So, what does that mean? Well, each day, I'm going to tell you about a dragon - a dragon inspired by a name that I generated randomly using a name generator (I haven't looked up the derivation of any of these names, I have just run with how they make me feel, their sound on the tongue).
I'll tell you all about my Dragon of the Day, and share some flash fic about their lives. Any genre, any character, any look - prepare to be surprised and (I hope) entertained by my dragonly inspirations :).
~
is for Sashi
Sashi is a slave, he was born into captivity, trained to be a bodyguard from the time he could breathe his own fire. He grew strong, he stands twice as high as his human master, but he is dressed in his master’s finery, his master’s armour, and he has been taught to obey.
Sashi’s master is Ty Lan Karir, a trader with links all over the Hydrian galaxy, so Sashi has visited many planets and fought many battles. He bears the scars, missing one claw on his left back foot, and there are slices through his crest. Yet, Sashi is not unhappy in his life. Ty Lan is a generous master compared to some, and for his obedience, Sashi is well fed, well trained and respected by his fellow guards.
The only thing that is missing is his freedom.
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I'll tell you all about my Dragon of the Day, and share some flash fic about their lives. Any genre, any character, any look - prepare to be surprised and (I hope) entertained by my dragonly inspirations :).
~
~
is for SashiSashi is a slave, he was born into captivity, trained to be a bodyguard from the time he could breathe his own fire. He grew strong, he stands twice as high as his human master, but he is dressed in his master’s finery, his master’s armour, and he has been taught to obey.
Sashi’s master is Ty Lan Karir, a trader with links all over the Hydrian galaxy, so Sashi has visited many planets and fought many battles. He bears the scars, missing one claw on his left back foot, and there are slices through his crest. Yet, Sashi is not unhappy in his life. Ty Lan is a generous master compared to some, and for his obedience, Sashi is well fed, well trained and respected by his fellow guards.
The only thing that is missing is his freedom.
~
Necessity
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Perion was an old city, built many centuries ago, and the streets where Master Ty Lan liked to do business were little more than alleyways, dark and closed in. Sashi brought up the rear of their small party, listening behind and scanning over the heads of the two human bodyguards who were in the lead. Their master walked in between, briefcase in hand.
Sashi did not know what was in the briefcase, that was not his function, but he knew it was valuable and there were enough thieves on Perion to fill a hundred prisons. He noted the movement in the shadows up ahead and the flash of gun metal. Alone, that might have just been another traveller, but Sashi heard the crunch of boots from behind as well.
“Down!” he ordered just as the humans were beginning to notice.
He swung his head and large neck at Master Ty Lan, and took him down to the ground just before a laser blast hit the wall where the human had been standing. A volley of shots quickly followed and the human guards began shooting back. This was a well-practised scenario, so Sashi needed to bark no orders as his men went into action and he took charge of their master.
“On my back, Master,” he ordered, lowering his wing to the human crumpled at his feet.
This wasn’t Ty Lan’s first firefight and he looked more annoyed than worried as, clutching his precious items, he grabbed hold of the well-muscled top of Sashi’s wing and hauled himself into the space between Sashi’s shoulder blades. Sashi raised his wing once more and his master was enclosed behind both dragon scales and the armour that weighed them down. It was a compromise of protection versus agility, because the heavy plates meant that Sashi could not fly, but he could still charge, and, lowering his helmeted head towards their attackers, that is just what he did.
Well-armed, the would be bandits were not about to give way for one dragon, but that was not what Sashi was after. He had clocked the small side alley hidden behind a pile of old bins and with laser blasts glancing off his armour, he ducked down the exit, bins scattering in his wake. His comrades followed, but as they were trained to do, they stopped at the mouth of the alley, blocking their pursuers with covering fire: they would regroup later if they all survived.
It was Sashi’s job to get his master to safety, and he had studied Perion’s maze-like streets for many years. There was a pattern to them, tight roads made between tall, leaning buildings, never straight for more than a few hundred yards, but there was always something inevitable about Perion streets: they converged on small squares, and that is where Sashi was headed. He rounded a gentle corner to see a little more light at the end of the alley and he hurtled towards his goal.
There was no-one coming after him, he’d trained his men well, so he slowed as he exited into the grey light of the open space. He came to a halt and lowered his wings.
“Are we clear?” his master checked, uncurling from around his briefcase and blinking into the light.
Sashi felt the man jolt on his back when Ty Lan Karir saw what his slave already knew: they were surrounded by a group of both dragons and humans, all armed, and all waiting for them.
“Get me out of here,” Ty Lan whispered urgently, but Sashi shook himself, dropping his shoulder and let the man tumble to the ground.
Before Ty Lan could right himself, Sashi put one foot on his chest and pushed him down onto his back. The human squirmed and the shock on his face was priceless as he stared up at Sashi.
“What is going on?” his human demanded of Sashi, anger coming round the edges of his fear.
“Time to pay the price, Master,” Sashi replied, emphasis on the title he had been forced to use all his life.
Disbelief crept into Ty Lan’s face then, and Sashi could appreciate where it came from: he was Chief of Security, he was the most loyal bodyguard this human had.
“I have been good to you,” the human did not seem to be able to understand this change of heart.
Sashi snorted his disdain at that one and lowered his snout to within inches of Ty Lan’s face.
“You sold my mother away from me when I was barely weaned; my father not much later, because he was injured and could no longer fight for you. My mate you traded for a secondhand shuttle, even after you had promised we could be bonded. Your goodness has been overwhelming,” he sneered the truth of his life down on the man who had controlled it all.
He watched the light dawn in the human’s eyes. He knew his master well, and he expected the bargaining that came, “But I have made provision for your freedom in my will -”
“Yes, you have made me aware!” Sashi snapped back. “My freedom is dependent on you dying a peaceful death.”
“So you can’t kill me,” Ty Lan breathed the threat quietly and Sashi knew what it meant - his master’s death meant his own - he had always known that.
“But I don’t intend to kill you,” Sashi lauded the moment over the human, tossing his head up and regarding the company he had assembled. “I intend to make you a slave to my cause.”
Ty Lan wriggled anew, confusion and fear growing.
“A revolution is coming to Hydrian, Ty,” slave explained to master, because he wanted him to understand every moment of what was going to happen. “There are those who wish to abolish the owning of one creature by another.”
Ty Lan clearly couldn’t help himself, he choked out his contempt. Sashi roared, flexing the large claws his held either side of the human’s head and he rounded on the man again.
“Their voices are being joined by others, influential people all over the galaxy, and after a little conditioning, you will be one of them,” Sashi told him, biting off his words.
Ty went pale as he finally understood what Sashi had planned.
“Those chips are illegal,” he denied the idea.
Sashi laughed.
“You do know the meaning of irony, yes?” Sashi sneered right into Ty Lan’s face. “Once the circuit is in your brain and programmed, you will do my bidding, your money and your position will lead the abolition movement.”
The fear below him was turning his stomach, so Sashi released his prisoner, turning away and ordering, “Get him ready.”
“No, no, please!” Ty Lan screamed his terror as the others closed in, but Sashi turned his back.
The sickness he felt would not go away, but he had always been trained to do what was necessary.
Sashi did not know what was in the briefcase, that was not his function, but he knew it was valuable and there were enough thieves on Perion to fill a hundred prisons. He noted the movement in the shadows up ahead and the flash of gun metal. Alone, that might have just been another traveller, but Sashi heard the crunch of boots from behind as well.
“Down!” he ordered just as the humans were beginning to notice.
He swung his head and large neck at Master Ty Lan, and took him down to the ground just before a laser blast hit the wall where the human had been standing. A volley of shots quickly followed and the human guards began shooting back. This was a well-practised scenario, so Sashi needed to bark no orders as his men went into action and he took charge of their master.
“On my back, Master,” he ordered, lowering his wing to the human crumpled at his feet.
This wasn’t Ty Lan’s first firefight and he looked more annoyed than worried as, clutching his precious items, he grabbed hold of the well-muscled top of Sashi’s wing and hauled himself into the space between Sashi’s shoulder blades. Sashi raised his wing once more and his master was enclosed behind both dragon scales and the armour that weighed them down. It was a compromise of protection versus agility, because the heavy plates meant that Sashi could not fly, but he could still charge, and, lowering his helmeted head towards their attackers, that is just what he did.
Well-armed, the would be bandits were not about to give way for one dragon, but that was not what Sashi was after. He had clocked the small side alley hidden behind a pile of old bins and with laser blasts glancing off his armour, he ducked down the exit, bins scattering in his wake. His comrades followed, but as they were trained to do, they stopped at the mouth of the alley, blocking their pursuers with covering fire: they would regroup later if they all survived.
It was Sashi’s job to get his master to safety, and he had studied Perion’s maze-like streets for many years. There was a pattern to them, tight roads made between tall, leaning buildings, never straight for more than a few hundred yards, but there was always something inevitable about Perion streets: they converged on small squares, and that is where Sashi was headed. He rounded a gentle corner to see a little more light at the end of the alley and he hurtled towards his goal.
There was no-one coming after him, he’d trained his men well, so he slowed as he exited into the grey light of the open space. He came to a halt and lowered his wings.
“Are we clear?” his master checked, uncurling from around his briefcase and blinking into the light.
Sashi felt the man jolt on his back when Ty Lan Karir saw what his slave already knew: they were surrounded by a group of both dragons and humans, all armed, and all waiting for them.
“Get me out of here,” Ty Lan whispered urgently, but Sashi shook himself, dropping his shoulder and let the man tumble to the ground.
Before Ty Lan could right himself, Sashi put one foot on his chest and pushed him down onto his back. The human squirmed and the shock on his face was priceless as he stared up at Sashi.
“What is going on?” his human demanded of Sashi, anger coming round the edges of his fear.
“Time to pay the price, Master,” Sashi replied, emphasis on the title he had been forced to use all his life.
Disbelief crept into Ty Lan’s face then, and Sashi could appreciate where it came from: he was Chief of Security, he was the most loyal bodyguard this human had.
“I have been good to you,” the human did not seem to be able to understand this change of heart.
Sashi snorted his disdain at that one and lowered his snout to within inches of Ty Lan’s face.
“You sold my mother away from me when I was barely weaned; my father not much later, because he was injured and could no longer fight for you. My mate you traded for a secondhand shuttle, even after you had promised we could be bonded. Your goodness has been overwhelming,” he sneered the truth of his life down on the man who had controlled it all.
He watched the light dawn in the human’s eyes. He knew his master well, and he expected the bargaining that came, “But I have made provision for your freedom in my will -”
“Yes, you have made me aware!” Sashi snapped back. “My freedom is dependent on you dying a peaceful death.”
“So you can’t kill me,” Ty Lan breathed the threat quietly and Sashi knew what it meant - his master’s death meant his own - he had always known that.
“But I don’t intend to kill you,” Sashi lauded the moment over the human, tossing his head up and regarding the company he had assembled. “I intend to make you a slave to my cause.”
Ty Lan wriggled anew, confusion and fear growing.
“A revolution is coming to Hydrian, Ty,” slave explained to master, because he wanted him to understand every moment of what was going to happen. “There are those who wish to abolish the owning of one creature by another.”
Ty Lan clearly couldn’t help himself, he choked out his contempt. Sashi roared, flexing the large claws his held either side of the human’s head and he rounded on the man again.
“Their voices are being joined by others, influential people all over the galaxy, and after a little conditioning, you will be one of them,” Sashi told him, biting off his words.
Ty went pale as he finally understood what Sashi had planned.
“Those chips are illegal,” he denied the idea.
Sashi laughed.
“You do know the meaning of irony, yes?” Sashi sneered right into Ty Lan’s face. “Once the circuit is in your brain and programmed, you will do my bidding, your money and your position will lead the abolition movement.”
The fear below him was turning his stomach, so Sashi released his prisoner, turning away and ordering, “Get him ready.”
“No, no, please!” Ty Lan screamed his terror as the others closed in, but Sashi turned his back.
The sickness he felt would not go away, but he had always been trained to do what was necessary.
~
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That was thrilling! The worm has turned - or dragon, in this case. Yeah, I would say Ty Lan deserved his comeuppance.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it :) Sashi has more to say...
DeleteThat was exciting. Can't say I feel bad for Ty Lan either.
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Hah! Exciting :) And well written!
ReplyDeleteThe Multicolored Diary: WTF - Weird Things in Folktales