The Serpent's Chains

Cole

The gladiator games had been a complete bore. Watching slaves pitted against starved predators like lions and tigers wasn't a thrill. Nine times out of ten, the trembling slaves that could barely hold a sword up were shredded in seconds.

While the commoners cheered, I glanced at the sky. The sun was moving agonizingly slow toward the horizon. After the games, there would be a slave auction. Then the feast would begin and I could make my excuses to leave.

Leave where? Talon asked. The great dragon was always aware of my thoughts and moods.

Back to the front lines. That should please you. I leaned back in my seat and hooked my hands behind my head.

I like it here.

Since when?

Talon didn't reply. I sighed heavily at his silence. He was so cryptic sometimes. Ever since I tamed him when he hatched, he'd always kept me guessing. But I trusted his instincts.

When I was five, I was given a crimson dragon egg, laid by my father's golden dragon, Amonette. Like everyone in my family for the past five hundred years, I was expected to tame the dragon hatchling or die trying.

At five, I was the youngest to ever succeed in taming a dragon. Talon and I had been together ever since.

"How much longer do we have to stay here?"

I flicked my eyes to the side. Dulcey pouted at me and batted her thick, black eyelashes. For the celebration, she painted her lips bright crimson, matching Talon's scales. The dress she wore was tightly cinched around the waist, making her breasts pop, nearly spilling over the neckline.

I let my eyes linger on the round globes of her cleavage for a long moment.

"Until the feast." I turned my attention back to the slave auction.

"I'm bored," Dulcey whined. She leaned her busty breasts against me and bit her lower lip, tapping my chest with her forefinger.

"You're not obligated to be here."

Dulcey sniffed and pulled away from me. She tapped her long, painted nails against the arm of her chair. An annoying clicking sound fills the cabana.

"Is that necessary?" Rosalie shot Dulcey a sharp look. "I know you're my brother's current flavor, but you are still a guest here and I'd prefer if you didn't make that sound."

I glanced sideways at my sister and gave her a half-smile. She rolled her eyes at me and turned back to the auction.

Dulcey stopped her tapping. She crossed her arms and legs and bounced her leg impatiently on her knee.

It was easy enough to ignore her. Unless she was sprawled on my bed beneath me, there was no reason to pay attention to her. I only tolerated her presence at these events because my father was watching me carefully.

Dulcey was my third concubine in five years. I knew he was hoping for something more serious but I was barely in the capital. I didn't have time for a wife but I did have certain needs when I was in the capital. Having a concubine waiting for me was convenient.

She leaned in even closer, kissing my neck. Her hand dropped to my leg. Slowly, she slid her hand up my thigh.

I stayed still as she tried her seductive antics on me. There was no denying that Dulcey was attractive. It was why I picked her to be my third concubine.

After a moment, she realized she wasn't getting to me. She huffed and pulled away.

"Why aren't you being any fun today?"

"This is my first time back in the capital in weeks."

"Exactly." She licked her lips and squeezed my thigh a little tighter. "I know how... insatiable you are when you've been away for a while."

I arched an eyebrow at her. Dulcey wasn't wrong, under normal circumstances. I'd been on the front lines for weeks and I'd returned in the middle of the celebration. I hadn't had a chance to debrief with my father yet. As it was, my time on the battlefield had been disturbing, and indulging Dulcey's desires wasn't my priority.

"I'm going to go. Do you want to come?" Dulcey stood up and gave me an expectant, sultry look.

"The auction isn't over yet."

"Seriously?"

I nodded. Dulcey scoffed and stormed off. She'd find me again later like she always did. My concubines all knew that I'd never make them my wife, but Dulcey was the only one who seemed persistent in her attempts to sway me.

The number of slaves in the ring was diminishing. Despite slavery being legal in Telasia, we didn't keep them in the castle. Half-starved, filthy shells that shuffled around like zombies with no mind of their own. They didn't make for good workers in the palace.

They aren't all like that, Talon reminded me.

How could I forget? My thoughts wandered to my general, Wyatt. He was still having fun on the battlefields while I was stuck here playing the dutiful prince.

"Cole, if you insist on treating your concubines like they don't exist, you'll never find a wife," King Talis said. He leaned across his seat to speak with me.

"I would never turn a concubine into a wife," I growled.

"You've got to turn someone into a wife. As the crowned prince, you need heirs." My father stroked his white-bearded chin.

"All in good time."

I glanced at the hilt of his sword. It rested against his seat. The hilt was silver with a golden dragon coiled around it. The dragon was a detailed recreation of Amonette. As much as I respected all the dragons in my family, had it not been for Amonette's particular powers, my life would have been far different.

They called him Dragon of the Heart. Anyone who tamed a dragon received a personal "dragon" moniker. My father's made him sound kind and merciful.

"I'm not going to be around forever, my son. I need to know that the throne and the family line will be in good hands," he continued.

"You're only in your seventies, Sire. There's no rush for you to abdicate."

The life of someone bonded to a dragon was more than twice the length of a non-bonded human. My father would be around for many more years to pester me about my love life.

"Hmm. I don't understand what you are waiting for."

"I spend more time on the battlefields than here. When am I supposed to find a wife?"

My father pursed his lips. I knew my veiled meaning wouldn't slip past him.

"You're the crowned prince of Telasia, you're not going to have to look very hard. By the time I was your age, I already had two sons."

"Both of whom failed to tame a dragon and went to an early grave," I reminded him.

The king straightened up and turned back to the auction. It was a low blow to remind him of his dead children but it was no secret that King Talis was done having kids before Rosalie, Alistair, and I were born. Unfortunately, his eldest children either failed to tame a dragon or were killed in Telasia's conquests of other nations, and his first wife dead in childbed left him with few options.

He had to take a second wife and start a new family. He fathered five more children, three of whom survived the dragon taming, including myself.

"If you're that opposed to finding a wife, you could at least produce heirs. There are no rules against illegitimate children. The continuation of the family is of the utmost importance."

I rested my elbow on my armrest and pressed my cheek to my fist. The importance of producing children was not lost on me.

It was Agyion family tradition to have large broods of children because of the dragons. There was less than a fifty percent chance of survival during a taming and each king and heir had to ensure that they had large enough families for at least one child to make it to adulthood and continue the line.

My father thought that the earlier I got started, the more likely I'd have a successful heir of my own.

He wasn't wrong.

You have no desire to obey him, Talon said, cutting into my thoughts.

No, I don't. If he wasn't going to live so long...

"I have a special treat for you all today," a slave master boomed from the amphitheater ring.

I turned my attention back to the auction. It looked like all the slaves had been sold off except for one. A girl chained to a post. Her slave master strutted around like he had more standing than he did. Whoever the girl was, he thought she was worth a lot.

How many times had I seen some slave master peddling their wares like it was a hidden gem? All slave masters cared about was profit. They were salesmen who knew how to market their goods.

How long is this going to take? I growled telepathically to my dragon.

This is what I've been waiting for.

A streak of crimson bolted through the orange-blue twilight sky.

"Dammit, Talon!" I muttered aloud. Standing, I ran to the edge of the cabana to see what he was up to.

"Cole, what is your dragon doing!?"

I waved my father off as Talon descended into the ring, right in front of the slave girl. I could feel his intrigue and curiosity. Closing my eyes, I reached out to his mind and saw her through his dragon eyes. She was just some filthy, half-starved slave.

She's more than that. You must claim her as yours. Talon insisted.

I have no use for a slave girl, Talon.

Claim her. I want her!

I growled and slapped my palm to my forehead.

"Cole, get that beast of yours under control. He's causing a panic in the crowd," my father ordered.

I rolled my eyes. He never asked me to control Talon on the battlefield.

I barely noticed the commoners and nobles as they clamored around the stands. The people of Talesia enjoyed the protection and power of the dragons but they still feared them. Even the servants in the palace that were around them every day were terrified of dragons.

These people rarely saw the dragons in person. Of course, they were terrified. I was so used to the dragons, I never considered how other people felt around them.

Talon, you're making a scene.

I left the cabana and headed down to the amphitheater. It was time to see this slave with my own eyes.

Then claim her as yours. I'll leave.

Groaning, I shook my head. The dragon drove a hard bargain.

What is so special about her?

She is... special. I like her eyes.

Talon was not helping his case with his vagueness. When I got to the amphitheater entrance, I headed into the ring, waving the guards back. Most of them were already cowering, trembling spear tips held toward the dragon.

They all knew that if they even tried to swipe at him, he'd kill them in an instant, or I would.

I went to Talon's side and studied the slave girl. She had a magical collar on, indicating she was some kind of mage. I sighed and shook my head. It wasn't unusual for nobles to be tempted by a magical slave. The palace had all the accomplished mages I would ever need.

The girl was dirty from head to toe, smeared with dirt. Her dress was tattered and ragged, hanging off her shoulders and hips loosely. She looked bony and pale. I couldn't even tell what her hair color was.

She stared straight into Talon's open mouth and I realized there was no fear in her eyes. That was unusual.

Alright, I'll make the arrangements. If your curiosity is satisfied, return to the palace. You can see her there. I clapped my hand affectionately on Talon's leg.

He grunted and launched into the air, gliding away. I shook my head and looked at the girl again. What use was she going to be in a palace filled with finely dressed servants and powerful mages?