Page 31 of Consort's Dragon
“I understand perfectly.You’re looking for a slave.”
I prefer the term servant.Now if you’re done being difficult, I have a task for you.
“I’m busy.”
Sulking?Yes, I can see that.Enough of being contrary.It is time you proved your worth.
Before Griff could reply, the clawed paw gripped him, tight enough he exclaimed, “What happened to you not harming the blooded?”
So dramatic.I am not hurting you, merely providing transport to not waste time.
“You are unbelievably bossy,” Griff grumbled.
Some of us were hatched to command.Said as the dragon threw itself into the air and flapped its mighty wings.
This time, knowing what to expect, Griff managed to leash his fear.As they gained altitude, he took a moment to observe and marvel as the city—so large on the ground—shrank as they rose, the buildings seemingly toy-sized.From this vantage, he could see the mist hugging the shoreline and as they kept ascending, he could see past it.
Could see the deep blue of the ocean and the ripples of waves.
The curve of the continent.
The bobbing speck of his ship!
But more worrisome, the tiny dot that launched from it.
Someone must have spotted his short-lived signal and came to investigate.Good and bad.The good: he could get off Verlora.The bad: the dragon might spot the vessel and hunt down its occupants.He had to prevent that, but how?
The dragon flew to the top of the volcano and then dove down, a heart-stopping plummet aimed at the lava bubbling at the bottom.Griff watched as it got closer and closer…
The dragon suddenly tilted, hovered before it, and alit on a wide ledge in front of a cave where it deposited Griff.He glanced around and noticed piles of stuff but not the same kind of items that littered the ledge running the circumference of the magma.There he’d seen all manner of riches: jewels and gold, plus the four other eggs.The cave, however, held paintings and stacks of books.
“Why have you brought me here?”Griff asked, noticing no way for him to exit that didn’t involve swimming in the deadly lava.
Read to me.
“What?”
I wish to learn the history of what has happened since I expired.There are books detailing those events.You will read them to me.
“I’m surprised you can’t do it yourself.”
The claws flexed.These aren’t meant for turning pages.
The odd request actually amused.Of all the things he’d expected—being used as bait, tortured for entertainment, punished for building the bonfire—this would have never crossed his mind.
“Why do you care about history?You’ve already stated your lack of interest in humanity.”
Knowledge is the most valuable thing there is.
Wise words.“Very well.Which book shall we start with?”
The oldest one.It’s best to learn things in the proper order.
It took Griff a moment to locate the tome detailing the origin of Verlora.He hefted it and found himself asking, “This book is from my father’s library.How did you get it?”
Lance brought me the books once I expressed an interest.Alas, he was killed before we could begin delving into them.
It shook Griff to know his father’s hands had been the last to touch it.With a voice that started off slightly unsteady, he opened it and read, “Verlora was founded by Horatio Leif…”
