by Donna Grant
Chapter Sixteen
Despite Varek’s attempts to keep Jeyra there all night, she returned home. She wanted her bed, and hopefully, some much-needed rest. When she left the dungeons, only one guard was on duty. He barely gave her a nod of acknowledgment. And to her surprise, no one followed her back to her flat.
She wearily made her way up the stairs to the top floor and unlocked the door. The first thing she noticed was the lit candles. She stilled, trying to figure out who was in her place and where they might be.
“Easy. It’s just me,” Rankin said as he came from the kitchen.
She sighed and walked inside to shut the door behind her.
He grinned. “You’re jumpy.”
“It’s been a day,” she told him. While she had been looking for Rankin, she wasn’t in the mood to talk now.
He took her arm and brought her to a chair before giving her a slight push to sit. He then returned with a bowl of her favorite soup. “Here. Eat. Then you’ll tell me what’s going on.”
Jeyra immediately began consuming the delicious meal and used that to cover any responses. She wasn’t sure why Rankin was there after all but cutting her out of his life. Was she so paranoid now that she was leery about the only person in her life she trusted? Be that as it may, she had no choice but to trust Rankin. She needed him.
He brought one of the kitchen chairs and set it diagonally across from her before lowering himself onto it. His gray gaze had never unnerved her before, but it did now. Was it because she had been followed and threatened? Was it because she knew something was being covered up and she couldn’t find out why or what? Was it because she was hurt that he had left her alone to deal with Varek and the fallout of that?
“You look exhausted. When was the last time you slept?” he asked.
Jeyra swallowed, shrugging. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a full night’s rest. Where have you been?”
“On a mission. The council doesn’t wait when they want something done,” Rankin replied with a chuckle.
Jeyra wasn’t quite sold on that response. “What kind of mission?”
Rankin’s gaze narrowed slightly. “You know I can’t tell you.”
“You have in the past.”
“A few times, but I kept the majority of them secret as ordered.”
“And this one must stay secret?”
He nodded. “That’s right.”
“I’ve spent over a week looking for you.” She set aside the half-eaten bowl of soup. “The last time I saw you in the council building, you wouldn’t even meet my gaze.”
Rankin pressed his lips together. “I was upset. I knew why you did what you did, but I also knew what would happen if anyone ever discovered it.”
“So, instead of helping me, you ignored me? Did you do that to perhaps make sure no one thought you were involved?”
“Jeyra,” he said in a sharp tone, his brows furrowed. “That isn’t it at all.” He sighed, his face smoothing out. “I was scared for you. I was trying to find a way to protect you.”
She shook her head, wishing she could believe him, but his words were falling flat. “If you wanted to protect me, you would’ve made sure that I wasn’t sent to interrogate the prisoner. You wouldn’t have just left without a word. You wouldn’t have ignored me. You would’ve given me your counsel as you always have.”
“Which you have always ignored,” he added.
Jeyra crossed her arms over her chest, becoming angrier as the minutes passed.
Rankin rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t handle any of that right. And then I was sent off on the mission, making things worse. But I’m here now. I’ll be happy to give you my counsel if you wish. Just tell me what’s gotten you so anxious. You look like you’re about ready to snap.”
Because she was. Jeyra was trying to find answers about the past, sorting through complex emotions regarding Varek, and wondering if she should go with him when he made his escape.
“Jeyra,” Rankin said as he leaned forward and put a hand on her knee to get her attention. “Talk to me. I can help.”
She loosened her arms and let them drop to her lap. “You recall the day we met?”
“Of course,” he said solemnly as he sat straighter in the chair. “You’ve not spoken about it much over the years, and I didn’t bring it up because of that. I know how difficult it is to lose someone you love.”
Jeyra had never heard him speak such words. “You talk as if you’ve lost someone to the dragons.”
His gray gaze dropped to the floor and he released a long breath. Only then did he look at her again. “When I was a much younger man, I had someone. We were to be married, but she was killed by dragons before that could happen.”
“What?” Jeyra asked in disbelief. “Why have you never told me before?”
“Because it was a long, long time ago. You asked if I’d been married. I never lied to you.”
“You left out a crucial detail. The fact you had been directly involved with someone who was taken from you by a dragon.”
“That could be said for nearly every person in this city,” he replied calmly. “But you were talking about your loss, not mine. Tell me what you were going to say.”
She licked her lips and swallowed. “I was a child when my family was killed, but I remember every detail. Vividly.”
He nodded. “You were thorough in your retelling to the council.”
“It was written down. Just as your testimony was,” she said carefully.
Rankin halfheartedly shrugged. “Every meeting the council has is recorded and kept in the archives.”
“It might be written down, but not all of it is kept.”
“What?” he asked with shock.
Jeyra stretched out her legs before her. “Pages are missing. Accounts of that day. Mine, as well as yours. They’re gone. I don’t know what else is missing.”
“Why did you go looking for it?”
She so desperately wanted to tell him everything, to have someone else to discuss things with. But she couldn’t quite manage it. Too much felt…off. Whether it was her fatigue or something she should be worried about, she wasn’t taking any chances. “Talking with the Dragon King drudged up memories. I know my recollection of things, but I wanted to know what everyone else said. I looked for you, and when I couldn’t find you, I went to the archives where I found the pages missing.”
“Pages gone?” he asked in puzzlement.
“I probably wouldn’t have even known if I hadn’t been looking for something specific. The fact that my accounting is gone drew my attention. Upon closer inspection, I saw the pages had been torn out.”
Rankin ran a hand down his face. “Did you tell the council?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
What could she tell him? What should she tell him? Rankin knew much, was connected to many people. It was possible that he could help unravel this. But there was also a chance he was part of it. She couldn’t believe she was even thinking it, but she had to be realistic.
Jeyra decided to go as close to the truth as she could. “I wasn’t sure who I could trust. It’s already odd that the council wanted me to grill the Dragon King instead of forcing an interrogator, despite whatever fear they may have in speaking with the enemy. I feared you might have told them what I did to capture him, and that they were trying to set me up for failure.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Rankin told her with a sad look in his gray eyes. “And it distresses me that you would think that. I took you in, raised you. I might not always agree with your tactics or choices, but I’ve always stood with you.”
“Until I caught the Dragon King.”
Rankin’s gaze slid away for a heartbeat. “I told you I was upset. You know what they’ll do if they find out the means by which you acquired your Dragon King.”
“Don’t call him mine,” she snapped. Even though it sounded so very right to hear it.
He ra
ised a brow in silent question. “I can’t imagine speaking to the dragon has been easy for you. I heard you’ve given the council good information.”
“He hasn’t been forthcoming,” she lied.
“How about I go with you tomorrow? Maybe I’ll be able to get more out of him.”
She smiled, though her stomach dropped like a stone to her feet. “You should know they removed his shackles. They’ve also offered him the option to take a wife from one of our females to form a truce.” When there was no surprise on Rankin’s face, she rolled her eyes. “Of course, you already knew.”
“I was informed when I returned.”
Jeyra crossed her arms over her chest again, once more wary of Rankin. “Did they also tell you that I’ve been followed? Or that I was threatened today while in the training arena surrounded by fellow warriors, and no one did anything?”
Rankin chuckled. “I feel sorry for anyone who would try to threaten you. Did you put them on their arse?”
“Since he came up behind me and put a blade against my spine, no, I didn’t get a chance. That’s when he told me to stop looking into the past or it would cost me my life.”
The smile melted from Rankin’s face, but not enough for her to buy his lies.
“No wonder you’re jumpy. Do you know who the man was?”
“I don’t,” she replied. “What I don’t understand is why my looking into my past is causing such apprehension from some?”
Rankin shrugged nonchalantly. “No doubt someone thinks you’re trying to uncover something they wish to stay private.”
“About my family’s death from a dragon? I find that hard to believe,” she stated.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
She held his gaze, watching him intently. The more Rankin spoke, the more she was sure that he wasn’t someone she could trust. She decided to try to get a simple answer out of him. “Who put up the border between the dragons’ land and ours?”
“Why are you asking about that?” he said and got to his feet.
Jeyra rose with him, stopping him from walking away. “Because I don’t know the answer. And I should. If the border is so important, why don’t I know that information?”
“I don’t know it either. I just like knowing the dragons stay on their side of things.”
They shared a laugh. But inside, Jeyra was dying because she knew Rankin lied.
Chapter Seventeen
Jeyra stood in her flat, looking out the window at the rising sun. There had been no sleep for her after Rankin left. His arrival and their conversation had opened her eyes to everything she had missed for years. It broke her heart to realize that the man she considered her closest friend and ally, as well as a substitute father, had been lying to her.
But that realization also galvanized her into action. From there, it had been easy to make her decisions. Too easy, in fact. Rankin had been the only thing holding her to Orgate. As she’d told Varek the day before, she had no friends. Not the kind he spoke about, at least. She had acquaintances, but no one she would trust with her life.
She drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. No doubt she would be watched the moment she emerged from the flat, but she was prepared for that. She had worked out every detail during the long hours of the night. It would begin when she left her home for the last time.
A tremor of uncertainty ran through her, quickly followed by excitement. There was a good chance she and Varek would be caught. If that happened, they would execute her quickly. She wasn’t so certain of Varek’s outcome. The council had surprised her yesterday with the talk of marriage to a Dragon King. They were up to something, but she had yet to figure out what it was. But she would. She would expose everything they had been covering up.
She closed the shutters and took one last look around her home. She wanted to take nothing but her weapons. Since she wasn’t allowed to carry her spear with her into the dungeon, she would have to leave all her weapons behind, too. She didn’t like being without one in a fight, but she had no other choice.
Jeyra strode out the door, locking it behind her. She descended the stairs and exited the building. The streets were already filled with people. She moved her gaze around, searching for anyone who seemed out of place. It took her two paces to notice the young woman spending too much time rifling through the basket she carried. However, the quick look the woman shot in Jeyra’s direction confirmed her suspicions.
Jeyra turned and walked down the street. As expected, the woman quickly followed her. Jeyra kept to her normal routine. She didn’t stop for anything as she headed to the council building. They all arrived early, so she didn’t have long to wait before they saw her. Jeyra informed them of Varek’s decision, then told them that she thought he could be convinced to change his mind about the wedding with more time. She wasn’t surprised when they told her to return to him.
When she left, the council members were smiling. Jeyra saw the same young woman when she emerged from the building. Ignoring her again, Jeyra weaved through the streets, headed toward the market district. It was the most crowded in the early mornings when the vendors set up the freshest wares. It was also the perfect time to put the second phase of her plan into motion.
She went to her usual vendors for bread, cheese, and meat, though she bought double her usual. From there, it was easy to duck through the throngs of people, making it harder for the female to follow her. Jeyra hid behind a stall as the young woman trailing her turned in circles, searching. After the woman left, Jeyra remained still because she knew at least one more person was likely shadowing her.
Sure enough, she spotted a man searching faces. Another look uncovered a second woman. Once those two were gone, Jeyra hurried to a clothing vendor and chose items for Varek. With the clothes stuffed below the food, she casually walked to get milk. While standing in line, she saw the three tracking her out of the corner of her eye. They set up positions again. After she had a jug of milk, she headed toward the dungeon with her three followers in tow.
Every step only confirmed her decision. Worse, she wondered if Rankin was the one who’d had her followed. She was hurt and angry at him, but she was furious with herself for being duped for so long. It was because she had trusted Rankin unequivocally. Look what that had gotten her.
Jeyra stopped at the gate and waited for the prison guards to open it. She gave them a nod and walked inside the cave, going deeper into the ground. Lower, and lower she descended, passing other sections containing prisoners. They had put Varek in the lowest level to keep him away from the others. She’d originally believed it was because he would soon be on trial and then executed. How naïve she’d been. How gullible. Trusting.
When she approached Varek’s cell, he was at the bars, sitting on the stool with a smile on his face. It vanished the moment he saw her expression.
“What happened?”
She swallowed, unsure where to begin. Jeyra handed him the bag and watched as he sorted through it. When he saw the clothes, his head jerked up to her. “Do you have a plan?”
“I do,” she replied softly.
Jeyra glanced behind her to the entrance to see only darkness and the sway of light from the torches on the walls. “Does your offer for me to go with you still stand?”
Hope flared in his brown eyes. “Aye, lass. You know it does.”
“Then I’m going. But we need to do this today.”
He frowned. “What happened?”
“Rankin was at my place when I got home last night.”
“I would’ve thought you’d be pleased by that since you were searching for him.”
She shrugged and sank to the ground. When Varek reached for her hand, she eagerly and gratefully clung to him. “Maybe it was because I was followed and threatened yesterday, but his arrival felt…” She paused, searching for the right word.
“Off?” Varek offered.
Jeyra nodded. “I couldn’t pinpoint why. He acted fine, spoke as he always has, but my ins
tincts screamed that something wasn’t right. When I questioned him about being angry at me, he blew it off.”
“Why was he upset with you?”
She froze, her mind unable to find a way to cover her mistake or find something else to say. Her lips moved, but no words came out.
“I didna mean to interrupt. Please, continue.”
Jeyra tried to swallow, but her mouth had no moisture. She had nearly blurted out that she had been the one to capture Varek. If he found out, he wouldn’t take her with him. She would tell him. Eventually. Just not now.
She managed to find her voice. “Then I told him about looking for him because I had questions about my past. That when I couldn’t find him, I went to the archives and found the missing pages.”
Varek nodded in encouragement.
“He was surprised by what I said, but not as much as I expected. The discussion turned to you. He offered to come today and help me get more information out of you. I turned the conversation back to why looking into my past would cause someone to follow and threaten me.”
“What did he say to that?” Varek asked.
“He said that someone obviously fears me uncovering something. He promised he’d get to the bottom of things for me. I didn’t reply to that. I did ask him who’d put up the border between our worlds. He claimed not to know, but I could tell he was lying.”
Varek squeezed her hand. “I’m verra sorry, lass.”
“I wonder if he’s the one responsible for having me followed.”
Varek’s lips twisted as he shook his head. “I doona believe so. He’d have considered your training and realized you would pick them out quickly.”
“Because I did.”
“Exactly. Is Rankin coming today?”
She shrugged. “I left early, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.”
“It’s going to be hard to get free if he’s here.”
“I don’t know how you plan to break out.”
Varek flashed her a smile. “You don’t think I’ve just been lying in the dark doing nothing, do you?”
