Page 6 of Ensnared (The Dragon Captured #1)

E arth blessed?

I’m not the smartest person in most rooms, but that phrase, coupled with the same pulling sensation as before. . .

“Who are you?”

There’s still a stick protruding from the chest of one of Axel’s lackeys. There’s blood coming from it, dripping down the front of his weird cosplay tunic, and yet he’s casually standing next to Axel, talking as if there’s not a stick stuck in his body.

These are people, not dragons, and yet. . .

Even though they ignored my first question, continuing to talk about things I don’t understand, I blurt out another. “Are you dragons?” The entire day has been surreal, but asking that still feels insane, and yet, no one laughs. No one mocks.

They’re not paying attention to me at all.

I finally realize that they’re arguing in that strange, guttural language again, only, somehow. . .I understand them now.

“—can’t kill her. No. I heard that killing a human once you’ve ensnared them will incapacitate you for days. Weeks, even.”

Axel rolls his eyes as if that’s the dumbest thing his friend has ever said. “Not me.”

“Probably especially you,” the ruddy-faced one says. “Earth blessed aren’t supposed to be able to ensnare a human. Everyone says our powers are too weak. That’s why we assume this humanoid form.”

“Wait. . . humanoid ?” I can’t help spluttering. “Does that mean you’re dragons pretending to be human?”

Axel slowly turns toward me, his eyes narrowed. “How do you speak our tongue?”

It hits me that I was using their language just now. “I—” I have no idea.

“She’s ensnared , Your Highness,” Blondie says. “That means she’s connected to you. Of course she can understand us. It’s part of the connection.”

Connection? To dragons? No way. Mom tasked me to keep the kids safe. I can’t be connected to a dragon. Especially not a weak one who’s not even supposed to be able to ensnare me or whatever they were just saying.

But it hits me, in that moment. They can be injured—the bleeding one is proof of that. And he just said that harming me will render Axel incapacitated for days. So they can be stunned at the very least. Which means. . .

They’re ignoring me again, in favor of arguing about what to do with me. I sneak toward the trash can, hoping to find a glass bottle or anything sharp. People here in Texas really like their beer. Is it too much to hope that they might have tossed a bottle or two? But, no luck.

Until I notice the broken umbrella.

The end of it’s pretty blunt, but with enough force behind it, maybe.

I think about the stick sliding into that guy’s body and have to suppress a shudder.

Sometimes we can’t choose to avoid conflict.

Sometimes our fate’s thrust upon us. No one knows that better than I do.

I grab the umbrella as nonchalantly as possible, and then I use the toe of my sneaker to pry the hard plastic bumper off the end.

At least now, it’s metal on the tip, even if it’s not any sharper.

“What are you doing?” Axel asks.

My head snaps back toward them. “Me?” I shrug. “Just what any good ensnared human should be doing.”

“And what is that?” Axel raises one eyebrow. “What exactly do you think your job will be?”

I step toward them, leaning on the umbrella like it’s a walking stick. “Oh, you know, general mayhem. Attacking. Razing. Murdering. Right?”

Axel rolls his eyes.

“Or did you want me to fetch you food? What exactly do earth dragons eat?”

“We are not dragons. We’re the blessed.” Axel frowns. “And your job’s to communicate with and control the local population so that we can more easily and effectively accomplish our task and leave.”

“Leave?” That sounds good. “What’s this task?”

“To find the heart,” Axel says.

“Should we really be telling humans?” the ruddy one asks.

“Does that stick not hurt?” I can’t help eyeing it. Why hasn’t he pulled it out?

“It does hurt. Thanks for reminding me.” He scowls and moves toward me with jerky movements.

“You can’t kill her, Gordon,” Blondie says. “Remember?”

“Then you come pull it out for me,” the ruddy-faced one says.

“You can’t claw her either,” Blondie says. “Axel will be able to feel it too.”

Gordon gnashes his teeth, which should look ridiculous given his brown robe and the fact that humans don’t really gnash their teeth. But knowing he’s a dragon helps me resist my urge to laugh. “She stabbed me.”

“With a stick,” Axel says. “It’s barely a scratch.

Stop whining.” He pivots, his hand snapping toward his companion, and then he grabs the slick end of it and yanks.

The stick shoots out, spraying gore all over.

It looks even more grotesque because it’s splattered all over the bright blue and yellow-coated pavement. “Now heal up so we can go.”

“Yes, good idea,” I say. “You guys should go.”

Axel’s eyes swing toward me, intent. “You’re coming.”

“I can’t. I have family to care for. Sorry.”

“The young ones, you mean,” Axel says. “I imagine they’ll be bright too, once they’re old enough.”

Blondie’s face lights up. Gordon’s hunched over, moaning, but it’s clear that a ‘bright’ is something they like. It’s what they called me earlier, too.

“What does that mean, exactly?” I doubt they’ll answer, but who knows?

“You’re a bright,” Axel says. “It’s the reason I could ensnare you.”

“Not anymore,” Blondie says. “Now she’s taken, so she’s not pulsing.”

I was pulsing to them? As freaky as it sounds, that must be how the dragon found Mom earlier—it sensed her. “You said I’m supposed to control the local population?”

Axel sighs. “Once you’ve been properly taught, you can force the humans around you to listen to your will. They’ll have no ability to refuse any command you make.”

Goodie. I’m basically Dr. Xavier from the X-Men, only I’m forced labor for the minions of evil. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to pass.”

“You’re going to. . .” Axel strides toward me this time, his hand clenched at his side. “You can’t pass . You’re already caught. That means I control your actions.”

“So I’m just middle management?” I grimace. “I’m not really good at that kind of thing.”

Axel stops less than two feet away from me, his eyes intent, his face grim. “I can force you to do anything.”

“Like what?” I ask. “Like, making me pick up my right arm?” I look down at it. “Because so far, I feel totally normal.”

“Sure, if I wanted to do something that stupid. . .” He frowns. “How did they say they made the humans do what they wanted?”

Gordon’s finally upright again, and through the hole in his stupid, blood-stained tunic, he appears to be completely healed.

How did he. . .? Ugh. This umbrella may buy me less time than I hoped.

Well, at least Axel seems to know nothing about how to use the leash he supposedly placed around my neck.

Or maybe he’s too weak to use it as an earth dragon or whatever.

Who cares as long as I have a chance at escaping them? Any hopes I secretly harbored of staying put in our house are gone. We’ll have to flee immediately. Dad’s car’s probably our only hope. If we can get enough distance between Axel and me, maybe he won’t be able to do a thing.

I gather my resolve, and then I strike immediately and without warning, pulling on my years of kendo, and shove the end of the umbrella right into the prince’s throat.

I immediately collapse to my knees, my hands losing their grip on the handle.

Blood gushes from the place where the umbrella punctured his throat, pouring down his neck and soaking his clothing, but otherwise he looks entirely fine.

Meanwhile, I can’t breathe.

My throat isn’t working either.

I can’t swallow. . .or drag in a scrap of a breath.

“What—” I wheeze with the last of my air.

Axel sighs, which shouldn’t even be possible with something jammed through his windpipe, and yanks the umbrella out of his own throat.

The spray of gore eclipses that from Gordon and the stick, and most of it hits me.

“You can’t kill me,” he says, blood burbling from his throat, his words emerging in the most macabre surround sound ever. “You’d die long before I would.”

Because of our connection.

Unlike his friend, he doesn’t hunch over or groan or even whimper.

He tilts his head, coughs a few times, and his body just repairs itself in front of me.

As it does, my throat stops hurting too.

My lungs suddenly draw a much-needed breath.

The spots that were swimming in front of my eyes dissipate slowly.

“It may be hard to process that your life’s no longer your own,” Axel says. “I don’t really care. Stop fighting me before I get annoyed.”

Annoyed?

An umbrella through his throat was annoying ? I wonder how he’d feel if. . .it occurs to me that I may not be able to kill him before dying myself in the attempt, but I do have another leverage point. A sharper one. “My death would incapacitate you. That one said so.” I point.

“What now?” he asks.

“I’ll kill myself.” I crouch down and grab the discarded, blood-soaked umbrella.

“Unlike you, I can’t magically heal.” I tap the front of my neck, just off center.

“This right here is the jugular vein. In humans, it generates enough blood flow that piercing it will kill us in a very short period of time. If I ram this umbrella into my own jugular, I’ll die, and you won’t be able to stop it.

” I hold the end of the umbrella, comfortingly sticky and disgusting, against my neck.

“You might not die, but I bet being incapacitated for a few days would be a real problem for you, especially right now when some of us humans are fighting back.”

Axel frowns. “It would be inconvenient.”

“Can dragons be trusted?”

His brows draw together. “What does that mean?”

“When you make promises, do you have to keep them?”

He smiles. “You don’t know us, so how could you trust any answer I give?”

He’s right. I swear under my breath.

“But for what it’s worth, when we swear oaths, they’re binding.”

His companions look concerned.