clutched me tighter to her chest, a gesture that probably would not have been nearly as uncomfortable with any other princess. As it was, I felt as if I was clamped between the thighs of an elephant wearing particularly baroque plate mail. It didn’t help that I was naked and couldn’t move.
At least she was warm, in stark contrast to the freezing wind tearing across my backside.
As she swooped up into the spinning blue cauldron of sky above us she said, “I can’t believe that heights used to make me sick to my stomach.”
I closed my eyes and said, “They still do.”
• • •
The flight away from the black forest was all sickening lurches and bone-chilling cold. It was a miracle of self-control that I didn’t empty my stomach during our escape—either that, or the ten-minute flight didn’t give my body enough time to realize what was happening to it.
She landed on a plateau overlooking more mundane-looking woods and scattered farms and gently set me down on my feet in front of her. Of course, I promptly fell over. She grabbed me and held me up in front of a giant lizard face that may have been showing the first signs of panic.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes!” I gasped, struggling to breathe against her tight grip on me. I managed to croak out, “Binding. Charm.”
She lifted me up and opened her hand so I was resting on her palm. It felt precarious because I was unable to move or shift my weight, but at least I could breathe again. I looked up at her face—her sharp, toothy, lizard face—and stared into eyes that should have been pitiless as any bird of prey’s. It was the first time I’d gotten a chance to see the dragon’s features in full daylight. It should have been horrifying.
It was, but not quite in the sense I expected.
Something of Lucille managed to leak out in the dragon’s expression; concern, compassion, worry . . . whatever it was, it was just enough to shift the focus from the gigantic killing machine staring down at me to the young woman who was trapped inside it.
Trapped inside, and staring at her own body frozen in the palm of her hand.
And I’d thought
I
had it bad.
“The necklace,” I told her. “Take it off of me.”
The massive head nodded and came closer, squinting. Her other hand lifted above me, extending a finger tipped with a talon almost as long as my forearm. When it lowered in my direction, it didn’t matter what I had seen in the dragon’s eyes; if I hadn’t been paralyzed I probably would have pissed myself.
The tip of her talon rested on my stomach and she slowly drew it up between my breasts until it hooked the charm and drew it back up over my head.
In response, my whole body shuddered and I clenched myself up in a ball on her palm.
“Oh, no! Is everything okay? Did I hurt you?”
“No. I’m just
freezing
.”
“Oh.”
She set me down again, and this time I was able to stand on my own, a little unsteadily. I rocked back and forth, hugging myself against the cold.
Lucille moved suddenly toward the edge of the plateau, and dropped out of sight.
“What? Princess?” I called out to her, the cold forgotten for the moment. I don’t know what distressed me more, the idea of being stranded alone and naked in the princess’s body, or the idea that the dragon might be suicidal.
I reached the edge of the plateau, and a steep drop by Lendowyn standards, just as Lucille flew back up the side. I stumbled back a few steps as she shot back over the edge, blasting me in a sudden downdraft. Clutched in her forearms was a large dead tree whose trunk had been weathered bone white.
“What’re you doing?” I asked as she landed.
“I’m sorry. I don’t seem to feel cold anymore.” She dropped the tree down on a bare patch of ground, gulped, and exhaled a small holocaust onto the unsuspecting log. I didn’t even need to move to feel the heat from the sudden conflagration.
“Thanks,” I said, stepping forward and turning around to
At least she was warm, in stark contrast to the freezing wind tearing across my backside.
As she swooped up into the spinning blue cauldron of sky above us she said, “I can’t believe that heights used to make me sick to my stomach.”
I closed my eyes and said, “They still do.”
• • •
The flight away from the black forest was all sickening lurches and bone-chilling cold. It was a miracle of self-control that I didn’t empty my stomach during our escape—either that, or the ten-minute flight didn’t give my body enough time to realize what was happening to it.
She landed on a plateau overlooking more mundane-looking woods and scattered farms and gently set me down on my feet in front of her. Of course, I promptly fell over. She grabbed me and held me up in front of a giant lizard face that may have been showing the first signs of panic.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes!” I gasped, struggling to breathe against her tight grip on me. I managed to croak out, “Binding. Charm.”
She lifted me up and opened her hand so I was resting on her palm. It felt precarious because I was unable to move or shift my weight, but at least I could breathe again. I looked up at her face—her sharp, toothy, lizard face—and stared into eyes that should have been pitiless as any bird of prey’s. It was the first time I’d gotten a chance to see the dragon’s features in full daylight. It should have been horrifying.
It was, but not quite in the sense I expected.
Something of Lucille managed to leak out in the dragon’s expression; concern, compassion, worry . . . whatever it was, it was just enough to shift the focus from the gigantic killing machine staring down at me to the young woman who was trapped inside it.
Trapped inside, and staring at her own body frozen in the palm of her hand.
And I’d thought
I
had it bad.
“The necklace,” I told her. “Take it off of me.”
The massive head nodded and came closer, squinting. Her other hand lifted above me, extending a finger tipped with a talon almost as long as my forearm. When it lowered in my direction, it didn’t matter what I had seen in the dragon’s eyes; if I hadn’t been paralyzed I probably would have pissed myself.
The tip of her talon rested on my stomach and she slowly drew it up between my breasts until it hooked the charm and drew it back up over my head.
In response, my whole body shuddered and I clenched myself up in a ball on her palm.
“Oh, no! Is everything okay? Did I hurt you?”
“No. I’m just
freezing
.”
“Oh.”
She set me down again, and this time I was able to stand on my own, a little unsteadily. I rocked back and forth, hugging myself against the cold.
Lucille moved suddenly toward the edge of the plateau, and dropped out of sight.
“What? Princess?” I called out to her, the cold forgotten for the moment. I don’t know what distressed me more, the idea of being stranded alone and naked in the princess’s body, or the idea that the dragon might be suicidal.
I reached the edge of the plateau, and a steep drop by Lendowyn standards, just as Lucille flew back up the side. I stumbled back a few steps as she shot back over the edge, blasting me in a sudden downdraft. Clutched in her forearms was a large dead tree whose trunk had been weathered bone white.
“What’re you doing?” I asked as she landed.
“I’m sorry. I don’t seem to feel cold anymore.” She dropped the tree down on a bare patch of ground, gulped, and exhaled a small holocaust onto the unsuspecting log. I didn’t even need to move to feel the heat from the sudden conflagration.
“Thanks,” I said, stepping forward and turning around to
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