“Mobian! What is the meaning of this?”
Mobian was waiting for them in the center of the cobbled road. A smirk played on his face.
“I’d thought you’d like to be here for the first birth we have been able to witness in nearly a decade.”
The other men and women behind Vyandun began to whisper excitedly. Vyandun expression did not change.
“Who?”
“Rayzier has returned and brought a human woman with him, he has impregnated her and it will not be long. From the look of it, I give her until dawn.”
Again, there were excited whispers. One woman even squealed in delight and then the group of dragonkin passed by Vyandun who was boiling with rage before their very eyes. Mobian did not wait for a reply and joined the excited onlookers towards the fortress where Rayzier lay waiting with Arabella.
* * *
Arabella was propped up on the half a dozen pillows that sat at the head of the bed. Rayzier sat beside her, stroking the tight skin of her exposed belly.
“Do you think it will be a male or a female?” He asked, his eyes open wide with curiosity.
Arabella laughed, “How am I to know? I suppose it won’t be long until we know.”
He looked down again at her stomach where a wave of skin rippled as the child within her moved about. She shifted uncomfortably.
“I have something very important to tell you Arabella, and remember that I could have kept silent and allowed what will happen to take you by surprise.”
She sat up straighter for a moment, her sense of ease gone with the words that spilled from his mouth.
“When my people come to welcome you, they will be friendly in your presence, but when you are not around they will plot. It isn’t because of you, but because of their jealously. A birth is very rare here. Another thing, they do not want to be chosen as the sacrifice.”
“What sacrifice?” Arabella asked worriedly.
Rayzier did not meet her eyes as he launched into his explanation, “One of us dragonkin must give up his flame stone to the new child. It lays inside of us, and can only be ripped out through the stomach. A piece of it must be fed to the newborn in order for it to survive, the rest will crumble away soon after and the sacrificed dragonkin will die with it.”
Arabella did not know what to say, a million questions launched into her mind and seemed to spill out altogether. Rayzier threw up a hand as her jumbled words came out.
“I will choose who is to be sacrificed. As you know, my Uncle wished to do away with me to have his place as King. He will not openly cause you harm, but some night he will take you and the child and neither of you will survive. When the time comes, and I choose him, he will not go down without a fight. You must be vigilant with protecting the child, if I die, Mobian will help you, but he cannot always be by your side.”
The momentary dreams she had of a peaceful new life were crumbling around her. Rayzier hadn’t said it, but she knew even if she fled, Vyandun would track her. The child within her was not the miracle it seemed to be. All the same, she still wrapped her arms around the bump protectively.
With a bang the heavy door burst open, Rayzier jumped to his feet and Arabella lurched in surprise. A group of people marched in. All exclaiming their excitement at seeing Rayzier.
“I knew Vyandun must have been mistaken when he had said you fell,” a muscular balding man proclaimed.
“OH! It’s true! You’ve bred with a human! Look!” a red haired woman screeched elatedly and pointed to the speechless Arabella.
Rayzier raised his hands, quieting the small hoard of people. Behind them a dragon’s head was poking through the doorway and was immediately pushed away by another.
“Dragonkin please, calm yourselves. There is much preparation and we do not have much time. Plus Arabella needs these last few hours to be calm. I’m sure meeting everyone can happen later.”
The men and women looked to one another. Mobian strode forth, pushing a curious dragon from the door.
“Dragonkin, we have to prepare for the ceremony. Please let us vacate the premises. I’ll require your help around the pit,” Mobian announced.
The dejected group tromped from the room while Rayzier watched on.
“I have not seen Vyandun. Has he not arrived or is he not excited for this joyous occasion?”
Mobian turned to Rayzier with a jerk, “You know very well that isn’t happy. I assume you’ve picked a sacrifice?”
Rayzier nodded. Their eyes met and then Arabella and Rayzier were alone again.
Chapter Three
Arabella took a while to calm down once they were alone. Rayzier reassured her over and over again, that everything would work out. She was still stunned at their ritualistic killing of one of their own but did not argue the point because it was insisted that it was necessary for the survival of her child.