Tongue Tied Episode 9

Aria and Grant clung to each other like novice sailors at a ship’s railing in rough seas. The heat between them molded their lips together like sweet caramel.

Aria jerked away. “We got to go,” she said. “Now. Can you walk?”

Grant nodded, and Aria helped him to his feet. He stumbled forward out of the carriage and landed face down in the dirt.

“Maybe not,” he said. Aria helped him to his feet and looped his arm over her shoulders.

“Sorry,” she said. “We can’t wait. Them saloonies will be coming for me.” He leaned on her like a drunk as she half-dragged him to the edge of the pit. “Where’s this here dragon?”

As if in answer, heat flooded over her, and a dragon’s head the size of the carriage materialized above the thurium pit. Heat radiated from the fire smoldering in the dragon’s mouth, it’s golden eyes locked on Aria’s. “Your dragon don’t look none to happy to see us.”

“Good girl, Bessie,” Grant said. “It’s okay.”

The flames in Bessie’s mouth died down. Aria stood motionless as Bessie sniffed up one side, and down the other, but she flinched when Bessie’s tongue flicked out, and tasted her arm. “Why do you have a dragon?”

Grant struggled to stand on his own, wobbled, and slumped back against Aria. “She’s more useful than a horse,” he said. “More reliable than a skimmer. Besides, I think she done took a shine to me.”

He raised his hand toward the dragon. “Haven’t you girl.” Bessie lowered her head in front of Grant, and he caressed her snout.

“Hey!” Drake yelled from the pit. “You leaving me here as dragon food?”

Bessie whipped her head toward him and spit a stream of fire. Drake screamed and ducked back into the cave.

“Who’s that?” Aria said.

“My next bounty.”

“How much you getting?”

“Once I deliver him at the Columns, they’ll pay me seventy-five — silver or thurium, my choice.”

“Whooeee,” Aria said, and whistled. “That’s a small fortune. What’re we going to do with all that money.”

“We?” Grant tested his legs again. This time they held, and he stood on his own. He glared down at Aria. “You shot me — and you drugged me.”

“Well, You left me in this viper-pit of a hole-in-the-desert — for five years — to fend for myself.”

“And you think shooting and drugging me makes us even?”

“Not quite. But it’s a start.”

 “How ‘bout I leave you behind for your saloonies,” Grant said, “and fly on out of here with my bounty.”

Aria reached inside her handbag and snatched Grant’s blaster. “How ‘bout I shoot you, and tell them saloonies you tried to kidnap me.”

They stared at each other, tension flickering. Bessie looked from Grant, to Aria, and back. “You shoot me,” Grant said, “and Bessie won’t take too kindly to it.”

Bessie spewed smoke out of her nostrils from a rekindled fire in her mouth, and singed Aria’s arm.

(Get lost on the trail and end up here at Episode 9 with no idea what’s going on? Try starting out at Episode 1)

(If’n you just skipped over to Episode 9 and missed Episode 8, now’s your chance to click back and catch up (that’s different than ketchup))

Tongue Tied Episode 8

Grant

A stinging slap tumbled me out of an ardent dream into a mind-numbing aerial roll.

“Wake up, Grant.” Aria’s voice floated. “Wake up.”

Her voice stopped floating, coalesced into a battering ram, and slammed through my head. Her face hovered above me in a cold red dawn. I tried to reach out and grab her by the throat, but my arms flailed uselessly in the air.

“I missed you too,” she said. “But we got no time for that. We got to get out of here before the saloonies come for me.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” I said. But it sounded more like, “Wah n gana weah.” I was starting to feel more of my body. I tried making a fist and managed to curl my fingers far enough I could tell they moved. “You drugged me.” Which sounded more like, “Ahh dugve mah.”

Aria took my hand and pressed it to her chest, early morning twinkling in her eyes. “I think I love you too. But we got to get you up, and find that dragon of yours.”

I thought the drug was wearing off. But my mind tumbled into another confusing barrel-roll. A dream. That’s it. The sky shouldn’t be red, at least not that red. Aria’s face hovering in midair. And it sounded like she just said — “I love you.”

 Her kitten-soft hand stroked across my head and down the side of my face. She smelled lightly of Aria, leather, and lavender. This dream had possibilities. I closed my eyes.

SLAP. “Grant. Wake up!”

The urgency in her voice stung almost as much as the slap. At least feeling was returning to my face. I forced my eyes open to an unwelcome barrage of sunlight that burrowed through my head like a halogen spotlight. It felt like the end of a three-day drunk. “What?”

She shook me like a rag doll. “The saloonies are coming.” She looked nervous. “We need to skedaddle before they get here.”

“Where am I?”

“We’re at the Thurium dig. I might’ve found your dragon. But… I can’t see it. I threw this rock, and it — bounced — like it hit something — but there weren’t nothing there.”

“You threw a rock… at my dragon?”

“It was dark. I didn’t know it was there. I threw another rock. But it just hit the ground.”

“You threw another rock — at my dragon.” Every second the drug-fog thinned more. “To a dragon you’re crunchy and good with ketchup. Throwing rocks at one ain’t smart.”

“I didn’t know it was…” Her eyes lit up. “You really have a dragon.” She bent closer, her heaven-scented breath caressing my cheek. “An honest to Pete dragon?”

I reached up, gathered a handful of her hair, and squeezed. I held her tight, and reached for her throat with my other hand. She pinned it to the floor.

Instead of struggling to get away, she leaned forward. Her lips, so close, felt like hot coals when she kissed me.

(If you stumbled onto this by chance, and have no idea what’s going on, here is the link to Episode 1 where it all began)

(But if you just missed the last Episode, and you’re wondering how Grant and Aria got to the Thurium dig, here is the link to Episode 7)