Page 36 of A Dagger in the Ivy

He places his hands on his chest. “If I’m to address you as Celeste, then I insist you call me ‘Ezra.’”

“Very well.”

Nadya leans forward in her chair. “I’d still like to be called ‘Lady Nadya.’ No one called me that in Delasurvia. I’m quite enjoying it.”

He looks as though he’s holding back a laugh. “Noted. Now. I’d like to begin by delving into the annals of history, exploring the mysteries of ages long past. If, at any time, either of you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

“Oh.” Nadya lifts her hand. “I have a question.”

“Yes, Lady Nadya.”

“Would it be entirely rude of me to take a nap during the lessons?”

His eyebrows squish together. “I think it would be a bit rude, yes.”

Nadya winks. “Noted.”

It’s apparent that she’s thrown him off course a bit, but he quickly composes himself so he can continue. “As you can see, I’ve written a few of the time periods of Terre Ferique upon the wall. We will cover these ages over the next weeks. But today, we will start with the Age of Dragons.”

Nadya raises her hand again.

“Yes, Lady Nadya?”

“What came before the dragons?”

I believe I know the answer, but the king’s accusations about me skipping my lessons have me double guessing myself. I look from Nadya to Ezra, also curious as to the correct answer of what came before the dragons.

“The pirates.” The magister’s gaze meets mine for a fraction of a second.

It makes me think about Dante and his accusations. He seemed insistent that my father descended from pirates. He also called Delasurvia ‘primitive.’ I squirm at the thought. My land may not be as sophisticated and developed as Hedera, but that doesn’t mean we are senseless, reckless animals. I lift my hand. “What time period are we in now? Is it still the Age of Silence?”

Ezra looks uncomfortable, crossing his hands and leaning back against his desk. “Historians are calling this the Age of Hunger.”

I think about the people starving in Delasurvia. Not to mention the hunger of the carnoraxis. Sounds like the historians are correct.

I lean forward, anticipation coiling in my stomach. I find myself eager to absorb the knowledge he has to impart.

“Our tale begins in the Age of Dragons,” Magister Ezra continues, his voice taking on a storyteller’s cadence. “In those ancient days, Terre Ferique was a world teeming with life, where mighty dragons soared through the azure skies and held dominion over the land.”

I imagine the majestic creatures, their scales glinting in the sunlight as they ruled the heavens with unparalleled grace.

Ezra lets out a breath. “However, as the great war loomed on the horizon, a darkness began to seep into the world. Poisoned plants, such as hemlock and nightshade, spread like wildfire, choking the life out of crops and animals alike. No matter what the people of the realm attempted, they could not stop the spread of the troublesome plants. Unable to eat anything not touched by the poison, the dragons began to starve.”

I shudder at the thought of such rampant destruction, the land withering beneath the onslaught of poison.

“Couldn’t they tell the plants were poison? Why were the dragons consuming them?” Nadya throws her hands in the air.

“They were indirectly consuming the poison, through the livestock they ate,” Ezra explains. “Sheep, cows, goats. Animals that were roaming free. Farmers who owned livestock learned to shelter their animals to protect them from both the poison and the dragons. Not all were successful. Many had to burn their own crops in order to destroy the poisonous plants, losing everything.”

It happened in Delasurvia. I remember my father speaking of it, a tale passed down through the years.

“Only Mersos remained untainted by the poison,” Ezra continues, “but the land of merchants would not tolerate dragons overpowering their fertile lands, and so they used their skills to drive the dragons away.”

I’d never heard this part of history. “How?”

“Dragonsbane.” Ezra says this matter-of-factly. “When burned, dragonsbane would emit a smell that dragons found particularly repulsive. It would make them physically sick.”

“I thought dragonsbane was a rare herb,” I say.

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