactly as she said. The hunters do the same. One speaks and touches her. When she pulls away, he holds on to her. In a matter of seconds, I am by her side, grasping the man's arm.

"I suggest you let her go, dragon hunter." I tighten my grip in warning of what I might have to do.

"And I suggest you let go of me, spawn. I don't want to have to kill you in front of all these people and ruin their dinners." He glares at me, hoping that his words frighten me.

"I will kill you in front of all these people and ruin their dinners and won't give it a second thought." I tighten my grip even more until I hear the crack of the bone being crushed. He winces slightly, trying to make it seem like I'm not hurting him.

We stare at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to let go first. I could have stood there all night, crushing the human's arm, but he let go. Sister stepped behind me, and I let go of him.

"This isn't over, spawn. I will kill you."

*****

Humans and their idle threats! I should kill him now, instead of waiting for him to come after me. Oh well, I suppose I can be patient until later.

"What are you going to do about the hunters?" Sister sits down next to me in the kitchen.

"I'm going to do what he intends to do to me. What else?" I ran the knife quickly through the various vegetables used for stew.

"I think you should leave for a few days, just until they're gone." She reaches out and grasps my arm, worry and concern masking her face.

"I don't." I pull my arm away while reaching for more vegetables.

"At least change your appearance, please. For me, if not for yourself." She stands and reaches for me again, this time for my shoulder.

"No." I stand up beside her flicking my wrist and sending my knife into a pile of neatly stacked potatoes. She cranes her neck upward to look me in the face, since she only comes up to my torso.

"If you insist." She sighs and looks toward the pile of potatoes.

"I do." I pull the knife, with the potato it was stuck in, out of the pile, sending the rest careening to the floor. I hand the knife, and potato, hilt first to my kin. She sighs again, accepting the unspoken words of my gesture.

******

Morning. The hunters have waited longer than I expected. They must be trying to come up with some extravagant plan to try to bring about my demise. Ha, let them.

"Will you help me get more foodstuffs from the market?" Sister is wrapping up in her thick fur cloak, her eyes the only thing visible.

"Why not?" I pull the hood of my cloak far down my face, wrapping myself in darkness.

Not many are in the market just after sunrise. The merchants are still placing out items to tantalize the senses. Farmers' wives are arranging the excess from their crops. Some housewives have come to collect foodstuffs to feed their families.

Many are pleasant and nod their heads as we walk by, they had forgotten the past nights events. Others make darting glances and move out of our way.

"I hear you had an encounter with the dragon hunters. Is that so?" A merchant who is friendly to all spoke loudly to us.

"Yes." This day he has vast assortments of strange trinkets spread across his bazaar.

"These ones are especially dangerous. Rumor has it that they have come up with a potion that disintegrates the magic shell that some spawns, and dragons, use to walk about the lands." He leans over his bazaar and whispers fearfully to me.

I step closer towards the merchant.

"Who are you afraid for?"

"All of our kind. If other hunters find out about that potion, it could mean trouble for us all."

"That's if the potion exists. And even if it does, they won't go around making people drink it." I scowl at the merchant.

"Would you take care of them before we have to find out?" The merchant pulls out a small pouch from behind his bazaar.

"I was planning on it." I accept the small pouch he holds out to me.

*******

Sister and I are going to spend good portion of the morning in the market. She wants to talk to everyone she sees. She drags me from bazaar to bazaar, talking to this person, ignoring that person. All of those voices constantly making noise, why can't they stop! Why do I bother getting angry with them? I need to reserve my emotions for the dragon hunters.

There were five hunters in the inn last night. I wonder how many will show up today, or will they wait until tomorrow, or maybe they've already run away with their tails between their legs. Anything they chose to do will work for me. If they want to die, they can come to me or, hopefully, get it from the next spawn they come to.

While I stand thinking about them, the people in the market fall into a quiet hush. Sister grippes my hand and stares in the same general direction the rest of the crowd is.

"Draconia, they're coming." I can feel her trembling and hear her breathing become faster. She's afraid that I may die and if I do, she'll be next.

The crowd parts and the five hunters walk through. Somehow this seems familiar, as if it's happened before. Most likely because it has. The scene has been played out many times before the eventual death of one of the competitors, or rather five of the competitors.

"I suggest that you step away from the spawn, young woman. She may use you to keep herself one step farther away from the inevitable." The leader of the group took one step closer.

"Only a human would think of using another as a shield." I push Sister away and step towards the hunters.

"Draconia." She whispers urgently, tears fill her eyes.

"Hold this for me." I toss the small pouch the merchant gave to me, to her, giving her a soft smile. For some reason smiles seem to reassure people, and every little bit helps.

The hunter viciously grins and stares hard at me. One of his hands disappears into the folds of his cloak.

"Any time now." They've waited long enough to try to kill me.

"This is going to be finished before it's even started." The vicious grin widens. His hand reappears with a small bottle in it. As soon as it came out, the bottle was flying. He has good aim, I will admit that much.

I stepped off to the side, letting the bottle smash to the ground. The other hunters seem more distraught than the speaker.

"Can you dodge five at once?" All of the hunters throw matching bottles in my direction. One by one I pluck the bottles out of the air, moving closer to the hunters. All of the bottles were small enough to fit in one hand.

"I guess not." I launched the bottles back faster than they had, giving them no chance to move. They shatter on the speaker. He didn't even bother to move. The liquids mixed and a foul smelling air spread through the market.

"Is that it? You're going to run me off with a foul smell? Hmpf. Better than you have tried, and failed." I pull four knives off of the nearest bazaar and launch them at the hunters. Three landed fatal wounds, one a sever injury. But one of the hunters is missing. Something moves behind me and I turn. The fifth hunter smashes a large water jar over my head and shoulders. Again the air fills with a foul smell.

I straighten back up and stare down at the fifth hunter. He steps back as if he was waiting for something to happen.

"Ow." I stare for a few seconds. The air around me is starting to get warm.

"Feeling the heat yet?" The speaker is trying to keep the blood from flowing from his body.

The air surrounding me keeps getting hotter and hotter. Searing pain spreads through my body. All I can do is scream and scream. I want to rip the flesh off of my body. Blood seeps through my every pore. I focus my bleeding eyes on the speaker. All I can think about is making him fell the same as I.

Blood flies through the air, and not just mine. I'm going blind with my pain and rage. All I can do is sink into a bleeding mass of flesh. Silence fills the air like a thick blanket. No one moves, no one speaks.

I try to stand, but my legs don't want to hold me. I turn to face the wind. I want to go to my people. I stumble and stagger towards the sea. I peel off my bloody cloak, spreading my wings to catch the air to take me to my people.

I hear voices calling to me, wanting me to come to them. I close my eyes and let the wind carry me to my people. I step off the edge and let my wings spread in the wind.

The pain of emptiness fills with darkness.