Page 12 of Dragon Unbound (Dragon Kings 3)
Chapter Five
“Have you lost your mind?” Jenefer demanded angrily.
Tamlyn rolled her eyes as she broke a loaf of bread apart to dole it out to the seven children they were caring for. Jenefer had asked that same question the moment Cullen left the ruins. Tamlyn knew it wouldn’t matter how she answered. Jenefer would keep asking because that was just her way.
“She didn’t know who he was,” Sian told Jenefer for the second time.
Jenefer made a sound at the back of her throat as she ladled soup into the children’s bowls. “Well, we do now. We need to move.”
“Really?” Sian asked, her face crestfallen. “I finally have a good lab.”
Tamlyn straightened and smiled at the kids. Her gut churned every time she thought about leaving the ruins. She didn’t want to go. It was a good place. It offered everything they needed with plenty of room to grow.
“Eat up.” She motioned for her friends to follow her out of the room. “I don’t want to talk about this in front of them.”
“Why not?” Jenefer demanded. “They know the harsh truths of the world.”
Tamlyn fought against a surge of anger. “That doesn’t mean they need it thrown in their faces again and again. They’re children. Let them have some portion of the lives they were supposed to.”
“I agree,” Sian said.
Jenefer rolled her eyes. “You always agree with Tam.”
“Not true. I’ve sided with you on occasion,” Sian said, her chin lifting.
Tamlyn sighed. “I believed Cullen. I think he wants to help. He was appalled by what I told him.”
“He’s a Dragon King,” Jenefer replied as if that said it all.
A small smile pulled at Sian’s lips. “He was cute. I loved his hair. Did you see the markings on his arm? I wonder what it was.”
That only made Jenefer roll her eyes again.
Tamlyn tried not to think of just how handsome Cullen was—in a wild, intense way that she never expected to find appealing. But it certainly looked good on him. Very, very good.
Sian interrupted her thoughts when she said, “He was right. We haven’t seen any Dragon Kings harm anyone. We’ve been told to fear them.”
“With good reason. Don’t be such a dolt. Dragons have more magic and power than any other being on this realm. I can’t imagine what a Dragon King has,” Jenefer said.
Tamlyn leaned back against one of the stone walls. “Neither of you saw the fog. It came out of nowhere. I believe he is who he says he is.”
“All the more reason to get out of here now,” Jenefer said.
Tamlyn looked at her. “Why? Because he might come back to help? He won’t go to any humans.”
“You would put those children’s and Sian’s life in danger because you want to trust a Dragon King?” Jenefer asked, pointing at Sian.
Sian shoved Jenefer’s arm out of the way. “Hey. Don’t put me in the middle,” she said before hurrying away, a hurt expression on her face.
Jenefer winced, her lips parting as she rushed after her. “Sian. Shite. I’m sorry.”
Tamlyn left them to it. No doubt Jenefer would be apologizing for quite some time. She loved her friends, but sometimes Jenefer couldn’t see around the past. It defined her, as it had with all of them. Jenefer had saved her life. Tamlyn knew she wouldn’t be alive now if it weren’t for Jenefer.
And Sian… Tamlyn couldn’t help but smile. Despite Sian’s rough life, she still found things to smile about, still found ways to laugh. It was only because of her vivacity that Jenefer smiled at all. Sian was the one who kept their trio together.
Tamlyn turned the corner and watched the children eat. They weren’t loud or boisterous as kids usually were. They were traumatized and distrustful of everything. Tamlyn had once been like that. So had Jenefer and Sian. They had pulled through it, though, and so would these youngsters. It was either that or go down a dark path.
Not that she would blame any of them if they did. For some, they had been taken from the only family they knew and readied to be sacrificed so those without magic didn’t have to live in fear.
But others were abused in ways Tamlyn didn’t want to even think about. It made her soul scream at the injustice of it all. These were defenseless children, who counted on others for help. Those people betrayed them in the worst ways possible.
Tamlyn’s head turned in the direction of the corridor Jenefer had disappeared down. She knew her friend had been physically abused. Jenefer hated to be touched in any way—or she used to. All that had changed when they found Sian. Something about the Alchemist softened Jenefer’s rough edges. Tamlyn had never thought anything would temper the Amazon, but Sian had done it with a single smile.
There were times Tamlyn envied the love the two had found with each other. Her jealousy never lasted long, though. Her friends deserved happiness. They all deserved to live somewhere they weren’t hunted, imprisoned, or killed. It wasn’t as if it were their fault they had magic. None of them had a choice in any of it.
More than once, Tamlyn had wondered why those with magic didn’t come together and fight those without once and for all. Long ago, a small group had. They had won and created Highvale for all those with magic to come and live. It was set well away from any of the other settlements. It served its purpose, but it didn’t answer the needs of so many others. Tamlyn and her friends weren’t the only ones who had left Highvale.
They had tried to live in the city for a time, but the knowledge that others out there needed help drove them to leave. They had devoted their lives to helping others, and Tamlyn hoped they had done some good.
She took note of their food stores. They would need more soon. The sound of Jenefer’s and Sian’s voices made her think of the true reason the three of them had left Highvale—Sian’s sister, Mair, who was still a slave.
Sian would never rest until her sister was free. Jenefer would never stop planning for how to liberate Mair. And Tamlyn would be right there with them. The plan was nearly finished.
Tamlyn once more thought about Cullen. With him on their side, they could free Mair easily. It would begin a war, and that wasn’t something Tamlyn was sure she could live with. Yet, how could she think that when Mair suffered every day? Sian had told them about the cruel hand of their master. How he would beat them and fondle them. He was a scourge upon the realm. If anyone deserved to meet their Fate, it was him.
Tamlyn and the children finished cleaning up from the meal when Jenefer finally came back into the kitchen. The Amazon wore a smile, telling Tamlyn that she and Sian had made up.
“Don’t give me that look,” Jenefer said, but there was no heat to her words.
Tamlyn shrugged. “You hate when Sian is mad at you.”
Jenefer sank onto one of the benches and dropped her head back with a sigh. “You have no idea how much. It’s like a dagger in my gut.”
“She knows you don’t mean to hurt her.”
