Page 5 of Dragon Revealed (Dragon Kings 1)
Chapter Three
“What?” In shock, Jeyra gawked at the council before her.
Arn, who sat in the middle, stared at her with beady, cold, blue eyes. He was clean-shaven, his thin, gray hair cut short. His pale skin was wrinkled with age, and his lips were so thin, they were nearly nonexistent. He wasn’t known for his mercy or kindness. But he was fair, which was why he had been elected. Since he had served on the council for a few terms already, he was the leader, the one who ran the meetings and became the deciding vote if the other four were divided.
“You caught the Dragon King. Now it is up to you to learn all his secrets,” Arn stated.
Jeyra swallowed, trying to keep control of a situation that was rapidly spinning out of control. Her gaze rose to the ceiling painted with a picture of the village in its prime. Three large windows graced the walls on either side of her. Behind her was a door that led outside, guarded by two men—one inside and one out. In front of her, the council members were seated behind a wooden table, polished to a high shine and devoid of any decoration. On either side of the table stood the two highest-ranking warriors—one of them Rankin.
Jeyra glanced at him, but his gaze was elsewhere. They hadn’t spoken since he had carried the King to the village. Jeyra’s heart hurt for the loss of friendship—and even family—she had shared with Rankin.
But he had made his choice.
Just as she had.
She lifted her chin and tried to keep her breathing even, despite the panic swirling dizzily inside her. Her stomach churned, and nausea set in, but she refused to be sick in front of the council. At least their meeting had been done in private so the public couldn’t see or hear anything.
Arn narrowed his eyes. “That isn’t a request, Jeyra.”
“I’m not an interrogator,” she argued in a soft voice. The last thing she wanted was to show any disrespect or anger. If she did, things could go very, very badly for her. “I’m a warrior.”
Fu lifted a perfectly arched black brow and said in a cultured voice that showed the nobility she had been born into, “The King is your prize. Therefore, it is up to you to gain what we seek.”
Jeyra stared into Fu’s narrow, hooded, dark eyes. The councilwoman’s thick, black hair was pulled up in an elaborate style that, along with the tailored gown and jeweled armbands she wore, proclaimed Fu’s wealth and position. She was tall, thin, and bony with pale skin. And she wasn’t one to be trifled with. Ever.
“There are others trained in interrogation who would be more suited,” Jeyra replied.
The last place she wanted to be was with the Dragon King. All she wanted was to see his death, and then she could carry on with her life. She had expected him to be executed already. Now, she realized what the holdup was—everyone feared him. Even bound as he was and unable to do magic.
Although, it might be a good thing they wished for her to talk to him. At least then, she wouldn’t have to worry about the King telling anyone that she had crossed the border. Or hired the old crone to open a portal.
Magic simply wasn’t done in the city—any of their cities. Magic was feared by all. It was considered evil, malicious, and revolting. But no one needed to know that she had stooped so low to achieve her dream of bringing a Dragon King to justice.
Jeyra looked at each of the five council members. Two men, three women. All powerful and influential people who could make her life hell. It was obvious by their looks of impatience that they had come to this decision unanimously, and the fact that she still stood before them questioning their demands didn’t sit well with them.
More arguments filled her mouth, but somehow, Jeyra kept them to herself. She bowed her head. “I will do as commanded.” When she straightened, she looked at Rankin once more, but he still wouldn’t meet her gaze.
Jeyra turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving the council, Rankin, and the other warriors behind. The moment she was out of the building, she walked around the side and leaned against the stone structure to drag in huge gulps of air. She bent at the waist and braced her hands on her knees as she breathed through her mouth while her heart raced.
“Shite. Shiteshiteshiteshiteshite,” she murmured.
Nothing was going to plan. She had been so proud of herself for capturing a Dragon King. She hadn’t cared what she had to do to get him because she had honestly believed he would be killed for his crimes.
She slowly straightened as she thought about that. Why wasn’t the council preparing for the King’s death? Why were they so adamant about learning what he knew? They had spoken to Dragon Kings before. It had been years and years ago, but it wasn’t as if this was the first time they’d had one in their midst or within their grasp. What was so different about him? Surely, they didn’t know he wasn’t of this world. Perhaps they wanted to trip her up. Make her look weak. Maybe they were looking for a reason to release the King.
“That’s not going to happen,” she said between clenched teeth and pushed away from the building.
She strode through the city, dodging horses and carriages on her way to the outskirts where the dungeon was. With every step, she tried to figure out how to start with the Dragon King when being around him made her want to physically hurt him for all the damage his kind had caused. She wasn’t at all thrilled about having to talk to him. Jeyra had expected Rankin to back her up and say that an interrogator should have a go at the King. But he hadn’t. And she needed to realize that Rankin might never come to her defense again.
That hurt more than she cared to admit.
By the time Jeyra reached the dungeon, she had more questions than answers. She paused at the entrance and looked up at the hefty gate and high walls. Someone shouted down to her from the guard tower.
Her lips parted to announce her name when the gate opened, and three guards in red tunics and black uniform pants stood there. One motioned her in. “We’ve been expecting you,” he said and turned.
She hurried to catch up. He said nothing more as he guided her into the dungeon, and she didn’t talk since she had nothing to say. Deeper into the mountain and lower into the earth he led her, twisting and turning through the maze of tunnels until he pointed to where the Dragon King had been deposited two days earlier. As if she hadn’t been here herself.
Jeyra was so intent on the prisoner, she barely registered that the guard had walked away. The King sat with his back to her, leaning against the iron bars. His pristine white shirt looked tan now from the dirt. His blond hair was rumpled as if he’d run his fingers through it multiple times. She hadn’t paid much attention to it earlier. Now, she took in its thickness, the way the top layers, longer than the sides and back, fell from the part. His shoulders lifted as he drew in a deep breath and released it. She steeled herself, thinking he would turn to face her, but he didn’t move.
The last time she had looked into his eyes, it had been right before she pulled him to this realm. He had been smiling, and it had been…appealing. Charming, inviting. Enchanting, even. But it was all a ruse. Everything about the Dragon Kings was a deception. It had taken her people a long time to discover that, but once they had, they had done what was needed to protect themselves.
“I doona suppose you brought food?”
His deep, throaty voice made chills race over her skin. She’d never heard such an accent. It was mesmerizing. Along with the unique and utterly luring cadence of his voice, the combination made her want to hear more. But Jeyra reminded herself just who she was dealing with.
“No.”
His head lifted in response to her word, but still, he didn’t turn to face her. “Hmm.”
She frowned, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Instead of asking, she was grateful that he’d kept his back to her. Maybe if he stayed that way, he wouldn’t remember that she had apprehended him. If she were in his position and saw the person responsible for her imprisonment, she wouldn’t talk to them.
“I can get you food.”
At this, he cocked his head. “Why?”
“Why?” she repeated before she thought better of it.
“Well, lass, either I’m to be tortured and eventually killed, in which case food wouldna be given. You’d want me weak. Or, the other option is you’re seeking ransom. Personally, I’m going with the latter.”
Damn. Did his voice have to be so…amazing? Jeyra looked at the ground as she kicked the toe of her boot against it.
“Silence. That’s telling,” the Dragon King replied.
To her shock, she heard a hint of a smile in his voice. She couldn’t imagine what would make him grin unless he knew that he would get free and bring the other Kings to the city to destroy it. Jeyra wouldn’t let that happen. As long as the chains stayed on his wrists, and he remained in the dungeon, they would all be fine.
“If you give me some information, I’ll get you food,” she told him, happy that she had found a way to get him to talk.
