The Priestess and the Dragon Read online

  Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  Chapter Forty-four

  Chapter Forty-five

  Chapter Forty-six

  Chapter Forty-seven

  Chapter Forty-eight

  Chapter Forty-nine

  Chapter Fifty

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2015 Nicolette Andrews

  Cover Art by Nadica Borshivka

  Cover Design by Imogenary Design

  Edited By Pauline Nolet and Katrina Crane

  All rights reserved.

  ***

  This one goes to my Wattpad readers. Your love for this story has kept me going despite long delays between updates and my love of cliff-hangers. Thank you, darlings.

  Chapter One

  Sweat rolled down her neck, slid down her spine and pooled at the basin of her lower back. Suzume resisted the urge to itch a tickle near her nose, lest she smear the white paint that adorned her face. The high priestess chanted in a sonorous voice and the procession moved forward a half step. Suzume sighed and lowered her head. The bells hanging from the decorative pins in her hair jingled as she did so. The second to the high priestess whipped her head around, somehow hearing the insignificant sound beneath the high priestess' chanting. The second glared at Suzume, who returned the look with a half-smile and a tilt of her head, which jangled the bells further. The pinging sound felt like a declaration. I did not choose this life and I will not obey your rules.

  The second pursed her lips as she glared at Suzume. She would not dare interrupt the ceremony to chastise Suzume. But if looks could kill, Suzume would be dead three times over. She would most likely get a tongue-lashing when they were alone again. If she had learned anything since coming to the temple, it was that the Maidens of the Mountain took their ceremonies seriously.

  The procession moved forward another half step and the second turned back to the head priestess. Suzume sighed as she inched towards the temple. What she wouldn't give to rip this constricting robe and sash off. I would trade all my father's--no, the emperor, as I must now call him--I would give up all his gold and the power of the Eight to be free of this robe!

  True, she was no stranger to fine garments. Indeed, she had often donned fine silks, she had been served by ladies from the noblest families and had men fall in love with her at least once a week. That was until her mother had ruined everything. You couldn't tell from the bitter chill rolling off the mountain peaks, but at the White Palace, the cherry blossoms would be blooming. She should be viewing the cherry blossoms with General Tsubaki, her onetime intended, and having courtiers slipping her poetic love notes. He was the perfect match, powerful and old enough not to notice when I flirted with the younger lords. She sighed again.

  The second spun around, breaking rank, and said with a hiss, "Silence."

  The young priestesses that were in three lines behind her giggled. The second glowered past Suzume towards them and the giggling died away, leaving only the sound of the high priestess, who continued to chant without breaking stride. When the second turned around, Suzume rolled her eyes. The procession moved another half step.

  Suzume's thoughts returned to her own lamentable fate. When she had imagined her wedding day, it was not like this. Instead of marrying General Tsubaki as was her right and his honor, she was to become an unwilling bride of the mountain god. Which was a romanticized way of saying she had been exiled to a life of a priestess. As the emperor's trueborn daughter, she was born of divinity and as such she could not be simply married off. Her father insisted on adding insult to injury.

  They approached a group of red torii arches. Before she passed beneath the first one, the wind picked up and jangled the bells in her hair, pushing against her as if trying to keep her from entering. She hesitated for a moment. She felt a tingle along her fingertips, a slight burn as if they had come too close to a flame. The second saw her dawdling and jerked her head to the side, indicating she should cross the barrier. It's just a gateway. She crossed the threshold, and as she did, a prickling sensation ran up and down her arms. She pressed against an invisible barrier, as if the archway wanted to keep her back. She stumbled through and nearly lost her balance. She overcorrected and heard the priestesses behind her laughing, thinking she had lost her balance.

  When she looked to them to see if they experienced the same phenomenon, they passed through without resistance. At least the wind had dried the sweat that was surely streaking the white paint on her neck. She chanced a glance to her side; beyond the red columns of the arch the pathway had a sheer drop. And in the distance she could see the mountain range shrouded in clouds. The pathway leading up to the shrine was carved from the mountain, one side a flat mountain face with a few sporadic plants growing in the cracks. The shrine was wedged into a cave; four columns supported the front facade, and beyond the veranda, the latticework doors had been pulled open. She had come a long way from the White Palace to this desolate mountain temple. Suzume suppressed another sigh, lest the second's scowl grow deeper. Let's get this over with, she thought.

  After what felt like hours, but was closer to a few minutes, they passed beneath the last of the red arches and the house of the God of the Mountain lay before them. The wood on the front had been carved with a scene depicting the mountain range. Above the mountains, the god sat upon a cloud, and with an outstretched hand he brought rain to the needy farmers down at the bottom.

  The high priestess stopped the procession. She finished her chant with one last echoing note that bounced off the surrounding mountains, and the following silence was more defined. The wind howled ominously. Suzume's skin itched and burned. She fought the urge to rub her palms against her flesh to assuage her affliction; she wanted to maintain at least the illusion of respectability. The head priestess and all the other shrine maidens bowed in unison. Suzume, distracted by her fevered skin, did not follow but instead stared into the inner sanctum of the god. A pedestal was the room's only adornment and upon the white pillow was an obsidian stone.

  "Bow, you ungrateful girl," the high priestess scolded.

  Suzume did so with reluctance. Her skin trembled and twitched like a horse trying to shake off a fly. She could not remove her eyes from the stone. It seemed familiar, as if she had seen it before. As she knelt, she lost sight of it. She lowered her head in
feigned obedience. However, a sensation began to stir in her gut; she felt like she might retch. I cannot do that, not now, not here. She glanced up once more, trying to regain control of her body.

  The high priestess approached the shrine while swinging a brass bowl attached to four chains, with a stick of incense in it. The white smoke swirled around her and trailed after her as she approached the pedestal.

  The high priestess lit a few incense sticks that were in holders on either side of the pedestal. She knelt down with her head bowed low to the ground as the room filled with the pungent smoke. The smoke tickled Suzume's nose. She wiggled it back and forth, the churning feeling in her gut creeping up to the back of her throat. It felt as if there were an inferno burning inside her.

  "God of the Mountain, bringer of the rain, great master who parted the lands from the sea, please accept this bride as yours." She clapped her hands together, finishing the prayer. She rose up onto the balls of her feet and turned to face the group without rising from a kneeling position. She motioned for Suzume to come forward.

  She rose on shaking limbs. Only her mere stubbornness kept her moving. As she crossed the threshold, a sensation like a punch to the gut stopped her in her tracks. Whatever was inside her was coming out, now. She stopped, afraid to move for fear her very skin would melt from her bones if she went too near. Is this a part of the ceremony? If so, I refuse to be a part of it.

  The high priestess frowned and once more beckoned for her to come forward with a sharp impatient movement.

  Suzume shook her head and set the bells jangling. They echoed across the room and seemed to reverberate tenfold, rattling around inside her skull.

  "You cannot turn back now, you will anger the god," the second snarled, now standing beside her with a rough grip of Suzume's elbow.

  The second forced Suzume forward; then Suzume's knees buckled beneath her. Her stomach heaved and she feared she would empty its contents in front of everyone. She grabbed her abdomen in a last effort to hold back, but something bubbled up from inside her, the burning receded from her arms and pooled in her stomach before traveling up and out of her mouth. Bright red light burst from her lips and shot out like a current that sparked and undulated as it made a direct trajectory for the pedestal and collided with the obsidian stone.

  For a moment the stone vibrated, and then it began to rock back and forth on its stand. Finally it rolled and began to ricochet around the pedestal, colliding with the raised edges of the stand. Then the pedestal exploded in a shower of splintered wood. The force of the explosion threw the high priestess backwards. Suzume fell to the ground just in time to avoid a deadly piece of wood from piercing her heart.

  Fragments of wood rained down on her as she covered her head with her hands. When the raining debris ceased, she looked up again. Smoke filled the chamber--she could not tell if it was just the incense or from whatever had caused the explosion. The burning sensation had left her body, but Suzume felt a new tingling warm sensation that flooded her skin like a warning bell. She could not get up, however; it felt as if an invisible hand held her down, nearly forcing the air from her body.

  "High Priestess!" the second shouted somewhere in the smoke and debris. The other maidens were chattering in fear.

  "I am here, and unharmed," the high priestess said. The smoke cleared and revealed her to be lying on the ground. She sat up and bits of wood fell off of her. She looked at Suzume, her eyes wide. "What did you do?" she asked.

  Before Suzume had even the chance to answer, a hollow maniacal laughter filtered through the chamber. The head priestess' mouth dropped open as she turned her head back to where the pedestal had been. The smoke rolled away and a coiled serpentine body covered in opalescent scales dominated the room. The creature's muzzled face looked down upon Suzume, his long whiskers brushing against the bells on her hair pieces.

  "God of the Mountain and bringer of the rain, I presume?" Suzume asked.

  The creature smirked, revealing rows of dagger-sharp teeth. "You awoke me?" His voice echoed and filled the room with thunder.

  Had she been a cautious woman, she would have listened to the underlying threat in the creature's stature and his words. But Suzume prided herself on the fact that she did not cower before anyone, even the God of the Mountain.

  "And if I did?" she asked.

  The beast exhaled; his breath, as cold as winter, froze her skin until that warm tingling sensation defrosted her.

  "God of the Mountain," the high priestess gasped.

  He turned his large head towards her and looked her up and down and said, "Your voice has been in my dreams."

  Tears gathered in the old woman's eyes. "Thank you, lord, it is a great honor. I always hoped you heard my fervent prayers. I have dedicated my life to your service. Please tell us, why now have you--"

  "Silence, you speak too much, human. I did not awaken to hear your prattling. You should stick to your prayers and songs, they are much easier upon the ears." He growled and the high priestess fell onto her knees and laid her face to the ground.

  "My apologies--" she started to say, but he growled and she silenced herself.

  The god turned back to Suzume. "I can sense little spiritual power in you, yet you have undone the seal," he said while regarding Suzume. He tilted his head to the side. The shrine maidens and high priestess had moved out of the way of the god's coiling body and were huddled outside the shrine.

  She looked at them and back at the god. How had she unleashed him? As far as she could tell, it had been an accident, an involuntary action. Regardless of the how, she did not want to admit her ignorance in front of the other shrine maidens.

  "It was simple, the seal was weak," Suzume lied.

  He tilted his head and barked a thundering laugh that shook the building down to its foundation. He took a few steps back and then with a puff of smoke transformed. When the smoke cleared, a young man stood in his place. A naked young man. His sleek black hair hung loose about his shoulders in an almost obscene way.

  Suzume admired his lean physique and let her eyes trace his body downward. Before she could get too far, however, the high priestess forced Suzume's head down so she could not admire the god's other masculine assets. Suzume sighed; if this is how she was expected to act for the rest of her life, then she was not going to like living here at all.

  The god approached her and loomed over her. "You are my newest servant?"

  She bristled at the servant distinction and was preparing to correct his misconception when the high priestess chose that moment to interrupt.

  "She is your newest tribute, my lord, your pure bride."

  He raked Suzume up and down and she met his gaze with an out-jutted chin and only took a quick peek at his manhood. Not bad, she thought. He laughed again.

  "I don't know how pure she is."

  Suzume glared at him. How dare he insinuate she was anything but chaste! She had been attempting to get a sneak peek at his godly assets but nothing more than that. It didn't make her impure to be curious.

  "My lord!" the priestess proclaimed. He turned to her and looked her up and down.

  "You keep calling me that, but I am not your mountain god. I am a dragon, and before I was trapped inside that stone, I ruled this realm. And you"--he knelt before Suzume. Now she did avert her gaze; she did not need to be that familiar with his manhood--"shall help me exact my revenge."

  Chapter Two

  The Dragon sat legs crossed, his posture erect and regal as he gazed down upon the shrine maidens. Though it was hard to believe, he was even more magnificent in the robes that had been procured for him. The head priestess bowed low before him; the tip of her nose brushed against the tatami mats. The Dragon regarded her as she blushed like a young virgin.

  "I am thirsty. Bring me sake," he said.

  The head priestess trembled like a leaf in the wind. "Yes, right away." She turned her head just enough to order the nearest shrine maiden to do the Dragon's bidding. "You heard the lord Dragon,
get him some sake."

  Two girls jumped up and tripped over the hems of their hakama pants in a rush to do the Dragon's bidding. Suzume laughed behind her hand. The head priestess and her second heard and shot daggers at her with their eyes. They are jealous of my new position.

  The Dragon kept her close at his side, like a pet lapdog. She had only been out of his sight long enough for him to dress--at the head priestess' adamant behest--and now she sat beside him like the bride at a bizarre marital feast. In fact, she had not even been given the time to change and she still wore the ceremonial white robes, though now they were dusty and her makeup was smeared. Her skin continued to itch and it was taking all of her self-control to keep from scratching. At least her stomach no longer felt like it was in revolt.

  The shrine maidens returned with the sake. One with a look of triumph on her face, the other's eyes downcast, making no attempt to hide her displeasure at being beat to the honor. They do not even care that he is a charlatan. Are they so desperate to serve? The girl handed the clay jar to the head priestess with trembling hands. The liquid inside sloshed back and forth.

  The high priestess approached the Dragon with the bottom of the jug on the flat of her palm and the neck held in her other hand as if she were presenting him a sacred offering and said, "My lord, we have brought you what you requested."

  "Ah, good." The Dragon snatched it from her without ceremony.

  The high priestess bowed and scuttled backwards from the dais on which Suzume and the Dragon sat. At least I am back in my proper place, Suzume thought. She disregarded the fact that her current elevation in status was in part based on a lie. She did not know how she broke the seal or how she could help the Dragon with his revenge. However, she had to keep up the facade or else risk losing what little reputation she had managed thus far.

  He brought the jug to his lips and took a long draught of the rice wine. Suzume sat mesmerized by the bobbing of his throat as he drank. A rivulet of milky liquid rolled down his chin and along his throat. He set the jar aside and then smacked his lips.