Chapter 28 #3
Of course, Cameron was clearly a social creature, easily conversing with just about anyone who entered his orbit. If they used the royal dining room, Tori could imagine that half the castle would be invited inside for “private” dinners.
It was a shame it wasn’t used more often.
The tall windows lining one wall faced the southwest, offering up a stunning view of the sunset and the mountains against a rich sky of purple, deep blue, crimson, and orange.
The walls were white, but two of them were covered in exquisitely painted murals of playful summer scenes in the woods.
They were all gathered around a beautiful, long table and eating off delicate china that was probably as old as the dragons in the room.
The seating arrangement was a little unexpected.
Tori had thought that the Burkhard dragons would be on one end and the Valerii dragons on the other end.
But when Baldewin ushered him into a chair, he found Rodrigo sitting directly on Alric’s left across from Cameron.
Tori was seated on Cameron’s right, and Baldewin was beside Tori, thank god.
From there, it was a rotation of Burkhard and Valerii dragons and mages, as if they were all one big happy family.
And maybe the Valerii were content to at least pretend to be a family, judging by the way they kept watching Tori. He got it. He completely understood. He was the only thing standing between them and an entire clan of mages unclaimed by dragons.
Though, he wasn’t sure how happy they’d be about those mages once Tori started talking.
“I wish to thank you again for agreeing to have dinner with us this evening,” Rodrigo began with a warm smile as he met Tori’s gaze.
“I can only guess that this entire ordeal has been very trying and exhausting for you. King Alric has informed us that the Taavi Clan is currently under the mistaken belief that dragons are the culprit for the war. To find yourself now surrounded by dragons must be…” He waved one hand at his side as if searching for the right word.
Tori continued to carry Cassie’s earring in his pocket as both a handy translation spell and a talisman of good luck. Even with it, Tori was sure it wasn’t a matter of trying to think of the Finnish word, but rather a properly diplomatic term.
“Well, overwhelming is probably the best word,” Rodrigo concluded with a smile.
The king of the Ice Dragons was very smooth, as well as incredibly friendly. Where Alric was always calm and collected, Rodrigo came across as a passionate man who wasn’t accustomed to reining in his emotions. He laughed loudly and gestured broadly. His personality seemed larger than life.
And yet, when he smiled at Tori, it was like they were the only ones in the room.
Except that spell was quickly broken by a squeeze of Baldewin’s hand or a low grumble from the dragon. Not that Tori minded. The only person he wanted to be alone with was Baldewin.
Tori took a quick drink of his wine and placed the delicate glass back on the table, glad he managed to do it without his hand shaking too visibly.
“You’re right. It can be overwhelming, but the Burkhard Clan has been incredibly welcoming, even before I arrived at the castle.
In an incredibly short amount of time, it has become the home I’ve always longed for. ”
Alric puffed up a little bit, while Rodrigo threw him what looked to be a sly smirk.
“We are so pleased to hear that Burkhard is starting to feel like home for you,” Alric murmured.
“Yes, the fire dragons have always been such a warm and welcoming group,” Rodrigo agreed, earning a look from Alric that Tori couldn’t quite read. There were more political undercurrents than Tori understood, and he honestly didn’t want to know.
“You’ll have to forgive King Rodrigo,” Thiago said a little farther down the table. “He doesn’t mean anything by his comment. The dragon kings have a long history of being incredibly competitive.”
Rodrigo nodded. “My advisor is once again correct. My poor ego is rumpled because King Alric has uncovered the first four mages anyone has seen in five centuries. But his discovery and generosity will benefit us all.”
Tori couldn’t hold back his frown. There was no mistaking the hope in Rodrigo’s voice or in the eyes of all the Valerii dragons gathered at the table.
Hell, he could even see it in the eyes of Ravi and Gunter, as they also hoped that Tori and his former clan might hold the key to them all finding mages.
He wasn’t sure what to even tell them. How did he explain that his own clan hated him and thought he was a waste of skin, not only because he was born a male, but a gay male at that?
From what little he’d seen of Rodrigo and the Valerii dragons so far, they didn’t give a damn that Alric’s mate was a man.
They didn’t care that Tori was a male mage rather than a female.
All they seemed to see was mage, and in their eyes, mage equaled hope.
Would that feeling of hope still exist if they realized the kind of beliefs his former clan had?
“I know you are hopeful of integrating more mages into both the Valerii and Burkhard Clans from the Taavi mage clan,” Tori started slowly.
He kept his eyes locked on the soup bowl in front of him.
It had started out tasting quite lovely, but now it seemed to sour in his stomach, and he found himself placing his spoon back on the table.
“I just worry that the Taavi Clan might not be what you’re expecting.
Particularly after you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Cameron and his sister Cassie. ”
Cameron laughed loudly on Tori’s left, pulling Baldewin’s gaze up to the tall young man. “Trust me, I think they are hoping your clan is nothing like my sister.” He winked at Tori, and his smile remained encouraging.
“Well, the Taavi Clan is nothing like Cassie,” Tori agreed.
“You needn’t worry, Tori, that anyone here is going to judge you because of what other members of the Taavi Clan believe. I’ve already spoken with Rodrigo and his people about some of the…difficulties we are potentially facing,” Alric added.
Rodrigo spat something out in a rough, almost guttural language that left his ears ringing and the translation spell scrambling to figure out what he meant. While Tori might not understand the word, Rodrigo’s look of disgust and hostility was clear. It eased some when he looked at Tori.
“It is abhorrent to me and my clan that any mage should have suffered the things you have,” Rodrigo growled, his voice becoming surprisingly deep, as if his dragon were trying to take control of his body.
“We are not pleased to know that elder mages treat younger mages in such a fashion. And such nonsensical homophobia…” He drifted off into more guttural curses that Tori still couldn’t understand, but he looked down the table at Thiago, who cleared his throat, looking a little red faced.
“What my king is trying to say is that kind of negativity would not be welcome within the Valerii Clan,” Thiago said smoothly.
“Nor is it welcome within the Burkhard Clan,” Dieter added.
“We are hoping you can give us some more details on the composition of your clan and its history. Do you think there might be anyone who is more like yourself? More open-minded? Someone who is willing to look past such archaic teachings?” Thiago continued.
Tori sat perfectly still, trying to block out everyone closely watching him and hanging on his every word. Dinner at a quiet table at the back of the hall with just him and maybe Cassie or a quick visit from Ravi would have been preferable to this.
But then, Alric and the Burkhard Clan had already done so much for him. He could suffer through one difficult night. He wanted to give back to his new clan. It was just a shame that it involved his old clan and his ugly past.
Baldewin’s hand shifted in his, and he could feel the gentle sweep of his thumb across his sweaty palm.
All through the dinner and light conversation, Baldewin had held his hand.
It had made things awkward for both of them, but Baldewin had yet to release him.
He was the anchor Tori so desperately needed in this storm.
“Information in the Taavi Clan tends to be tightly controlled. I’m guessing it’s how they’ve managed to keep anyone from discovering that the Jaeggi are the true reason for the Great Dragon War.
I never gave much thought to it since we’re taught not to question our elders.
” He paused and tried to organize his thoughts a little.
“I think you mentioned that the clan is about two hundred people now,” Baldewin assisted.
Tori nodded, grateful for the direction. “Yes. Two hundred. I believe it was bigger at one time. Several hundred, I think, when we first moved to Finland.”
“I’m assuming there are humans within your clan. Children who were born without magical ability,” Cameron said.
“Yes. Of the two hundred, about half are human and half are mage. The humans aren’t treated great, but they are largely ignored by the mages.
If a human couple happens to have a mage baby, then they gain a little status within the clan.
” Tori paused and rubbed his chin. “Lisette mentioned something interesting to me the other day. She said that mages without a dragon can live as long as two hundred years, but no one in the Taavi Clan is anywhere near that age. Most barely make it to one hundred.”
“That is interesting,” Gunter said, leaning forward to focus entirely on Tori.
He’d met the royal researcher only once before.
He seemed quite pleasant, if a little scattered at times, as if his thoughts were being pulled in a variety of directions.
“Do you think it could be linked to the fact they’ve been apart from dragons for so long?
Or maybe it’s something to do with the harsh winter conditions they must weather each year. ”