by Donna Grant
Varek crawled back to the farthest corner of his prison. His stomach rumbled with hunger. The last time he had felt such cravings was before he had become a Dragon King. He’d had to fight for everything from the moment of his birth, and that had included food. The endless millennia he’d spent as a Dragon King should have removed the memories of the clawing hunger and weakness from starvation. Varek had sworn he would never feel either again.
“Fuck me,” he murmured.
He closed his eyes as the truth settled around him. He was alone. No magic, no powers, no ability to shift into his true form or contact the other Kings. Even back on Earth before he’d become a Dragon King, he’d had the magic of the realm. He’d had his strength. Now, he was stuck in human form with nothing but his wits.
His early years had prepared him for just such an event. He’d used his strength and magic at times, but many other times he’d relied on his intelligence. In order to get free—and he would get away—he needed to be smarter than those who held him captive. He’d need to be calculating, shrewd. Clever.
He released a long breath and went over what he’d discerned from his brief encounter with Jeyra. Without a doubt, she was a warrior. It wasn’t just the way she stood or what she wore. It was an attitude that only another warrior could detect.
His mind went over her clothes. They had been without adornment, but the quality was good. That in itself showed that she was a decent fighter since most communities rewarded their warriors. Another sign was her armbands. While they didn’t have jewels, they were silver and as wide as his thumb was long, which meant they cost a considerable amount.
What he hadn’t seen were any weapons. If he were at their mercy as Jeyra had hinted, then she wouldn’t have feared coming into the dungeon without a weapon. For the first time since waking, Varek smiled. He needed to get a weapon. Any weapon.
He was fairly certain Jeyra wouldn’t return to talk to him, but perhaps someone else would be foolish enough to bring a sword or even a dagger with them. If Varek could get them close to the bars of his prison, he might be able to take it from them.
Then what?
His lips twisted ruefully. He didn’t know. More importantly, he knew very little about this realm or the people who had taken him prisoner. He needed to understand their weapons and how advanced they were. Based on the dungeon and Jeyra’s clothing, he didn’t think they were as evolved as those on Earth. Then again, he was making an assumption based on speaking with one individual for a very short time. That was stupid.
In order to make a true, full assessment of his situation, he would need a lot more information. Since Jeyra seemed to want data from him, it was the perfect opportunity for an exchange. He’d made a mistake with her. He would be more careful and in control of his emotions with whoever they sent next.
Varek yanked his arms to the sides and heard the clank of the chains and felt the pull of the manacles. He would keep trying. Because, eventually, he would find a way to get free. Everyone and everything had a weakness. He just had to figure out what those were.
Stay calm. Stay in control. Use your head and be ruthless to get what you want.
It was the same mantra he’d used to battle his way from the very bottom of his clan to becoming King of Lichens. He knew what it was to lose, to be stepped on, beaten, and forgotten.
“I survived once. I will again.” Varek whispered the promise softly in the dark.
Chapter Five
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” Jeyra murmured to herself as she strolled down the streets of the city. She moved through the merchant’s district and past bookbinders, silversmiths, and the blacksmith until she turned onto South Carnation Street, which led to the residential area and her flat.
She walked past the guildhall and the guardhouse, as well as the arena where she trained, and approached one of the newer buildings of flats. Jeyra yanked open the door and strode inside the stone edifice to the stairs. Her residence, which she had gotten with Rankin’s help, was on the third floor. Being on the top floor in the newest residence building meant she was a warrior of importance.
Unfortunately, she didn’t feel that at the moment.
She unlocked the entrance and walked inside. The moment she shut herself within, she leaned back against the door and slowly slid to the floor, dropping her head into her hands. From the instant she had walked into the dungeon, she had been on edge. Talking to Varek had only made it worse.
Jeyra wasn’t sure what she had expected, but she hadn’t been prepared for…well…any of it. Varek hadn’t gotten angry until she refused to tell him why he was being held. More confusing was why she hadn’t given him the answer. The words had stuck in her throat. Whereas before, she had been ready and willing to tell him exactly why he was a prisoner.
It’s wrong. All of this.
“Stop,” she barked at her subconscious. “It doesn’t matter what Dragon King is brought to justice. They’re all to blame. If I could line them all up and end their lives, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
You couldn’t trap one of the Kings here. You had to find another world.
“It doesn’t matter. Varek is a Dragon King.”
You didn’t even know there was more realms until you spoke with the old crone. How do you know she didn’t lie about all of it? How do you even know Varek is a Dragon King?
“He all but admitted it.”
The council will find out what you did. When they do, it’ll be you in the dungeon.
“Maybe. It’s a chance I’ll take to make a Dragon King pay for the devastation dragons have caused our people.”
Thankfully, her subconscious didn’t have a reply. Jeyra lifted her head and stretched her legs out before her. She bit her lip as she thought about Varek. It didn’t matter that she wanted no part of him. The council had spoken. They’d given her a direct order because everyone else was too afraid to be near him. And it wasn’t as if she could use that argument since she was the one who had captured him.
What a mess she had gotten herself into. If she didn’t obey the council, she would be in violation and receive punishment, which could very well be imprisonment at a minimum and banishment at worst.
She knocked her head back against the door three times. “There has to be a way for me to get out of talking to Varek. Just being around him makes me angry.”
That’s not all he makes you.
“He’s offensive, brazen. The epitome of wicked. I couldn’t hate anyone more.”
So, that’s why you couldn’t stop staring at him?
“He has a nice face.”
That’s not all that’s nice.
“A handsome face can hide a black heart.”
He isn’t what you expected. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that to yourself.
Jeyra’s throat clogged with emotion because Varek wasn’t what she’d expected. Her memories of the dragon that had ripped her life apart and the Dragon King she had managed to pull into this realm were too different. Yet she knew all dragons for the monsters they were.
Her frustration at not getting close to any dragons or Dragon Kings on her realm had her seeking other ways. At first, it had just been to see how far she could go. She hadn’t actually believed anyone had the power to open a portal from one realm to another—or that there were other realms. And then…it happened. The crone hadn’t just opened a portal. She had also brought Jeyra straight to a Dragon King.
Jeyra had been so excited about it that she hadn’t stopped to consider how the crone had done it, much less how the old woman had been able to locate a Dragon King. The more Jeyra thought about all of it, the more she began to doubt herself and how it all came to be.
But the city and their people needed to see someone brought to justice for everything that had been done. They needed closure. She had given them that. While she might not know for certain if Varek had taken part in the killings, he was a Dragon King. That meant he could stand trial for what the other Kings had done.
�
��He’s our one and only chance to get some payback,” she whispered.
No matter that she doubted how she had come upon him, the fact of the matter was that she had captured a Dragon King. Without him, no one would get the justice they deserved and had been waiting on for decades.
Though, it was unlikely that anyone could move on. Too much death had occurred. It didn’t matter that it happened two hundred sixty-six years ago. It had happened before that, and it would happen again. The border wouldn’t keep the dragons out or her people in. She was proof of that. How many more had to die before they forced the dragons to leave and find a new home?
Jeyra got to her feet and looked at her flat. It was modestly decorated. She didn’t really care much about having things on the walls or sitting on tables. It seemed like a waste of coin. But she did enjoy a comfortable place to relax while she tended to her weapons or read. She made her way to the dark green velvet-covered chair with its deep cushion and fat arms. She could curl up in it and let go of the day.
Skimming her hand along the back of the chair, her gaze moved to the small, ornate table currently stacked with books. The fireplace sat across from the seat. There was room for another chair and possibly even a sofa, but no one ever came to visit, so she had no need for such things.
Jeyra made her way to the kitchen that had cupboards for some basics and a narrow table with two chairs. She looked for food but found the shelves empty, which was usually the case. If there was one thing she hated, it was preparing food. It was more cost-effective to eat her meals elsewhere, especially when she was training or away on missions.
She shifted to the other doorway—her bedroom. The beautifully carved four-poster bed had been a gift from Rankin. Looking at it made her sad that he was angry with her, but she didn’t regret her actions. Everything she had done had been for him, for herself…for everyone.
Jeyra leaned her shoulder against the wall as her eyes slowly moved around her flat. She had come here to think and relax, but she couldn’t do either. Her mind kept going back to Varek and the utter fury that had blazed in his eyes when he demanded to know why he was being held.
With a long-suffering sigh, she pushed away from the wall and walked out of her residence, locking the door behind her. She needed to face Varek sooner or later, and the sooner she got information from him, the sooner he would stand trial, and she could get on with her life.
When she walked out of the building, she looked both ways before casually beginning her trek back through the city. It was one of the larger ones, but she had gotten used to it. She liked the conveniences within, but if she could choose, she would find a place more remote so she could be by herself.
Rankin thought she’d become a warrior because of him. And while he did have something to do with it, it was really because it allowed her to be on her own. She wasn’t a fan of being around others. She had little time for politics and everything it entailed. And she couldn’t stand fools of any kind.
On her way back to the cells, Jeyra stopped in the tavern for some food. She then carried it to the dungeon. On her approach, the gate opened, but no guard walked her inside this time. She preferred it this way, if she were honest.
As she made her way into the cave and began her descent, her stomach started to churn anxiously. She took several steadying breaths to dispel the nervousness, but nothing helped. The temptation to turn around and return tomorrow was great, but Jeyra made herself continue. When she finally reached Varek’s cell, she couldn’t see him. Yet she knew he was there.
“I brought food,” she said. She lifted the bag in one hand and the jug in the other. “And ale.”
He didn’t answer. Not that she expected him to. Why should he? If she were to get him to talk, she needed to do her part and give him some of the information he wanted.
Jeyra squatted down and took out one of the wrapped packages for herself. She glanced within the darkened cell before tossing the bag between two bars and then repeated the action with the jug of ale.
She then sat down and crossed her legs while she unwrapped her food. The minute the smell of freshly baked bread and roasted pork filled her nostrils, her stomach growled. She took a few bites and simply enjoyed the delicious taste of her favorite meal without looking up. When she finally lifted her eyes, the bag and jug were no longer in sight.
“A sandwich?” Varek’s voice asked from the darkness.
She frowned as she looked at her food. “Call it whatever you want. It’s amazing.”
“Is this your attempt to poison me?”
Jeyra stopped chewing to look in the direction his voice had come from. “If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have made it to the cell. I’ve no need to poison you.”
A moment later, she heard the rustling of the wrapper around the sandwich—as he’d called it. Neither spoke as they ate. It allowed her to not only enjoy her food but also get accustomed to being near a Dragon King. For all her bluster, she was terrified of him. She knew how powerful a being he was.
After she’d finished her meal and wadded up the paper, the jug of ale came sailing through the bars, somehow missing them entirely to land right in front of her. Without hesitation, she uncorked the bottle and took a long drink.
“The meal was verra good,” Varek admitted. “Thank you.”
His words so surprised her that she began choking on the ale. She coughed as she corked the jug and tossed it back toward him. Once she’d finished coughing, she cleared her throat so she could speak.
“You’re welcome.” Jeyra cleared her throat again. “You’re right. You aren’t on your realm anymore. You’re on Zora in the city of Orgate.”
“How did I get here?”
His soft voice didn’t fool her, and she wasn’t ready to tell him the whole truth. If he learned that she was responsible for bringing him here, he might refuse to speak to her at all. Then how would she carry out the council’s demand? It wasn’t as if she could tell them the truth either.
“A portal opened between our worlds. You were captured that way.”
He paused briefly before he asked, “There is magic on this realm?”
“Yes. Though not within our city or even any of the cities where my kind reside.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A border keeps us away from…others.”
“And these others have magic?” he asked.
Jeyra swallowed. “They do.”
“Are you telling me that one of those others came to your city and just happened to open a portal directly to me?”
His voice was filled with suspicion and doubt, telling her that he was smarter than she gave him credit for. She needed to remember that. “Not exactly.”
“Then how, exactly?” he asked as his face suddenly came out of the darkness.
A shiver went through Jeyra when she stared into his magnetic brown eyes. She hesitated, unsure what to say that wouldn’t incriminate her.
Varek crawled to the bars before he rose on his knees and wrapped his fingers around the metal. “Someone from here crossed the border.”
It wasn’t a question, and she didn’t treat it as such. Jeyra nodded since her voice wouldn’t work.
“You speak of those who do magic with fear. The border you speak of is to keep your kind separate from those with magic, aye?”
“Yes,” she said, hating that her voice squeaked.
He held her gaze, refusing to let her look away. “Why me?”
“My people searched for a Dragon King.”
“Why?” he pressed.
She licked her lips. “To answer for the crimes committed.”
“No’ by me. As you just stated, I wasna on this realm.”
“You have magic. You could’ve crossed into our realm.”
Varek snorted and sat on the ground. “But I didna.”
“We only have your word.”
“Yet you doona have any evidence that proves it was me either.”
She stiffened. “Yo
u don’t know that.”
“Why are you here?” he asked. “You said you want information. Is it perhaps so I’ll incriminate myself? Or give you something to use against me?”
“I don’t know why the council wants you questioned. I’m merely doing as told.”
He made a sound in the back of his throat. “You doona seem the type to blindly follow directions.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, offended that he would think she had some kind of fault.
Varek shrugged and lay back, lacing his hands behind his head. “Just what I said. You’ve the look of someone who decides what rules to follow and which to break. Reminds me of Merrill.”
“Who’s Merrill?” She didn’t want to be intrigued by him, but she was. And she hated it.
Varek blinked up at the ceiling above him. “I suppose you’d call him my best friend. We were sort of drawn to each other. We have a lot in common, but we also differ in several ways. I suppose that’s what makes our friendship so special. He always does what’s right, even if that means breaking the rules.”
“How do you get to be a Dragon King?” she blurted out.
He lifted his head slightly and met her gaze. “I wondered when you would get to that.”
Chapter Six
She wanted to know what made him a Dragon King. Varek had expected that question, so he wasn’t surprised by it.
“I’m trying to understand you,” Jeyra said.
Varek rolled his eyes as he lay his head on the earth. “It’ll go better between us if you doona lie.”
“Fine,” she stated in a clipped tone. “I honestly don’t care how you became a King, but I’m sure it’s something the council will ask.”
“And you’d rather have the answer than have to return to ask me,” he finished for her. “The short answer is that the magic of our realm chooses us.”
Jeyra shifted her legs. “And the long answer?”
“We’re comprised of clans. Each one is a different color, and each is led by a Dragon King. He’ll be the strongest of that clan, the one with the most power.”
