Rat and Dragon (3)
"It's a small village, huh."
The dragon—no, Tia—glanced at our village and offered a brief impression. Well, it's a rural spot tucked in the mountains, so of course it's small. But for some reason, it made my chest tighten a little. I'd have called it small too. So why this feeling? Hmm. No clue. Really.
"Then, for starters... I'll give you a quick tour."
The small inn, the village chief's house, a handful of residents' homes. And the village's sole temple. Showing off this tiny place didn't take much time at all. Just a casual loop around wrapped it up.
Except...
"Maybel? What are you doing here?"
"Huh?"
In the middle of giving Tia the rundown, the neighbor auntie spotted me and jumped in surprise. She was heading back from the fields, a basket of veggies balanced on her head, and she stared right at my face.
"Johnson said something awful happened to you. He told all the village adults, and they headed to the cave in the back mountains..."
"Ah..."
After I fell underground, looks like that idiot didn't just sit on his hands. But that fool—somehow rounded up the adults and led them to the back mountains. Sure, the cave was right at the entrance, but just entering the back mountains would've gotten him reamed by the grown-ups. A flicker of gratitude bubbled up... but then I remembered he'd shoved me into that narrow gap, claiming I was the only one small enough to fit. Poof—gratitude gone in a flash.
Anyway.
"It was a big deal, yeah. Without Tia's help here..."
It really was. Who'd have thought I'd lay eyes on a dragon in the flesh? Something you'd only hear about in stories.
"Oh my. An outsider?"
"Yeah. Name's Tia. Ran into this kid by chance and tagged along."
Tia spoke to the auntie in that casual, familiar tone, like it was the most natural thing. Well, a dragon who's napped away 300 years probably sees human adults as drooling infants. Makes sense. But she looks like such a pretty little girl on the outside—talking so bluntly to an elder... it comes off as super rude.
"Um... are you perhaps a noble lady?"
A noble? Nah, a dragon. But... hmm. Noble lady. In other words, she sure looks the part. That shining silver hair, those incredibly soft clothes. Nothing like my drab gray locks or my roughspun rags. Probably all magic-made... Magic's incredible. If I could use it... could I get prettier? I shook my head. A backwater rat like me? No way, even with magic.
"Hmm. Can't spill the details due to circumstances, but treat me normal. Oh, can't do much about my speech—I'll keep it like this."
"Ah, I see... Understood."
The auntie wore an awkward smile, trying her best to play it casual. She really buys the noble bit... but reality's way wilder. A dragon!
"Anyway, with you safe... those folks in the back mountains are on a fool's errand. Mind rounding them up?"
I nodded. I'm out already—if they're still fumbling through that cave, it's a problem. Obvious call.
But.
"Sorry, but I asked her to guide me. If it's no trouble, could you fetch the others?"
"Eh, oh... I have chores..."
"Please."
Tia said it, then fished something from her sleeve and tossed it lightly at the auntie, who caught it mid-fluster.
"This is... silver?"
"Pay for a simple errand. That cover it?"
The auntie alternated stares between the silver in her palm and Tia, then grinned and nodded.
"More than enough. Way more for something this easy."
"I'm the one asking, after all. I'll leave it to you, then."
"Yes! You got it!"
With that, she dumped her basket on the ground like trash and bolted for the back mountains. Wait, auntie—your speech flipped to polite the second you saw the silver. Guess silver does bend attitudes.
"Alright, let's keep the tour going."
"But... we've pretty much seen it all. Only the temple where I live is left."
"Temple? Which god's?"
Which god... In a podunk village like ours, we can't afford multiple temples, so it's shared. Biggest share goes to the Mother of Life. Then the Great Sky Father. Plus the Holy Flame, God of Law and Justice, and a bunch more all in one.
"It's for several gods together. Tough to build multiples out here."
"Got it. Lead on."
"Yees. This way."
And with that, Tia and I headed to the temple where I lived.
"Maybel! You're safe...!"
We arrived at the temple, and the priest—who'd been sweeping the entrance—greeted us. Or started to, anyway. He froze at the sight of Tia. Then... he dropped to his knees.
What the—? Why's the priest kneeling all of a sudden? Did he sense she's a dragon?
"Y-You are...?"
Tia eyed the kneeling priest and murmured low.
"Stand."
And just like that, he rose—as if it was the most natural order in the world.
What? Why's he moving like a puppet on her word?
"S-Sorry. I just... reflex."
"Eh, bound to happen living life. No biggie."
Or maybe the priest's secretly some powerhouse? Sharp enough to vaguely sense Tia's true nature through her perfect disguise? Nah... doesn't fit. Not with his usual spacey vibe.
"Ah, not the time or place. Come inside."
With that, Tia followed the priest's lead into the temple.
After that, nothing too wild happened. The adults who'd rushed to the back-mountain cave thanks to that idiot Johnson all came back. I caught some heat too, for his unauthorized mountain jaunt. And the grown-ups? They got all fidgety around Tia for some reason.
Can't blame 'em. I'd squirm too. Someone in blinding-white, baby-soft clothes showing up in our dirt-water village? Doesn't compute. And that pretty. Unhumanly so. Well, dragons aren't human.
"So, you're planning to see the world, then."
"Yeah. Where I was holed up—super restricted access. Got free somehow, so... sightseeing."
Tia chatting with the priest. I was sneaking peeks at them from hiding.
Wonder what they're yapping about?
"Restricted place... You're not the Dragon Priestess, are you?"
Dragon Priestess? Nah, just a dragon.
"What makes you say that?"
"First off... those horns. My knowledge's limited, but no female beastkin I know grows 'em like that. Sheepkin ladies do, but theirs curl round."
"Hoo..."
Nope, dragon.
"Plus that overwhelming divine power when we met. Just a glimpse, but way more than a human body could hold."
"Hmm. Tried hiding it, but you caught on."
"Old habits from my younger days—sensitive to others' divinity."
A dragon with divine power? Not your average dragon, then? No god I know named Tiamat, though. Alias? Or... is the Dragon Priestess actually... a dragon? Not some human inheriting the Mother of Life's power, but a real dragon polymorphed into human form?
Thinking about it... if she inherited the Mother of Life's power, why Dragon Priestess? Not a saintess or something? Unless... it's 'cause she's actually a dragon?
...No way. The Dragon Priestess from the old tales—the one who helped the hero bring peace to the world—a dragon? Ridiculous. Dragons were one of the monsters the hero slayed. Unless those stories are fake. Which they're not.
Yeah.
"Unless it's a Pantheon god come down in human guise... only the Dragon Priestess fits."
"Hmm. Pretty sharp."
Tia gave the priest a small smile.
"Keep it secret for now. Got it?"
As she said it, Tia's eyes flicked—briefly—right toward my hiding spot.
Was that... for me? Asking to keep her dragon secret?