Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Iron Hall
Clouds blocked the sun, casting shadows on the ground. The air had a crispness to it that warned of winter’s coming. Varek walked along the bottom of the canyon, his footsteps masked by its verdant plant life. Raynia Canyon was near the coast, which brought in the warm, wet weather, keeping the temperatures mild, especially deep within the canyon’s crevices.
He looked up at the chasm’s rim before jumping to the top in one leap. There wasn’t another soul in sight. At least for the moment. If he looked east, he could gaze across the land belonging to the dragons. It was a large swath of terrain stretching far and wide. Despite its size, it was still a cage for his kind, limiting them while also keeping others out. The border was a field of magic imperceptible to all but dragons. They were alerted anytime someone crossed. This side of the border actually ran down the middle of the canyon.
To his left, across the open field, lay the Ferdon Woods , and past the forest, the mountains and Stonemore . The place where secrets had been exposed, enemies revealed, and new friends discovered. It was also where his best friend had vanished to for weeks. Merrill had rejoined the Kings . Sort of. But he was changed.
Varek released a long breath and looked north. Orgate lay in that direction. He’d nearly died in the city. Jeyra had captured him and chained him. But she had also freed him, unraveling surprises along the way. It also happened to be the direction Merrill and Katla currently traveled.
Merrill was smart enough to stay far from the city. At least Varek hoped he was. He wouldn’t have fretted about his friend before, but Merrill had made some curious decisions of late that troubled him greatly.
The sound of footsteps behind him caught Varek’s attention. He turned his head to the side and caught sight of Cullen approaching. The King of Garnets wasn’t alone. Padding alongside him was Nari , the wildcat who had not only saved Cullen from the entity in the past but also befriended him.
Varek watched the large predator as she came to stand between them. She was as big as a lion with large, black spots amid her black fur. Nari lifted her head, and intelligent, green eyes met his before she looked away. Varek scratched her under the chin, but she leaned against Cullen , purring. They had an unshakable bond.
“ I thought I might find you here,” Cullen finally said as he gathered his long, dark blond hair at his neck and tied it off.
Varek sank his fingers into Nari’s thick fur on the back of her neck. “ I should be out there with Merrill .”
“ He can handle himself.”
“ It isna that I doona think he can.” Varek flattened his lips as he shook his head and looked away. “ I should’ve noticed something was wrong before he and Shaw went to Stonemore .”
Cullen’s pale brown eyes stared northward as a shadow of a cloud moved over them. “ We all should have. We didna because he hid things well. Shaw never saw anything that would’ve caused him concern, and he was in Stonemore with Merrill .”
All that was true, but it didn’t ease the guilt Varek carried. “ He pulled me out of the depths of despair so many times. And when he needed me, I was too wrapped up in other things.”
“ Other things being your mate.” Cullen grunted. “ You and Jeyra were sorting through your own things. No one blames you for that.”
“ I do.” Varek pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger before letting his arm drop to his side. “ We could’ve lost him.”
“ But we didna. Give Merrill some credit.”
Varek cut his eyes to Cullen . “ He was ensnared by Villette . For weeks .”
“ He was also one of the first to stand against her,” Cullen pointed out with his own hard look. He tempered his expression and voice when he said, “ I just spoke to him.”
“ And ?” Varek asked impatiently.
“ He sounds fine. No ’ the upbeat Merrill of before, though.”
“ He’s still with Katla ?”
Cullen nodded once. “ He’s protective of her.”
Varek didn’t know how to feel about the Druid . On one hand, she’d aided Villette in killing dragons. On the other, Villette had exploited Katla and coerced and manipulated her into doing her bidding. “ He’s a protector by nature. I think Merrill is drawn to her because of their comparable turmoil.”
“ Could be. I also think there might be some guilt on his part about Villette .”
Varek wrinkled his nose. “ He didna say it, but I suspect it, too. He doesna like to talk about his time at Stonemore .”
“ Would you?” Cullen asked, his brows rising when their eyes briefly met. “ I wouldna wish to discuss taking our greatest enemy to bed.”
“ He didna know it was her.”
Cullen lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “ You and I both know that doesna change the fact that they were lovers. None of us hold that against him, but he has to get past it on his own.”
“ Even if he and Katla do find Villette , they can no’ take her on themselves.”
“ I’m no’ so sure their expedition is about Villette .”
Varek jerked his head toward Cullen . “ What do you mean? Do you think he lied about needing to be on his own?”
Cullen twisted his lips as he once more looked northward. “ Merrill knows we’re worried. Out of all the Kings , he’d tell you the truth. So , nay, I doona believe he lied. However , I do believe something might be tied to the Druid .”
Varek thought about how the bairns brought to Iron Hall had talked excitedly about both Katla and Merrill . What if there was something between the pair? Varek wanted every King to find their mate. Especially Merrill . Jeyra’s love had healed many aspects of Varek’s past and put the future in a positive light. Something he hadn’t believed was possible.
“ Merrill is a fixer. If there’s a problem, he’s going to find a solution. If someone is in need, he’s going to help them,” Cullen said. “ He did it for all of us. He’s doing it for Katla .”
To his own detriment, Varek realized. Because none of them had offered Merrill the same courtesy. Not even him. Varek could tell himself Merrill would’ve said something had he been in need, but he knew his friend better than anyone. Merrill put others before himself. It was the empath in him.
They had talked about how unbalanced orange dragons could become when they took too much of another’s troubles and emotions onto themselves. Varek had failed Merrill over and over. But he wouldn’t make that mistake again.
He ran a hand down his face. “ Merrill lost the humor, but he gained a sense of self. It was there when we spoke before he left for Stonemore . I think you’re right. He is helping the Druid , but I think he’s helping himself, too.”
“ He might be stubborn, but if there’s danger, he willna risk Katla’s life. He’ll reach out. I remember when you went missing. He went crazy trying to locate you.”
Varek grunted as he recalled being pulled from Earth to Zora by the magic of a Star Person . “ It’s probably a good thing Jeyra and I got free of Orgate before all of you arrived.”
“ There would be nothing left of the city had Merrill gone in after you.” Cullen looked at Varek . “ None of us would’ve left it standing.”
“ Yet we didna go into Stonemore after him.”
“ If we had, the war Villette wanted would’ve begun.”
Varek rolled his eyes. Everything always came back to that fucking woman. “ She’s going to get her war regardless.”
“ Maybe , but if it helps, think of it this way. Had Merrill not been at the palace, he never would’ve encountered Derek . We wouldna have a new Dragon King , and Miena would still be an issue.”
“ You’re no’ telling me anything I’ve no’ already thought about. But it still feels like I let him down.”
Cullen slapped him on the back. “ You didna, and Merrill knows that.”
Varek remained after Cullen and Nari walked away. His dragon eyes saw far into the distance, but no matter how far he looked, he didn’t see his friend. Merrill was one of the strongest Kings . Not just physically but also mentally. But his empathy was his downfall. Merrill held himself to standards few could reach. He put family above all else.
And the Kings were his family. He would never purposefully hurt any of them. If Merrill thought he had let them down, he would want to rectify it before he moved forward. The only thing that gave Varek any peace was knowing Merrill wasn’t alone. Katla was a wildcard in all of this, and while Merrill tried to find firm ground again, Varek trusted him to see into the heart of the Druid . Since Merrill remained with her, that told him a great deal.
About his friend.
And about Katla .
A distant dragon roar reached him. Varek closed his eyes and let the sound fill every cell of his body. Another answered. Then , a third replied. The roars were as different and unique as the dragons themselves. For a heartbeat, Varek could almost believe they were on Earth before the war. That if he opened his eyes, he would see the lichen-colored scales of his clan soaring above him.
But Zora wasn’t Earth . It was, however, the dragons’ new home. They had been driven out of one and refused to be driven out of a second.
He lifted his lids and looked across the barrier surrounding his kin’s domain. Dragons dotted the skyline. He yearned to join them. Maybe one day they would forgive the Kings for the decision that had altered everyone’s course. Maybe they would welcome the Kings to fly with them someday.
Until then, Varek and the others would continue fighting against Villette —and anyone else who tried to harm the dragons. The Kings had vowed to protect the mortals on Earth . They hadn’t made that promise on Zora . Not that they wished to dole out death, but they couldn’t allow Villette to win.
No one knew that better than Merrill . He would also be the first to sacrifice himself if it saved everyone else. That’s what Varek refused to even consider. Merrill would survive.
Varek would make sure of it.