Chapter Nine

Kendrick stared out over the calm water. He couldn’t put it off any longer. He had to notify Constantine. He had hoped Esha would return so he could pose more questions, but she didn’t show. He was more upset by that than expected.

The world of the elves was fascinating, and he knew he had just scratched the surface of all there was to know. His inquisitiveness bordered on obsessive. Though Esha had made it sound as if elven magic weren’t as great as dragon, he had a feeling it was more than most on Zora. And if there were elves, what else resided on the planet that no one knew about?

Kendrick opened his mental link. “Con,” he called.

The King of Dragon Kings responded quickly. “I was just about to contact you.”

“Is everything all right?”

“We’ve had a visitor to Cairnkeep.”

The capital of the dragon land, a stunning place in the mountains, was where Eurwen and Brandr ruled. Something in Con’s voice gave Kendrick pause. “Anything urgent?”

“You could say that. Ceri told us about this morning.”

“Who is Ceri?”

“You mean you doona know the name of the Pink you’ve been talking to these past weeks?”

“So, that’s her name.” Kendrick chuckled. Then he sobered. “Did you say she came to you?”

“Aye. After she saw you tangle with the threat we’ve been tracking.”

Kendrick briefly closed his eyes, remorse and shame choking him. He’d forgotten the Pink had been there watching all of it.

“We were all getting ready to head your way. All of us. Because we feared you were injured—or worse. ”

Kendrick felt like a jerk for waiting to check in. “Fuck, Con. I’m sorry. I’m fine. But I did tangle with that thing.”

“We knew that much,” Con snapped.

Kendrick ran a hand down his face and thought back to the day’s events. “I apologize. My intent was to gather as much intel as I could before telling you about them.”

“About who? My patience is running out. First Merrill, and now you do this?”

Kendrick grimaced. He took Con’s anger because he deserved it. But he would make it up to everyone. “The being I fought did to me what it did to the others. It struck me with magic. I didna have any physical injuries, but I sure felt its punch. It jerked me out of dragon form, and I couldna shift for some time after. I thought I was getting the advantage by using my other senses, but it soon got me entangled. In my haste to take it down, I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I thought about the dragons that had been killed and the Kings who had been injured, and I thought of Merrill.”

“We doona know if it’s responsible for Merrill or no’,” Con said in a neutral voice.

“I know.” Kendrick paused for a heartbeat. “I acted recklessly, and I know better. But that decision gained us something.”

Con sighed. “We’re all feeling the pressure of this. It’s making me question whether we should patrol alone.”

“I admit, my actions were questionable, but the end result isna.”

“Are you telling me you discovered how to beat it?”

“I wish. Nay, when I crossed the border, I discovered the people on the other side—or should I say the elves on the other side. That’s the them I mentioned earlier.”

“Elves?” Con asked, surprise coloring his words.

Kendrick chuckled. “I was just as shocked. They joined the skirmish when that thing had me pinned down. I’m no’ sure I would’ve gotten away had they no’ come upon me. I talked them into allowing me to stay so we could work together to hunt this thing. They’ve been after it for a while.”

“Do they know who you are?”

“They do. They hadna seen a dragon in some time—thought they were gone. No one ventures close to the border, and they thought shifters were a myth.”

Con made a sound in the back of his throat. “Just as we thought of elves.”

“Aye. It’s a tenuous venture for the moment. Their culture is verra complex. The group I’m with calls themselves the Asavori Rangers. They’re warriors and made up of different classes of elves. ”

“Are they potential allies?”

“I think so. It’s going to take some trust building on both sides, however. This place is stunning. I want to stay and cultivate a relationship. The leader of this group of Rangers, Esha, seems open to the idea. Though her sister, Savita, a rune Reader, makes the decisions.”

Con grunted. “I gather she’s no’ keen on an alliance.”

“No’ really.”

“Can you win her over?”

“I’m going to try.”

“What of their magic? Is it powerful?”

Kendrick wrinkled his nose as he thought about it. “I’ve no’ seen it. Esha was surprised at mine. She said elves couldna match it.”

“Doona take her word for it.”

“I doona intend to. Now, do you want to know about Shecrish and the elves?”

“Absolutely.”

For the next hour, Kendrick relayed the information he had gained and answered resulting questions. As expected, Con was interested in the elves. An alliance between their two cultures could help if there were a war. How far that pact could go was up to Eurwen and Brandr.

Sooner or later, the elves would likely ask to cross the boundary and travel across the land of the dragons, just as he was doing here. And Kendrick knew that would never be allowed. There was a reason the dragons remained separate from everyone else on the realm. Kendrick would have to share that story with Esha in hopes she appreciated the rationale.

“Keep in regular contact,” Con told him as their conversation wrapped up.

“I will. Also, tell Ceri I appreciate her concern.”

Con chuckled. “She’s no’ exactly thrilled to learn she’s been worried for nothing.”

“I’ve been trying to get her to talk to me since I arrived. She wouldna even tell me her name.”

“Seems you made more of an impact than you thought.”

Kendrick grinned as he thought about the tiny dragon. “I’ll make it up to her.”

“That would probably be wise. I doona need to tell you to be safe, do I?”

“You know me.”

“Exactly. ”

Kendrick wore a smile when Con severed the link between them. So, the Pink had been concerned. And now he knew her name. He was under no illusions that Ceri would talk to him when he returned, especially after this. He wouldn’t give up, though.

His gaze traveled slowly around him. Esha hadn’t come back. He also hadn’t had another visit from the Dark Elf, Dain. But Kendrick wasn’t alone. He sensed others out there. Most likely Rangers who had been sent to keep an eye on him. He had given his word that he would stay in his camp until Esha came for him. The Rangers had no reason to trust him, but he would show them they could.

His thoughts turned to Savita. That’s where his concerns lay. She could sway Esha’s enthusiasm for hunting their shared foe with him. The three days she had given him weren’t long enough, but he had to plan on it being all he would get. Sure, he could tell them all to kiss off and remain for as long as he liked, but he wouldn’t. Not only because he was trying to build trust but also because war was already brewing on the dragons’ eastern border. He didn’t want a separate conflict to the west.

Kendrick ignored the comfortable bed within the yurt and stretched out on the ground. He threaded his fingers behind his head and looked at the midnight sky and the stars blinking down at him while the rainforest animals filled the night with their own special music. New constellations stared back at him. He wanted to learn what they were. Surely, someone on the realm would know. Maybe even an elf. He filed that away to talk to Esha about in the morning.

* * * *

Dawn broke with Savita’s stomach still tied in knots. She had consulted the runes multiple times throughout the night, and the answer was always the same. Danger .

No matter the question she posed, no matter the context.

Her conversations with Esha and the Dragon King had gone as poorly as she’d known they would. But it wasn’t as if she’d had a choice. Her sister clearly didn’t realize the consequences of her actions. All Esha saw was a way to achieve her goal of finding the thing that’d killed their people. Yet there was so much more to it. Not that Savita could tell her any of that.

Then there was Kendrick. A shapeshifter. A Dragon King. Her superiors would want to know about him immediately. Savita hadn’t yet shared that information, though she wouldn’t be able to hold off much longer.

She walked to the mirror that hung in her tent and stared at her reflection, taking in the paint on her face and the gold designs that marked her as a Reader. She had rubbed her cheeks so much during the long night that the paint had smeared. Instead of calling in her maid, Savita stripped, pinned up her hair, and washed herself in the large tub without heating the water. The chilly bath was bracing and helped to invigorate her.

After she dressed, she brushed out her hair until it gleamed. Then she sat before the mirror to apply the paint and markings again. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gone without them. As she stared at her now-bare face, she almost didn’t recognize herself. Her identity was that of a Reader.

The life of a little girl who had been thrilled to have a younger sister felt like a lifetime ago. So much had transpired since then. She had left the family and immersed herself in all that came with being a Reader. It was her life and all she’d ever wanted. The power of her position was simply a byproduct of her ability to understand the runes.

A Reader never allowed themselves to become emotionally involved with an outcome given by the runes. Savita had held to that standard and never found it difficult to keep herself distant.

Except for one time.

Savita closed her eyes as she turned her thoughts away from that event. It was a secret she carried within her. There was always a chance the runes would tell another Reader, but that hadn’t happened so far.

And yet, Savita found herself in a similar position now.

She sighed, opened her eyes, and looked into the copper orbs staring back at her, noting the flecks of gold shimmering in her irises. She picked up the pot of gold paint and began applying it to her face with her special brush in slow, sure strokes.

With every sweep, she became the renowned Reader that many had sought. She had a duty, and nothing could make her forget that. Not even the arrival of a Dragon King.