Master My feet pounded the floors as I exited the bathroom. I was shocked when I found Merna was not ready. I was sure I had given her more than enough time to be bathed and dressed. When questioned, Merna interrupted and spoke exactly what Jasmine had already informed me. I could not help but smile internally to myself, if anything Merna was truthful and accountable for her tardiness. That still does not excuse her for her actions, I might get her to wash the throne floors with a toothbrush and bucket of water. I stopped briefly to make sure that Merna was following, soft footsteps had finally caught up to me. Standing beside me she had her head held high. What a defiant little hybrid she was, full of fire and fight. ‘Hmm!’ she will fit well in this life, with more guidance, she will fit the role of consort.’ I thought to myself. A new thought entered my mind. ‘I have to make sure I do not allow her to know where the exit is to get out of my land.’ I thought as we came to the end of the hallway, turning east and we continued to walk in silence. ‘What is on her mind?’ Getting to the conjunction, the North would take us to our chamber, South would take us to the entrance for the outer grounds. I motioned with my hand that we were going to turn right, allowing her to walk in front of me. It gave me the option to view Merna once again. I noticed how thin the braid was, when her hair flowed freely it appeared as if she had more hair. My hand had a mind of its own as it started to reach out to touch her hair. I stopped myself before my hand reached her. ‘It has to be the red hair! This woman is going to drive me mad.’ My mind wandered to see Merna in her white undergarment. At the dinner table, her breasts had been lifted making her appear fuller. This time without her bra, her breasts rested perfectly. There was an indentation of where her nipples had been poked out. ‘I wonder how they would taste?’ I cleared my throat, trying to distract my mind from any sexual thoughts of Merna. ‘She was my consort, not a pin mattress. I already have enough whores to fill, I do not need any others.’ Merna stopped walking and pivoted to glance at me. I stopped moving, realizing she had heard me clear my throat. “There will be a door soon in front of you, push it open and continue walking.” Choosing not to say anything, Merna smirked. She nodded her head once and continued to walk. Her footsteps were quiet and swift. Even with the shawl covering her hips, I could see her hips swaying in a hypnotic motion. Giving my head a shake I linked Sadragon to make sure that he had two hundred and nine ready for me when I got back. My thoughts were brought back to the task when I heard Merna trying to open the door. “You have to push the door!” I told her. “I am!” She hissed as she put all of her energy into moving the door. I chuckled out loud which only irritated Merna more. ‘How feisty this little one is.’ With one hand I was able to open the door to a canopy of lush green trees. Merna had her hands on her hips as she scowled up at me. “You just like toying with me!” “Do not make it so easy if you do not like it!” I smirked at her. This little game of cat and mouse was amusing to me. Even if Merna will not admit it, I think she enjoys this just as much as I do! In truth, I should not be enjoying myself like this. I am the Master and she is my consort. She is only to speak when spoken to, her head lowered never to look at anyone of authority. I just have this need to see her green eyes. When she pouted her lips out in frustration it only made her more desirable. ‘It is the red hair!’ Merna heard my thoughts again, even though I had placed my walls up around me. Her mouth opened and closed, I could see she was trying to come up with a sassy remark just so she could say she had the last say. This only made my grin get wider, causing her to spin and stomp a few feet away from me. “Merna!” “Yes!” She tried to mimic a growl. I raised one brow, “do you know what way we are going?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, “that way!” She pointed to the East. “You make things far too easy for me!” I chuckled. In truth, I would have gone in the opposite direction, yet it did not matter, one way or the other, it would take us around the location. We had been walking a few miles before I received a message that there were human borns on my land and a lot of them. I was getting visual messages showing me the spots the human borns were at. “This way!” I kept my tone neutral, yet still, this seemed to upset Merna. ‘She makes this way too easy and enjoyable!’ Regardless of how she was feeling, she followed my trail. It did not take us long to get to the clearing that she and her group had originally been at. “They are looking for them!” Merna pointed out the obvious as she could hear them shouting out the names of her friends. “Yes, they are looking for your friends! And they will not find them nor their bodies.” I said coldly with a frown on my face. “Why are they not calling your name?” I realized that all of their names were being spoken but hers. “No one will be looking for me, I only have one friend and that is Pierre. Markous, Steve, Emma and Camile were a business contract that Pierre had signed up to do. I only came to help Pierre!” Merna dropped her bravado attitude and replaced it with a new emotion, one that did not suit her, sadness. I watched every muscle in her face as she spoke, the only time she showed a hint of emotion was when she said Pierre’s name. “What about your family? Would they not notice the lack of your presence?” Merna opened her mouth to speak and closed her lips together. Her mind was working to find the words that she would speak. “I have had no contact with my siblings after my mother's death. The situation that caused it was so pathetic but it was more of the nail in the coffin. We had never been close and in truth, at the beginning, it did bug me, but now I do not think about it. Even if they figured out I was dead, they would not shed a tear. My belongings would not be claimed and life would continue for them. So …” She paused to look up at me. “It still does not explain why these human borns are not looking for your remains?” I pointed out my question from earlier. “No one knew I was leaving for the weekend, Pierre invited me at the last minute to help him out. I did not know the others until we got here.” She paused, “I just hope that my physical body is placed around a field of flowers. Which I doubt you would do, … burning my bones and sending them to the earth would be more your style!” I huffed, “how would you know my style?” “You're a black dragon, element fire!” Both of her eyebrows were upward, head tilted to the side as if she was making a point. I smiled, showing off my white teeth, “I prefer to eat what I kill, bones and all!” I laughed when I spotted Merna's visible shiver. Shouting out, “Well I hope I cause you diarrhea!” Her sassy remark only made me laugh more. ‘What a spitfire she is!’ “I have no plans on killing you little hybrid, you are worth more to me alive.” I started to walk forward, “Follow me!” I commanded.“What do you mean I am worth more to you alive?” Merna was struggling to keep up with me. “Are you blind to what you are?” I questioned her, wondering if she was playing me or just unaware. Merna stopped walking, her mind was working again, I loved to watch her think about what she would say. “I was an outcast among my own kind, I am an outcast even here. No one ever wanted me around besides Pierre … I am different that I do know!” With the little I do know about Merna, she was not going to reveal any more information than she had to reveal at the time. I would suspect that past experiences had shown her to keep her mouth shut. “I do not like secrets!” I raised one brow, hoping this would affect her. ‘How different could she be?’ Merna was back to her rebellious temperament, “I do not like lies!” It was clear she was not affected by my dominance. I turned and took a few more steps. “You are free to ask any questions you might have floating around in that mind of yours.” This was the option I was giving her to get the answers she so desperately wanted. “I need you to slow down, my stomach is hurting again!” She was huffing trying to regain herself. “If you just ate …” I started. This only caused Merna to glare up at me in pain and irritation at the emotions she was feeling. “I already know that the food is a trap, I just do not know what the trap would look like?” Glaring down at her, “I already told you! You would never be able to leave here ever. You would be fully under my control and I could do with you whatever I feel. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead.” Merna tried to straighten herself, “I already know that, but what would you have me do? I already know what the other Masters, Lords and others with high ranks would do to someone like myself. Or I should say what they would get me to do!” Merna was trying to steady her breathing. “This place is not much different than any government in the earthly realm. They say they work for the people but in truth it is a means to hide the truth from the lower class. We are all slaves to the system. A system that is designed to give the other classes that are not of high ranking bloodlines a false sense of freedom. While they work to the fullest, spending their money on items that the working class is told they need. Foolishly they spend filling the pockets of greedy billionaires. Never once questioning why they have this impulse to spend their money. Always wondering why they are poor! There are consequences for everything you do, good or bad!” She paused, “this place and all of the other realms … not that much different!” I gave Merna a smirk that sent a shiver down her spine, “you are not completely blind, but you still need more education little pet! The system was created aeons ago, human borns have forgotten about our existence and given us new names, but we are the same as we were the dawn we came face to face. human borns mimic the roles we dominate! Their greed gives them a sense of control when in truth, it is their blindness that will be their undoing!” I observed Merna as she was slightly hunched over. “human borns are still slaves to us! They will be nothing more … always needing to be tended too. Once in a while they need a reminder of who really is in power!” Merna was back to whining. “Why do I feel sick? If I am dead there should be no hunger pain!” “Your body is going through the transition of no longer requiring food as you are accustomed to. To put it in a way that you will understand, your power is taking over. We are all made up of energy. In the physical realm, you need outside sources to feed yourself. Here you need your energy to sustain yourself or you take it from another source, possibly both.” I paused for a second, With a twist of my gut I almost felt sorry for her pain. ‘I suspect Merna will be one that can sustain herself for a long time before needing to go to a different source.’ I paused as I watched Merna straighten herself again. “The pain will be the worst for the first couple of months, as the years go by the pain will subside and then you will feel nothing.” “I never felt this pain when I travelled before!” Merna pointed out her past experiences. “I suspect you were not in the realm long enough for the location to take effect before you returned to the earth realm. How hungry were you when you returned?” “I did not notice any changes!” Merna said as she motioned closer to me. Nodding my head a few times, we continued to walk. “You were not in the other realms long enough for the effect of the area to take hold. You have been here long enough now, things will start to change you. Since I am the Master of this terrain, my power will start to take hold of you … then I will know what powers you hold.” Merna’s face was wrinkled, “I did not eat any of the food you offered so how could your power take hold of me?” She seemed confused. “Energy registers other energy! Being the ruler here allows me to bring out different energies in others. As you already know, I absorb what energy is here and elsewhere. It is true that I will never have full control over you until you consume what I offer. That does not mean I will not have an effect on your energy.” “So that means I still have free will?” Merna appeared to be hoping for something that the majority of species wish for. “Your free will remains intact if that is what you are hinting at!” I snarled, not pleased at the direction of this conversation. Merna straightened her facial expression, “what being doesn’t wish for freedom? It is only natural to want it!”I exhaled, “my dear you are intelligent enough to know better! There are only two types here, those that can care for themselves and those that need to be told what to do! If you are not capable of taking responsibility for your own actions, you will be taken!” I watched as several muscles in Merna’s face changed. “Tell me Merna … are you capable of taking responsibility for your own actions or do you need me to tell you what to do?” I watched Merna’s conscience in action, she did not like to be told what to do, yet she was as predictable as everyone else. Following a pattern that was designed long before her creation. “I am capable of taking charge of my own actions and whatever conscience comes my way I will pay for it!” She said as she pushed out her chest. “As I had thought, that is why you are going to be trained as my personal consort!” I was not mistaken about this woman, she is perfect for the job. “Consort? What do you mean by that?” We have begun to stroll the path that I take every day. “You will do everything I do when I am not here. You will be responsible to complete the tasks that I give you while I am gone. And if anything should happen, take care of it with diplomacy.” It had been silent for a bit, I could tell Merna was thinking over what I had said. “I am not sure about diplomacy, I have never been good with politics!” “Do you not pay attention to the actions of the human borns governments?” I questioned her wanting to know what her educational level was at. “I do pay attention and the majority of their actions are deplorable. It is disgusting how predictable their movement is. It is like you can see every move they are going to make before they move any piece on a checkerboard! Try to tell others and they look down on me as if I was the problem.” I chuckled at Merna’s honesty and dislike for the governments that she knows of. “Then you should have no issues here. The only difference is, my siblings will use every trick they know against you to bend you to their will.” The hint of humour was gone. I knew very well what they would do to convince Merna to switch sides. Merna grasped her midsection as another wave of pain hit her. “Do all humans go through this when they are here?” She complained knowing the answer.