The sky had darkened, and a chilling wind slipped through the cracks in Daniels hut, the moonlight streaming in from the cracks in the roof illuminated the room. He sat on the floor in the middle of the hut, staring at the bag. The strange sense of want was still on him, but greatly diminished now he had the bag in front of him, it’s deep green seemed to blend in with the shadows, making it difficult to see even with its proximity to him.

“Stupid, why did I have to go and take this, if I’d been caught I doubt they’d let me off with just a beating” – Daniel sat there berating himself – “Especially in my current state, I could barely move yesterday, and I’m still bruised and battered.”

‘What was that weird feeling I felt when I saw the bag though’

Daniel continued to think about that strange sensation he felt when he first looked at the bag. It was like the sensation he feels whenever he had a strong desire, that hot feeling rising from his chest. He could feel it now, the desire to open the bag, to get at its contents.

Confused by this feeling Daniel again tried to focus on the heat rising from his chest, as he had many times before, sitting cross-legged on the floor he let his perceptions of his surrounding disappear. The hear came from just below his heart, seeping outwards through his blood, warming him with its constant pulse. The tingle of desire was still there in the back of his mind, urging him forward to open the bag, he focused on this feeling and tried to encompass all his desires into one.

His desire for more. He wanted more than this small hut in some backwater village. He wanted more than to be some nobody peasant without a copper to his name. He wanted more than to be looked down upon by some farmers son. He wanted power.

These feeling grew inside of him, the slow pulse of heat growing, until it felt like fire in his veins. Scorching him for the inside. He felt the something within the bag respond to his wants, drawing him towards it. It wanted out of the bag, it wanted to help him. It wanted freedom.

These feeling resonated strongly with Daniel, he felt himself lost, as he reached towards the bag. His fingers toying with the straps keeping whatever was within contained. Slowly, ever so slowly, his fingers loosened the straps, freeing whatever was trapped within.

A strong glow emerged from within, lighting up Daniels hut as though a small sun had been trapped within. Blinded by the contents within, Daniels mind raced, what could glow so brightly, Gold? Gems? Could he finally leave this village behind and start somewhere better?

He opened his eyes to peer within, and contrary to his expectations there was what appeared to be a small dragon, no longer than Daniels smallest finger, curled up within the bag. It was a deep red and radiated enough light to make Daniels eyes water when he looked directly at it. Awed by this seemingly legendary creature, Daniel thought back on the merchant who came to visit.

‘No way was he an ordinary merchant, who’d leave something so valuable in plain sight!’ – Daniels mind was in constant turmoil. Part of him wanted to reach down and take the small creature, the tug on his mind compelling him to do so, and another part of him, the blazing heat in his chest, called out to him to seal up the bag and make for Tyrnel, the nearest city, to sell this thing. He knew if he found the right buyer he’d get more gold than he could dream of.

‘But what if he finds me? With items this valuable he’d defiantly kill me if he tracked me down, or worse yet sell me to the union’ – As these conflicting thoughts swam around Daniels head, he unconsciously reached down, drawn by the strange tug on his mind, and caressed the small dragons head.

Daniel only realized what he’d when a sharp pain came from his middle finger, looking down he saw twin orbs of fire, like two miniature suns staring back at him. Before he could fully realise what had happened the small dragon wrapped itself tightly around Daniels finger, and all the light seemed to condense and fly directly into Daniel’s eyes. Momentarily blinded yet again Daniel could only sit there, in stunned shock, before the pain started to assail him. It was such an instant and deep pain he did the only thing he could.

He screamed.

Tormented wails left his throat as he thrashed on the floor, his hand clutched tightly to his chest in a futile attempt to stop whatever pain was assailing his whole body. He had to bite down on his hand to stop the cry’s calling the village’s wrath down upon him. He tasted the iron of his blood fill his mouth as he bit hard enough to cut flesh. He felt himself hit the bones in his hand, but couldn’t release himself in fear of others coming to investigate. Especially with this thing on his finger.

Convincing himself that it was a demon or cursed artefact in his lucid moments of pain, Daniel struggled onwards through the hell his own body had become. On and on the pain seemed to go, without and end in sight. And then as suddenly as it had come, the pain stopped. His hand still hurt like high hell, but at least his mind wasn’t tearing itself apart. With one last look down at his hand, Daniel saw the dragon had turned into a ring, circling his middle finger from base to the first knuckle. Its eyes closed, hiding the burning rubies contained below, with its feet and mouth firmly clamped on to his finger he had no way to remove it.

‘And here I was thinking today was lucky’ – With that final though Daniel passed into the sweet abyss that was sleep. Hoping that no one would come to find him in his hut tonight.