Page 37 of Dragon Revealed (Dragon Kings 1)
Jeyra struggled to find something to say to Varek when he suddenly dropped to his knees, holding his head in his hands, pure anguish contorting his face. She rushed to him but hesitated to touch him since she wasn’t sure what was wrong with him.
“Varek? What is it? What can I do?”
His lips were peeled back, his eyes closed. He sat like that, unmoving for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he sucked in a breath and dropped his hands, but the agony still creased his visage.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I should’ve told you it was me.”
He got to his feet and shook his head. “I need to get across the border. Now.”
She nodded and started running. He kept up with her, not talking. The entire time, Jeyra went through different conversations on how she might explain herself to Varek, but nothing could make up for what she had done. An apology would never undo the damage she had caused, but she had to try.
They quickly ran across the open area of rolling hills into the forest. It took another hour before they reached the brook. She paused long enough to get a drink and catch her breath. Varek dropped to one knee and used his hand to cup water to his lips. She glanced his way, but he was looking around the area.
He used the rocks in the water to cross. She was halfway across the stream when he threw out his arms and shouted with happiness. Sweat covered his face and matted his blond hair to his head, but she’d never seen anyone look as handsome as he did.
Varek spun around to face her and dropped his arms. She met his dark gaze and waited for him to tell her that she was no longer welcome around him. Instead, he walked toward her and held out his hand. She hesitated, but he merely smiled in response.
“Do you really think I didna figure out it was you? I suspected after I heard the story about your family, and you told me the council ordered you to interrogate me. You made a point of telling me later that you’re no’ trained in such tactics. It was a fair puzzle to solve, but I did solve it.”
Jeyra shook her head in confusion. “But…if you knew, why did you want me to come? Is it to take me prisoner?”
“Nay, lass,” he replied, never taking his gaze from hers.
“Then…why?”
“Because we have a connection.”
There was a good chance he was lying, but Jeyra didn’t think that was the case. She slid her hand into his waiting one as he helped her across the stream. She didn’t need his aid, but she was glad he gave it. “I’m sorry.”
“Doona be,” he told her. “Had you no’ captured me, I wouldna have met you. Or learned dragons are being tortured.”
Her head snapped to him. “Tortured? Are you sure?”
His face was grim, his lips pinched. “I heard them. Their screams are…terrible.”
“Where are they? Can you help them?”
He drew in a breath and looked at her, sadness in his brown depths. “In your city. And, aye, lass, I will help them.”
She was so shocked that she didn’t know what to say. “That can’t be possible. We would’ve heard dragons. I know their roars. Nothing could stop something that loud from penetrating every building in Orgate.”
“Nothing but magic.”
She started to argue but realized there was nothing she could say.
“I believe that was what drew me in the dungeons. When I wanted to go lower.”
Jeyra found a boulder and sat. “I feel sick to my stomach. We might hate dragons, but we wouldn’t torture one. Mostly because we would never be able to hold it.”
“As I told you, there are many different-sized dragons.”
She looked up at him. “And what size are you?”
“I doona think you’re ready to see that.”
“I… Maybe not.” She swallowed, her mind racing with too many thoughts. “Had we gone down deeper into the dungeons, you wouldn’t have been able to free them without your magic or strength.”
“I should’ve tried. I’m a Dragon King, lass. It is my duty to protect. I spent years safeguarding my clan, and I’ve spent eons looking after humans.”
She got to her feet, nodded. “I want to help.”
“You detest dragons.”
“I need answers. To everything. I’ve been told all my life that dragons don’t come near us because of the barrier, yet dragons have crossed it and killed. I’ve always believed that they cross the border simply because they want to kill us for pleasure. What if…what if I’ve been wrong? What if they’re coming because they’re looking for the dragons you heard?”
His lips flattened as he glanced at the ground. “I think that’s exactly why the dragons have been coming.”
“M-maybe we captured a dragon to stop it from killing. Perhaps they intend to let it go. Or maybe it’s to make sure no more dragons attack us.”
Varek said nothing to her comments. She knew her words were wishful thinking. “My whole world is blowing up.”
“We doona know anything yet,” he cautioned her. “Keep an open mind.”
She swallowed and shifted her feet. “I thought you were the enemy, but you aren’t. The dragons won’t feel the same way toward me. They’ll know I’m the enemy.”
“You’ll be with me and under my protection.”
“I don’t deserve it.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “A lot has happened to you over a short period of time. Take it in, but doona pass judgment. All will sort itself out.”
She wasn’t sure if that was possible, but she clung to the idea with everything she had. After a little while, Varek released her but took her hand as they started walking. The woods eventually faded away, and they came to a body of water.
“A good place to make camp,” he said.
Jeyra turned to look for wood, but he stopped her. In a blink, he had a fire started and food. There were also blankets and pillows and a thick piece of material held up by wooden stakes to provide shelter.
“Eat,” Varek urged. “Rest.”
The food smelled so good, she couldn’t resist. She sat and began to eat. The last thing she had consumed was a portion of Rankin’s soup the night before. She was famished and stuffed herself with the delicious food despite not really knowing what it was. Varek sat with her, and while he also sampled the fare, he did it much slower than she.
With her belly full, a gentle breeze lulling her, and the water lapping, she soon found her eyes heavy. Unable to keep them open, she lay back on one of the large pillows with its bright colors to rest. The next thing she knew, she was asleep.
