Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Derek felt Kora relax marginally at his touch. He had gotten to her the moment he spotted the priest. And he hadn't come alone. Derek noted six others in their room alone who were with the priest. They were easy to spot among the crowd, eating and drinking but not a part of anything. They spoke to no one. Their gazes scanned faces constantly. But most importantly, their focus was the priest. The more Derek saw of Stonemore and its residents, the more he wanted to leave and never return.

" Ah ," the priest said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. " The other newcomer to our fair city. Derek , is it not?"

" Aye . And you are?"

" Everyone knows Aksel ," the woman with him said. " He is a true friend to us and Stonemore ."

Aksel gave her an unassuming smile that Derek saw through. He knew men like this. They pretended to be something they weren't, but their true colors were eventually revealed.

" You are too kind, dear Carla ," Aksel told her. Then he turned to Derek . " I'm not sure I remember. Where do you hail from?"

" The north," Derek answered.

The priest sipped his drink. " Which city?"

" Nothing as grand as this."

" And what brought you and Kora south?"

Everyone leaned in as if eager to hear. Derek stared into Aksel's dark eyes. The priest was trying to determine if Derek was a threat. He was ready and willing to show Aksel just what a threat he and Kora both were.

" Adventure ," Kora answered smoothly. " I wanted to travel and experience more. Derek indulges me that way."

Aksel studied Kora before sliding his gaze to Derek . " It seems you're both fitting in well here."

Carla laughed and changed the subject. Derek didn't take his eyes off the priest. When Aksel motioned for Derek to follow him a few minutes later, he moved to do just that. Kora's hand gripped his.

" I'll be fine," Derek whispered. " I'm curious what he wants."

" He doesn't believe us," she said softly.

He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. " Others with him aren't wearing red. You'll be able to spot them. I'll be back soon."

Derek left her and followed the priest up the stairs to the second floor, through another crowded room, and out onto a balcony that overlooked the city. Aksel rested his hands on the railing and half-turned when Derek approached.

" A grand view, is it not?" the priest asked.

Derek's enhanced gaze saw past the forest to the land where his kin were being held. He strained, hoping he might spot a dragon, even as he knew he wouldn't. " It is. But you didn't bring me out here to talk about the view."

Aksel chuckled. " I did not. Why Stonemore ? What made you come here?"

" As you well know, it's the only place for miles that's still standing. We've been traveling and needed a rest."

" Is that a dig at the strength of our city?"

" Stating a fact."

Aksel grunted. " No matter how many say they wish for peace, there are always others who long for battle. It's inevitable for rivalry to happen, and towns go to war."

" Stonemore goes to war a lot."

" Everyone wants what we have."

Derek swung his gaze to the priest. " And what is that, exactly?"

" You've seen it for yourself. Power . Wealth . Abundance . They all wished to take from us."

" Some of those villages were too small to have dared such."

" And yet, they did."

It was a lie. The priest and others believed it with everything they were, and nothing anyone said would disprove it. Derek knew Villette had been building her army, but he hadn't known how.

" You're back. And close. Are you coming to free me?"

Derek gritted his teeth. Now wasn't the time for a conversation with the faceless voice. " Kora has been asking how she can help the needy we saw when we arrived. Many are starving."

" They are being seen to. There is no reason for someone of her position to get her hands dirty with such things."

Derek had seen all manner of behavior from the humans. Some good, some bad, and some deplorable. What kind of priest considered those less fortunate in such a way? Why bring them to the city at all? Why not just kill them instead of making them suffer? It didn't make sense.

" I can see you don't agree."

Derek faced the priest. There was a lot he wanted to say, but it wouldn't do any good. " I'm learning the system here."

" That's good to hear. It won't bode well for you to go against us."

" Why aren't you answering me? I can feel you near."

Derek looked at the priest. " Is that a threat?"

" It's a warning."

" Time is wasting. She's healing. We must act now."

" Not now," Derek stated firmly. He said aloud to Aksel , " What is it you do, exactly? I've never seen a priest wear armor."

" Stop by the temple, and I'll show you. Only you, though."

Derek quirked a brow. " You have something against women? I thought everyone was allowed in the temple."

" Let's just say I think Kora would have a difficult time understanding our ways."

" And I wouldn't?"

Aksel flashed a smile. " That is yet to be determined. Enjoy the rest of the party."

Derek watched him walk away. The conversation had gone pretty much as suspected. The priest had made his stance known and delivered a thinly veiled threat. Derek didn't need to learn their ideology to be sickened by it. There was little he had seen of what humans called religion where someone hadn't misinterpreted divine messages and twisted them to suit whatever they were after. There was also the curtailing of freedoms, instilling fear, and the impediment to the progress of cultures.

Or the extermination of whatever they feared. Like magic.

He thought about the child the night before and how she had been so casually slaughtered. Kora had called children innocent. She was right. The young were taught to believe in things. Everyone in the city feared magic because that is what Villette wanted. There had to be a reason, though he had yet to figure it out. Villette was magic. He was magic.

The dragons they were trying to free were magic.

He had to take a hard look at himself, though. He was wary of religion, but an argument could be made that he was as culpable as everyone at Stonemore . He didn't follow the priests, though. He followed Villette . And when she demanded that the hellhounds be hunted to extinction, he and Bryok had gone after them.

Could he judge religion so harshly, then? Or was he to be judged with the masses?

" I can answer that."

Of course, she would be listening to his thoughts. How did she even get into his head? The only one capable of that was Villette .

" Finally connecting the dots. Took you long enough."

" The other Star People are long gone from Zora . She remained behind to help the dragons."

The woman laughed softly. " She is not the only one on this realm."

" If she captured you, it was for a reason."

" I just heard your thoughts about religion, and you want to believe her? There are two sides to every story. You've only heard one."

" Then tell me yours."

" Find me, and I will. I can't hold this connection for long."

" Where are you?"

" You know."

" Stop saying that."

There wasn't a retort. Derek left the balcony and returned to Kora . Her smile was genuine when she saw him, and it eased some of his tension. He shouldered his way to get to her side. Her gaze searched his, eager to know about the conversation. And he was keen to tell her. Whatever she saw on his face must have satisfied her. They remained until after Aksel and his underlings departed.

Neither said a word until they were far from the house. Then Kora asked, " What did Aksel want?"

" What those like him usually want. To threaten."

" Sounds like a good conversation then," she joked.

He looked at her and found himself grinning. " Hardly ."

" I was worried he recognized me."

" I was, too." It was the reason he had gotten to her so quickly. " One of them might, so we need to be careful." He paused, then said, " I was invited to the temple."

Her brows shot up as she glanced at him. " Are you going?"

" He wants to educate me on the religion so I can make sure you fall in line."

" Excuse me?" she asked, her outrage matching his.

Derek grunted. " I told him you wanted to volunteer to help with the unhomed and needy. He informed me that the wealthy didn't get their hands dirty with those people."

" Those people ?" she repeated in a furious whisper. She halted, her hands clenched at her sides.

He put a hand on her back to get her walking again and looked around to make sure no one had heard them. " I am as offended as you."

" She's part of this. You have to see that."

Derek knew Kora spoke of Villette .

" You don't see it," Kora stated.

" I didn't say that."

" You didn't need to."

He stopped this time, turning her to face him. " I see the issues. I see the trouble brewing."

" But ?" she pushed when he didn't say more.

" You said it yourself. She's powerful."

" And I can stop her."

" Alone ?"

She lifted her chin defiantly. " I'm all that's left."

And that was his fault. " Kora ," he began.

" Forget about that for now. I want to know if you're going to the temple."

There was no way he was forgetting things. It was her way of turning the conversation, and he would allow it. For the time being. " I want to see inside. I also want to know what else he'll say."

" I don't think you should go, but it'll look suspicious if you don't. I need them to think we're believers. It'll buy me more time to plan."

Plan ? She had been planning? Of course, she had. She wouldn't wait on him. " Promise you'll tell me when you go after her."

" So you can follow me?"

" So I can help."

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. " You can't. She'll kill you on sight. I can't have that. I won't let that happen."

Derek watched as she walked away. He caught up with her, and they continued in silence. But he had to question his motives. He had sworn himself to Villette and their cause. If he went back on that, the dragons would be doomed forever. Centuries of his life had been dedicated to getting closer to the only thing he wanted. It should be an easy choice.

It always had been before.

But it wasn't. He had already crossed a line by helping Kora get into the city and keeping her secret. Yet he found himself continuing to aid her. He found ways to help her reach her goals, which would only make it that much harder for him when he had to make a decision.

Because he would. There was no getting around that fact. It would come down to Villette and his kin or Kora .

Were his desires more important than the lives of tens of thousands of dragons? After everything he had sacrificed, after all the deeds he had done, there was only one answer.

They undressed when they returned to the inn. Immediately , they wordlessly reached for each other.