Page 31 of Galadon
“Why?” I growled. “I have no interest in leading.”
“Perhaps, but if you fight at least two rounds, it would elevate your status and allow me to appoint you to a key position if I won,” he argued.
I lifted my brows. “You think I want that?”
“What do you think will happen if one of the others wins? They might not keep my mother’s deal with you and cut youfrom the toriq or cause trouble for you. At least two of the names called are known to cheat, but it would be much harder to do against you with your battle skills,” he argued.
Cheaters infuriated me more than anything, and I let out a low growl at the thought.
He smiled and cocked his head. “I could put you in charge of the southern border guard and let you choose who you want for it, as well as which routes they are assigned. It hasn’t escaped me how you don’t like anyone getting close to a certain stretch of your lands, but what if you had more control so you didn’t have to worry during times you’re away?”
I mulled that over and agreed he had a valid point. It was exhausting trying to protect my territory alone, and I’d done it for far too long. There were a few members of the Faegud who’d earned a certain level of respect and had the potential to earn my trust—difficult as it was to give. With my mother on my land now, I needed more help to keep her safe.
“Very well,” I said, working my jaw. “I will fight two duels to narrow the candidates, but I will forfeit after that.”
Lorcan’s shoulders eased. “Thank you. That is all I ask.”
“Then let’s go eat.” I spun on my heels. “I’m hungry.”
My stride was swift as I caught up to the crowd descending on the feast. I barreled my way through dragons and humans, with most dodging out of my path. Lorcan stayed close behind me to take advantage of the opening. I didn’t hesitate to use the power of fear that exuded from me to reach a table, grab a large empty trencher, and begin filling it with my favorite foods.
It was hard to say why I wanted to stay and eat. One side of me needed to rush back to my land, but the other part wished to stay away for longer. Perhaps I was annoyed at fate for forcing me to defend some foreign artifact that had nothing to do with me and ruined the life I could have had without it. The damn thing could wait a while, as far as I was concerned.
Already, the sun rode low in the sky. My mother had encouraged me to take my time returning and swore she’d be fine. I would take her at her word since there were four strong shifters to help keep watch.
After filling our trenchers to overflowing, Lorcan and I wandered to a stone bench and took seats. Neither of us said anything as we enjoyed succulent ribs, turkey legs, corn on the cob, and some strange potato and egg mixture served cold that the humans loved to prepare at every feast. I’d found I liked it well enough to eat occasionally.
Lorcan lifted his face to catch the rays of the dying sun. “It’s the beginning of May now. I’m glad the nights aren’t as cold anymore, and I can go without a jacket.”
He was making small talk, which amused me. The shifter usually didn’t bother.
“The nights began warming weeks ago in my land, but I’m farther south,” I replied, deciding to play this game. My mother was helping me get better at saying more than was necessary.
“Ah, yes. Your land is closer to the Gulf of Dragons, which I’ve heard helps.” He set his empty trencher on the bench next to him. “The humans have studied these things far better than us.”
I finished chewing my last bite of food, enjoying the satisfaction of an overfull stomach. “I’d say I like it better warmer, but the heat and humidity will become irritating ina couple of months. That has been one of the downsides of returning to Earth. Kederrawien stayed close to the same temperatures all the time without all the moist air.”
“True, but it was also quite boring, and food resources were scarce. It’s a wonder we survived as long as we did before coming back,” Lorcan said, shaking his head.
“Our kind may have survived, but dragons as a race are smaller and weaker than we were before. That place nearly ruined us. I recall from my youth that the elder dragons were far larger and lived longer before, but the lack of sustenance killed them off the fastest, and the lack of resources resulted in the rest of us failing to grow to our full potential.”
We needn’t discuss that I’d fared better than most due to that artifact apparently enriching my land. As for the rest of my kind, I wondered if it would be a permanent change for them or if the hatchlings born on Earth would grow to larger sizes with proper nutrition. Since it hadn’t been quite seven years, it was too early to tell.
Lorcan patted my back. “You’re not so bad once you relax and stop scowling so much. How about we go to that human tavern? When I saw you last, you mentioned that you wanted to have drinks after the ceremony.”
I had said that, which was strange for me, but it still sounded appealing. “It would be good to see the place you speak of so often for myself.”
Would I catch any lingering scent of Rayna? I was likely a fool for even thinking it.
We handed our empty trenchers to a passing servant and headed toward the inner jakhal, following a stone pathway. Lorcan led me to a two-story structure constructed with amixture of stone and wood that had a sloped roof. Only one window was on the bottom floor on the side we passed, but the upper floor had several visible.
We entered the dim tavern where oil lamps provided most of the light, especially as darkness fell upon the Earth. There were only a few people inside since most humans, shifters, and dragons remained at the feast. A bar stood at the back with only one patron sitting at it. Everyone else had taken one of the dozen small round tables that dotted the room—all the furniture rendered fireproof so it would be safe from burning.
I pointed at a place in the far corner, preferring a little privacy since I suspected it would get crowded later. “Let’s take that one.”
He nodded, and we headed that way.
After we took our seats, a female with dark brown hair pulled into a high ponytail came to take our order. She nervously smiled at me. “What will you be having?”
