Page 55 of Of Blood and Banes
CHAPTER 20
RAIN
Iwake to the sound of raindrops pattering against the ceiling, rushing in a calm atmosphere despite Darian clinking in his chains. Yawning, I rise to sit in bed, stretching my arms above my head.
“Lovely. Is this how you always look in the mornings?” Darian taunts.
I haven’t even gotten out of bed yet, and he’s already at it. Sheepishly, I brush a hand down to flatten my hair and then braid it back. I dress, sheathing my sword and daggers before turning my attention to him. “I’ll be back later.”
“You’re not seriously leaving me here, are you?”
“Thought you might want to stay out of the rain.”
“So thoughtful, however I don’t mind gettingwet,” he slows on the last word.
I pause. If I leave him here unattended, I’m not worried he’ll escape. But it leaves open the possibility of someone else slipping into my room and taking him. Or killing him. The fact of the matter is I need to have an eye on him or someone I trust to keep an eye on him.
“Fine.” I unhook the long chain attaching his restraints to the metal loop in the wall, then lead him out of the room with it like it’s a leash.
All of Midkeep is washed in gray and blue hues with raindrops ricocheting off the ground. The rain immediately soaks our clothes and hair. Squinting through the rain, we break out into a fast walk and wind down the streets to get to the community hall. We rush inside, the room warm with candlelight and a roaring fire in the grand hearth. Long tables lined with food and drink stretch out before us, and a dull buzz of conversation fills the room. The chatter dies out as everyone turns to face us. I recognize Archie sitting with Melaina, Gavin, Nolan, and Marge. But no Cole.
Water drips from my forehead down my cheeks and throat, and I swipe away the drops trickling into my eyes.
“Good morning,” Sethan rumbles, standing from his place near the fire. “Come. Sit. We have things to discuss.” He tosses a look at the guards standing near the wall.
They swoop in and take Darian’s chains from me, leading him away to the table with the other Arterians. I shrug my cloak off and afford one last glance at Darian, who’s being passed off to Melaina.
“He’ll be fine. Sit,” Sethan commands.
I take a seat next to Sethan, and someone pushes a plate of food in front of me. The fire at my back already warms my clothes.
Sethan watches me curiously. “We meant to start our travels today, but seeing as it’s raining, it might be best to wait until the storm clears. In the meantime, we’ve been preparing the horses for those without dragons.”
I cough, nearly spitting my water out. “Horses? Wouldn’t the dragons be…I don’t know, tempted to eat them?”
“Wild dragons, perhaps. Are you concerned about the mental restraint of your own dragon? That might need to be something you work on.”
“She’s perfectly capable of restraining herself, thank you.”
He shrugs. “She’s quite young—technically still a hatchling. Besides, our dragons don’t have to worry about their next meals. Here in the Dragon Lands, we have built dragon feed farmers into our society.”
“Sounds like a lucrative business,” I say as I pop a piece of cheese into my mouth.
“The older your dragon gets, the less they must eat. So not really, no. A’nala eats maybe once every few months.”
Now that I think about it, when was the last time Daeja ate?
“A few minutes ago.”
I really need to practice when to share my thoughts with her.“And what exactly did you eat?”
“Nothing that concerns you,”she rumbles.
“You also need to work on that,” Sethan interrupts.
“What’s that?”
“You’re quite obvious when you’re speaking to her. You need to practice masking your features, otherwise others will know when you’re talking. Especially if we are to ever run into trouble with rebels or Arterians.”
