Dame Dragon

The dragon in me is beautiful too. He is golden and winged and his eyes sparkle with amethyst brilliance, but he can breathe fire. Lisette felt the heat of the flames from my nostrils, nevertheless, gently ran her hand through my curls.

“It is like gold!” She said. “To attract a girl you don’t need to use religion like a witchcraft ritual at all.”

But to attract a girl, I had to drink from the cup. So, according to Augustine’s followers, it’s called blood communion. It was just one sip to forget Rose and rekindle my passion for other women. And then the cup was thrown away and Lisette was in my arms. And it didn’t matter that the bas-reliefs on the bowl groaned and moved, and the dragon in the mirror hissed furiously.

Heart in the fire

How strange it was that I fell asleep in a girl’s arms and woke up in a bed showered with ashes. Did I burn something in the night? I don’t remember! In fact, Lisette herself is as good as gone. I don’t remember girls leaving me so quickly. Usually they want to get to know each other. Besides, it’s her house, not mine.

There was a suspicious amount of ash on the sheets. It scattered in clumps under my palms, swirling in the air like black snowfall. Something had definitely burned during the night. But what was it? Was it maybe the canopy? It had burnt holes in places, but the frame itself was intact.

Where’s Lisette?

Particles of ash settled on the tea tray, on the dressing table, on the nightstands, but the room was empty. There was no one hiding in the drawers of the dresser. I kept waiting for a gremlin to pop out of them. In case I was with Rose, that’s what would happen. But this was Lisette’s bedroom, the mortal girl. She didn’t have gremlins.

But down the hall, I noticed cages of colorful parrots. I’d have to ask them where the lady of the house had gone so early. I got up, dressed, and went downstairs. There were no servants to be seen, but the parrots were very happy that someone understood their speech. I understood the language of all animals and beasts, so I could have a long conversation with the brightly colored birds. The parrots turned out to be avid talkers. They reported to me everything that happened in the house and all the lovers the mistress had taken before me. On the subject of the latter they were fond of gloating. But as for the mistress herself, my curiosity as to her whereabouts puzzled them.

“She hasn’t come out yet,” admitted a large parrot with a red crest.

“What do you mean, she hasn’t come out?” She couldn’t have flown out the window. “Surely your mistress is not a magician?”

The parrot almost laughed in his hoarse bird tongue.

“We haven’t seen her since last night,” the other parrots replied politely. “She must be somewhere in the house?”

“Are there no hiding places?”

They shook their colorful heads in the negative.

“All right, I’ll come back and look for her later,” I had no intention of playing hide-and-seek with Lisette. There were plenty of other charming ladies besides her. I didn’t like silly games.

On my way out, I came upon a strange man who was on duty at the fountain, looking at Lisette’s window and making a quick charcoal sketch in a blank sketchbook. An artist! I tried not to socialize with artists after my failed relationship with Marcel. I was still drawn to them, though. I found it kind of magical how they create a drawing out of nothing. All they have in front of them is a blank sheet of paper on which an image gradually emerges. And they don’t need magic to do it. I secretly respected painters. Their talent for drawing was akin to my gift of sorcery.

So when the stranger said hello to me, I returned the greeting. Although everyone knows it’s not customary to greet strangers as if they were longtime friends. But he acted as if he had known me for a long time. He was wearing a long crimson cloak with a silver braid. It was fastened at the shoulder by a buckle in the shape of a manticore. I’ve seen one of these buckles somewhere before.

“I know a wonderful shop nearby that sells beautiful urns and chests for ashes,” he said, pointing with a lump of charcoal to the left.

“And you think I need them?” I wondered if he was mocking me.

“I thought one of the fire fairy urns would be for Mistress Lisette,” the guy looked confused that I didn’t understand him. But I never discussed any purchases with anyone.

“Why would you think that?” I grinned and walked on by. If Lisette was going to buy something outlandish, that was her business. I had enough urns, vases, amphorae, and fortress-shaped chests in my castle, so I wasn’t intrigued by a shabby shop where a suspiciously troll-like creature was selling pottery. Yes, the urns were molded with faces and figures of fairies, gorgons, firewomen, nymphs, and mermaids, but it was nothing unusual to me. Only one vase caught my eye for a moment. On its sides stretched in bas-relief a whole circle of magical creatures. And they were all exclusively female. As if there were no men among us. All these intricate things are clearly made by an admirer of female beauty.

The troll-like and gruff salesman, who noticed me through the window, suddenly took off his hat and bowed low to me. I was able to get a good look at his bald head with its huge ears. A troll indeed! All the things he traded must have been stolen from somewhere, or he must have collected them from the wreckage of estates that had been looted. My subjects liked to be naughty, even though I forbade it. But I didn’t care about prohibitions or laws now. I had other things on my mind. So I walked past the troll without giving him a comment or warning for the future in the form of a fiery sigh that could burn the floor of the shop. Let him go on with his trade. As long as he doesn’t cross me, I’ll leave him alone. I don’t care where he got it.

I was busy looking for more beauties, and I was proud of the fact that I wasn’t looking for them to burn, rob, or throw them off a cliff. That’s how a dragon should behave. And in me again woke up the old prince, who was taught to treat ladies gallantly, and not to wring their necks with claws. In a word, I was looking for girlfriends for love pleasures, and filled myself with the thought that there would certainly be a lot of them. So many that I could forget Rose. And for that I would need a very long list and the girls would have to be one more beautiful than the other.

Somewhere nearby was a kingdom, I think it was called Tioria, whose recent ruler was so fond of ladies that his list of favorites was compared to a collection of jewels from a dragon’s treasury. It was said that he had more mistresses than there were jewels in the dragon’s treasury. I doubted that, because I couldn’t even count all my treasures myself. The magical talents of my spirit treasurers were not enough for that either. But the former king of Tioria had kind of gone broke on the ladies. The kingdom fell into disrepair. Parts of it became ruins and wastelands. I don’t know what happened there, but I certainly didn’t raid it. I used to scorch states to the ground. There’s still some of Tioria left. But the king himself is gone. The king’s castle is a ruin. What can women get you into? We must remember that king, lest we do the same to him. I wasn’t about to spend my fortune on pretty girls. It’s enough for me to have a little fun, to feel free to choose. Being Rose’s pet dragon isn’t very dignified for the emperor. Let her know she’s not the only one.

As soon as I saw the purple train in the streets, my heart shuddered. Could it be Rose wandering around the city and teasing me? Usually, she’s the only one who chooses such bright and luxurious fabrics. But mortals can’t afford them. It would take a pack of pixies or magic spinners to weave such a dress. But the girl turned around and it wasn’t Rose at all. Just a statuesque winged fairy who had come to the city, like me, looking for mortal fools to keep her company for the night and then serve her faithfully.

She caught my eye, and I almost went after her, but a lady passing in a carriage was even more attractive. I read in the groom’s mind that her name was Moriella, and she was going to the neighboring town of Foil, where the art of arms and the trade in silks and spices flourished. The cold northern sea is nearby, and Moriella’s father’s castle stands right on the shore. It’s worth a trip there at your leisure. I was sure that Moriella would be glad to see me, because in the thoughts of the same groomsmen I had read that she was married to an ugly old man and even went to some witch to help her to change her fate. A night with a dragon would do her good. Especially since the dragon can take on a young and beautiful appearance. Lovely girl! I’ll visit her for sure. But it is not now. I’ll wait till next night. In the meantime, there’s plenty of temptation in this city. I was dizzy from the variety of different beauties: dressmakers, cocottes, flower sellers, street theater actresses, bourgeois and noblewomen. I’ve lost count of the pretty faces.

Instead of going to Moriella’s the next night, I spent weeks in the same place. It was a shame that the pretty girls disappeared so quickly, and there was nothing but ash around. But they were always replaced by new ones. I was attracted to everyone, aristocrats and commoners alike. And they all began to be attracted to me at last. All young mortal girls are pretty. I like them all.

“How well I understand you in that,” a voice whispered from the void, and it wasn’t clear which side it was coming from, but it sounded like it was coming from everywhere. “I’m a fan of beauty, too. Only I strive to freeze beauty before old age destroys it, not to burn it, as you do. But we’re still very much alike. We’re like two sides of the same coin. You’re a dragon and I’m your shadow.”

I didn’t pay much attention to the whispers. Let it whisper. Even if he’s the one driving the girls away from me so quickly, I’m still glad he’s creating variety. After all, new girlfriends are taking the place of the tried-and-true. If it weren’t for the silly tradition of being faithful to Rose, I wouldn’t have been alone for a day in all eternity. The girls loved my good looks. Their fingers ran through my gold-colored hair, their eyes gazing lovingly at my angelic face. I had gotten used to how gently girls’ arms embraced me.

“Meanwhile, you’re scorching them,” that whisper again. It’s become intrusive. At another time I would have been wary, but now I was engrossed in another activity. I diligently brushed away the ashes that were still on my camisole, and looked for new encounters with strangers.

I visited elegant salons, boudoirs, bridal apartments, merchant’s houses, and even brothels. And the voice above me kept whispering:

“I understand you so much! I too, in my time, rushed after each of them. And none of them escaped me.”

I looked up, but there was no firefly following me. There were no translucent spirits around either. It was probably the unquiet soul of some maniac talking to me. I haven’t killed anyone myself right now. It’s nice to know that I’m no longer a murderer or arsonist, but just an adventurer. All nobles are like me. They are seeking pleasure, never missing a skirt. So why should I behave any differently?

If Rose had stayed with me, I wouldn’t have had to meet anyone. With her alone, I could spend every night in the arms of another beautiful lady. Each new body would just have her in it. Naturally after she left the used body, it would begin to rot and turn into a skeleton. Rose somehow never kept alive those whose bodies she used. She probably couldn’t enter their minds as long as they remained alive. I didn’t know much about her complex and pernicious magic. Every law I taught her, Rose had broken. That’s partly why we couldn’t stay together. We were a good match, though: I was a dragon and emperor of all evil, she was a princess and the daughter of a sorceress. At first we had a good deal on marriage and her coronation, but ever since Rose decided to dethrone me and keep all the power for herself, we’ve been in a black streak of trouble. That’s how all marriages fall apart; one wants love and the other wants profit.

It’s better to be a bachelor. That way there’s the least risk of getting attached to any one lady.

I didn’t want to be bound by a strong and sincere love anymore. It’s too painful. But it seemed I had sipped too much from the magic cup. No matter how much I walked around, the passion kept growing. A flame was burning inside. It protruded from my body, swirling at my fingertips. Whole tongues of fire were shooting out from under my fingernails into the night. They formed intricate symbols.

“He’s behind you!” whispered to me the spirits that dwelt in the flames. Their voices always sounded like the hissing of fire. I listened to them and turned around. There was no one behind me, of course. Someone had spread a rumor about a dragon raider in the city, and in the evenings people tried to keep their noses out of the street. As if locking inside could save them from the dragon! Yes, he would burn everyone at once, and everyone would burn in his own house.

I didn’t want to grieve and wander around the labyrinth of city streets. What for? If you remember the address of the hostess of the assembly, where you recently visited, it is a sin not to visit her. The closed doors didn’t bother me. I went straight through the third-floor window. And I didn’t have to climb up the chimney to do it. I just flew up.

Simonetta expected me to announce my arrival with a note, but I was already here. The stacks of love letters never sent to me didn’t matter anymore. One had fallen into my claws. Before, I would have come to run my claws down her throat, but now I wanted to know other things. Something I hadn’t wanted or known until now. I ran my fingers through her hair, the color of ripe wheat. It curled in small strands and ran down her back almost to her knees. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were golden, too. Amazing beauty! I pondered for just a moment whether or not she would feel the fire in my breath, and then I bent down and kissed her. Even if it hurt, she wanted it.

Excitement burned stronger than fire. And she was even more attracted to me than I was to her. That’s the way it usually is. Rose was an exception. But Simonetta was an ordinary woman, though as charming as a fine porcelain statuette. Her fingers in expensive rings slid down my chest, deftly unbuttoned my camisole. Apparently, I was no longer the first on her list of overnight guests. But I was the first to be a dragon.

“Who would give their life for one night with a dragon?” whispered the same annoying disembodied voice in my ear. “Not even my magical portraits were as willing to give their lives as your fiery embrace.”

He hissed something else angrily, but I wasn’t listening. Simonetta’s lips pressed against my ear. She, too, whispered fiercely to me something about how long she had waited for me, and what a bastard I was for not coming to her the first night we saw each other, and making her wait. She was all exhausted, for she had never wanted anyone so much as she wanted me, and so on and so forth. I had listened to all this love nonsense dozens of times, but I was still not satisfied. It was different with Simonetta than with the others. The embrace was passionate. The touch was filled with rare tenderness. I really thought what I had done in vain by not flying to her window from the beginning.

The disembodied voice above the hipped canopy was still squeaking resentfully, and on the wide, silk-sheeted bed our bodies were intertwined, moving toward each other. The act of love was glorious, only my fiery seed spewed into Simonetta, burning her from the inside out. She cried out, but I quickly muffled her scream with a long kiss.

I rose and began to dress long before dawn came. I couldn’t sleep in the arms of mortals. Once I’d had an orgasm with them, I didn’t want them anymore, and they suddenly began to slow down. Simonetta lazily rubbed the ashy stains on her wrists, as if her skin had burned from the inside out. There were traces of ash in her tangled long curls as well. Where did it come from? I didn’t set anything on fire, except by accident. Simonetta, too, looked so bewildered, as if she could not understand why, after a stormy night of love, she suddenly felt so bad.

As I left, I noticed a slight burn at the corner of her lips. I tried to be gentle, but I can’t control everything. The ointments and balms she was using, judging by the number of them on the dressing table, would do her good.

Someone whispered to me that I should linger to see the curious consequences of what I had done, but I was in a hurry to get to Foyle. Moriella is waiting for me there. Well, I hope she is. And even if she isn’t, it won’t be too hard to seduce the lonely poor thing. It’s those whose husbands or fiancés are old who seek comfort in the arms of lovers the most. And this was Moriella’s case.

I turned into a dragon and flew toward the coastal town of Foile. The sensation of someone watching my transformation through the window was far away near Simonetta’s house, and the cold waves were crashing beneath my wings in a matter of minutes. Jokingly, I exhaled a jet of fire directly into the sea. Before it was extinguished, it caught fire right on the water, easily burning the flocks of fish swimming on the surface. So I can make a fire in the sea if I try hard enough.

“Don’t, monsieur,” a mermaid squeaked pitifully from the depths. With a coral comb in her blue curls and blue eyebrows and eyelashes, she looked so pretty that I obeyed her. Maybe I’ll visit her someday at my leisure. But for now, my goal was Foile and Morietta’s father’s fortress. I reached the city in astonishing speed. Yes, it wasn’t far away. It was built on a small island. The sea surrounded it on all sides. There was a long bridge from the land to it, which was used by food carts and mail carriages. All other trade with the city was conducted by sea. The caravels and brigs in the harbor looked like fairy-tale rooks. There are good shipyards, talented craftsmen, and the city itself is beautiful, but I suddenly awoke the devil in me. Why not burn it down? Moriella’s being held prisoner here, and they want to marry someone they don’t love.

The mermaid had already hidden from me in the sea. It was just a glimpse of her tail, as blue as her curls. And I was already flying toward the city. Its pointed turrets and exquisite balustrades did not embarrass me. I breathed fire a couple times, and the fire was so hot that none of the archers on the wall had time to react. The sentry who struck the bells had both hands burned off. And the bell tower itself was on fire. I indifferently watched the fire from above, magically calculating where the fortress I needed was.