Silk and Ash

"What kind of dragon?"

"A coiled serpent. Yellow."

"The second?"

"Ivory," Jagatai said. "She was from the savannah, a white dragon. She fought fiercely, even more so than you." He squeezed Ash's shoulder, hoping she wouldn't take offense.

She didn't, instead asked, "What happened?"

"She was fast. I was too slow getting my shield up and her fire hit my shoulder. But once I had her attention, she was docile as a lamb. From her I learned that seduction is about transforming negative emotions into positive ones."

"A valuable lesson." Then. "And the third? What was she like?"

"Actually, Sky was male."

Her brow raised.

"All the evidence pointed to a female. Very territorial, I assumed protecting a nest. But Sky turned out to be a young man. He was a thunder dragon. The most gorgeous shade of blue I ever saw."

"And?"

"He served me, same as you."

"And what did you learn from me?" She asked.

He was on guard now. A misstep here would be deadly. "I learned that your kind appreciates poetry as much as any human. That beneath the strength and aggression is sensitivity and intelligence."

She blushed. "Never I have laid with one of your kind."

"You lost the wager," Jagatai said matter of factly. "Now you will serve me."

She thought for a moment. "You didn't dictate the terms of how long I will be in your service. Therefore it is up to me to decide how long I deem appropriate. I will serve you for a year and a day. That is the length of my debt to you. After that you will leave me and never return."

Jagatai nodded. That was a longer service than he had with any of the others.

The battle and the conquest afterwards left him mentally and physically exhausted. Jagatai drifted off to sleep where he dreamed of dragons battling in the sky.