Chapter 9 I drowned!

I have never thought of myself as a beauty. I can see all my quarks if no one else can. So why is it now that I am married, that I get all these problems. I have found myself asking this question so many times of late. I still have been unable to answer my own question.

On my way back to the mine, I felt the ground give way. I tried to run. But I am only human. I fell hard. I barely got a scream out before I hit the bottom of some burrow. I am not sure how long I was out. But I do know I was knocked out. When I fell the sun was straight over head. When I woke it was dark above me.

I thought for a moment that the tunnel had collapsed in on its self. Closing off where I fell in. But the more I looked up, I could see the clouds floating out of the way of the moon. I knew I was trapped in this tunnel. I did not want the possibility of another cave in. So, I did not immediately start shouting for help. I tried to find my own way out.

That is when I found the biggest problem ever. I had either broken or sprained my ankle. I could not walk. I tried to use the sides of where I fell down to pull myself back up. But I just slid down again, painfully. I stopped and tore off the hem of my dress. I wrapped my ankle tightly. With this I was at least able to hobble.

I knew I was going to make it worse. I just could not depend on Brenton to come rescue me from every blunder I got myself into. I could get out of this somehow. I went to look around the burrow again. Trying to find anything to help me get out. I froze!

There were a pair of golden cats eyes staring at me. Then there was a voice. A deep resonating Irish voice. "Looks like I have caught a woman in my burrow. May she be friend or foe. Will she be here for dinner, or be dinner. I think I will have to think on this. What is the woman's name?"

I shook my head. I was too scared to answer. He leaned in closely to me and I could see with the moon light it was a dragon. I breathed out in relief, "I am sorry for not answering you. When you were in the dark I could not see who you were. My name is Joy Fuoco-Fenice. It is so nice to meet you. Um, sorry what did you say your name was."

The big snake like creature reared back and bellowed out a loud echoing laugh. "You are the new bride!" Again, with the echoing laughter! "You are the reason why I have come." He slammed back down on his front paws. He opened up his maw and bite the ground I was standing on. I barely had enough time to jump out of the way. I shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" He laughed loudly and bit down again trying for me a second time.

He leaned back and rubbed his nuzzle. "Let me try this again. You human, I dragon. Human run from dragon, I eat human." I shouted, "I AM MARRIED TO A DRAGON!" He laughed, "I, ye are. But I don't play with my food."

With that he threw his tail and wrapped me in it. He took off and flew out of the burrow he had dug, and we were flying. With us out of the hole I could see more what he looked like. He really did look more like a snake. He was algae green. His head was just as big as Brenton's when he was a dragon. Bur where Brenton had the old fairy tale look, this guy looked more like the snake dragons from Chinese lore.

I only know the difference because Mama Shuri (Brenton's mother) gave me a book with the descriptions and pictures. I have not been able to read much yet. But the pictures are amazing. You would never believe how many different kinds of dragons there are. I believe it was titled The Live's and Histories of Dragons. She had said that it would help me understand more about how things work here.

Admittedly I should have taken time to read the book. But in my defense, I have been on my honeymoon. Also, she only gave me the book about a week ago. The book is huge two. If you were to stack three bibles on top of each other it would still be shy about 2-3 inches. It was heavy too. I loved the script that it was written in as well. Brenton says, "It is old Svengoullygoul (sven-goul-ly-goul). Which is the ancient language of the Dragons, and the first words that they are taught to write.

I was so busy thinking about that stupid book, and chastising myself for not reading it, that I almost did not notice when we landed. It had not been a long flight. If I needed to I could find my way back.

I did not scream. I made sure not to. I did not want to give him the satisfaction. He had coiled around me like a snake would its eggs. When he bent down again I thought he was going to eat me for sure this time. Instead, I was dragon slurped. It was meant as a form of kiss I think.

Then this Dragon bursts out into spontaneous song. "You are so beautiful, to me!" I had to be dreaming! How could this be happening! He was not a bad singer. But really! Was I being pranked?! When he came back down again at the end of his verse, he tried to slurp me again. I held up my hands, "Please stop!" He jerked back in surprise. I lowered my hands slightly, "What do you think you are doing?"

He tilted his head in thought, "I am telling you how much I like you." I grabbed the arch of my nose trying to stop the rapidly rising headache, "What?" The big guy breathed out in frustration "Isn't this how Brenton seduced you? I want a girl just like you. So, I figured I would try first on the real thing." He leaned back giggling like a school girl.

"NO!" I was now breathing out in frustration. "That is not how Brenton won me. He picked me out of all the women in my village. But way before that he watched me and fell in love with me from afar. He paid my village handsomely for me too. Not just my family. Everyone will be eating beef all winter long this year if they were to use every penny. He did this to make up for me not being there to help with the harvest."

The green dragon leaned in close and knocked me over as he loosened his coils. He laid his head on my lap, "Can you let me just this once? I promise not to ask again." Okay that tore it! "How old are you?"

The dragon began to change back into a human form, and when he was through I had a skinny boy of about 13 standing in front of me. He had course brown hair and was missing a few teeth. He looked like he had been through a few scrapes in his life. He grinned sheepishly at me, "I come from over the sea. My name is Emmy. Brenton is a distant cousin of mine. I have come to stay with him and you!"

The poor kid was blushing. When he was a dragon he sounded so much older. Right now, he sounded like he was going through puberty. I was not going to tease him either. "Emmy can you take me back either to the mines, or home?" Emmy looked down at the ground, "I do not know where the Dragon Valley is. I had been tunneling when I found you." I was getting very frustrated. "Okay how about back to the mines then?" Emmy perked up, "What mines? You tell me where and I can take us there."

I sat down hard on the ground. When we had landed I knew which direction we had come from. But Emmy has tossed me around so much now that I don't know. What am I to do! Okay, don't despair! "Emmy do you know what direction we came from". Emmy pointed back behind me. "Great!" I clapped my hands together. "That the direction we must go." "Okay so you can fly. We need to go in that direction."

Emmy backed away, "I can't fly! I am a snake Dragon. I can coil and spring. I did not count my bounces. I had been traveling in underground tunnels before this. We snake dragons live under the earth. Our skin is too sensitive to stay above ground long."

Oh, Great!!!!!! Not only do we have to travel by night, now we don't even know how far to travel. I could scream!!!!!! Wait! That is not a bad idea! "BRENTON, HELP, I AM LOST!" Emmy patted me on the shoulder and tried to get me to calm down.

I was so frustrated and on the verge of anger, I could not take him touching me. Even if it was innocent. Out of pure reaction I reared back and slapped him just as hard as I could. He was not expecting it and I knocked him off of his feet. He fell so hard he actually bounced on his but a couple of times backwards.

I felt horrible afterwards. I apologized immediately! Then began crying. He looked back at me with a puppy dog face. He had his hand on his cheek and looked utterly broken. It was going to be hard but I had to make him understand, "Emmy, I need you to understand. I am very upset right now. I do not know where we are. It is dark out here. We do not know the way back. Brenton has no idea of where to look for us. I should not have slapped you. I am sorry! Please can you forgive me?"

Emmy slowly got to his feet, "I understand. I will do better. What can I do?" I walked up to Emmy and looked at his face. I rubbed my hand over the mark I had left. He would have a hand shaped bruise on his cheek. I felt horrible. "Alright, I need you to take me up into the air. We need to find a clean cool lake for your cheek. If we soak it in the cool water it will take some of the sting out. It might even keep it from bruising….!" (I screamed)

Emmy had thrown me into the air, changed, and caught me in his jaws that quick. Then we were climbing higher and higher. He went to fast! I threw up and blacked out. I came to again when we hit that nice cool water I had asked for.

He had hit, dead center of the lake! I was still in his mouth. We were under water and I could not breath. I began to struggle for all I had in me. Emmy finally let me go. When I broke the surface, Emmy came splashing out with a woosh. The wave he caused threw me backwards before I could catch a full breath of air.

I had ended up breathing in a lot of water along with the air. On top of which the undercurrent of the wave he caused drug me to the bottom of the lake and along the floor. My dress caught on a broken plank on a ship wreck. At this point I was, needless to say, unconscious. Because of this I drowned.