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thirty-three

Moyrie

S aff’s wings spread wide around me.

My white robe and scarf billow in the harsh breeze at the speed Saff is accustomed to. My lips grow wide, feeling the rush of power beneath me.

My tail wraps tightly within the saddle strapped to the massive scarlet creature. I’ve been riding Saff since I was a babe. My father would strap me onto his back as he rode her.

We are a species that meets fate head-on. We seek out the rush of life.

Uncertainty is my friend.

And here I am, on my way to meet my betrothed, a civil solution to gain what we need from the mountains the fae now call home.

My people have a boon to fulfil, a long-standing agreement that will see us with two dragons instead of one.

Saff banks right, and I adjust to her movements. I’ve been doing this for so long that it’s second nature, my body naturally falling into the large creature beneath me, feeling her eternal heat collide with my fast-chilling blood.

With only a tremor of warning through Saff’s stalling wings, we began to descend. Terra. The land of the fae.

My people have tried to access the mountains for many rotations of the suns, not knowing the hidden people inside until luck struck us, and we caught some fae roaming around the void. The species unknown to us at the time, we thought the odd, wide-eyed people with tall bodies and pointed ears had come to pillage our sands.

They spoke a melodic tune that made no sense to our ears, so, after some arrow-pointing, I landed Saff at their feet, and that shut them up real fast. We made the strange, singing, tall people—fae—take us to their mountain entrance, and we forced a meeting with their leader.

The rest is history.

Over the rotations, we have tried to understand each other through pictures and rudimentary hand signs. We understand some words, and others are still foreign to our rolling sounds, but they now know what we seek, and we have made a deal.

Our territories will join forces through bedding and blood.

My bed.

My blood.

Saff lands on a plateau among the mountain peaks, and I jump off. The lack of warmth in this place cools me now, and I pull my thin robes around me. I need the heat from those strange balls inside.

“I will be back on the next suns’ rise,” I tell Saff, and then make my way to the waiting tall, pointy-eared guards. Though the males of this species hold a level of fierceness, they are no match for a Silver Sands fighter. We are taught to fight and use knives before we can walk. The serpents of our land require a level of respect that can only be achieved through fight. Under my robes, there are too many weapons to number.

Behind me, the dragon takes off into the clouded, gradually darkening sky as I enter the mountain.

This is it. I am to take the fae prince to bed, and we will return to the Silver Sands. Once our bedding proves successful, warriors from both territories will search for the missing dragon’s egg .

I have walked the caverns of the fae’s territory many times. The carved markings on the sparkling walls, the flowing water and the abundant nature are the opposite of life within the Silver Sands. The only thing abundant within my territory is the sand, but that is a sacred resource all its own.

Without the help of the guards trailing me, I find myself in the meeting room. Charcoal lies on the table with large pieces of what the fae call paper . We often use these marking materials to draw pictures when our words do not suffice.

It seems that I am the first to arrive, so I wait, warming myself by the heated, glowing orbs scattered around the room, the smell of dry, dusty earth greeting me.

Someone clears their throat behind me, and I turn to find Rivern, my betrothed bed mate. He is supposedly the strongest male within their ranks, but he does not compare to a Silver Sands male, with their silent dexterity.

I push down my scarf to expose my smooth head and the reflective scales that line my body. Lifting my pointed nails towards the prince, I notice how my skin throws warm goldens from the flaming lights and soft browns from the darkened walls and wood furniture.

The prince doesn’t make a noise as I make my way to him. We have not been in a room alone before, so the novelty calls to me.

As I stand before him, I notice a slight tremor in his body and an increased heart rate. Something bothers him . Interesting. Maybe he does not wish to bed me?

Silver Sands people are quite free with their bodies. We often don’t wear clothing within the confines of our territory, preferring to feel the warm suns on our skin. The coverings over my body are purely for the benefit of the fae, and to hide the small arsenal underneath. This fae covers himself head to toe in thick material. Even the thick mane of gold on his head covers him.

I look up at the prince and point a nail into his chest to measure the strength of his materials.

He stands towering over me like all the other fae, but his height does not fill me with anything but mirth. One may think he has the advantage, but that’s exactly where I win because I possess agility and nimbleness that this being can only wish to possess.

Lifting my head to meet his strange, wide, purple eyes, I see a sadness there—one he has never shown before.

I pinch my lips. Is he sad to leave his Terra?

Regardless, we have a job to do, and I will see it done.

We are not here to talk. We are here to consummate our territories, joining through blood. At home, my parents have prepared a feast for our return, which I am not going to miss.

Pushing the fae backwards, he gives way in surprise, and I hiss, “Cuuummmm.”

I spin on my heels, and my robe billows at my sides as I stride to the chamber assigned to my family’s visits.

Heavy footfalls follow my figure down the hall.

Getting to the ornately carved wooden door, I make sure to leave it open for my trailing prince as I enter.

The room is spacious and warm with two cushioned chairs beside a large, glowing crystal orb etched into the far wall. A wide bed sits across the back wall with many tapestries of various winged creatures moving through the air surrounding its walls.

My steps are quietened by the woven green rugs underfoot, made to look like a small garden. The smell of a long-forgotten aroma called lavender fills my nostrils as I spot the fine, smoky billows coming from a lantern-like object on a small table by the bed.

Once I hear the door close behind us, I turn to face the chiselled, lined, golden male, and frown at his expression.

Well, if he isn’t going to make the most of this, I will.

I start stripping my robe, which leads me to the knives underneath. Rivern’s sad eyes don’t leave my body as I line up the many leather strips created to fit my build along the low wooden bench seat at the foot of the bed. It is usually the most time-consuming portion of my ensemble.

Once my leathers and weapons are removed, I stand naked before the fae prince.

But, he doesn’t move. His eyes dart away from my body. Already I can sense this is not going to be what I’d hoped it would be.