"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 ...