Page 13 of The Dragon Shifters' Enemy
Caden though shook his head, clearly off his food due to simply hearing the nameBehemoth. Valerius frowned.This was not good.Caden needed to eat.He had not before the interview due to nerves.Now he must be starving.
You must eat something, Caden.Here take this.
Valerius urged a bacon-wrapped piece of filet mignon at him. Caden hesitated, but then the bacon undid his unease and he ate it directly from Valerius’ fingers.It would have been a delicious and intimate act if not done in front of everyone.At the moment, it was simply loving, instead of arousing. Valerius picked up another piece of meat and offered it.Caden ate that too. But he also drew nearer to Valerius as if to shelter beneath his wings, which were far larger than Anwar’s.Illarion had a point there.
“Behemoth is the name of a mythical Dragon Spirit, Kaila,” Tez explained as he snacked on a chicken leg. “It is said to rival even Raziel in size, but more than that, it has many heads.”
“Like the Lernaean Hydra?”Caden asked, his brow furrowing.
“Fancy you knowing about the Hydra, dear,” Esme said to Caden. “And one hears that education is lacking.”
“I’ve always loved myths about Dragons,” Caden admitted with a blush. “Who knew it would come in handy?”
“Caden, you are correct.The Behemoth’s heads are able to each command a different power.Lightning, fire, acid, poison, etcetera.All of our powers in one Dragon,” Tez explained as he licked his fingers with relish. He, clearly, was not put off his food.“And, as I said, it's huge and alsomean.Fully evil.Worse than Illarion even.”
“Behemoth is amyth! So people give it every power!Claim it is bigger than any of us!Stronger!Faster!More ruthless! Bah!Fairy stories!”Illarion huffed and crossed his arms over his puffed up chest. “And simply because I take afirmhand in my territory, you all act better than me!You are not!”
“We’re notbetterthan you because of how we handle our territories.We’re just simply better, period,” Tez said as he picked up another chicken wing from his plate.
There was a moment when Valerius thought that Illarion might strike the plate out of Tez’s hands and yet another meal would be ruined before it had ended.
“The Behemoth would eat you all for breakfast with your civilized ways!”Illarion shook his head. “Don’t you remember your legends? The Behemoth wishes only destruction. It would lay waste to your territories while you all bemoaned whether you should attack or not.What would thehumansthink? Oh, no!Some pathetic humans died in a fight! Bah! You should be grateful the Behemoth is nonsense!”
He swept an arm across his body before he went back to the table where the food was and began to noisily eat the spiral sliced, honey ham.
“Should Valerius bring out a trough for you, Illarion?”Esme murmured.
Illarion heard her but just gave her a toothy grin.Now pork had joined lamb between his white teeth.
Jahara spoke thoughtfully, “Even if the Behemoth existed, it hates this world and humanity so there is no chance it would come here. The things our Spirits thrive on are the antithesis of what it supposedly wants.”
“Where did the idea of the Behemoth come from if it's just a myth?”Caden asked.
“A many-headed Dragon that wants to destroy humanity?”Mei lifted an eyebrow at Caden.“Where do you think it came from? All the fears people have about Shifters are encompassed in the Behemoth.”
“Which is another reason that it would seem unlikely that the Faith would have anything to do with it,” Jahara said.
“Mom,” Caden called over to his mother.
Ellen, Grant and Tilly were just coming over with plates of food and drinks.Valerius noted that they had given themselves plenty of wine. Even Tilly had been given a small glass though she was double-fisted drinking with a Coke in the other.After the interview they’d all had, he understood why.
“Yes, Caden?”she asked after taking a large sip of red wine.
“Have you heard of the Behemoth?”Caden asked.
“That’s a children’s story,” she said with an uncertain smile.“Something that Humans First and people who hate Shifters made up.A monster.You know.The ultimate evil Shifter who is here to destroy everyone.”
“That’s so not the Faith!”Tilly chirruped.“You guyslovethat Spirits come here and join with people.You don’t want anyone destroyed, Mom.”
“Thank you, Tilly, but I’m not altogether sure if I represent the normal Faith member any longer,” Ellen said to her.
“I think your daughter is right, Ellen.”Jahara pointed at Ellen.“No one in the Faith would wish to team up with such a creature.And these people who seek to bring more Spirits into the world are believers above all else!” There was a momentary silence before Jahara amended, “Not that all believers--”
“No, no, you’re right!”Ellen said and raised her wine glass as if in a toast.“The people behind the bombings are zealots.They worship the Spirits beyond reason.They are not well, I think.It’s like their beliefs have poisoned the rest of them.”
Grant put a hand on his wife’s shoulder.“There are people like this in every religion, Ellen.There’s nothing inherent about the Faith that draws bad people.”
“I would have agreed with you, Grant, but I don’t know.The people behind the attempted bombing during the Below ceremony… I thought I knew them!I thought I understood what they were capable of, and I didn’t.I don’t!” Ellen drank more wine.
