Chapter 25: Chapter 25

"I still don't understand why you allow this barbaric tradition to continue. Or how it began, for that matter. Couldn't you just have left me on that hillside to be found safe in the morning?"

"There is a long-standing pact between the village and the dragon. Many, many years ago, there was another dragon - possibly a real one, ravaging the countryside. My ancestor defended the village. When asked what he wished for in exchange, he chose a young woman to be his bride."

"And? Surely that isn't the end of it?" Her breath brushed his skin as she snuggled into his chest.

"Of course not. Some thirty years later, the crops failed and the village was starving. They offered up another maiden, in return for food. The dragon, the son of the original, was attracted to the girl and accepted the bargain. He left a sack of gold in exchange, and the money kept the village fed for a year."

"And thus a tradition was born. But why maintain it?"