Page 21 of Dragon Heir

She wrapped her arms around herself and wrinkled her nose. “How could I forget your frozen tundra?”

He laughed. “It really is not as bad as that. The volcanoes warm much of the area.”

“And warm your pockets with wealth from the visitors seeking comfort in their waters,” Vargas added.

He inclined his head to her. “Very true, but I do seek to use those waters to heal them, as well.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Does it really work?”

A heavy sigh escaped the dragon lord. “After a thousand years of study, I have not found a consistency to its efficacy. One wonders if perhaps the cure is in the mind of the visitor rather than my fabled waters.”

Ware rubbed his hip and scoffed. “I have yet to find a cure for my old wound among your many pools and my mind is very much sound.”

Allard smiled at him. “I am glad to hear it, but perhaps some exercise would do your injury good. After all, we did offer our protective services to our host. We would be remiss if we did not fulfill our word and look about the grounds.”

“Well, according to the Tenky we should have little to worry about,” Ware mused but he started to stroll toward the tree line that surrounded the house.

We followed with Vargas taking up the spot beside Ware and Allard joining me. I couldn’t help but be a little nervous around the ancient dragon lords and lady. These were impossibly old creatures, older than even Will, and I couldn’t help but cast curious looks at them. They all looked so normal. Well, Vargas looked a little out of place in her Victorian-era dress in the forest setting, but otherwise, she was perfectly normal.

“You wonder at our appearances versus our age?” Allard commented.

I sheepishly smiled at him and rubbed the back of my head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare that long.”

He chuckled. “No need to apologize. We have been stared at all our lives because of our lineage.”

“It can be a tad annoying at times,” Vargas chimed in with a wrinkle of her nose. “They never fail to look me completely over, either, as if they cannot believe how stunning I appear for my age.” I had to bite my tongue to avoid making a comment about her attire.

A shadow overhead made us all freeze and more than one of the dragon lords drew out their talons from their now-clawed hands. Allard stepped in front of me and I had to lean back to check out the skies as the others did the same.

The great eagle from before circled the sky above the house. Its huge wings cast a dark shadow around us like a vulture but I couldn’t help but press my hand over my quickly-beating heart and breathe a sigh of relief. The others, too, relaxed their stances though Ware kept a sharp, curious look at the bird.

“What I would not give to hunt such a creature again. . .” he murmured.

Vargas’ eyebrows crashed down and she nudged him with her elbow. “The hunting by your companions and you are why those creatures are so rarely seen.”

Ware frowned at her. “We did nothing of the sort! We hunted a few for a few years and then they vanished! Allard can attest that it was presumed an illness struck what was left of them!”

Allard nodded. “I do recall making that hypothesis.”

The eagle gave a great screeching cry before it flew off over the trees where it disappeared. Ware sighed. “I am sure that is the last of the beasts.”

Vargas wrapped her arms around one of his and tugged him onward. “Whether it is or is not, we should finish this ‘nature walk’ and return inside so I can take a nice, long bath.”

We patrolled the perimeter of the tree line and I couldn’t help but jump at every little wayward stick and stone being crunched on and kicked about by us. Allard’s twinkling eyes watched me and a smile teased the corners of his lips.

“I understand you have been through quite a few adventures with Lord Thorn already,” Allard commented as we wandered around the rear of the house.

I nodded. “We had some trouble in Mirum and you know about the trouble in Turva.”

“Did you have such adventures before coming here?” he wondered.

I laughed and shook my head. “No. Actually, my life was pretty boring. There’s no magic where I come from-”

“No magic?!” Vargas spoke up as she jerked to a stop and spun around on her heels to face me, intruding on our conversation. “Wherever are you from that there is no magic?”

All pairs of eyes fell on me and I shrank beneath such intense attention. “Well, I. . .I came from a human settlement where nobody had magic so we just did without.” A good half-truth.

“Wherever is such a place?” Ware persisted.

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