Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Katla started to ask about Orgate when she saw the vine forest over Merrill’s shoulder. Her breath left her as she walked around him. The vines sat fifty feet from them, their thick branches weaving together to make a solid wall without a visible thorn.
“ We needed somewhere we wouldna be bothered,” he said from behind her. “ I couldna think of anywhere else. Was I wrong to return here?”
Her feet took her toward the vines. As she walked, she looked left, where she had last seen her husband and daughter alive. Try as she might, she couldn’t remember much about them. They were faceless images in her memories now. Katla didn’t stop until she stood before the vines. She knew without looking that Merrill was behind her. If he had asked her earlier if they should come to the valley, she would’ve refused. They couldn’t remain on dragon land, and the entity waited near Stonemore , which meant that wasn’t safe either.
The valley had been a place of fear for all dragons for over a millennium. But now, it would give one shelter. If the vines allowed them to enter. Katla could force them, but she didn’t want to do that. She had demanded much of the brambles over the years.
“ I can take us to Iron Hall .”
She shook her head and finally looked at him. “ You made the right choice. I feared seeing this place again would drown me in misery, but it hasn’t. I was the one holding on to all of that. I kept myself locked in a never-ending cycle.” Katla surveyed the thick wall of vines and gently laid her hand upon one. “ These were my confidants. They listened to my stories and heard my plans. They comforted me when I wept and heeded my pleas for revenge. And when it was time, they stood against me.”
“ No ’ against you, lass. For you.”
Katla jerked her head to Merrill and his silhouette. His face was hidden in the shadows, but his eyes were on her. “ For me?”
“ They wanted your freedom. You wouldna get that by remaining in the valley. They heard Henry , and the vines pushed you to see the truth.”
“ For me,” she agreed, nodding.
The vines parted, opening a path. She peered into the valley to find the vines weren’t as thick as they used to be. They had spread out and up, becoming much taller than before. Only the perimeter along the edge was impenetrable, ensuring no unwanted entered.
Still , she hesitated to step inside. “ Where is the border?”
“ The moment you step into the vines, you’ll be off dragon land.”
“ They moved.” Katla swallowed past the lump in her throat. “ I coaxed them over the boundary. They’ve returned.”
Merrill stood patiently as she took it all in. A path continued to open for them, and he was right behind her once she entered the vines.
Katla spotted green on the ground and pointed it out to Merrill . “ Henry did that. After I agreed to help Villette and the vines erupted, it became a desolate, barren place. I thought the vines did it, but I was to blame. Look at what has happened since I left. Winter is coming, and the ground flourishes with life.” She sucked in a breath when she saw a small bud of green on a vine. She paused and bent to admire it. “ Even these thrive.”
“ Why do you believe you made the valley barren?”
“ It’s obvious.” She straightened and glanced back at him. “ Henry’s magic began life here again. I didn’t remain to stamp it out.”
Merrill grunted. “ Have you considered that perhaps it had nothing to do with you?”
“ I can’t see how it doesn’t.”
“ If you were to blame, would the vines so readily invite you inside now?”
Katla was brought up short by his words. “ I hadn’t considered that.”
“ Try it out,” he whispered, his breath against her ear.
She shivered, but it had nothing to do with the nip in the air. She continued along the path, anticipating the sight of the valley in the daylight. When she resided there, everything had been dead and still. There was no rain, no sun, no moons, no sky. Just drab grayness. The songs of insects rang around her now, and she saw the night sky through the branches. The valley was alive again, and that delighted her.
Katla knew where the vines were leading her but didn’t deviate from the trail. The past was gone. There was no changing it. Pain might forever remain, but it no longer brought her to her knees. One day, when she thought of her family, maybe she would smile instead of getting choked up. Perhaps she would even forgive herself for her actions and the pain she’d caused so many.
Merrill was quiet. Only the soft tread of his footfalls could be heard. Her mind was full of memories—both good and bad. It wasn’t easy to face her transgressions and accept her part in it all. Denial would be easier. Simpler . But it would only make her sorrow linger. Owning up to her mistakes and cruel actions was a brutal, grueling journey and might very well be the end of her. But she had to do it. Not just for herself but also for her family and her people.
She knew the path they were on well. She had walked it thousands of times. So , she wasn’t surprised when she saw her cottage as she rounded the bend. How had she not seen its age before? How had she not realized the passage of time and its toll on the structure? She saw it clearly now. Still , she thought it charming.
And it was all that was left of her village.
Merrill walked around her when she paused. He ran a hand along the stones that made up the outside of the cottage and surveyed the thatched roof. She was rooted to the spot as he walked around the dwelling until he stood next to her once more.
“ It’s in good shape,” he said. “ It needs a wee bit of work, but that’s no’ surprising after so long.”
“ I was so excited when it became ours. I forgot all the good memories in my grief. I didn’t even think of it as a home anymore. It was just somewhere I came,” she admitted.
He turned his head to her, a part of his face highlighted by the silvery threads of moonlight shining through the branches. “ We doona have to go inside.”
“ I want to. I need to.”
Merrill motioned for her to lead the way. Katla swallowed and headed for the door. It swung open with only a slight creak. The inside was dark and shadowy, but she knew where everything was. Katla walked to the kitchen table where a candle rested. There was much she could remember about the years with the vines, but there were other parts she couldn’t.
“ I don’t remember lighting these,” she confessed as she removed her coat and folded it over the back of the chair. “ I must have. I never sat in the dark.”
Merrill closed the door softly. There was a whoosh of light as he made flames erupt in the hearth, and every candle flare to life. “ It was no doubt Villette’s magic. She took it after the battle here.”
“ She made me think it was mine.”
“ Maybe it was.”
Katla swung her head to him. “ Then why can’t I remember? That should be easy enough.”
“ We doona always remember details.”
“ Lighting candles isn’t something I should forget,” she argued.
He shrugged. “ Why no’ just assume it was Villette ?”
“ I don’t know.” She sighed in frustration. “ I shouldn’t get upset about something so trivial.”
“ You’re looking for answers. It’s understandable.”
Was it, though? Katla scanned the cottage. It wasn’t anything grand, just a bedroom off to the side and a spacious kitchen where she hung herbs and combined tinctures. The area in front of the hearth was cozy, and it even had a loft overhead where her daughter had slept.
“ This is nice,” Merrill told her. “ I can see why you were happy here.”
She rested her hand on the back of a chair. “ I wish you could have seen the village. They were good people.”
“ I’m sure they were. Their memory remains with you.” He tilted his head slightly. “ Why no’ get some rest? We have a few hours yet before dawn.”
“ I couldn’t sleep if I tried. Not after everything. Tell me about Orgate ,” she said as she walked to sit in one of the chairs before the fire. She motioned to the remaining one.
Merrill lowered himself into it. The glow of the flames danced upon his face, highlighting the lines creasing his brow. “ I told you Varek was brought to Zora against his will. The fact is, Jeyra began it. She wanted revenge on the Dragon Kings for the death of her family.”
“ I didn’t think the dragons crossed the border,” Katla said as she settled more comfortably.
“ It isna a prison. Just as you were able to cross at will, so, too, can the dragons,” he answered. “ I doona know if any left of their own accord. They may have. I suspect the ones Jeyra and the Orgateans saw were those Villette freed.”
Katla stiffened, the implications clear. “ You mean the ones I trapped.”
Merrill dipped his chin slightly as he looked her way. “ Villette wanted fear, remember? What better way than to release dragons upon unsuspecting humans? Some in Orgate hunt such dragons and kill them.”
She tried not to wince, but Katla couldn’t hide her distress over the part she’d played in all of it. “ Why did Jeyra blame the Kings ? None of you were even here.”
“ My guess is that was Villette , too. Regardless , Jeyra isna one for patience. She decided to get justice on her own. However , she couldna do it by herself. She sought out an old crone, who pulled Varek here from Earth .”
“ I hope you found her so she couldn’t do such again.”
“ Oh , we did,” he muttered.
Katla quirked a brow. “ What do you mean?”
“ It was Eurielle .”
“ Villette’s sister?” Katla asked in surprise.
Merrill nodded slowly. “ Her siblings banished her to Zora as punishment for interfering with things. She changes her appearance and can appear old or young.”
“ Does she hate dragons that much?”
“ Actually , Eurielle claims she believed if she brought Varek here, we would follow and stop her sister.”
Katla wrinkled her nose. “ Do you believe her?”
“ She’s done enough to help in other ways. So , we do.”
“ I’m not sure I could.”
Merrill rubbed a hand over his mouth. “ Jeyra is part of an elite group of Orgate warriors. She , with the help of her mentor, Rankin , brought Varek’s unconscious body back to the city and imprisoned him there.”
“ He busted out, I’m sure.”
“ The metal that makes up the prison prevented him from accessing his magic. He remained in there for some time. Varek being Varek , he began digging for answers. Jeyra couldna answer some of his questions, and that got her wondering. She started looking deeper and uncovered generations of lies and cover-ups. Jeyra put Varek in that prison, and then she broke him out. Once he was free, his powers returned, and with them, his ability to hear the dragons’ screams. One of Orgate’s council members, Arn , was corrupt and had the warriors bring the captured dragons to him.”
Katla folded her hands in her lap. “ What would a mortal want with dragons?”
“ He tortured them and was somehow able to take their magic and use it as his, all while killing or banishing anyone in the city with abilities. Varek and Jeyra fought to free the imprisoned dragons. A battle ensued that divided the city. Ultimately , the dragons were released, and Arn was killed. The remaining warriors have been determined to make the Kings —and anyone associated with us—pay ever since.”