Page 13 of Dragon Revealed (Dragon Kings 1)
Chapter Eight
Varek didn’t move, didn’t even breathe. He couldn’t have heard Jeyra right. He dragged in a deep breath when she licked her lips and briefly lowered her eyes to the ground. He hadn’t actually thought she would tell him anything. The fact that she was talking told him that gaining information from him meant a great deal to her. Even knowing that, he was curious about her. He wanted to know every detail.
“For many, many years, we’ve sought to figure out how babies show up,” she continued with a shrug. “But no matter what we do, there are still no answers. We’ve yet to uncover who brings the babies here. When an infant is discovered, the council allows people in the city and the surrounding farms to come forward and give reason why they should raise it. The council decides who should take the child. That’s how I was placed with my family. They were good people. Loyd was a farmer. He and his wife, Irma, had taken in two foundlings before me, both boys. Because his crops were so important to the area, the council allowed them to take me so I could help Irma.”
Varek leaned forward, bracing his arms on his thighs. Jeyra’s gaze looked straight through him as if she were living it all over again.
“Milford and Ernest were my brothers,” she said with a soft smile. “They were several years older and teased me mercilessly. But there was much love in our household. The work was hard, but life was simple. And good. Loyd and Irma had a lot of love to give, and they shared it with us.”
Varek slowly released a breath, never taking his gaze from her.
Jeyra blinked a few times quickly. “The spring of my eleventh year, my world came crashing down. I was out searching for mushrooms when I heard a roar. I was terrified and dropped the basket to rush back to the house, thinking the dragon was coming for me. I rushed through the woods, branches tearing at my clothes and body. When I reached the clearing, I saw the dragon hovering over the house. The barn was already engulfed in flames, the livestock rushing away in fear. Then the dragon sucked in a breath.”
Varek closed his eyes because he knew what came next.
“Even from that distance, I felt the heat of the dragon’s fire,” Jeyra said in a soft voice. “I covered my head, afraid it would see me and breathe fire on me, as well. I’m not sure how long I lay there before I dared to lift my head. The dragon was gone, but the house was burning. I ran to it, hoping I’d find my family still alive. Instead, I found their smoldering bodies.”
There was nothing for Varek to say. Nothing that would help. So, he remained silent, watching her.
Jeyra cleared her throat. “The dragon was seen from the city walls. Rankin and the warriors rushed to fight it, but it was long gone by the time they arrived. Rankin was the first one to the house. He’s the one who found me, lifted me in his arms, and carried me back to the city and to safety. The council questioned me about what happened, and I answered as best I could. I don’t remember anything until the next morning when I woke up in Rankin’s house. He stayed by my side for the next few days, sitting with me when my nightmares woke me, and comforting me as my family was buried, as is our custom.”
She focused on him then, revulsion shining in her amber eyes. “You want to know why I hate dragons and Dragon Kings? That’s why. My family was taken from me in the most horrendous way possible. And for what reason? They were good, decent people who never harmed anyone.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, lass. I really am. But that wasna me, and you can no’ blame me for something I wasna a part of. If a dragon did that—”
She shot him a look of condemnation. “If?”
“There has to be a reason,” he continued. “I can help you find out which dragon did it and why.”
“As if you would help me.”
“I would. Just as I know that if a dragon did something so horrible, a Dragon King would have punished them severely so no other would dare attempt such a thing.” What he didn’t say was that if a dragon had singled out a family, it was likely because they had done something to the dragon. Jeyra had been just a small girl. She loved her family, and believed they could do no wrong. It would be pointless for him to suggest that they might not have been aboveboard.
Her lips twisted as she snorted. “It wasn’t just a dragon who killed my family. It was a Dragon King.”
“How do you know?”
“I was told.”
“By who?” he pushed.
Her face contorted with frustration. “It’s none of your damn business. We know the difference.”
“That’s just it, lass. You can no’ tell the difference between a Dragon King and a dragon when we’re in our true forms. We look alike.”
Puzzlement passed over her face before she shook her head. “Of course, you’d lie to make the dragons look innocent. You don’t want to die, and you’re trying to save your own arse.”
“I’m no’ lying. I’ve no need to.”
“So you say.”
Varek sighed, trying his best not to lose his patience. He wanted to ask her so many things about her story, mainly the dragons. But now wasn’t the time. He needed to tread carefully and slowly work his way up to that. “You say that bairns show up here?”
“That’s right.”
“Is there a certain place they arrive? Does anyone see how they get here?”
She rolled her eyes. “No and no. Why are you even asking about that?”
“Because it’s concerning that babies are being taken from the arms of their parents and brought here. Do you no’ want to know where you come from?”
Jeyra shook her head. “I’ve accepted things.”
“I wouldna. If there isna a place the bairns are placed, how do you know when one has arrived?”
She released a long-suffering sigh. “If you must know, small groups roam our lands, looking and listening for babies.”
“They’re then brought to the council?”
“Yes,” she replied in irritation. “Just as I said.”
He sat up, stretching his back. “Has anyone ever kept a bairn to themselves without going to the council?”
“The laws are in place for a reason. They’re not to be broken.”
There was something in her voice at the end that caught his attention. Varek quirked a brow. “Oh, I imagine there are those who break the laws and doona get caught.”
Jeyra shrugged. “If anyone kept a baby, that’s between them and the council if they’re ever caught. There are no records of people, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s done.”
Varek rubbed his hands down his thighs, the clanking of the chains reminding him of his position. “On my realm, there is folklore about changelings.”
“What are changelings?”
“Human children stolen by the Fae. They leave Fae children in their place.”
“Fae? You can’t be serious.”
He was so taken aback by her refusal to believe, that he could only blink at her. “In my world, dragons are myth, and yet we’re verra real. Trust me when I say the Fae are, as well. Have you never encountered a Fae?”
“No,” she said with a decisive shake of her head.
