Page 23 of Dragon Revealed (Dragon Kings 1)
Jeyra’s gaze swung to him. “What?”
“How was I captured? I have no memories of the event. I remember being with my friend, and then I woke here.”
She shrugged and reached through the bars for the sack to rummage through it for the food he had set aside. Varek watched her, wondering who he could speak with to get that question answered. He wanted to know who’d taken him and why. That huge piece of the puzzle was still elusive.
“Do you think you could find out?” he asked.
Jeyra glanced away while putting food into her mouth.
“I know you don’t owe me anything, but I feel if I can find out who trapped me, that will help me figure out how to get out. Do you think it was someone from the council?”
She swallowed before answering. “They’re capable of anything. I know that for a fact.”
“Tell me again how you knew about the Dragon Kings? Have you met one before me? Has one been here?”
“A very long time ago, a Dragon King was here. It was before my time. The border isn’t supposed to be crossed by them or us,” Jeyra explained.
Interesting. “Who put the border in place?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I ever asked.”
“That isn’t part of your history?” he asked, confused that something like that wouldn’t have been shared.
She shrugged once more. “I don’t remember learning that.”
“Do you no’ find that odd? Unless you doona want to tell me.”
She lowered the food and shot him a flat look. “If I knew, I’d tell you.”
“There are simple things that you should know. Who decided on the border, when it was put in place. Things of that nature that everyone should know. Unless that information is purposefully being kept from you.”
Jeyra snorted and rolled her eyes. “Now that’s silly. Why would it be kept from us?”
“There are many reasons. See if you can find out. If the answer is easily attained, then it’s something they didna feel merited being passed on. However, if there is a war between your kind and the dragons, as you said, it seems the border and everything involving that should be something told to the young so they never forget.”
Jeyra tossed the uneaten food into the sack and twisted her lips. “You say sound things, and I’m appalled that I’ve never thought about any of it before.”
“Is there really a war? Is there a battle going on somewhere right now?”
“I might have exaggerated that,” she admitted with a twist of her lips. “There has always been a back and forth. A dragon will occasionally venture over the border and kill someone. We retaliate, and the cycle continues. The council thinks a marriage between the species will halt that.”
Varek had to admit the idea had merit. “Perhaps for your village, but I doubt that would apply to every human. You said yourself, there are more.”
“Many more. I believe we have land aplenty, but the council said today that the marriage would also be about getting the dragons to give up some of their land. The council claims the dragons have four times what we have.”
Varek shook his head and straightened in his seat. “Ah. History repeating itself, except on another planet.”
“What do you mean?”
“The humans on my realm constantly wanted land. They didna want to feel closed in. And they reproduced rapidly. We had to continually give up more and more of our holdings. It was never enough.”
Jeyra bit her lip. “Were the humans like the wealthy here who have plenty of land that they hoard instead of sharing with others?”
“Aye.”
“We don’t exactly live in peace, but we try to keep our distance from the dragons. Like I said, things happen.”
He quirked a brow. “Even though no one is supposed to cross the border?”
“Exactly.”
“Is it guarded by your people? The dragons?”
“No one.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “It isna guarded at all? Those who cross it are no’ reprimanded in any way, I’m guessing.”
“No.”
“Then what is the point of having it?”
“To keep the dragons out.”
He glanced at the chains on the ground. “Or is it to keep your kind in place? You said there is no magic here. But that there is elsewhere on the realm. What if it was the dragons who put the border in place to ensure that no magic could be done within your borders?”
“Don’t be absurd,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
“We promised each other truth, lass. Tell me that those chains were to make sure I couldna do magic.”
Jeyra glanced at them. “They were.”
“They were taken off today. Why do you think that was?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s any numb—”
“Because they knew I wouldna be able to do magic, even without them.”
“Have you tried?”
He grunted. “Of course.”
Amber eyes lowered to the chains as she stared at them for a long, silent moment. When she looked at him again, her gaze was troubled. “Someone came and took them off today? And offered you a shirt, as well?”
“Aye.”
“A man?”
“It was.”
Jeyra shifted slightly. “Did he tell you his name?”
“He didna speak at all.”
