[stylist] Trials of an honorary Dragon. Chapter 22 (new chapter)

[Barbara Hammel]

I think you meant to write sever my limbs instead of severe my limbs.  I am 
not sure of the exact wording but it should be sever.
Barbara

Snow is God's way of reminding us that beauty can be found even in the 
coldest hearts.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "helene ryles" <dreamavdb at googlemail.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 12:31 PM
To: "A private list for authors" <DB-AUTHORS at tr.wou.edu>; "Writer's Division 
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Subject: [stylist] Trials of an honorary Dragon. Chapter 22 (new chapter)

> Chapter 22
> The wrath of Beria Slyrake by Liza Bronze
>
> I used to think all dragons were nice.
> So when Beria's dragon came to look for Nadia, I went over to offer
> him a drink, as a way of distracting him from Nadia.
> His response to my friendly request was to stick his nails in my
> flesh, and lick the blood which flowed from my open wound.   At that
> point a Bronze dragon swooped down to intervene.  He snatched me,
> trying to tug me out of harms way, but Julius managed to stick his
> nails into my flesh several more times as I was being pulled away.
> There were a lot of angry squawking and hissing noises.  I guess the
> Bronze dragon’s were driving Julius out of their private quarters, but
> I didn’t see it happen as another dragon was busily dabbing a pungent
> smelling ointment on my arms before binding them in several layers of
> bandages to stop the blood.
> It could have been worse I suppose.  At least his awful nails weren’t
> stuck in my chest where they could have reached my vital organs. None
> of the wounds are particularly deep either.  I just feel a little raw
> in places.
>
> Getting Nadia out of there was very tricky since Madrella was waiting
> outside like a malevolent cat at a mouse hole.   Madrella couldn’t
> come in herself, but we were afraid Beria may have gone to summon a
> police dragon.
> I don’t know how we would have got Nadia out of that mess if a kindly
> female Dragon hadn’t agreed to move her hatchling from the pouch under
> her belly, and put Nadia there in her place. Luckily, Nadia was small
> enough to fit in the required space, along with a tape recorder that
> was set to play several chirping noises in order to complete the
> disguise.
> Talmon saw Madrella waiting half an hour after Nadia had left.  He saw
> her following us for a few yards, but she must have gone back after
> realising that Nadia wasn’t with me.
>
> Talmon took me back to Druzil.  I normally like riding on Talmon’s
> back, but today I was in too much pain to appreciate much.  It was all
> I could do to cling on to Talmon’s straps, with my bandaged arms, the
> way they were.
> Plus I could sense Talmon’s wrath. He was very angry with Julius.  His
> back felt uncomfortably hot, and I kept visualising unpleasant things
> that Talmon meant to do to Julius when he got to him.  What worried me
> was that Julius is a lot bigger then Talmon.  I feared Talmon would
> come out worse in any fight they engaged in.
> I slipped off Talmon’s back on to the roof of Talmon’s home while
> Talmon went to pay Julius Darth an angry visit.
> "So you thought you would seduce my dragon did you?  How dare you?"
> Beria snarled.
> I jumped.  I hadn’t noticed her waiting on the roof.
> I tried to pass her by, but I found myself rooted to the spot.
> Beria came closer to me and started screaming abuse at me, right into
> my speech processor.  She accused me of committing adultery with her
> dragon, threatening to tell Vinny and my mother in law.
> She was so angry that spit was flying out of her mouth.
> “Just go ahead.  At least I‘ve got a husband unlike you, and my
> husband trusts me,” I retorted back. I remembered my aunt Arielle
> telling me how Beria had once had a bloke but then he heard about the
> way she gets human legs for her owner.  He couldn't leave fast enough
> after that.
>  Beria’s response was to shower me with blows until I lost consciousness.
>
>
>                 ***  ***  ***
>
> I came round to the various hospital scents.  My body ached. I could
> only guess that Beria had added a few broken limbs to the marks that
> her dragon had made.
> “How are you?” signed a familiar pair of hands.  To my relief, it was
> my husband Vinny.  He had come to see me.
> “We’ve been very worried about you, ever since Beria told mother you
> had committed adultery with her dragon.  She was very annoyed when
> mother got angry with her, and not you.  We trust you.  You wouldn‘t
> do a thing like that would you?” my husband signed.
> “No, of course not,” I agreed.
> “There, I knew she was lying.  What a nasty piece of work she is…” he
> spelt out in gentle caressing strokes.
> “Is Nadia ok?” I asked.
> “Please don‘t worry about Nadia.  She is being taken care of.   Relax
> now, my mother and I will nurse you back to health.”
> “But I need to know how Nadia is?”
>  “I’ll ask someone to pay you a visit,” he assured me.
> But nobody came to visit me about Nadia.   So I was left to worry
> about her incessantly.
>
>
> I also fretted about Beria.
> It must have been during my parachute training that I first realised
> just how much Beria hated me.  I was still wearing my speech processor
> at the time.   I usually took it off when I do the jumps so it won't
> get damaged, but I wanted to discuss something with Beria and the
> instructor before I did so.
> "I really don't think it's safe with her sight and hearing impairments
> to be jumping solo," the instructor said.    I was waiting for a
> chance to speak to him.
> "Who cares?  She's signed the waiver.   If she doesn't survive the
> jump I'll just scrap her remains off the ground and feed them to my
> owner," Beria replied.   She sounded so indifferent.  It really cut me
> up.  I turned right round and found the nearest loos.  I spent a long
> time crying in there that day.
>
> Then Beria started pressurizing me into selling her my legs.
> “I hate to break it to you, but you will never get into the police
> force without mastering your parachute jumps,” she gleefully informed
> me.
> “And there is no way round that?” I asked her.
> “None that I can think of unless…” Beria replied, letting the sentence
> hang unfinished.
> “Unless what?” I asked with a hope.
> “Unless you give up your legs and sell them to my dragon,” She
> suggested smoothly.
> “What?” I asked in disbelief.
> “Your father makes those enchanted prosthetic legs doesn‘t he.   If
> you bought a pair of those I could then cast a spell on them to make
> them move in the right position on landing.  It’s the only way you
> will ever get the job,” she told me.
> “I’ll have to discuss it with Talmon,” I replied.
> “Talmon doesn’t have to come in to it,” she snapped.
> “I can't possibly go against Talmon's wishes,” I told her bluntly.
> “Then I suggest you look into an alternative career.  Have you thought
> of basket making?” Beria taunted.  With that she turned and left.
>
> I knew Talmon would never agree, but I didn't expect him to be quite
> so angry about it.   He flashed several angrily images into my head of
> how Dragon’s like Julius were damaging interspecies relations between
> man and dragon.  He felt the practice should be completely outlawed
> and those that robbed humans of their legs, whether in Darthrila or
> overseas should receive stiffer penalties.
> Then he commanded me never to give up my legs to Beria or Julius,
> under any circumstances. It was the first time he has ever given me a
> direct command in this way. So I promised him that I wouldn’t sell my
> legs, which all things considering, was a very easy promise for me to
> make, for I am much attached to all my limbs.
> Next Talmon went over to Julius Darth in a blazing fury.  He more or
> less demanded that Beria gave me work as a police officer or else he
> would severe all ties and let the world know that people were being
> unfairly pressurized to give up their legs,  just so certain dragons
> could indulge in unethical eating habits.
>
> After I joined the police force, Beria really got nasty.  I became the
> butt of all her most unpleasant jokes.
> I remember crying in the toilets when one of the officers came to
> suggest I leave my job.
> "Sorry Liza, but you are not welcome here.  It would be better if you
> left," she advised.
> I shook my head stubbornly.
> "Be reasonable.  Beria will just make life as unpleasant as she can.
> The dragons don't often allow humans to join any of their clans, or
> allow them into their private quarters.   Beria would do anything to
> be alowed to become a Darth.   Then you, as an imperfect human, are
> given something that she really wants.  She hates that.  Beria is just
> going to keep knocking you down until you leave,” She told me.
> I shook my head again, in irritation.  I wished she would mind her own
> business and leave me to cry in peace.
> "You don't even need this job as a police officer.  My owner would
> like to see more of you at the Bronze private quarters.  He keeps
> talking about how beautiful you are.  If you offer them your services
> full time, I'm sure they will take you up on it.  You are more suited
> to that line of business, rather then being a police officer.  The
> dragons like their privacy, so your limitations are an asset as far as
> they are concerned.   You're just what they want..."
>
> It's not that I don't like entertaining dragons.  In fact I like it
> very much.   It's just not what I consider a career.
> Most of the time, I just sit and wait.    Sometimes the dragons will
> ask me to talk to them using sign language. I do belly dancing for
> their entertainment too.  They have a swing and a zip wire which I
> use.  It is the closest I can get to flight.
> Sometimes a dragon will come and lick me clean with their dry abrasive
> tongues. It feels so nice when they do that. Sort of like when my
> growling shepherds give me a wash, only dry and scaly rather then wet
> and furry.
> It’s come to my attention that Beria has been spreading rumours about
> me engaging in other activities or a more sexual nature, but I can
> assure you that none of them are true.  They are just the warped
> fantasies of a jealous and malicious woman.
> Somehow her hatred for me had affected Nadia.
> She was prepared to put Nadia in danger with Madrella, knowing full
> well what Madrella was capable of, just to spite me.
> Knowing this made me fear for Nadia’s safety, all the more right now.
>
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