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TABSakarri waited patiently, watching the four with her. Her brothers, the ones charged with keeping her alive should the dragon prove more trouble than they thought. She looked towards the cave then rose when she saw that the sky was finally dark.
TAB“It is time. Come, brothers. Let us hunt,” she purred, pulling the cowl of her cloak low over her head. She silently left the cave, and stepped into the night sky of the surface world.
TABMillions upon millions of stars shined down on her, the thin sliver of a moon casting a light that made her spend a second adjusting to the light. They were on a cliff overlooking a forest, an old one. It was obvious even to the Drow, and they knew little of the surface plants. Sakarri winced as she saw the light reflecting off a river, even that much light harsh to her eyes.
TABWithout a word Sakarri led the four down the cliff face, landing lightly on the ground. She went into the forest, hearing her brothers behind her. Nearly three hours passed before she saw the house. It was two stories and made of stone, what the surfacers would think quaint. She found it small and incomparable to the Drow mansions and lacking all the elegance that made a house acceptable to live in.
TABSakarri signed for her brothers to move, to enter the house first as planned. She would follow. She watched them move, silent and unseen shadows flickering across the clearing to the house. One picked the lock, then they slipped inside. She followed, unseen and unheard as she crossed the clearing and entered the house. Then she found an interesting sight.
TABThe dragon was asleep. He was in a human form, lying on a couch. She smiled when she saw her brothers position themselves around him, the swords drawn and readied. She watched as three simultaneously pricked the dragon’s skin with daggers, the poison acting immediately. The dragon-man was paralyzed, and now awake.
TABSakarri smile only grew as her brothers maneuvered him into a sitting position, tying him roughly to a chair as a further precaution before she drew closer. “This? This is the thing that killed my sisters and their soldiers? Pathetic. We didn’t even have to try,” Sakarri said quietly, speaking in Common, the language all races of the Surface world spoke. She ignored her brothers’ glances to each other; none of them knew the language. Sakarri began monitoring the dragon’s emotions, one of her abilities as an empath. She was surprised, and it showed. She didn’t feel any fear from him, only pity. It made her curious, and she pushed into his mind for the answers.
TABSakarri was forced out, and she took a step back to steady herself. “b*****d,” she spat. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she growled as she drew the dagger given to her by Vitany. “She told me to bring her your heart, not what to do with you beforehand. Only that you can watch when I carve the damn thing out of your chest, and that you don’t die before I’m done,” Sakarri purred, moving closer. She tilted his head up by putting the tip of the dagger under his chin, staring into his eyes coldly.
TABHis gaze was still full of pity. There wasn’t a trace of fear or anger towards her.
TABSakarri’s gaze narrowed and she put a hand on his forehead, pushing into his mind and finding no resistance this time. There she saw the memories, the memory of what he was being killed for.

TAB“Let her go. She’s young, barely even five years old. She didn’t know not to come near you, and she did nothing wrong. She was just playing. And she’s only a child. You’ll get no fun or sport out of her.” The dragon was pleading, desperate. Five Drow women stood before him, and nearly fifty soldiers around them. Two of the women held a child before them, a pink-haired girl with tears streaking her cheeks. A third had a dagger resting against the girl’s throat.
TAB“Sisters, a male thinks he can bargain with us,” one of the women said, sounding amused.
TAB“She’s a female, she’s better than him. He recognizes that much,” one countered.
TAB“Larini, he wants to save his sister. You know that surfacers are attached to their family. They aren’t strong enough to put a dagger between a sister’s ribs,” the other cooed, eyes dancing wickedly as she watched the dragon struggle not to attack them.
TAB“Aww. How sweet that he cares for the brat,” the first cooed, smirking and watching the dragon as well.
TAB“But he wants to keep us from our fun. I want to see how long it will take for a dragon to beg…” The third whined, looking up to the others and pushing the dagger harder against the girl’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood.
TAB“A child will not last long. You want a challenge, do you not? Then let her go, and take me back to your hell-hole. Leave her be.” The dragon stood tall as he offered himself in his sister’s place.
TABThe Drown women exchanged glances, then they smiled. The two released the child, and she immediately flew to her brother. He crouched down and caught her in a hug, not looking up to the Drow while his sister sobbed against his chest.
TAB“Shh. It’s alright, Priya. You know how to get home, how to get Malachai to come. Tell him what happened. None of this is your fault, Priya. I’ll be back, don’t worry.” The dragon held her tight before he released her, slowly standing again. He walked to the women, though he froze when he heard the sound of a crossbow being shot, and his sister’s cry. His eyes narrowed, and he turned slowly. His sister fell to the ground, one of the Drow’s tiny bolts lodged in her chest. The bolt wouldn’t kill, but their poison was known to be able to kill a full grown dragon with a single drop.
TABThe dragon turned to the Drow women, who were chanting and praying for their goddess to grant them the spells to take the dragon hostage. He quickly shifted into his dragon form, that of a crimson dragon, the same color as the streaks in his black hair and his eyes. Then he attacked.

TABSakarri stumbled back, staring at the ground, before looking up to him again. “She survived?” she asked softly, hearing a ‘yes’ in his mind. She said nothing for a long moment, ignoring her brothers. “No,” she said calmly, before looking to her brothers. She knew they wouldn’t understand, they wouldn’t understand why she did what she was about to do. “He was only protecting his kin, his sister.” She spoke in Drow to them, her voice still soft.
TAB“Sakarri, what are you about to do?” one asked, drawing his sword. The other two had never sheathed theirs, and the last had spells on his lips. All watched her, ready to attack. While a Drow female might rank higher, if she refused this she would become an outcast, making herself rogue. Then they would be able to, would have to kill her. Then they would return and kill the dragon themselves. She knew the consequences as well as, if not better, than they did. Despite this, none of the Drow warriors would be truly surprised if she did refuse.
TABWhen Sakarri was young, she had been like her father. Innocent, sweet, naïve, and idealistic, everything a Drow was not. She didn’t lie, trusted what she was told, and believed in kin rather than one’s own position of power. It had been beaten out of her nearly two centuries ago, but it was believed that she still might hold those beliefs. Even though she was a cold-blooded killer and incredibly vicious, some believed she still might have a sorry excuse for a heart. But it was still more than most Drow.
TABSakarri’s gaze hardened and she threw the knife at the dragon. It severed the ropes holding him to the chair, not touching him at all. “I will not kill him,” she said, before she turned and ran.

TAB“She’s alive.”
TAB“Vadász, she was here to kill you. Just leave her; getting her back will probably kill her anyway.”
TAB“Mal, she didn’t. She saw what happened with Priya then ran. She had to have known she’d be killed for it. She practically was”
TAB“You’re point?” She could hear the dryness in the voice, the lack of caring.
TAB“She refused to kill me when she knew she’d be killed for doing it. I can at least try and help her. Just help me take her to the house, you don’t have to do anything else.”
TAB“Fine. Just don’t blame me when you find a dagger in your back after healing her.”
TABSakarri could hear the voices, two men. One was familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She started to open her eyes but stopped, just barely parting her lashes enough to return the fire to her eyes. She didn’t make a sound, forcing herself to remain still and silent when she felt the daggers slowly slide from her body. Ankles, wrists, neck, side. She felt someone pick her up and cradle her against a broad and very muscled chest. She winced as she was shifted, and she heard him murmur various things in her ear, probably meant to sooth her. It only made her worry more.
TAB“I can tend to your wounds, heal you. Help you recover and adjust to living here,” he said.
TABSakarri had to make herself not respond to it. Help her? He’d probably heal her then torture her repeatedly. Or keep her as a slave, if she had to live with him. Or both. It wasn’t unusual for a Drow’s slave to be used in such ways. They existed to serve them and for pleasure, in whatever form required. She had used several to vent her frustration on, spending hours with a slave in a torture chamber. There was something oddly satisfying about breaking a slave, about making him beg and cry and whimper like an animal. Then she’d bring him back up, sweet talk him and heal him and convince her she cared, only to do it all over again and crush any hope the slave had. She’d sooner kill herself than let him reduce her to what her slaves had been.
TAB“We’re here. Mal, get the door and help me with her?” she heard the one carrying her ask. She heard a door open, and then the light was lessened. She was set on the floor, near where she thought he’d been tied up. She’d realized by now that this was the dragon carrying her, and the other, Mal, had to be the one the dragon had mentioned in the memory, Malachai.
TAB“Don’t fight me, even if it hurts. Just trust me,” Vadász said, then he began to tend to her. He cleaned off the blood, cutting her clothes off so he wouldn’t have to try and bandage her through the shirt, or what was left of it. He began to clean the cuts, starting with the shallowest then getting deeper. He stitched up the ones he had to, and smoothed a salve over everything. He wrapped the ones that would need it, then he stopped. She didn’t fight, but she also had the other brother pinning her down to where she wouldn’t be able to if she chose to
TAB“You’re going to have to open your eyes. I have to see what happened to them, if anything,” he said quietly, gently.
TABSakarri shook her head, remembering earlier. “No.” The word came out almost harshly, but she didn’t care. He wasn’t touching her eyes.
TAB“Do you want to be able to open them at any point? Let me see them, I won’t do anything. I swear,” he said, no more forceful than before.
TAB“Damn it, no. You’re not going to touch my eyes. Vith tir,” she spat, almost snapping open her eyes to glare at him, but instead turning her head away. She felt a large hand turn her head back, his other hand on her chest holding her down.
TAB“Stop being so sweet, Vadász. Just open her eyes and see what’s wrong with them. Then pour the drops in,” Malachai interjected, the voice that went with the hands.
TABSakarri heard a sigh, then felt fingers gently pry open her eyes. “Uoi’nota nau! Inbau dosst yah xsa rahi tarthe dal ussta solen!” she pulled against them, but it didn’t seem to do a thing.
TAB“Hell no, get your God damn hands away from my eyes? She’s not all that original. Hurry up, otherwise I’ll knock her out first,” His voice was mocking now, and she stopped struggling and felt him relax just slightly. She hid a smile when her foot connected solidly with his head, having caught him off guard.
TAB“b***h! Vadász, hurry up. If she hits me again I swear I’ll finish what the others started,” Malachai growled, pushing down harder on Sakarri, holding her in place.
TAB“Suck it up. Priya’s hit you harder before,” Vadász grumbled, opening Sakarri’s eyes. He was surprised, as was Malachai, when she tensed, obviously trying not to react to the pain. Both brothers stared at her eyes, and what had happened. They looked as though they had been burned with a flame after being dropped in acid. They were blistered and red, barely resembling the gorgeous gray eyes Vadász had seen betray her thoughts earlier.
TAB“Good God, no wonder she wouldn’t let you near them,” Malachai breathed, watching as Vadász dripped a healing salve into them. He was amazed that she didn’t move in response to it, and that not a sound escaped the Drow’s lips.
TAB“There. I’m putting a bandage over your eyes. Just don’t try to open them, alright? They’ll heal. I don’t know if you’ll be able to see, but they’ll heal and won’t hurt any more once this has had time to work. Mal, let her up. There’s still food on the counter, get that for her?” Vadász spoke as he worked. He placed a piece of gauze over each eye, then wrapped a cloth over it and tied that around her head to hold the gauze in place. It would work, unless she messed with it. He helped her up, making her get to her feet. “Here, move over here.”
TABSakarri let him gently guide her to a chair, a large comfortable armchair, completely unlike the one he’d been tied to. She heard the other brother come back and a bowl was put in her hands.
TAB“Eat. You need it. Mal, I can watch her. Can you go make sure Priya’s alright?” Vadász asked, and his brother nodded and left without a word. She heard the door shut softly behind him.
TAB“How long will it be until I’ve healed enough for you to start?” Sakarri asked quietly, almost immediately.
TAB“Start what?” She could hear the confusion in his voice.
TAB“Having fun with me, using me. Why else would you have helped me?”
TAB“Why would I abuse you? I’m not going to go to all the effort of keeping you alive only to go and kill you slowly or play with you. Maybe that’s normal for you, but it’s horrible and despicable to almost everyone who lives on the surface. Including myself.” He sounded offended, and almost as though he was scolding her.
TAB“Why are you doing this?” Sakarri asked quietly, slightly meeker than before. She was thoroughly confused by the answer. She didn’t expect it, far from it.
TAB“You refused to kill me when you saw that I only killed the other Drow because of my sister. You were worried for her. And don’t try to deny it, I felt it. You can’t hide emotion from me; I’m a stronger empath than you are. But I saw you show kindness, and I know you aren’t as cruel as your kin. There is a part of you that is like any surfacer,” he said softly, convincingly. He meant and believed what he said.
TABThat scared her more than anything he’d done already.
TABSakarri said nothing else, though she tilted her head down as though to look at her lap. She ignored the fact that she couldn’t see, or even open her eyes for that matter. She heard him sigh, then stand up. She felt his hands on hers, one taking the bowl and the other grasping her hand and gently pulling her to her feet.
TAB“Come with me, then. You can have one of the empty rooms. It would be more comfortable than making you sleep on the couch, or in the chair,” Vadász said as he led her up a flight up stairs and down a hall. She heard him push a door open before she was pulled inside after him. “Look inside my mind. See what I see.”
TABShe didn’t hesitate, roughly pushing into his mind. She knew it would cause some discomfort, but that was what she wanted. After a moment she realized what he wanted her to do, and she was speechless.
TABThe room was perfect. A huge bed jutted out into the middle of the room, all the bedding black with some silver embroidery, the design being hundreds of dragons. A window was on the wall directly opposite the door, but heavy dark black curtains blocked almost all the light. The walls, and all the furniture, were ebony-colored wood. A fireplace was in one wall, the stones darkly colored as well. It looked almost as though made of glass; the stones were so shiny and reflective. There was very little light in the room, and she saw in his memories that the room would be almost pitch black with the door shut, even in the middle of the day.
TAB“I hope you like it, and that you aren’t too uncomfortable in here,” Vadász said, drawing her from her stupor. He dropped her hand and set the bowl of soup on the nightstand before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.
TAB“Thank you…” Sakarri breathed, but he would only have heard her if she were directly beside him. And he had already left.