A Lair So Primal by Zoey Ellis

 

1

A pronunciation guide for this world can be located from the Contents page.

“Elora. You have been summoned.”

Still laughing at her lopsided lumps of clay, Elora turned from the table of girls she was chuckling with and looked behind her. It was Dayatha, one of the main stewards. “By who?”

Dayatha’s expression was strange. “Master.”

Elora sobered and her friends around the table quickly quietened. Master Nyro hadn’t summoned any servants like her in months—he hadn’t needed to. “What does he want with me?” she asked.

“I don’t know yet,” Dayatha said, beckoning her to follow as she turned to leave the room.

Elora didn’t move.

Her friends glanced at each other, their expressions echoing her confusion. Even though most of them entered the lair to be Master Nyro’s bed companion, Elora hadn’t met him yet. Apart from seeing him around the lair a few times, Elora had never been in the same vicinity as him.

“Let’s go, Elora,” Dayatha called.

Elora slowly got up, her confusion morphing into concern. What did he want her for? “Is he…?” She swallowed and started again. “Am I…?”

Dayatha stepped toward her. “Elora,” she said, her voice softer. “It is unlikely to be anything terrible, but we cannot keep him waiting.”

Elora nodded and forced herself to follow Dayatha out of the crafting room.

They made their way through the corridors of the lair to the nearest washroom so she could wash the clay from her hands, before continuing down the corridors. The lair had been forged inside an enormous mountain, and it had many corridors and rooms to house Master Nyro’s staff, even a beautiful garden area and a temple for the Seven Goddesses.

They passed the sleeping lounge that served as the communal sleeping area for the multiple women who had entered the lair to be one of Nyro’s kon’aya, the old language name for those who served as bed companions to the dragorai. The sleeping lounge was where Elora felt most safe and relaxed. Maybe it was because she had her own little private nook carved into the wall, or maybe it was because everyone treated the sleeping lounge with respect; there were no excited noises or loud sounds or even frantic sex, which took place frequently all over the lair. Everyone respected the sleeping lounge, and made sure it was quiet and… peaceful. A word she never thought she would experience after being raised among the merciless streets of the North Cities.

As they walked Elora’s nerves calmed. Dayatha was right. Whatever Master wanted, it wouldn’t be terrible—he was too scarily obsessed with his mate I’mya to want Elora—at least for the service she’d come to the lair for. It had to be something else.

Several sloped corridors took them higher up the mountain than she’d been before. Dayatha slowed outside a wide door and turned to Elora. “Ready?”

Elora smiled and nodded before Dayatha turned and led her inside.

It was Master Nyro’s private chambers she entered. Furnished more intricately than any other room, the wealth of the dragorai was displayed without reservation. The thick woven rugs, striking paintings, and beautifully made shelves and chests that occupied the room were a display of wealth that Elora had never seen, and of course, the wall that should have spanned the length of the room was missing, similar to the sleeping lounge. It offered a view of Master’s white and grey mountain range far into the distance. It was hard to believe that beyond such a peaceful scene were the brutal war-torn lands of the realm where she’d lived all her life until only a few months ago.

Master stood by the side of the room open to the wide expanse of the mountains. Tall, thick, and broad, his size was typical of a dragorai male. They were bigger and more ferocious than other alphas, and their counterpart dragons with whom they’d been bonded to at birth were also wilder than other dragons. When Elora first arrived, she’d been deathly afraid of meeting Master Nyro, and even more nervous of bedding him, and looking at him now, she knew she may not have survived it. I’mya, one of the girls she met on her first day, had taken that burden, though it turned out so differently than anyone expected. Elora was relieved to see I’mya sitting over by the bed, her eyes squinted in a frown at a Dao board, staring at the pieces and trying to decide her next move. But when Dayatha and Elora entered, I’mya glanced up and then stood slowly, surprise on her face.

Master turned to Elora and Dayatha, addressing them in his native tongue, a powerful language so old it was no longer understood by the common person.

“Master appreciates that we came quickly to his summons,” Dayatha translated.

Elora nodded and smiled, glancing at I’mya as she did.

It wasn’t a good sign that I’mya looked confused. “Did you summon them here, Nyro?” she asked.

Master nodded.

“Why?”

Master responded to her in his language and I’mya frowned but said nothing as he directed another question at Elora.

“Master asks,” Dayatha said turning to her, “if you know why the Forbidden Mountains have that name?”

Elora nodded. The Forbidden Mountains was the region that Master and his brothers, the last remaining clan of the dragorai, now resided. They had each claimed a mountain range of their own. “Umm… yes,” she said.

“Why?” Dayatha translated.

Elora took a breath before she spoke, wondering if this was some kind of test. “To prevent people from trespassing on your territories. And also to protect yourselves.”

The dragorai’s mountain ranges sat in between two continents called the Twin Realms which was also separated by the sea. But each dragorai was very protective of his territory.

“Good,” Dayatha said, translating for Master. “It means that if someone is found on our territories, their fate belongs to us. We can induct them into our lair, we can hunt them, we can do whatever we wish to them. They belong to us.”

Elora nodded. “It helps keep people away when they know they could suffer that fate.”

Master smiled. “I’m glad you are familiar with it. My trackers tell me that when you arrived to the meeting point to be brought here, you crossed through another dragorai’s territory.”

Elora froze, her face turning cold. No.

Dayatha continued before she even had time to digest what had been said. “He is demanding that you be returned to him since you were on his territory first.”

Elora opened her mouth to defend herself but there was nothing she could say. It was true. She’d made the decision to hike across another dragorai’s range, and she’d just explained that she knew the rules.

“Does that mean she has to leave our lair?” I’mya’s breath was halted.

Master responded in his language and Dayatha did not translate, but he must have said yes because I’mya asked. “Whose lair?”

“Zendyor’s.”

Terror slammed into Elora at the name. No. Not him… Any brother but him. I’mya looked as though she might try to argue against it, but Elora knew there was no possibility of escaping the decision. She had trespassed and she couldn’t deny it. Elora didn’t want I’mya to be at odds with her mate about something that she should take responsibility for.

She pressed her lips together, steadying herself before speaking. “I understand, Master,” she said. “I mistook some of the instructions and thought it would be easier to get here through his territory. If I hadn’t, I would have missed the appointment and never would have arrived here. I didn’t think I’d be noticed.”

Dayatha translated for him again. “You were. I have negotiated for you to remain here for the next two new moons so you can be here for I’mya’s ordination.”

Elora let out a shaky breath. At least she would have time to say good-bye. “I appreciate that, thank you.”

She followed Dayatha back out of the chambers and back through the corridors down to the servant area of the lair, her heart pounding and her mind racing. Just before they turned the corner leading them back to the crafting room, Dayatha stopped and pulled her aside, her warm hands on Elora’s upper arms. “Are you all right, Elora?” she asked quietly, her eyes searching Elora’s.

Suddenly, the weight of what just happened hit Elora and tears stung her eyes. This lair had become her home over the last few months. All the new activities she’d taken up and the community she was a part of would disappear, and most importantly, she would lose the friends she’d made. It had been her plan to remain here for the rest of her life, and now she was leaving to never return.

“What is his lair like?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

“I don’t know,” Dayatha said, softly. “I’ve never been there, but it will be staffed by stewards who oversee everything, just like here.” She squeezed her arms and then released them. “I’m sure it will take some adjusting, but you’ve already experienced living in a lair so it won’t be new to you. The most important thing is that Master has granted you plenty of time to prepare.”

“But… what about him? I heard so many things….”

“There are a lot of rumors about the dragorai, Elora. Not all of them are true. As long as you are positive and enthusiastic, like you have been here, you’ll be fine there.”

Elora lowered her eyes and blinked away her tears. Zendyor was the dragorai-alpha who was most rumored about, and there had to be a reason. But Dathaya was right—many rumors were probably not accurate. Besides, she wasn’t being cast out, or thrown back into the dangerous war zone that was the North Cities—anything would be better than that. She was only going to another dragorai lair, where it was safe from the war. Hadn’t that been the main reason why she applied to be a kon’aya? The new lair was most likely just as comfortable as this one, with a community of its own, regardless of the nature of the dragorai she was being handed over to. Her worry was pointless.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and lifted her gaze to meet Dayatha’s as she smiled. “You’re right.”

* * *

“Didn’t she look amazing? That dress was stunning.”

Elora grinned at the dreamy expression on Nureen’s face and nodded. “She looked incredible.”

“And did you see the way Master looked at her?” Tiiu added, unable to stop her own wide smile. “They were perfect together.”

It was impossible not to be infected by the excitement and hope that spread through the entire staff after I’mya’s ordination, or what most people would call her wedding. Even Syb, who was the most suspicious and wary person in the lair, was smiling to herself.

All the servants buzzed with excitement as they made their way back from the event, awe and wonder in their voices as they trudged along the valley in a long procession. Being the last dragorai clan, Master Nyro and his brothers were in danger of becoming extinct unless they were able to mate; since dragorai females had died out long ago, their fate seemed likely until recently when it became clear that I’mya was Nyro’s mate. It was truly an incredible thing to have happened, and to bear witness to her being accepted by the clan was something special. It gave everyone hope for the future of the dragorai.

Elora still didn’t understand how I’mya was able to mate with Master Nyro the way dragorai females did, but it was no wonder Master had become enraptured with her—she was a dark-haired beauty with tawny skin and a strong, but kind, character. It had taken her awhile to open up when she first arrived, but that had been the case for them all. The war had caused long-term effects on them beyond just physical harm.

“Did you see the other brothers?” Nureen asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Elora nodded. She’d been trying not to stare at the brothers during the ordination service, but it had been difficult. Out in the realm, it was a rare to see one dragorai, and if you did, the smart thing was to run and hide and make sure they did not catch sight of you. At the ordination, all five brothers were in attendance, and while she hadn’t been close enough to see their features, the sight of them astride their enormous dragons, hovering above as their voices boomed over the range had been equally terrifying and majestic. There was no doubt that everyone in the valley, servants and stewards from all the lairs, had been awestruck.

Elora had been lost in the beauty of the event, but now that it was over, the trembling nervousness that she’d woken up with had returned. Today was her last day in the lair—and that soured everything.

“Did you see Zendyor?” Nureen asked, lowering her voice. Elora had only told what was about to happen to her to three friends; they’d all met on the first day of their arrival, and she was closest to them.

“I wasn’t sure which one he was.”

“Me neither,” Nureen said. “I hope he isn’t the scariest one.”

Elora pursed her lips as she frowned. Who was the scariest one? They all looked frightening in their own way, especially on the backs of their dragons. “Master Nyro hardly cares about what we do and barely even notices us. I’m sure Master Zendyor won’t either,” she said, reassuring herself more than Nureen.

Nureen shot her a look. “He cares that you crossed his territory.”

Elora slowed, her concerns about the alpha deepening into a new consideration. “You think he will punish me?”

Nureen was quiet for a moment. She tucked her coily hair into her hat and then linked her arm with Elora’s, pulling her forward. “I don’t know. I don’t mean to worry you,” she added quickly, “but it’s strange to me that after all this time he wants you transferred to his lair. It’s been months since you crossed his land.”

Elora chewed her lip as she thought. “But that’s just their nature, isn’t it? They possessively collect and hoard things?”

“I heard that too.” Nureen grinned, reaching up to catch strands of Elora’s hair that was whipping in the breeze. “Maybe he thinks you’re a treasure with all this golden hair.”

Elora snorted at the idea. “Do you think Master Nyro collects kon’aya?” she said, after a moment’s thought. “Or used to, before I’mya?”

Nureen shot her a look. “You noticed that too?”

Staff from the different brothers’ lairs had gathered around the valley where I’mya’s ordination took place. They’d all been grouped together and one of the most obvious differences between Nyro’s staff and his brothers’ was the size of the staff—Nyro’s was drastically larger.

Before Elora could respond, a piercing shriek tore through the valley, and heavy, rhythmic whipping sounded overhead. Nureen gripped onto Elora as a huge, dark figure soared above them.

It was one of the brothers’ dragons. Gleaming jet black scales, glinted in the bright, crisp morning light. The creature was a wondrous sight to behold. Cries of surprise and delight rang out from the stream of servants in front of them as the creature soared above, but as it rounded, heading back toward them, it angled itself lower.

A a man stood on the dragon’s back. Enormous with rippling muscles, he stood like rock, feet wide and his hands clenched into fists. As the dragon angled downward, it became clear that the alpha’s hard glare was aimed directly at Elora.

Her breath left her and she froze, her heart pounding in her chest.

“That’s him,” Nureen gasped. “The scary one.”

The dragon swept by so close, Elora could have reached out and touched him, but he whipped by too quickly, before ascending back up into the sky. Elora, Nureen, and the rest of the staff, turned to watch the pair as they soared away, this time continuing on into the distance.

A chorus of cheers, clapping, shouting, and waving rose from the servants around them, their excitement heightened.

Elora took a deep breath, and Nureen let out a shaky laugh and she released her grip on Elora’s arm.

“As I said,” Nureen said, looking pointedly at Elora, “I don’t think he will ignore you.”

* * *

Elora trudged along the valley in the cool evening air, this time with three stewards surrounding her, and wishing she could have stayed with her friends.

It had surprised her that they’d all gathered to say good-bye, even people she hadn’t told. Nureen had looked at her guiltily. “Everyone wanted the chance to say good-bye,” she explained. “You probably don’t realize, but you made a big impact on many of us.”

Elora couldn’t help but grin at her. She hadn’t thought about making a big fuss, but she was also glad she was able to say good-bye to them. I’mya was away with Nyro, but they’d shared a tearful farewell before her ordination.

Amazingly, some of her closest friends had brought presents for her to take with her. I’mya gifted her a handmade Dao board. Syb had given her one of her beautiful paintings, and Tiiu a small figurine with the circular symbol of the Order of the Seven Goddesses.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed your reluctance to praise the Seven, Elora,” Tiiu said quietly as she pressed the roughened gold gift into Elora’s palm.

Elora forced herself not to flinch. Tiiu was initially suspicious of Elora for not being as enthusiastic about the Seven Goddesses as everyone else, especially considering the dragorai were one of the Seven’s creations, but Tiiu’s doubts lessened when she saw how supportive Elora was of her faith. She even once called her “the heart of lair,” which had pleased Elora immensely. “This figurine has kept me safe. I pray it will protect you in your new home.”

Elora smiled and squeezed her hand in gratitude. “Thank you.”

She said good-bye to each of them until only Nureen remained, both of them tearful.

“Look after everyone, will you?” Elora said, her voice hoarse.

Nureen snorted. “That’s your job.” Her smile faded. “Elora, be careful over there.”

“I’ll try,” Elora said. She planned to avoid the alpha whenever she could. “The staff will probably give me advice.”

Nureen nodded. “Just remember, sometimes you have to be selfish and look after yourself first.”

Elora frowned. “That doesn’t seem like the right thing to do.”

“Maybe not all the time, but sometimes it’s the only way to protect yourself.” Nureen held out a book. “Here.”

“What’s this?” The book looked brand new, no wrinkled pages and no tears on the fabric cover. It also had no title.

“Something for when you’re bored over there,” Nureen said, pushing it into her hands. “Read it when you get there.”

While Elora was still learning to read, Nureen was capable of reading the most advanced books in the library. She’d been helping to teach some of the servants, including Elora and I’mya. Nureen had no doubt given her something that would help her to continue practicing. Elora grinned, pulling her into a tight, long hug. “Thank you. I’m going to miss you so much, Nureen.”

Dayatha appeared behind her and tipped her head to Elora. “It is time to go.”

Elora released her friend, biting her lip so she didn’t cry. Taking one last glance around her, she followed the steward along the corridor and down through sloping, twisting corridors until they reached a small area lit only with lamps. This was where she and the other girls had woken up after Dayatha had cast magic on them, rendering them all unconscious prior to entering the lair.

Dayatha stopped and turned to her.

“You have to make me unconscious again?” Elora asked.

“Yes.”

Elora cleared her throat and nerves sprung up in her stomach. She gripped her carrysack until her hand hurt. “I’m ready.”

Dayatha hesitated. “We’ll all miss you, Elora, including the stewards. But… sometimes events of the past can help to create the life we want.”

“I would have preferred a life here—in this lair,” Elora said quietly.

Dayatha smiled at her. “Maybe this is not where you are needed most.”

Elora frowned. She hadn’t thought about it like that.

Dayatha squared her shoulders. “Ready?” When Elora nodded, she began murmuring in the strange, old language of the dragorai, and everything faded to black.

She’d woken up out in the valley without her friends and without Dayatha. Elora took a breath, forcing her negative thoughts away. This would be a good, fresh start. The only thing that unnerved her was the way one of the brothers had behaved earlier, almost attacking her on the back of his dragon. She couldn’t be sure it was Zendyor, though he looked terrifying enough, and there was no reason for any other brother to single her out with a glare like that. She hoped it wasn’t him, but even if it was, she would have to convince him that she only wanted to live peacefully in his lair.

Night came gradually, turning the sky into a gorgeous indigo that stretched ahead over the mountain range. It was a fascinating sight.

When Elora was out in the realm, trying to dodge soldiers and the extremely dangerous magical debris called ember, which killed so many innocent people, there was never any chance to look at the sky. And even in the few peaceful moments she had, the sky was always filled with ash and grey clouds because of the constant magical bombs—never anything interesting or beautiful. But here among the dragorais’ mountain ranges, the sky was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. It had depth and a vastness that made her feel small and insignificant as well as grateful to witness something so incredible.

As the night wore on, Elora began to slow and stumble as her legs tired, but the stewards accompanying her continued their pace.

“Are we not going to have a break?” Elora asked them. It felt like she’d been walking forever.

“No,” one of them replied. “We have to pass you over at daybreak and we cannot be late.”

“We’re walking until daybreak?” Elora exclaimed. “I can’t do that. I’ll collapse before then.”

The steward in front of her glanced back. “How did you do it before? These territories are not small. You must have been practically running the whole time to get across without Zendyor capturing you.”

At that, Elora quietened. Crossing Zendyor’s land hadn’t been an easy task. In fact, it almost killed her. But she’d relied on the same bold energy and effort it had taken to live in the North Cities, and she’d been motivated to escape it. When Elora crossed Zendyor’s range, she had been running for her life, and if she missed the appointment time to enter Master Nyro’s lair, she never would have been safe. It was a sacrifice she had to make, but it wasn’t an easy one to do. Her whole body ached for days. She certainly never got time to admire the sky.

“I forced myself across,” she murmured back at the steward.

The steward grunted, turning back to face front. “And now is the same thing.”

They walked through the night until Elora could barely stand, and when she couldn’t take another step, one of the stewards handed her a vial with an amber-colored potion inside, which revitalized her.

At daybreak, they approached a valley where two other grey-robed stewards stood waiting. They were dressed identically to the stewards who’d escorted her, though one of them had a staff.

The stewards inclined their heads at each other respectfully and Elora was beckoned over to the other group. Once she was with them, both groups of stewards began their separate journeys, walking in opposite directions.

The new stewards set a faster pace than the old ones, and this time there was no potion from Dayatha to help her. Elora became so exhausted, she had to lean on the steward with the staff. Thankfully, they arrived at the new lair just as dusk descended over the range.

Zendyor’s mountain looked equally huge as Master Nyro’s, but they stopped a few yards away from it. When one of the stewards began casting, Elora took a deep breath and braced herself for the darkness.

When her consciousness ebbed back, she stood in the center of a cavern-like room lit with tall flame-lamps, their harsh light bouncing around the jagged walls of the space.

The two stewards who’d escorted her stood on either side of her against the walls, their hoods down and their heads bowed. The one holding the staff was an older male who had a small grey-streaked beard, and the other was an older female with thick, cinnamon-colored hair that fell over her face, but it was difficult to see anything more than that.

The way they stood was strange. They didn’t look at her and seemed to be waiting for something—almost as though they were on guard. Before she could say anything, the door on the other side of the room opened, and an enormous man stepped in.

It was him—the man who’d been on the back of the dragon. He strode toward her, that same hard glare locked onto her, but now she could see it was fury in his eyes.

And everything within her began to tremble.