Page 4 of Enchanter of Dragons
“Because that is your story to share, but only if you wish. It is not my place to say anything. Grisden would keep your secrets, though. There is no one more loyal than him.”
The show of consideration touched Fersen deeply. “I can never thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me.”
“No thanks are required for doing the right thing.”
“I still appreciate it more than I’ll ever be able to express,” Fersen insisted.
A voice from outside the tent called out. “General Jaega, it is Lieutenant Norkon, reporting for duty.”
“Excellent, come in,” Jaega replied.
A raven shifter came in, carrying a toolkit. He gave a formal bow when he reached the edge of the seating area. “How may I be of assistance to my general?”
“Please remove the four cuffs from Fersen.” It surprised Fersen that Jaega requested rather than ordered his underling to help. He would have expected a general to bark orders instead. It was another unexpected aspect of Jaega that Fersen found appealing. Why was he so drawn to his savior?
Norkon knelt in front of Fersen. He gestured at Fersen’s right arm. “May I?”
“Yes, thank you,” Fersen mumbled as he stretched out his arm. Although there was no judgment in the raven shifter’s eyes, Fersen still felt painfully self-conscious. “I apologize for my smell. I’ve been unable to bathe for some time.”
Norkon chuckled. “I can assure you there are many men in this camp who had access to baths and yet smell far worse. You’re fine as you are. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest.” His touch was featherlight as he assessed the cuff around Fersen’s wrist. There was a wrinkle of sympathetic concern on his brow. “I don’t know who put these on you, but they’re a special kind of evil.”
“Thankfully, that evil is no more,” Jaega said. There was an edge of hardness in his voice that surprised Fersen. “If I had the ability to bring him back from the Beyond Realm, I would do it just to have the pleasure of sending him back there a second time.”
Norkon dug in his bag and pulled out a few lock pick tools. It took him several attempts, but he finally unlocked the cuff with a sound of triumph. “Great! One down, three to go.”
Now that he had figured out the secret to picking the locks, the others came off easily. When the last was removed, Fersen felt a rush of emotions as his powers returned to him. His shifter markings flared to life, changing from the dulled silver to shifting pastels that ran the gamut of every color under the rainbow. His eyes changed colors every time he blinked. The scarred wounds on his body healed, making him feel better already.
“Whoa, what kind of shifter areyou?” Norkon asked in amazement as he leaned back to see better. “I’ve never seen markings like that before.”
Fersen smiled wanly. “You’d never believe me if I told you.”
“Thank you for your service, Norkon. You can expect an extra bonus for your assistance.”
“As always, you are ever so kind, General Jaega,” Norkon said as he stood up with a bow. “I’m glad I could be of use. I wish you both a pleasant rest of your day.” With those words, he left.
“It has been centuries since I last saw a shifter with markings like yours.” Jaega studied him with curiosity. “But it should be impossible, even though I can see you with my own eyes.”
“There’s a reason for that.” Fersen’s heart hammered in his chest. He always did his best to keep his heritage a secret. King Decius had somehow found out the truth, which was why Fersen had been originally captured. Having others know what he really was put him in very real danger.
“Your secrets are yours to keep. But if you were to confide in me, know that I would not tell anyone else.”
Why did Fersen want to tell Jaega the truth? The man’s honesty made him feel like he could trust the dragon shifter. And trust was something that Fersen had precious little of because the world had shown him so much cruelty. He took a deep breath before he admitted the truth. “You’re not wrong about me. I’m a unicorn shifter.”
Jaega’s eyes went wide with shock. “But they were all killed during the Necromancer War. It was one of the worst tragedies of that awful time.”
The unicorn shifters had been hunted down by the evil necromancers led by Ishibiya during the war. They were killed for their horns, which had the magical powers to amplify any spell. Fersen’s parents had been murdered in front of his own eyes when he was a child. But his hiding spot had not been discovered, so he had been spared. He spent his life as an outcast, trying his best to avoid people so he didn’t meet the same fate as the rest of his kind.
“I hid in the forests of Morven with a kindly owl shifter, who took me under her wing,” Fersen explained. “She helped me hide from those who sought to end my life for my powers.”
He hadn’t expected Jaega to reach over and give his hand a gentle squeeze. “Fersen, I am so sorry for what you have suffered through. I can only imagine the horrors you saw during those awful times.”
His words may as well have been a vise around Fersen’s poor, battered heart. “Thank you,” he whispered, feeling choked up from emotions he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
“I am sure you would like some time alone before dinner. Please, follow me.” Jaega led the way into the bathroom area.
Fersen was stunned to see a toilet and a full-sized bathtub that was already full of steaming water. A plush, white washcloth and towel hung on a metal rack beside it. There was even a small sink, which held a toothbrush, toothpaste, and an ornate black comb in the shape of a dragon. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. “How is the water hot enough to steam?”
“Our Enchanters are skilled at creating objects to make life easier. This is one of their many amazing talents—water that is always hot. When you finish, you can use the comb over there to dry your hair.”
