Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

"Are you some kind of witch?" Kendra guessed.

Torina smirked. "I can stomach audacious if you keep it polite. Fortunately for you, I’ve met some smoking hot witches in my day, so I take no offense. I’m not a witch, per se, though I know my fair share of magic. Inside these walls my identity is no secret. I’m a lectoblix."

"The type that can suck away the youth of other people?"

"Not bad," Torina said, impressed. "Yes, I drain vitality from others in order to remain young. Before you start formulating smart comments, no, I have not done so in quite some time, which explains my haggard appearance. I prefer not to gratuitously abuse my ability."

"You don’t look haggard," Kendra assured her.

Torina regarded Kendra through lowered eyelids. "You have a knack for imitating sincerity. How old would you peg me?"

Kendra shrugged. "Late forties?" She deliberately guessed a little young. Early fifties would have been more honest.

Eyes suspicious, Torina uttered a brief, amused laugh. "My body is currently sixty-two."

"You’re kidding! You really look much younger," Kendra said, noticing that Torina could not resist looking pleased. "But if you’ve drained vitality from others, you must be older than sixty-two."

"Goodness, yes, child! I would never divulge my actual age! You’d think you were conversing with a mummy!"

Studying her stylish captor, Kendra took a shuddering breath. "Are you going to suck away my youth?"

Torina chuckled. Her smile suddenly appeared brittle, and though the laugh was meant to dismiss the possibility as ridiculous, it carried a predatory undertone. "No, Kendra, you silly thing, the Sphinx would have my head! Besides, I live by a code. I am opposed to draining children. It stunts their growth, turns them into freaks. Too unfair." Torina paused, briefly scraping the corner of her lips with a long fingernail. "Then again, should you try to escape, I would have no choice but to hinder the attempt by those means which are available to my kind." Her eyes glittered.

"You don’t have to worry about that," Kendra claimed.

"No, I don’t," Torina agreed. "The windows are all barred. The bars are invisible, so as to avoid unwanted attention. The doors are locked and powerfully reinforced. I could leave you unsupervised and you would have no hope of escaping. But I have guards, and my whisper hound."

Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson had a whisper hound guarding the prisoners in the basement. Kendra did not know too much about it. "What does a whisper hound do?"

"Funny you should ask," Torina remarked, crossing to the door through which Kendra had entered. She opened the door and spoke a command in a foreign tongue. A gust of cold wind rushed through the doorway. "Keep very still, Kendra."

Kendra sat rigidly on the wood floor as frosty air swirled around her. The air settled, stirring mildly, and became even colder, a penetrating chill that made her teeth chatter. She held her breath as the frigid air caressed her strangely. Torina issued another unintelligible command, and the cold pocket whisked away, gushing out the door.

"Now that the whisper hound has your scent, escape is out of the question," Torina said, closing the door. "Bars on the windows are a needless redundancy. As are my associates who will assuredly keep a sharp eye on you. As are the spells I have in place on the doors."

"I get it," Kendra said glumly.

"For your sake, I hope you do. Now, dearest, I know it is no fault of yours, but you reek of wood smoke and tree sap. I am sorry to have subjected you to the outdoors. Such torture is cruel and unusual, but poor Rex was doing his best to keep a low profile. Our first order of business will be to restore you to a presentable state. You’ll find a fresh outfit in my bathroom along with such amenities as you may require."

Beckoning for Kendra to follow, Torina clicked across the floor, through a doorway, and into a tastefully decorated bathroom. Kendra traced a hand across a granite countertop, taking in the groupings of expensive-looking cosmetic products. The heady aromas of fine soaps and lotions mingled in the air. Soft lights lined the mirror above the counter. Kendra thought her reflection looked unusually pretty.

"Amazing what proper lighting will do for a complexion," Torina observed airily. "Here are your things." She stroked a thick, soft towel and gestured at a green-and-white checkered dress. "You can use the jetted tub or the roomy shower. As for shampoos and body wash, what is mine is yours. I’ll leave you with some privacy. I’ll be nearby should you need anything."

"Thanks," Kendra said.

Torina exited, closing the door behind her. Kendra locked it. The bathroom had a window with opaque glass. It was large enough for a person to fit through. In case the invisible bars were a ruse, Kendra opened the window. It appeared to offer easy access to the roof, but when Kendra extended her hand, as Torina had promised, she could feel metal bars blocking any exit into the cold night. She closed the window with a sigh.

Folding her arms and leaning against a wall, Kendra considered the opulent bathroom. She would almost have preferred confinement in a dingy cell. It would have felt less treacherous. She did not appreciate the illusions of friendliness and comfort. To Kendra, Torina came across like an alluring tropical plant poised to devour unsuspecting insects.

Yet here she was in a lovely bathroom, and she did need a shower, so she might as well. Kendra disrobed. Beneath her bare feet, the floor was tacky with hair-spray residue. The warm stream of the shower felt good, as did the perfumed body wash. After she had washed, Kendra lingered in the shower with her eyes closed, breathing steam, enjoying the sensation of the water running down her back, reluctant to end the solitary interlude.

Finally she shut off the water and toweled dry. She put on fresh undergarments and the checkered dress. Everything fit her just right.

Hair still damp, Kendra unlocked the door and returned to the trendy bedroom. Torina hastily pulled off a pair of reading glasses and tossed aside a celebrity magazine. Folding the glasses awkwardly and tucking them into her handbag, she stood up. "I was beginning to worry that you would never emerge."

"The shower felt good."

"The dress looks darling. Twirl for me."

Kendra obliged her.

"Very nice," Torina approved. "We should do something with your hair."

"I’m not really in the mood."

"Just style it a smidge? Or we could roll up our sleeves and have some real fun. Red and gold highlights? No? Another night, perhaps. I’m no amateur."