Dragon's for Keeps Part 4

Dragons for Keeps

By Burner Fire 

Part 4

Ruby’s neck ache her, she hit the dirt walls on the way down, she wasn’t expecting for Eden to shove her the way he did. She sat up and stretch her neck, her yellow eye’s looked around the cavern that she appear to be in. It would have been pitch black if it wasn’t for the oil lamps that hung around walls. Then she notice five dragons sitting around wooden box, “Ha,” a large light green dragon exclaim, “that would be a full house,” then he turn to a blue dragon, “hand it over, you lost.”

“Fine, take it!” he shoved a gold chain at him.

The light green dragon hung it around his neck with pleasure, “Don’t I look nice?”

The others sighed, then a large gray dragon spoke up, “Stop showing off and lets get back to the game.” he started shuffling cards, then he deal them out. “Hey new b,” he call over his shoulder to Ruby, “stop slinking in the shadows and join in on the fun.” Ruby was surprise that he knew she was there, she slowly approached the table. Act like a dragon it should be easy I am a actor after all am I not? She asked herself. “Three of a kind, that’s the game.” he retrieve everyone’s cards and started shuffling, “So new b any new card games you can teach us?”

Ruby sat down next to him, “Go fish.”

“Never heard of it, teach us,” he place the cards in her claws, she tried to pick them up but she found it near impossible, “here I’ll shuffle just tell me what to do.”

She slid the deck back to him, “Each player gets ten cards,” the gray dragons claws moved so fast it was amazing, “then you place the remaining cards face down on the table,” he place them in the middle of the old box they were using, “then you all look at your cards without showing the other what you have.” the dragons were probably use to not wanting each other to look at there cards, because when they picked them up, they look fit to kill any cheaters. “Then you see if you have any doubles such as a Jack or Jack or a Queen and a Queen, then start making a pile,” they all were shuffling around getting there cards settled, “then each one of you shall get a turn, we’ll start with him,” she point at the gray dragon, “you can ask only one dragon, if he has a certain card you need to make a double.”

“Hmm,” his deep blues eye’s swept around the room at the dragons, “Digger,” a brown dragon looked up from his cards, “do you have any four’s?”

Digger smiled, “Nope.”

“Well actually you would say Go Fish, because after you say that he has to pick one card up, then we move on to the next dragon.” Digger shrugged, “When all the cards are gone from the pile whoever has the most doubles wins.”

“Thanks for the game,” the gray dragon nodded, “the names Gregory, nicknames Greg,”he pointed to a bright yellow dragon, “his is Himyal, he doesn’t say much.” Himyal waved a claw but he was concentrating on his cards so hard he didn’t even look away, “and you know Digger’s name,” he nodded at the brown dragon.

“Ay, how are you kid?” he placed his cards face down on the box.

“I’m ok sir.” Ruby was trying to be respectful because she doesn’t know if they know a way out.

“None of the sir stuff just call me Digger or Dig.” he return to his cards.

The light green dragon didn’t wait for an introduction, “Hello there beautiful, my name is Levi,” he pointed to the blue dragon who was staring dreamily at her, she’s seen this star before it was the look of love, “That’s Reuben don’t mind him he fall’s for every girl dragon that comes into our mist.”

“I do not!” Reuben protested, he took a snap at Levi he jumped back.

“That’ll be enough of that now shut up and play the game!” Gregory yelled. The boy’s glare at each while they sat down, “So tell us little red what’s your name?”

Ruby was scare what if she told them her true name, would they tell the queen, she didn’t want forty lashes, “It’s Ember.” she looked down.

“That’s not your real name is it?” Digger said, without looking up from his cards.

“Umm…” she didn’t want to tell them the truth yet.

“Are you afraid we might tell the queen if you tell us the truth?” Gregory gave her a side ways glance, she nodded her head, “Well down here we really don’t care about her rules, we respect her and everything but she never comes down to check on us just sends letter’s down here with orders that's all. The last dragon that was here kept insisting that her name was Susan, even though the queen gave her a new name.”

Himyal looked at Gregory, “Greg do you have any eight’s?”

“Go Fish Himyal,” Himyal growled then snatched a card to himself glaring at the others not to look at his card, “After this game I suggest we get to work to teach the new b.” the others nodded in agreement, there horns bobbed up and down.

Ruby decided to tell them, Eden did say there was no way back up, “My real name’s Ruby.”

Reuben put his elbow on the box and laid his head in his claws, “You do look like a precious Ruby.” He was referring to her bright red color.

“Do you come from a world full of humans?” Levi sighed, “Yeah Susan used to talk about them all the time they just sounded like pigs with clothes.”

“Well yes I do come from the human world, and were not pigs!” she didn’t like they way he said that, “We all work together to keep our society going.”

“Then you should like it here,” Digger said, “that’s what we do, every job we have benefit’s all of us. We have hunters that leave the mountain the palace is built on, to go to the land below to retrieve food for us all. Then we have builders that keep the the kingdom’s houses in perfect shape for the weather to come. The guards that protect the innocent lives of the villagers against threats.” Digger looked over at Levi, “Hey Levi got any A’s.” Levi let a puff of smoke out and toss the card at Digger, “Yes.” he said excitedly.

“When you receive a double from another player you continue asking until you don’t get a double and when you don’t your turns over.” Ruby said realizing she forgot to tell them that.

“So I get to go again.” he said teasingly.

Himyal looked over at Ruby, “Are you the only new comer?” he ask quietly.

“No I’m not there are five others, Lou Ann is a lady in waiting, Cindy works in the library, poor Vanessa got lock away, and Cassie was beaten for interrupting the Queen.” Ruby’s fear started to come back thinking about what happen to Cassie.

“So that’s what that screaming was…” Himyal said, the others look nervously at each other.

“She didn’t have all her scales does she?” Gregory asked.

“No she doesn’t.” Ruby shook her head sadly.

“She must be a bloody mess then.” Levi said without any feeling.

“LEVI!” Gregory said sharply.

“What! It’s true.” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Just because it pop’s into your head doesn’t mean to say it!” Levi rolled his orange eyes, “Sorry about him, I hope your friend learns our ways quickly.”

“Cassie’s a stubborn one but she wants to be here, so I’m sure she will.” Ruby’s mind wander over to this Susan, “What happen to Susan why isn’t she here?”

“She was a beautiful white dragon.” Reuben sighed dreamily.

“Reuben got any five’s?” Digger asked excitedly.

Reuben glance at his cards, “Go fish.” he said irritated that he interrupted his thoughts of Susan.

Digger pick a card from the deck, “Well,” Gregory sighed, “Susan didn’t want to be down here, at all. She wanted to live in the palace, like the queen got to but we told her once all her scales grew in she’d be on her way to the village. But she was angry about that she didn’t,” he stop and looked over at Reuben, “Reuben why don’t you check on the soup.” Reuben nodded then he set his cards on the box and went around the corner, “Reuben get’s upset about Susan, Now our job is to find water springs down here in the mountain, there is some purple water down here. When you a scaleless dragon drinks it right away you’ll be completely scale, you’ll have wings, and horns. The queen want’s that to help new comers become a dragon as soon as they receive there name.” Gregory shifted, “When we find a spring Eden sends down a rope and we carry buckets to the hole you fell down in. We tie it to the bucket Eden takes it and stores it but lately we haven’t been able to find much, and its not because of card playing.”

“Susan wanted to leave so she did exactly what we told her not to do,” Himyal growled, “she took a drink of the water.” He looked at Ruby suspiciously.

“That brat stood down here and made nice to Reuben promising to marry him if he told her how to leave.” Levi slammed his clawed fist on the box making the pile shake, “The only way back up is up the tunnel that you fell down here in.” he glare at her.

Ruby felt like she should of never asked, “Only a full scale dragon can climb back up because you get the strength of a dragon as soon as you have your scales. Susan went up and Reuben followed her he was too late, she challenge the queen for the throne. Those types of challenge’s happen in the middle of the village and they don’t happen at all, Susan’s was the first in years.” Gregory look to make sure Reuben wasn’t there, “I had to be present because I’m in charge here and she was my student. Susan gave a good fight but in the end the queen won. She had Susan’s wing’s ripped off and stole her voice with her magic. So she became a village slave, there suppose to do what ever any of the villagers want, mostly the dirty and hard jobs. Their consider disgraceful and lower than dirt, so there treated pretty bad, and she’ll be like that until she dies.”

“That’s sad,” Ruby thought, but then she wonder if getting all your scales made you go crazy, “does getting all your scales make you go crazy?”

“No,” Himyal said, “You just forget everything you ever knew such as your name, old world and you except being dragon, and think that you’ve always been a dragon. We’ve seen plenty of new comers denied the things we try to remind them they said.”

“What!” Ruby was shock she didn’t want to forget her mother or her friends, she want to remember so she could return home.

“Dinner!” Reuben’s voice echo from around the corner.  

The dragons got up and followed one another around the corner, leaving Ruby sitting alone at the box. How am I going to escape this world before I forget my own, Ruby thought to herself.