Page 124 of Pets in Space 10

Hazel

What the fuck just happened?

I rubbed my arms, sore from the beast's tight grip. My skin was already bruising where those claws wrapped around me. Could have been worse. Should have been worse. I was alive. Somehow.

I glanced around. My breath caught at the sight.

The cave was huge. Bigger than any I had ever seen. Jagged crystal formations jutted from the walls and ceiling, glinting faintly with soft, unnatural light. The air was warmer here, thick with the faint scent of smoke and something sharper. Metallic.

I really hoped it wasn’t the smell of blood, of my predecessors who had become the dragon’s dinner.

Because that’s what it looked like, the beast. A fricking dragon. Not quite as in the stories. It wasn’t all flesh and turquoise scales, but there was metal attached to its limbs and wings. Unnatural. Extra scary.

There was no door. Just a wide mouth of stone behind me, where the creature had dropped me before curling its enormous body across the entrance. It had blocked my only way out like it was nothing. Just flesh and metal and wings too big for my brain to process.

But it wasn’t making any attempts to eat me. Its huge eyes watched me, curiously, cautiously.

I pulled my knees up to my chest, too weak to stand, and forced myself to breathe. Slow. Controlled.

Don’t panic, Hazel.

But I did it anyway.

The beast watched me. Its head tilted, those glowing golden eyes narrowing slightly, studying me. Like I wasn’t what it had expected.

Its scales shimmered in the dim light, somewhere between turquoise and aquamarine with a hint of mother of pearl.

And again and again, metal fused with flesh.

Biomechanical. That was the word, right?

My brain kept spinning, barely able to hold onto language.

The only solid fact was that I had been abducted by a cyborg dragon.

I let out a shaky breath. “Well. What are you going to do now?”

The creature didn’t move. It didn’t react. Just watched.

I should have been dead. It could have crushed me the moment it found me in that clearing. Ripped me apart in the air. Burned me alive mid-flight.

But it hadn’t.

Why?

I hugged my wooden spear tightly, clinging to the only thing that felt remotely like safety. The berries were gone, dropped at some point mid-flight.

My mouth was dry again, but I didn’t dare move towards the thin stream of water trickling along one side of the cave. Every inch of my skin felt exposed under its heavy gaze.

“Are you going to eat me or not?” I whispered.

Its nostrils flared. The metal around its throat whirred softly, gears clicking like something mechanical adjusting deep inside its body. It looked like a massive collar, but there was no chain attached to it. Its wings twitched as if in annoyance, but it didn’t move.

It kept staring at me.

I didn’t know what to do. Run further into the cave, just in case there was another exit? Try and communicate with the beast? Lie down and play dead?

Suddenly, the collar around its neck flared with light. Smoke rose from the dragon’s nostrils as it shook its entire body.

We couldn’t communicate. It didn’t understand me. But I could see the pain in its eyes. It was in agony. The collar was hurting it.

My heart thumped painfully against my ribs. I didn’t like to see anyone in pain, not even a huge cyborg beast who had kidnapped me and brought me to its lair.

More smoke, followed by a resigned snort. A deep rumble vibrated through the stone beneath me. Not quite a growl. Not quite a warning.

Without another sound, it lifted its massive weight and stretched its wings wide. The golden eyes lingered on me one last time. Then it pushed off from the cave floor and launched itself into the sky with a powerful beat of its wings.

And it was gone.

The entrance lay open. The cave was empty. I was alone.

For now.

For a few minutes, I stayed frozen, too scared to move. My body trembled. My brain refused to process what had just happened.

Eventually, survival instinct won out.

I stood on shaky legs, gripping my spear tight. My back ached from being carried like a ragdoll. My legs still felt like jelly, but I needed to move. Needed to explore. If there was a chance to get out of here, I had to find it.

The cave sloped upward towards the wide opening where the dragon had flown off. The mouth of the cave was massive, easily wide enough for the beast to pass through. I walked closer, squinting against the pale sunlight streaming inside.

When I reached the entrance, bile rose to my mouth.

The cliff dropped almost straight down. Hundreds of feet below, the crimson and gold forest stretched out like a sea of fire. Far in the distance, the Diamond Mountains sparkled, unreachable. The wind howled, tugging at my short hair.

There was no path down. No ledge. No handholds I could trust. Just smooth, sharp rock falling into nothing.

I backed away quickly, heart racing. That option was out. No climbing. No escape. I was trapped.

I rubbed my arms again, biting back a wave of helpless frustration. There had to be something. Anything. Maybe a second exit, one too small for the dragon to use.

I turned my attention back inside. I’d heard running water earlier, so I followed that sound until I found a spot where small trickles ran down the cave wall, pooling in a low basin underneath. A groove about as wide as my foot led the water away from there, further into the cave. A tiny stream.

The water seemed to be coming from above, hopefully pure rainwater filtered by the mountain. I dipped my finger in it and gave it a lick. No taste at all. That reassured me.

I drank my fill before following the little stream deeper into the cave. At the end of the wide cavern, it twisted and branched into a network of tunnels, far too narrow for the dragon. This could be my way out.

Bioluminescent moss glimmered along crystal formations, giving off a dim but steady light. I continued to follow the water. Even if this wouldn’t lead outside, I couldn’t lose my way. If I ventured into the other tunnels, I had to come up with a method to find my way back.

But did I even want that? Return to the dragon’s lair? It was safer in these small tunnels – until it blew fire into them and toasted me into a heap of ashes.

The further I walked, the warmer the air became, like there was heat pulsing from somewhere underground.

It was oddly peaceful, in a terrifying way.

That was when I heard it.

A tiny clicking sound, like claws on stone. Much more delicate than the sound a dragon would make, but larger than a mouse or rat.

I froze.

The noise came from one of the side tunnels, coming closer quickly. Then a faint scratching. And something small peeked out from behind a glowing crystal.

At first, I thought it was a lizard. But as it stepped – no, waddled – into the light, I blinked in disbelief.

It was a dragon. And nothing like the one that had abducted me.

A tiny, purple dragon. Its scales shimmered like polished amethyst. A single unicorn-like horn jutted from the centre of its round forehead, framed by two curled horns on either side.

Chubby cheeks puffed slightly as it exhaled tiny curls of smoke from its nostrils.

Its big, dark eyes blinked up at me, framed by delicate lashes that made it look entirely too adorable for its own good.

Spikes like little stegosaurus plates ran down its back, shrinking towards the stubby tail.

Its bat-like wings fluttered once as it hovered briefly above the ground, tiny four-fingered claws tucked close to its round belly.

Its hind legs ended in sharp talons that clicked softly against the stone as it landed.

The baby dragon tilted its head, blinked again, and let out a high-pitched tweet that was so sweet, I almost forgot where I was.

It took a step closer, not afraid. Just… curious.

"You have got to be kidding me," I whispered.

The tiny dragon let out another soft tweet, then turned around with a little wiggle of its stubby tail and trotted off, its claws clicking rhythmically on the stone. It moved surprisingly fast for such a round, wobbly creature.

I hesitated for half a second before following. What else was I going to do? Sit here and wait for its massive cousin to return? No thanks.

The little dragon led me back through the narrow tunnels, following the stream I had used as my guide. Soon we returned to the wide central chamber, the heart of the cave. The main lair.

The baby stopped in the middle of the open space and turned to look at me again, its big dark eyes wide with innocent curiosity. It flapped its tiny wings once and puffed a fresh spiral of smoke into the air.

I crouched down slowly, careful not to startle it. My heart raced, but not from fear. Not anymore. This one didn’t seem dangerous. Adorable? Yes. Deadly? Not so far.

"Hey, little one," I whispered, keeping my voice soft and even. "You’re a whole lot cuter than your big scary friend, you know that?"

The baby blinked, tilting its head as if considering my words. Then it waddled closer, stopping just within arm’s reach. It looked up at me expectantly, like it was waiting for something.

Very slowly, I reached out my hand, palm up. "You want a pet? Is that it?"

For a moment, it just stared. Then it shuffled forward and nudged my fingers with its soft, warm snout. A tiny exhale of warm air tickled my skin.

I couldn’t help it. A breathless laugh escaped my throat. "Okay. You’re ridiculously cute."

The little dragon chirped again and leaned into my hand as I gently scratched under its chin. The tiny scales there were smooth but slightly warm to the touch. As I stroked its chubby neck, its eyelids drooped and it let out a low, happy rumble, like a kitten purring.

At least someone here liked me.

"Do you understand me?" I asked softly. "Are you some kind of pet? A baby? Are you his…?"

The baby dragon lifted its head again and blinked at me, clearly not understanding a word. Its wings fluttered a little, but it stayed close.

I sat down properly, cross-legged on the stone floor, my spear close at hand just in case the big dragon returned, and kept petting the strange little creature. For the first time since I had arrived on this nightmare planet, I wasn’t terrified. Not entirely, anyway.

"Well," I whispered, "at least I’m not completely alone."

It nuzzled against my hand in return. Warmth filled me and it had nothing to do with the heat exuding from the little dragon’s nostrils.

This felt good. A moment to breathe and relax.

To remember that my life had not always been this scary – and that it wouldn’t stay like this, hopefully.

I just had to find a way to get home. Somehow.

Somewhere. Then everything could return to normal.

Summers spent at digs on Orkney or the Shetland Isles, winters full of collating research, writing papers, going to conferences, interpreting the finds made in the summer.

In the evenings, sofa time with my cat. Occasionally, when I felt particularly social, craft nights in the church hall, filled with little old ladies who’d scoff at my crochet and tell me endless stories about their grandchildren.

I always thought my life was boring and ordinary.

Now I missed it.

The soft moment was shattered by a sudden gust of wind howling through the cave entrance. A deep, rasping growl echoed through the chamber. The baby dragon tweeted anxiously, snuggling against my thigh for comfort.

I jerked my head up just in time to see a huge shadow blot out the light. The massive dragon landed heavily at the entrance, its metal-fused wings folding awkwardly as it staggered forward.

Blood dripped from its side, painting a dark trail across the stone. More blood stained its torn wing, one of the metal implants sparking faintly as it limped inside.

The collar around its neck was no longer lit. Was that a crack on its surface?

My heart slammed into my throat.

It was back.

And it was hurt.