Page 20 of Dragon Revealed (Dragon Kings 1)
Chapter Eleven
She would have to make a decision soon. For over a week, Jeyra had been giving the council just enough to keep them happy, but she would be forced to provide them with more soon. She had a lot of information from Varek that others would want to know. She hadn’t divulged any of it, and she wasn’t sure what she planned to do with all of it.
On the one hand, she knew firsthand just how ferocious dragons were.
On the other, she had few facts to support the things she had believed for most of her life.
She was questioning everything now, and that put her in a precarious position.
As she stood before the council, staring at the five of them as they whispered amongst themselves, covering their mouths so she couldn’t read their lips, all she could think about was that she didn’t know any more now than she had the first time she went looking for the truth, even after eight days of searching for answers. And that frightened her.
Jeyra glanced out one of the windows and noticed that she had already been in the council’s chambers longer than usual. She wasn’t sure how she felt about admitting to herself that she was anxious to get back to Varek. He was supposed to be the enemy. It was peculiar that he had become a confidante of sorts.
The longer the council took, the more irritated Jeyra became. It was all she could do not to tap her foot, clear her throat, or outright ask them to get on with things so she could continue her day. Doing any of that would put her out of favor immediately. The council had too much power. They had the ability to ruin everything, including her capacity to earn a wage. No one should have that kind of influence.
She shifted her feet and wondered what Varek thought of her tardiness. Then she inwardly snorted because it wasn’t as if he had any concept of time in the dungeon. Then again, he was a Dragon King. There was much about him she didn’t know. She was the only one who brought him food, and if she didn’t go, he wouldn’t eat.
At one time, that wouldn’t have bothered her. But since she had gotten to know him, she found it distressed her. His wounds were healing, albeit slowly. The magic within him wasn’t able to repair his injuries, which meant that it couldn’t ensure he didn’t die of starvation. Not that missing one meal would do him much harm. Still, she wanted to get to him.
Mostly, she wanted to tell him what she had discovered after leaving him the previous day. If she had thought she could go into the council, give them a tidbit of information, and then walk out like before, she was wrong.
What was going on? The council conversing in such quiet tones while she stood there waiting to give her report told her that whatever they were discussing involved her or Varek. Her stomach tightened at the thought. Had they found out she was withholding information? Had they learned about her questions? Or worse, did they know she was the one who had captured Varek by crossing their border?
Jeyra’s hands grew clammy, and she felt nauseous. She needed to sit down to combat the roiling of her stomach, but the only chairs in the room were for the council members. Her other option was the floor. And, quite frankly, at that moment, it sounded like a great choice if she didn’t wish to be sick in front of everyone.
She parted her lips and breathed through her mouth as sweat broke out across her forehead. Her eyes darted about, trying to find escape routes if guards came for her. She might not have any weapons, but the warriors in the room did. Granted, they were more highly trained than she was, but she wasn’t without tricks. She could get a weapon off them, and the moment she did, it would even things considerably.
That was only if the three warriors in the room came at her. If the guards joined in, she wouldn’t last long against those odds.
She’d realized sometime last night during another fitful sleep that things couldn’t continue as they were. The gossip about her had drawn more attention than she wanted, making it more difficult for her to gain answers. The fact that she couldn’t find anything meant that she had to ask more people, bringing more attention to herself. And all without learning anything relevant.
Suddenly, the door behind her opened, causing her to jump in surprise. Jeyra saw the warriors near the council table watching her. Her surprise showed them that she was lost in thought instead of focused on things in the room.
The guard walking past her caught her attention. She followed him with her eyes to the council table as all five stopped talking and listened raptly as the guard leaned forward over the table and whispered something to Arn. The council leader gave a nod to the guard, who turned on his heel and strode out. But not before cutting his eyes to her with a smirk.
Jeyra frowned, wondering what the guard was sneering at. Whatever it was, it didn’t bode well for her. The nausea returned with a vengeance. She had never dealt well when she thought she might be punished. It’s why she rarely broke the rules. She had only done it to capture a Dragon King because she had wanted justice.
Arn cleared his throat. “Jeyra.”
She forced her fingers to remain loose instead of curling into fists that always showed her apprehension. “Yes.”
“The Dragon King, Varek, has been in our dungeon for ten days now. You are making strides, but not nearly enough. We need more.”
Her gaze skimmed each of the members’ faces before returning to Arn. “You make it sound as if you want something in particular.”
Arn smiled, causing a chill to race down her back. “We want to know if he has a spouse.”
“What?” she asked before she could think. She was so shocked.
Arn shrugged, his lips turning down at the corners. “Our two species have long been in conflict. Perhaps it’s time that changes.”
“How would that even work? They’re dragons.”
Palmira snorted loudly, chewing on a sweet. “You know perfectly well how it would work since you’ve been speaking with Varek. Had you not seen him in his dragon form, you wouldn’t even know he was a Dragon King.”
“That begs the question,” Sateen said, “what color dragon is Varek?”
Jeyra’s gaze slid to the eldest of the council. Sateen was petite with a frail frame, her back hunched with age. She always wore a smile, but that belied that she was the most conniving and lethal of all the council. Sateen’s hair was completely white, her eyes a faded gray. She ruled her family and province with an iron fist. No one went up against her. The few who did and managed to win never lived long enough to enjoy it.
Of course, it would be Sateen who asked something Jeyra didn’t know. Then she remembered that Varek had mentioned it in one of his stories. She lifted her chin and locked gazes with the councilwoman. “Lichen.”
“Lichen?”
This from the only other male on the council. Alvin was a buffoon. Jeyra had long thought the pudgy, middle-aged man with his round face and narrow-set brown eyes was simply a pawn. Everyone knew his domineering wife ran things in their marriage. Alvin’s hair was always falling into his face, despite the heaps of pomade he used to control it.
Fu cut him a side-eye since he was beside her. “It’s a grayish-green.”
