Chapter Two #2
“Now,” Zorah said, resting her head on her hand, elbow on the counter.
“Did this mage fella tell ya why you’re here?
I came because my idiot alpha cousin saw me as a threat and tried to kill me.
A mage sent me here to hide. It worked. I’ve been here Goddess knows how long.
” She leaned in, lowering her voice. “To be honest, I’d rather kill my asshole cousin and be done with it. ”
So, she had one too. Maybe everyone did.
How much should Jimryr say? “The mage told me I’m supposed to recruit other dragons to come back with me and help me fight a battle.” Why him?
“What battle?”
“A battle for High Reaches Court, I think. Few other courts survived the petty in-fighting.”
Zorah ate a bit of sammich and scratched her head. “High Reaches. That’s the Thornes, ain’t it? I met their king once, a fella by the name of Locryn, I believe. Heard good things ‘bout him. Did something change?”
“His brother took over. I think he killed the king.”
“Oh, Urien.” Zorah spat the name. “Now there’s a rotten apple if ever I saw one. What about the other courts?”
Jimryr hung his head. “There aren’t many left, at least not on the northern continent.”
“What about Mountain Meadows, Sandy Shoals, and Northern Crags? Those were the largest besides High Reaches when I lived in Adrakus, though I left a long time ago.”
“Mostly gone. Fought among themselves. There are so few dragons left.”
Zorah blew out a breath, placing her sammich back on her plate. “That’s a damned shame, but not surprising. We can be an egotistical bunch of self-destructive shits. What’s your court, if you don’t mind my asking?”
No point in denying the truth. “Rolling Waves, one of the smaller courts.” Jimryr swallowed hard. “I might be the only one left.”
“How’d you manage that?”
“Another court made a raid before dawn. Father sent me for reinforcements from a neighboring court. I found only smoking ruins there, which is what I also found when I returned home.” His eyes burned.
He’d wanted to stay and fight, but Father insisted he go for help.
He’d been a young dragon then, only recently promoted out of training, and probably wouldn’t have been much help since the attackers had defeated their best fighters.
“I was from a small court, too. I probably don’t want to know, but what happened to Rocky Ridges Court?”
Damnation, Jimryr didn’t want to say. “Rocky Ridges attacked my court and the other I mentioned. If your cousin or whatever was leader, he wiped out a lot of lives.”
Zorah shook her head. “He might’ve taken some with him if they swore loyalty.
Don’t give up hope. Maybe some of your kin still live.
Damn, I should’ve kicked my cousin’s mangy ass a long fucking time ago, but I didn’t want to lead.
” She paused, then grumbled, “But look at me now.” She spoke in a conversational tone again.
“Let me guess, he’s Urien Thorne’s pet dragon now. ”
What a strange way Zorah had of talking sometimes.
“I don’t know. I’ve heard nothing about your court for some time.
Of course, being without a proper home, I don’t hear much news at all, and what I hear might not be true.
” Bards weren’t the most reliable sources of information, and Mystral’s brother didn’t visit often.
Spies only reported on what Mystral asked.
“Were you alone all this time?”
Jimryr shook his head. “No. I met a few others like myself. We banded together, but spent our time learning to fight, finding temporary lodging where we could, and dreaming of a day we could avenge our dead.” Fantasizing revenge seemed more productive than groveling in sorrow.
“What about the Goddess?”
“No one has seen her for seasons upon seasons.”
Zorah lifted her glass of tea to her lips. Here, in the brightly lit kitchen, Jimryr noticed the lines etched around her eyes and mouth, the age spots on her hands. Was she very old, or did dragons age differently in this realm?
Jimryr debated telling Zorah the next part. “And there’s something else.”
“What?”
“She’s withheld her blessings and hasn’t granted any eggs in a long time. We have no young under eight or nine summers old.”
Zorah plunked the glass on the table so hard that tea sloshed over the top. “Then, our world’s gonna die.”
Jimryr nodded. He’d heard others say the same.
They resumed eating in silence, the bread, meat, and cheese turning to ash in Jimryr’s mouth. He finished every bite, regardless.
Zorah pushed her empty plate away. “Well, no one has eggs here, but we have quite a few dragons. You met some tonight, and I’ve heard rumors of others scattered about.
Most were brought here too young to remember anyplace else.
I tell you what. Let’s get you settled, teach you to ride, and then go about helping you find dragons for this epic battle of yours.
Ain’t like we’re doing much else. Most of us got jobs, though some aren’t exactly legal”—she waggled one hand back and forth—“so money’s not an issue. ”
Could the mage’s assignment be so easy? Jimryr extended his hand in a way he thought others did to close a deal.
Zorah pulled him into a hug instead.