by K. E. Young
"Then there's Dantalion's dragon accepting her as a sister, and my reaction when she bit me. I can't imagine that she could possibly not be dragonkin. She has too many of the signs. She may not have manifested yet, but I'm positive she will. Meanwhile, my dragon has submitted and is quite happy she claimed him."
Geran looked equal parts thoughtful and indulgent. "Perhaps she is then. We shall see." He turned to me, "Just so you know, among dragons, it's the female who is bigger, stronger, and faster. She is the dominant one, the one who chooses. When she chooses a mate, she bites him to mark him as hers. It is the duty of the male to provide and care for her and her young. Keep her happy. Males are the nest builders while the females defend the territory. The promise bracelet is for the human side of us. Knowing this may help you understand some of Mero's thoughts and actions in this — and perhaps your own."
I thought back to his baring his throat the first time we had sex, his repeated assurances he would make me happy, his happiness after the fight that I bit him, and my out of control rage when the twit touched Mero. It all fit. Unsettling as it may be, it did fit. I nodded. "It does help. It was confusing and I've been feeling as if I had missed something important. Mero being happy that I bit him was weird. It makes more sense now though."
Dantalion snorted. "Happy? He was ecstatic over it. So Mero, where did the second bite come from? The one on your neck."
I could feel myself blushing. When I looked at Mero, he was also. "It's none of your business," I growled.
Geran gave an exasperated sigh. "You couldn't even wait for the wedding, Mero? I thought you would be the last one I'd have to worry about doing that."
Mero sniffed. "We're both adults. Besides, the wedding is in just a few days."
Sebas was quietly laughing. "It's good to see you do indeed have an interest in women Mero."
"Not all women, just one." Both his tone and his face expressed comic aggrievement.
Sebas' smile was warm. "One who bites."
"And trounces me in combat." Mero toasted me with his wine and took a sip.
Sebas' expression turned thoughtful. "You were looking for a dragon."
Mero's face sported a kid-at-Christmas grin. "Evidently."
Sebas' eyes skated to mine then back to Mero. "Well, you're lucky you found one then. Marin and the court will be happy to hear you're getting married."
A chill went up my spine. He had just told us something important and Mero didn't seem to have noticed. Sebas looked back at me and allowed a small smile at my expression. He nodded slightly.
Mero was too busy talking to notice. Honestly, what did Zaki put into his tea? "Until they realize I'm marrying the assistant who discovered that they turned one of our agents. At least, that's our current suspicion."
Dantalion raised an eyebrow. "This is new. Kendra didn't mention it last night in the list of accomplishments since she'd arrived."
"Hm. I had her sorting and summarizing the agent reports for the last few months. She noticed that the reports from a particular agent consistently downplayed or misrepresented events in Marin. The differences between this agent's reports and those of others were obvious. I didn't like the man so I wasn't paying his reports proper attention.
"Kendra took it to mean they have discovered the agent and now they have either turned him to their cause or are feeding him misinformation. Either scenario is bad for us and indicates that Marin is up to something. I'm sending another agent to determine what's happening.
"Meanwhile she continues with the summaries and I get a much better idea of what's going on. I've been short a good assistant for well over a year, but since I've had to cover for Magiri for the last six months, I've fallen behind and lost track of too many things. With Kendra's help, I'm finally picking up the threads again. It's embarrassing to admit."
"Well, as a Nakairu, we know where her loyalty lies at least." Geran's tone was unreadable.
"Yes. It's with the only people besides my grandmother and my Uncle Todd who have welcomed me wholeheartedly. People who provided me with a home and a job I find both challenging and enjoyable, a man I've come to love in an astonishingly short time who shows every sign of returning the feeling, and a family. I have more people I'm willing to call friends here than I've ever had in my life. I had lots of acquaintances, but no friends, no one who truly cared. Mero, you said you hoped that I could someday develop loyalties here. It didn't take long. You made it easy."
Mero looked at me with a soft smile and leaned his forehead against mine. "Mine."
I smiled and said, "Nope. Mine."
He laughed in delight. "Yours," and kissed me.
Geran sighed and muttered, "The things I have to put up with. All right Kendra. Hamsat. Now."
I glanced at the ladies who hovered outside our little circle. "Can we play here, please? I don't want to leave Mero unguarded. Besides, he'll try to follow and Zaki has told him not to put any weight on his knee." I gave him my best pleading puppy dog expression. "We can have the servants bring the board and more chairs. It might even liven up a dull party."
Geran presented me with a wry grin. "I'm fairly certain you managed that when you smacked the girl who had the effrontery to touch your chosen. You make a good point though. Mero would follow you, despite Zaki's orders. Now, what was this list of accomplishments that Dantalion mentioned? You haven't been here all that long…"
"Oh, this will be good." Dantalion snickered. Mero just gave his evil grin.
Taking a deep breath, I began the list. "I was stolen from another world by a goddess, abducted by Karthim, beaten, tied up, escaped, killed a guard with my feet, fought in a battle, learned to ride a keth, went camping, took a boat ride, toured the market, learned a new language, designed a court gown, got a spiffy new wardrobe, gave Koris nightmares, learned I am a knowledge keeper, whatever that is." Dantalion's hand on my shoulder jerked at this last item. I'd have to ask him about it later. Maybe it meant more than I thought.
I took another deep breath and continued. "Then I learned to play Hamsat, discovered and mapped a network of secret passages in the palace, knocked the stuffing out of all the household's warriors, won a bet, got the crap beaten out of me, bit my employer, fell in love, got a new brother, got engaged, became an earth mage, discovered a double agent, and prevented a riot. All in five days." I peered at Mero. "Did I miss anything?"
Sebas was raising his brows in my peripheral vision. I was sure he took notes, and I kicked myself for not checking first with Mero about how much of that list Sebas should have been privy to.
He kissed the tip of my nose. "Taught the court ladies about boundaries."
"Oh yes," I turned back to Geran and took a breath before adding, "And caused a scene at the Darthan Ambassador's reception by assaulting a lady of the court." I grinned.
Dantalion raised his eyebrows, "Prevented a riot?"
Mero gave him a repressive look. "Kendra finally had time to unpack and modeled a gown from her own world. It's a lovely and graceful gown that suits her magnificently, but it bears a strong resemblance to a Therysi dance costume. It would have caused problems and I'm in no condition to fend off the hordes that would have tried to take her away from me."
"Oh come on, it's not like it reveals all that much more than warrior garb does. What's the problem with Therysi dance costumes anyway?"
"It's not what it reveals, my love, it is how. Given my reaction to the demon-spawned gown, I shudder to think what the court lords' reactions would be. Therysi dancing is a provocative display for a man's enjoyment. The Therysi treated women even worse than Vallen does. Women were little more than things to them."
Mero's expression of distaste distracted me so I took a second to process that. Therysi dancing was the local version of stripping. "Provocative display? No. If anyone approaches me asking for a 'provocative display' I'll make them eat their teeth. Then I'll get mean."
Sebas looked amused. "Well Mero, you have met your match. If the Marini are smart, they'll be
more afraid of Kendra than they are of you."
Geran raised an eyebrow at me before turning to the servant to give directions and in little time, they brought a table and several chairs. They also brought small glasses and a dusty bottle of something that looked like the yummy stuff Mero had served the previous day. When Geran poured some for me, I found I was both right and wrong. This bore the same relation to the stuff Mero had served that a limousine bore to a Honda Accord. Wow.
I shouldn't have wasted my puppy-dog-pleading look on getting the table. Now, what was I going to do? "Geran, as a wedding present can I have a case of this stuff? It's even nicer than what Mero fed us yesterday."
Geran smirked as he set up the board. "I rather doubt that there is a whole case of this still in existence, so enjoy it while you can."
Oh. It was that kind of stuff. I winced. "So, how old is it?"
"About a hundred and fifty years. My great-grandfather purchased it before he died. I have just one more bottle after this. I will miss it sorely when it's gone. It is widely acknowledged as the finest vintage ever made."
I blew my breath out. There was no way I could get more of this stuff. I tried to hide my disappointment but from their expressions, I didn't do a very good job. "Oh, my! Well, thank you very much for sharing. Who goes first?"
Geran grinned. "You may go first this time. I'll try not to humiliate you too much."
I blinked at the challenge. Oh, that was so not going to happen. "We'll see."
Geran and I had very different playing styles. I usually place my stones quickly, having done most of my strategic analysis while my opponent dithered before making his own move. I had adopted the technique when I was in college. It kept pressure on my opponent and forced them to move without thinking it through fully. Geran never fell into that trap, but it appeared to give him the impression I wasn't considering my moves. How little he knew…
There was another major difference in our playing styles. Geran was fond of elaborate strategy while I was more of the fluid 'All roads should lead to victory' school. After some time I decided it was time to make my move and started capturing pairs of his stones. He retaliated in kind and it was after the third exchange of captures when I placed my final stone… and he almost missed that I had won.
While the final stone was indeed in place to capture a pair, it also completed a diagonal line of five. I think he might have missed the win if I hadn't left the captured pair on the board and grinned at him. Mero didn't miss it. He busted out laughing as soon as I placed that final stone. Dantalion and Sebas were more diplomatic.
Geran looked up at me with an exasperated expression. "Clearly, I wasn't paying attention." He gave a feral grin. "This time, I go first."
Play went a good deal slower this time. Geran was paying more attention and I wasn't able to get away with any of the risky moves I had before. As we played, I noticed that the servants were bringing in more seating and that other groupings of people talking and drinking were cropping up around the room, each centered on one or more dragonlords. The court ladies and gentlemen still did their slow procession around the room chatting with each other, it was as if two different parties were going on at once, one formal and stiff and the other a simple get together among friends.
Geran won the match. I had expected him to, but I still wanted to make him pay for it. For the third game, play was a little faster than the second but not as fast as the first. Geran thought he had me pegged. How wrong he was. This game I got mean.
Usually, when I play a game, that's all it is, a game. It's supposed to be fun so I don't take it seriously. When I'm in that mood, my play is very fluid. My goal is to have fun and to place each stone in such a way as to maximize the possible ways to win while reducing my opponent's paths to victory. However, when I get mean, my focus and my playing style become laser sharp. In those cases, I play the way I fight.
I gutted him in a surprisingly short period. He put too much reliance on his elaborate strategy. He began looking alarmed about halfway through the game when he noticed that my playing style had changed, but by then it was too late. When it was all over, only Sebas was unsurprised. They had expected a certain style of play from me based on the previous games. This time they got the other side of the coin.
My grin had little humor in it. This had been a battle just as my fight against the Karthim had been and my inner demon reveled in it. I realized that I would have to find another way to refer to it. It was becoming increasingly distinct and I couldn't just pass it off as a reaction to life-and-death circumstances. Maybe Mero and Dantalion were right. Either way, my inner demon or dragon was fiercely satisfied at the results of this battle, symbolic as it may be.
"Well, that was fun. Do you have any other games you play?" I didn't want to play Hamsat anymore tonight. Having already won, I knew I couldn't keep up the focus necessary and my usual playing mood was already disrupted.
"What in all twelve hells just happened?" Geran's scowl muddled confusion and an odd dollop of glee.
"I got pissed."
"'Pissed'? Does this always happen when you get… 'pissed'?"
"Pissed means angry. It's the annoyed variety of angry, not the 'I'll use your guts for a belt' kind of angry. Yes, it does. How do you think I beat Mero? He was holding his own before that."
Geran's expression was measuring, but a small smile lurked in the corners. "Remind me not to make you 'pissed'." His eyes took on an odd sheen. "You are dragonborn. There have been no female dragonkin in centuries, but perhaps we should try with you. You had better be dragonkin. I'm not sure you're safe to have around otherwise. Gods help us if you and Mero ever have children if you're not. I dread the thought of a toddler with your ability having a tantrum." He flashed a rueful smile. "I think I'm glad you're not in my household after all." Mero and Dantalion chuckled at this. Sebas watched it all with a little smile.
Geran sat up straighter. "Mero, make it a priority to determine for sure if Kendra is dragonkin. Do it tomorrow."
After this, we set the board aside and the conversation turned to more light-hearted topics. I just listened as they told stories about each other, often humorous or embarrassing (or both). The general laughter drew other dragonlords who had stories of their own to tell.
Rather than circulating to meet everyone, Sebas sat and listened to it all. The night had to have been an informational goldmine for him.
I took a break to use the facilities and met Sebas on my way back. He smiled at me, and then glanced around to see if anyone was watching. Seeing that we were unobserved, his expression turned businesslike.
"Lady Kendra, I will be blunt. You need not be suspicious of me. We are allies. It is in Dartha's best interests that threats be eliminated, and the dragonlords fix what was broken. The Aria Atlani should not have strayed from their true leaders. We will do what we can to help. I will do what I can to help." He took a deep breath. "The time will come when Dartha will join your Empire although those in power delay the inevitable."
Something flitted across his face, passing too fast to identify. "The Dogaren grow restive. They face challenges on other borders and it makes them defensive and volatile. Dartha would see Drakken's current concerns settled before the next challenge comes."
I mused over what Mero had told me about him. This was a peek into a larger world than I had concerned myself with so far. I sighed, "How long do we have?"
"My estimate is that we have five, maybe as much as ten years. No more than that and probably less."
Crap. "What can you tell me about them?"
Sebas gave a sigh of his own. "Not much at this point. All we know is that the Dogaren are being challenged. I'll send you what I know."
"I would have thought you would send it to Mero."
A fleeting grin crossed his face. "I would have, but Mero is — behaving oddly. I heard dragons are distracted by their mates for the first few weeks but I've never seen it personally until now. Mero can't focus. You must take his place."
"And you think you can trust me?"
"Yes." His head tipped to the side. "You have the ruthlessness needed to deal with the threat the lords pose to the dragonlords and the perceptiveness to see what others would hide." He paused for a weighted moment. "My people have noticed certain shipments headed here. We could not determine who took delivery of those shipments, but the cargo is aimed specifically at dragons."
I didn't know what he meant, but my inner demon did and it frightened her. It was a sobering sensation.
"One other item I will pass on to you, something I overheard earlier. A lord of this court referred to a 'king in waiting'. It's not much, but if I hear more, I'll let you know."
I nodded and we split ways. What he had told me was as clear a warning as any I had ever heard. I couldn't help but reflect on the recent changes in the power structure of Vallen. The lords were the ones who most wanted the dragonlords gone. I had much to think on thanks to Sebas.
By midnight, the other dragonlords had dragged up chairs and the room echoed with the laughter. The other members of the court stood on the outskirts listening and occasionally whispering to each other.
I have to admit, I paid more attention to the disparities between the nobility and the dragonlords this time. I found the clear delineation between the 'nobility' and the actual power structure of the dragonlords in Geran's court disturbing. Why were they at court if they had no real power? Was it all fashion and marriage hunting? Were they powerless? What niche did they fill in this little ecology? Were they parasites, scavengers, or something else? I had the uneasy feeling that in reality they were predators and the dragonlords either hadn't noticed or didn't take it seriously.
This was a group that had gained, and more importantly, kept position when a group known for its selfishness and ruthlessness held power. I looked at them and saw a pack of hyenas circling. They had cause to want to get back into the positions that the dragonlords had ousted them from.
