Chapter 9
My mind is racing, trying to process everything he’s saying with what I know to be true. I ask the first question that comes to mind. “How did Terron survive?”
“They left him for dead.”
“But he wasn’t,” I state the obvious.
“No.”
“I knew the gryphons were dying out, but I hadn’t known Terron and his gryphon were the last of their kind until the guivres started turning back to humans,” I admit.
“You weren’t supposed to know. Terron did everything in his power to continue with things as they were. Only a few knew the absolute truth, that he alone survived.”
There’s one question burning in my mind brighter than the others. “Who was the boy?”
I think at first he’s not going to tell me, but he surprises me. “My great grandfather.”
“So that’s why.”
“Why what?” he asks warily.
“That’s why you won’t help the other kingdoms get rid of the guivres—because they didn’t come to your aid.”
He scoffs. “Do I look like the kind of guy that carries a grudge?”
I huff out a laugh. “You look exactly like that kind of guy. If it’s not that, then what is it?”
“Are you always this nosy?”
“Hey, you’re the one that pulled me in here for this private meeting.”
He pushes off the table. “Not a private meeting.”
I make a show of looking around the room. “Pretty sure that’s exactly what this is.”
He starts towards the door. “Just leave my housekeeper alone and don’t tell her anything else to scare her.” He walks out of the room without another word, and I rush to follow him as he strides to the front door.
“Wait, we’re done? I was just getting started with all my questions. You can’t just leave.”
He opens the front door and turns to face me. “Pretty sure I can.”
“Fine. Then I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not.” He starts to close the door, but I’m faster. I shove my foot in place, holding the door. He looks down at my foot and then back at me. “Move.”
“No. I am not sitting around the house another day. I’m losing my mind.”
He stares down at me, and I can see the muscle jumping alongside his jaw. It gives me a perverse pleasure to know I’m the one that’s causing it. I’m prepared to stand my ground, but he surprises me. “Okay.” I eye him and don’t move my feet, but he doesn’t try to close the door again. “Let’s go.”
I close the door and follow him and instantly regret it.
It’s freezing, and I have nothing to keep me warm.
I’m wearing a long-sleeved shirt, but the wind cuts right through it.
I’m not about to complain, though, and have him leave me behind.
I can’t spend another whole day doing nothing; I’ll lose my mind.
Thankfully, I have no problem keeping up with his long-legged stride, even in the snow.
It crunches beneath us as we walk. I try to keep my muscles tight, so it doesn’t show how much I’m shivering.
I’m really regretting now asking to come with.
I’m so cold, but I refuse to let him know.
When we finally stop in front of a building, I fight the impulse to run inside ahead of him.
He walks up the steps, stomps his boots to shake off the excess snow and then opens the door.
As soon as we step inside, I’m hit with a blast of heat.
I bite my teeth to keep them from chattering and try to thaw out.
I move a little closer to the fireplace without making it too obvious. “Cold?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Nope. I like the cold.” Not a lie. I do like the cold, just not quite this cold. “What are we doing here?”
He makes a humming sound. “You want something to do all day? Follow me.” We walk past the fireplace, and towards a closed door.
Without a backward glance, he opens the door and steps through.
I follow him, curious as to what we’re doing.
“Hope you’re not wearing good clothes.” That’s the only warning I get before I step into the room and stop.
I immediately gag and throw a hand over my mouth.
“Oh...my...what is that smell?”
Rauk claps a man on the back. “Henley, I brought you another helper. This is Harper.”
“You did?” The man turns towards me and waves. “Great. Thank you. Just grab a shovel, and I’ll tell you what to do.”
“All right. Well, have fun.” Rauk is gone before I can even think of a comeback.
“Thanks so much for volunteering to help, Heather.”
“It’s Harper,” I correct.
“Got it. Let’s go, Harver.”
“It’s...” I don’t even bother to correct him.
“All right. Our job is simple. We just have to mix the black stuff there with the orange stuff here.” I look at the black stuff all down the long table.
“What are we making?” I ask, even as I wonder if in this case, ignorance is bliss.
“Oh.” He turns towards me with a wide grin. “Dragon loam.”
“Dragon loam?”
“Yes. We let the scorchmuck dry out in here. The high heat helps with that. Then we crush it and mix it with emberroot, and that makes dragonloam.”
“What do you do with it?” I ask, even as my eyes water. I’m trying to focus on anything but the awful smell.
“Oh, dragonloam is our secret to growing things this far North,” he says with a grin.
“Okay.” I take a deep breath and regret it instantly. “Put me to work.”
“You’re going to use the shovel to fill that bowl all the way to the top with scorchmuck. Grind it with that there.” He points out what looks like a huge pestle. “Once it’s all ground, add one bowl of emberroot. The emberroot is here in this large basket. Here’s the bowl.”
“Okay. Sounds easy enough.” I walk over to the table and try not to gag. I lift a shovel load of the dark black stuff and drop it into the huge bowl on the ground. “What is scorchmuck, anyway?” I ask.
“Oh. Dragon poop.”
I squeeze my shovel handle tightly. I'm going to kill him. I take in the table once again. How does one dragon produce so much?!
Hours later, I close the door behind me and wonder if I’ll ever not smell that smell again.
I’m also pretty sure I never want to see Noxlyn again.
I try not to think about the fact that Henley was excited because, in his words, “Now that Redara is here, maybe we can double the output.” I shiver.
There are just some things you can’t recover from.
Ever. I shiver in the cold and start towards Rauk’s palace.
I don’t get very far when I see two men walking towards me from the other direction.
I take in the eye patch and remember him from yesterday.
I wonder if he’s on his way to meet with Rauk.
An idea suddenly hits me, and I walk towards the two of them.
I shiver again and try to hide it. “Hi,” I call out when I get close.
Both men slow and then stop in front of me.
I address the guy with the eye patch and try to make myself not sound like I’m trying to find Rauk so I can murder him.
“Do you know where I could find Rauk right now?”
The guy with the patch stays quiet, but the guy next to him answers. “He’s in a meeting right now.”
“Great.” I force a happy smile; well, at least I hope it looks happy and not deranged.
“If you could just point the way.” They both just stare at me like I’ve suddenly grown two heads.
“Is it this way?” I point behind me, since that’s the direction they were both heading.
When neither of them say anything, I try a little harder.
“Okay, Guys. The silent treatment is really not polite. Would one of you like to tell me where I can find Rauk?”
“The King is busy right now,” eye patch guy says.
“Yes, we established his most supreme excellence is in a meeting. Where is the meeting?” The guy on the right looks at eye patch guy, and I know then that he’s the leader or maybe higher ranking or something.
“You know what? I’ll just find him myself.
I’ll get Redara to find out from Nox where he is. ”
“Nox?” the guy on the right asks.
“Yeah. His dragon.” I wonder if this one’s not so bright.
“It’s Noxlyn,” eye patch guy says in a tight voice.
“You have a thing for titles and names, don’t you? Overcompensating for something, I wonder? Lack of personality maybe?”
The guy on the right coughs, drawing my attention back to him. “I can take you to where he is,” he finally caves.
“Oh good. Finally, somebody useful.” I say the words while looking at eye patch guy.
“This way.” He starts forward, and I follow behind, crunching snow and ice with every step.
I’m having a hard time keeping my teeth from chattering.
The guy I’m following hasn’t said a word since we left Eye Patch behind.
When we stop in front of a large building, he faces me with a frown. “Why aren’t you dressed warmer?”
“I love the cold.” A shiver races through me, belying my words.
“Really?” he asks skeptically.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Is this where he is?”
“Yes.” I put my hand on the door.
“Wait, you can’t just go in there.”
“Sure, I can. Our dragons are mates.” I’m not really sure what that makes us officially, but it’s something...enough to get me inside.
“I’ll take her in.”
I spin around and see Eye Patch followed us. “Thanks.”
He walks in front of me and opens the door.
When I pass him, I catch the slightest frown on his face.
I figure he just caught a whiff of me. Good.
I follow him down a long hallway, and he opens a door.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the large formal room with seating all the way around the room, centering around a table in the middle was not it.
I step inside the slightly darker room and wait a minute for my eyes to adjust. When I do, I notice that the seats around the room are on a tiered platform, so they’re above the table on the floor in the middle of the room.
I also realize that Rauk is sitting at the table in the middle.
By himself. A slow grin fills my face. Perfect.
“I’ll take it from here,” I tell eye patch guy quietly.
Rauk hasn’t noticed me yet, and I want to get as far as I can before he does.
I can totally picture him ordering somebody—eye patch guy probably—to remove me from the room.
I approach from the side. I’m still somewhat in the shadows, so nobody’s noticed me yet.
They’re all invested in whatever some guy on the other end of the room is saying.
Whatever it is, it’s controversial because several people openly disagree with him.
It’s only when I almost reach the table that Rauk finally notices me.
I can tell the moment he notices. Not because he looks up at me, but because he goes still and his body tenses.
Since there’s only one chair at the table, and he currently occupies it, I grab an empty chair nearby and take it with me to the table.
I am very aware that the room has gone completely silent.
I set the chair next to Rauk and drop into it.
“Hi. Did you miss me? I missed you so much; I had to come find you.” I make sure to lean towards him, making sure my stink wafts towards him.