Page 38 of Dragon Revealed (Dragon Kings 1)
Chapter Twenty
The moment he knew Jeyra was asleep, Varek jumped to his feet and ran some distance away before he shifted and leapt into the sky, his wings taking him higher and higher. After fearing that he might never be in his true form again, it was exhilarating to fly once more. He drew in several deep breaths, letting the air rush over him, through him, while relishing the fact that everything he believed he’d lost was back.
Varek wanted to spend more time simply taking in the fact that he was in dragon form once more, but there wasn’t time. He listened, hoping to hear the dragons. When he picked up nothing, he circled the loch and looked down at Jeyra. He wished he could take her with him, but she wasn’t ready. Not yet, at least. She needed time to accept everything he was.
She had come a long way since trapping him, but he feared that forcing her would only cause her to backtrack. She was his mate, and he couldn’t lose her now that he’d found her. Therefore, he decided to leave her for the moment to see if he could find any dragons. Though he and Jeyra had walked some distance from the border, he suspected there likely wouldn’t be dragons anywhere close.
Varek flapped his wings, propelling him faster through the sky, his eyes searching the air and the ground for any signs of his kin. He knew the dragons were there, but his need to see them warred with his desire to return to Jeyra. Her exhaustion would allow her to sleep for some time, but he didn’t want to chance her waking and finding him gone.
No matter which way he traveled, the longer he went without seeing a dragon, the more anxious he became. For all he knew, they might be on the other side of the globe. It’s what any Dragon King would tell their dragons to do if humans had managed to capture some and torture them.
Anger churned hotly within him. He had seen the mortals on his world do some despicable things to dragons and each other. He should no longer be shocked by their actions, but he was incensed. Affronted.
Enraged.
He was all of those things and more. And it reminded him why so many Dragon Kings—himself included—had joined Ulrik during their war with the mortals. Those thoughts made him think of the Pinks and their eradication. A clan of dragons was gone, simply because they had been easy to catch.
He felt partly responsible for their demise. His lands had bordered the Pinks’. He’d known they’d been having issues with the humans. He should’ve checked in more with the King of Pinks. He should’ve done something. They might be alive now if he had.
That line of thinking was never good. The past was over. What was done was done. Wishing it differently didn’t make it so. But he could—and would—do something about the dragons here. He wouldn’t sit by and allow more dragons to be harmed when he could stop it.
He cleared his mind of Jeyra, the past, and his rage. Then he opened the mental link so he could speak to the dragons since he couldn’t find them. “I am Varek, King of Lichens. I’m from Earth and was brought to this realm. I’ve recently escaped Orgate. There are dragons there who need to be rescued. I intend to free them.”
“We know who you are,” replied a male voice that didn’t seem at all happy to hear him.
“Who are you?”he asked.
The male sighed heavily in his mind. “Many have attempted to free our kin without success. Why do you think you’ll be any different?”
“Because I’m no’ just going to storm in there thinking I can free them. I’m betting none of you have been in the city or know anything about the people there. I have, and I do. And I know where the dragons are.”
“Have you seen them?” the male demanded.
Varek was getting irritated, but he kept his temper in check. He had no idea what these dragons had been through. “I heard them. There’s only one place they could be. Now, are you going to help me or no’?”
“Tell me where they are. This is none of your concern.”
“They’re dragons. They are my concern. I’ll be around if you change your mind.”
Varek severed the connection and dipped his wing to turn back toward Jeyra. Whoever he spoke with must be in charge. Was it Con and Rhi’s son? Varek had decided not to mention Con since the twins didn’t seem at all interested in their parents visiting.
Everyone thought it was because the twins didn’t like their parents. He now wondered if it had something to do with the dragons being kept by the humans. Or a combination of the two. One way or another, Varek would sort it all out. And however Jeyra managed to get him here, he would get both of them back to Earth.
But only after the dragons were saved.
He had to admit that the land was quite beautiful. Great mountains, vast forests, lochs and rivers of all sizes, and plains and plateaus of grass as far as the eye could see. It resembled Earth in many ways. If he weren’t so intent on returning to Jeyra, he would spend more time looking around and searching for the dragons.
When the loch came back into view, Varek began his descent. He dove toward the ground, shifting back into his human form as he did and landing with his knees bent and fingers on the ground. He looked at the water and walked into it, needing to wash off the smell of the dungeon.
The loch was crystal-clear. He dove under the water and saw a variety of fish. Varek spent more time swimming, enjoying his freedom once more. Then he stood near the shore where Jeyra slept and scooped up handfuls of sand to begin scrubbing himself. He could’ve used his magic to produce soap, but he didn’t want it to sully the pristine waters. Besides, the sand worked just as well.
He tipped his head back to rinse the last of it from his scalp and wiped the water from his face. He looked across the loch at the waterfall in the distance, tumbling down a mountain. He had so many questions, and he hoped the dragons might be able to answer them—if they ever trusted him enough to meet him.
If these were the descendants of the dragons they’d sent over the dragon bridge from Earth, he was sorry to see them going through something similar to what had happened to those on his realm. Every Dragon King wished and hoped that by sending their dragons away, they had an opportunity for a better life. Varek couldn’t shake the feeling that hadn’t been the case.
Now, more than ever, he understood why V hadn’t wanted to use his sword to find the dragons. The Kings all wanted to locate their clans, but at the same time, each of them knew there was a chance they wouldn’t like what they found. They had been cowards. The dragons had counted on them, and the Kings should have looked for them the first opportunity they got.
Regardless, they were still left with the dilemma of what to do with them. They couldn’t return to Earth. If the mortals hadn’t been able to live with them eons ago, they certainly wouldn’t now. Not to mention, humans wouldn’t understand magic. There would be all sorts of chaos.
