I Became Part of the Dragon's Hoard

Bery and Valerie moved through the trees hand in hand. They entered the grove and passed many dryads along the way. Each of the trees moved to the side as they walked by, and the place where Myriam was waiting opened up for them.

It was a rock formation with a basin of water in the center, and the girl sat on a long piece of stone as though it were a bench. Bery looked her up and down, finding herself confused.

The girl was only as tall as a twelve-year-old human child, and she had fair skin with pointed elven ears. However, she could not be called human or elf.

Myriam had dark black eyes and little purple wisps danced around inside of them. Her teeth were like sharp shark teeth, showcased by her grin. And contrasting all of that were beautiful silver wings that glittered in the sunlight. The little girl had a tall and floppy black hat on her head, and she flapped her small wings, arriving in front of the two of them with a small bow.

"Valericae, it is nice to see you again."

The dragoness shrugged. "The pleasure is all yours. By the way, I don't go by that name anymore. You may simply call me Valerie."

Myriam nodded and looked towards Bery. "And you are?"

"Bery, I am…"

"She's my future wife," Valerie said proudly.

Myriam giggled, a sound only able to be produced by a little girl. The high laughter only made her seem a little creepier, and she turned away from them. She walked over to a small stone table and grabbed a stone mug. There was some type of green and bubbling liquid inside, yet she took a sip.

The girl sighed and gestured towards other stone benches. "Please, have a seat."

Valerie released a breath of her own. "This better be important. I can't see why you would want to talk to me now. Did you get banned from Dryadilis for dark magic finally?"

Myriam chuckled once more as the other two sat down. "Don't be silly. You know that would never happen. They have a fondness for strong magic users, and among the fae, I am the best."

"I guess that's why they call you the strongest magic user."

Bery's ears twitched hearing strongest magic user. Intuitively, she knew that this girl in front of them was not stronger than Valerie, yet she found herself coming to some kind of understanding. She'd read the name in a book somewhere. Now she was even more certain of it. The kitten piped up.

"Myriam? What is your last name?"

The girl blinked several times before answering. "It's Ivarstein. Myriam Ivarstein."

Bery flinched. She came to the recognition, and a sudden trepidation started building within her heart. Myriam Ivarstein, the fae that chose to back monsters. The man eating woman who used magic to lure people in and consume them. That Myriam Ivarstein? I thought those were fairy tales.

Myriam grinned, her sharp teeth on display. "It seems that my reputation proceeds me. Though, I must admit that stories are always less interesting in person. Though, this reaction of yours amuses me…" Myriam cast her gaze towards Valerie and sighed. "The reaction of your lover makes me not want to press."

Indeed, Valerie's eyes were narrowed into slits, and her irises seemed to burn with fire. She was not amused.

"If you attempt to scare my beloved, I will erase you completely, and I don't care who you are or what you represent."

Myriam shook and took her mug of tea. She grabbed another stone mug and dipped it inside of her cauldron. She placed it on the stone table and nudged it towards Bery. "This might help you relax."

Bery stared down at the bubbling green liquid, and she felt her stomach twisting as when she used magic. She couldn't help imagining all kinds of strange ingredients that made it, yet she would be lying if she didn't find a pleasant sweet smell hanging on the air.

Valerie crossed her arms.

Yet Myriam grabbed another mug and filled it. She passed this one over to Valerie and breathed a long sigh. "I have not poisoned them, you know. Why are you of all people acting this way? Are you that protective of Bery that you can't be rational?"

The dragoness picked up her mug and took a sip. She nodded towards Bery. "You can drink it, kitten. I assure you it is neither poisoned nor foul tasting."

Bery hoisted the cup in front of her towards her mouth and took a sip. The bubbly liquid filled the inside of her mouth and warmed her body. It tasted like green tea, but it had a certain sweetness to it that the kitten found herself enjoying.

She wanted to chastise herself for judging someone based off the words of books, yet the only thing she ever heard about Myriam were all terrifying things. The kitten slumped down into her seat dejectedly.

Valerie reached over and pet the kittens head, scratching behind Bery's ears. "Don't let this woman fool you. She is exactly the type that you presume she is. She is a schemer and someone who is not averse to consuming the meat of men."

Myriam crossed her arms over her flat chest. "I would never!"

"You may lie to me all you want, but don't do that to Bery."

The girl sighed and waved her hand. "Fine, fine. Be that way, but what she says is true. I may be considered the strongest mage in Dryadilis, but I am not like the others. They are much nicer than me. I've been moving this island of mine through the sea, and my little pets have helped me deal with sailors."

"The boat," Bery said, her voice trailing off."

Myriam waved her finger around in the air. "Actually, that had nothing to do with me at all. I might protect harpies and sirens, but neither of those were responsible for that ship wreck."

Bery's ears wiggled, and her mouth opened in disbelief.

The fae continued. "My island was not responsible for that. I presume that something else got them. There are currently things happening in these waters that it would be best for most to stay clear of."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you've moved this island to the archipelago? Are you going to take advantage of people's suffering?"

The little girl sighed. "I would not take advantage of people's suffering. I do not care to see people suffer as much as the next person. Do you think that it's a wyvern's goal to make its prey suffer?"

"You're not a wyvern."

"True, I am not, but trust me when I say, I don't wish for the suffering of any species. All of the people we consume are for our own sustenance. It is the sailor's own greed that brings them here, is it not? Can one really expect to eat others without also expecting to get eaten? Or do you mean to tell me that you've never done it or considered it?"

Bery felt herself growing nauseous. The more she looked at the girl in front of her, the more her this feeling dug its way inside of her. She could find no falsehoods in Myriam's words, yet the idea of it made her want to vomit.

Valerie wrinkled her nose. "If that is all, then we should be leaving."

Myriam shook her head. "That is not why I called you here. It wasn't to bicker over our own differences, but it was to give you a warning and ask a question if I may."

Valerie crossed her arms and looked at her kitten.

"Don't worry about me," Bery said. "I will be fine. I was just surprised is all."

Valerie nodded towards Myriam. "Make it short."

The girl took a sip of her green tea before starting. "The state of affairs in this region is very disagreeable. Do you know of the water empress?"

"Is that your question?"

Myriam shook her head. "This is part of my warning. I think that there will be a catastrophe happening in this area within the coming months. Very large mana signature will collide in ways unexpected. I wanted to warn you, so that you don't get caught in the middle of it. After all, I remember you being against intervention."

Valerie nodded. "I will take your warning, but if someone should cross my path, I will do what I must."

Myriam smiled, showcasing her row of sharp teeth. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I already heard some rumors, but this leads me perfectly into my question. For what purpose are you heading north?"

"That is none of your business."

"I see...It wouldn't happen to be something to do with your white companion would it?"

Valerie frowned, but the other girl continued.

"After all, it's so obvious. I will keep what you've told me a secret. I swear that by my own dryad's grove."