Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“You can do that?
“Yes. I have been working on more than just games, Melissa. I tested it last time I was in the human realm, and it was a great success.”
I keep my mouth shut, but I am thinking about the test. I know exactly what it was. I couldn’t feel the seal until he came back here. I was in the human realm, and he already had the seal and was hiding it. He wanted to see if his tech worked. I’m impressed—and more than a little concerned. Nox is way ahead of me and Ornix. He has plans in play, and I know that I am one of them.
A funny little trickle is running down my spine, and the hair on the back of my neck is starting to stand up in that way hair does when something really fucked up and weird is happening. Nox is not my friend, no more than Ornix legally owns me. I’m trapped in a game of high-level dragon politics and I don’t understand exactly what’s happening.
What I do understand is that there’s a better chance of escaping when I’m in the human realm than there is while I stay here in the dragon world. I’m going to go with Nox. Worst case scenario, Ornix captures me again, puts me in a cage, and breeds my ass until I have his baby. There’s hardly anything at stake at all.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” I nod. “Let’s go.”
He hits a key on the keyboard, and a shimmering square opens up in the middle of the room. Nox takes me by the hand and leads me through. I go willingly, even while thinking I’m probably making a huge mistake. Fortunately, I’m used to making huge mistakes. They’re kind of my thing at this point.
We step through to the human world. This time, it’s definitely not one of Tempest’s houses. We’re in some kind of corporate stronghold, that’s all I can really describe it as. I’m standing on a brightly glowing square, which I find weird and try to move around from. The second I move, a set of semi-translucent walls zip up around me. They’re sort of holographic. I’m pretty sure I could walk through them if I wanted to.
“Don’t,” Nox says. “Those are very highly electrified magnetic barriers. Touching them will hurt very badly indeed, I’m afraid.”
“What have you done? Why have you done it?” I ask the questions dutifully, as the heroine finding herself finally confronted by the villain.
“The barriers are what keep you from being felt. Safety isn’t always comfortable, and often comes at the price of freedom. Did you know humans used to be able to fly without being fondled by a stranger? It wasn’t all that long ago, but I digress. These barriers keep you firmly inside, yes, but they also stop Ornix from being able to sense you. They give you freedom, in some sense of the word.”
“In a completely inaccurate sense of the word, maybe,” I snipe back. I didn’t expect this to go well, but I thought it would go bad more slowly, in a sort of controlled descent. I didn’t think it would crash and burn immediately. “So you told me about Ornix’s terrible dungeon, then lured me into one that doesn’t even have a bathroom.”
Nox smirks. “I don’t think you’re going to be here long enough to need a bathroom. I think Ornix is going to come looking for you, and once he does, you won’t need to be inside the cage anymore, because he’ll be in one of his own.”
“You’re going to kidnap Ornix?”
“Yes.”
“That’s insane. Do you have any idea what he will do to you?”
“He’ll kill me if I don’t do a good job of this,” Nox says. “I know that. But that just means I’ve prepared well enough that I don’t think I am going to end up dead. What I do think will happen is Ornix will be trapped in this world, and I will be able to reign over the dragon realm as my father always wanted. You’ll be free to return back to your normal human life, such as it is. I’ll even give you a job in my studio, if you like. You could be a tester. The pay isn’t very good, but you don’t end up being punished in a dungeon.”
“Remember, time passes quite quickly here compared to the dragon realm. He will be here sooner rather than later. I would be surprised if there’s…”
“Equinox!”
“There he is now,” Nox smiles. “Right on time, and in the right room. I do love it when a plan comes together.” He rubs his hands together and grins broadly as Ornix roars his name in fury.
There’s an even louder rage-filled exclamation when Ornix hits the electromagnetic wall.
“Let me go deal with him,” Nox says. “You’re free to go.”