Rocor (Dragons of Kratak Book 5)

by Ruth Anne Scott

  I sighed. “Might as well get used to it and relax, Byr,” I said.

  He gave me an awkward smile and sat back in the seat, but looked no more comfortable. I just laughed and poured him a glass of wine. He took the glass and looked at the thick, dark purple liquid. I knew what was running through his mind – it had taken me a little while to get used to it as well. We didn't have anything quite like it back on Unduth.

  “Don't let the appearance put you off,” I said. “It's actually really delicious. I've never tasted anything like it before.”

  He smirked at me. “It's not how it looks,” he said. “We just didn't get a lot of fancy wines like this out on the fringes.”

  I immediately felt bad for making a stupid assumption. I'd grown up in such a bubble that even though I believed in equality for everybody on Unduth, I sometimes forgot that not everybody had the luxuries I'd enjoyed growing up. The dismay with myself must have been clear on my face because Byr gave me a serious look.

  “I'm sorry,” he said. “I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I was just trying to make a joke. Apparently, a really bad one.”

  I shook my head. “No, it was a stupid thing to say,” I said. “I sometimes forget that the things I take for granted – ”

  “Wait,” he said, holding up a hand. “We're probably making this harder and more awkward than it needs to be.”

  I laughed. “Probably,” I said. “I tend to overthink everything.”

  Byr joined my laughter. “Well, at least we have that in common.”

  “What do you say we just enjoy the wine and our view,” I said.

  “Sounds good to me,” he said.

  We sat in a companionable silence for a few moments, sipping our wine. I had to admit that it felt nice to be with Byr again. Sitting there next to him, enjoying a peaceful afternoon – it just felt right. With the cool breeze blowing in off the ocean, the delicious wine, and the sun beating down upon our faces, I could almost forget that we were actually sitting in a prison cell.

  Almost.

  “What do you think?” I asked, as I drained the last of my wine. “Ready to go enjoy the famous Optorion palace gardens?”

  Byr smirked. “Sure, why not?”

  We set our glasses down and got up, heading for the door. I pushed the button on the control panel and a moment later, the door issued a soft beeping sound – the door unlocking – just before the door whooshed open, revealing the guard standing there.

  “Yes, ma'am?” he asked.

  “Riley said we can go for a walk in the gardens?”

  “Of course,” he said. “We'll be your escort. Are you ready?”

  I nodded. “We are.”

  He stepped back and motioned for us to step out of the room. “After you.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  We walked out of the room and headed down the hallway, the two guards behind us keeping a respectful distance. Byr looked uncomfortable and kept glancing over his shoulder at the guards.

  “Relax, Byr,” I said. “We're in no danger here.”

  “Hard to relax when there are a couple of guys with guns behind me.”

  Knowing how close he'd come to being killed by General Gravus just before we met, I had to understand his point of view. But I wanted him to relax. I wanted him to enjoy our time out of our cell – I knew I wanted to enjoy it. It was going to be tough to enjoy it though, with somebody as tense and jumpy as he was in that moment.

  “They're here for our protection as much as anything,” I said. “Those rebels might try infiltrating the palace to grab us.”

  He looked at me. “You think so?”

  I nodded. “Absolutely.”

  I had no idea if what I'd just said was true, but it certainly seemed to make an impression on Byr. He relaxed – slightly. But it took a tremendous amount of effort from him, I could tell. One of the guards behind us gave directions as we walked, never saying more than “turn here” or “turn there.”

  Eventually, we stepped out of the palace and into one of the lushest, greenest, most beautiful gardens I'd ever seen. It put the palace gardens on Unduth to shame. There were bushes with brightly colored flowers everywhere. Tall, thick bushes had been trimmed in different, odd, yet beautiful shapes. Large trees lined a pathway, their branches hanging down and forming a natural tunnel of sorts.

  A stream ran alongside the path and in it, were large, colorful fish swimming just below the surface of the water. All around us, birds and animals moved through the trees, their calls filling the air. There was something a little bit magical about the place. Its beauty was undeniable.

  And more than anything, I was just thrilled to be able to get out, stretch my legs, and breath the clean air of the gardens.

  I linked my arm through Byr's and I felt his body tense up. I pulled him close and walked arm in arm with him. I didn't want him to feel awkward around me. After all, we were kind of stuck in this whole thing together.

  “So, what do you think of this place?” I asked.

  His eyes were wide as he looked around in wonder. “Honestly, it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen.”

  I smiled. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”

  He looked over at me and smirked. “Are you telling me that you didn't have any place like this in Kinray?”

  I shrugged. “There is a palace there, sure. And the palace has gardens,” I said. “But nothing like this. Not even close.”

  “What about where you lived?” I asked, almost afraid to mention his life back on Unduth. “Was there any place even similar to this?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “The closest thing we have to a garden is this one place near the edge of the forest – but honestly, it's a couple of trees and bushes. Nothing like this.”

  I nodded. “What's your favorite memory from growing up?”

  He looked over at me, an inscrutable expression on his face. “My favorite memory?” he laughed. “If you're trying to learn interrogation techniques, you're pretty bad at it.”

  I nudged him with my hip and laughed. “I'm trying to get to know you,” I said. “It occurred to me that even with everything we've been through, we don't know much about each other.”

  Byr nodded. “That's true. We don't,” he said. “Well, I guess my favorite memory was when my mother would read to me at night, just before bedtime. I always loved the stories she read to me. And I loved spending time with her. That was our time together and I relished it. It means even more to me now that her health is failing.”

  I looked over at him. “Failing how?” I asked gently. “What's wrong with her?”

  Byr sighed and looked grief-stricken. “She contracted something called Wynzen's Syndrome,” he said. “It's a – ”

  “Yeah, I know what it is,” I said. “I've read up on it extensively. And I'm so sorry, Byr.”

  There was no cure for Wynzen's – which was bad enough. But the truth of the matter is that it was a long, drawn out, and incredibly agonizing way to die. There was a very high percentage of people who contracted Wynzen's who chose to end their own lives rather than face the years of agony and torment.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I just wish I could be there with her right now. Assuming she's even alive, that is.”

  I cocked my head and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Gravus' troops took her,” he said. “Threw her into the camps. Along with my little brother and sister. I'm assuming they've already been killed.”

  We stopped on a bridge that spanned a river that had water that was so clear, it was like looking through glass. Fish, big and small, all with colors that were vivid and bright darted below the surface. The sun was starting to slide toward the horizon, casting the sky in vivid shades of purple and red. The light hit the surface of the water and sparkled like liquid gold.

  I turned to Byr and took his hands in mine. “You can't give up hope,” she said. “You can't just assume that.”

  He shrugged and I saw tea
rs in shimmering in his eyes. “I'm not naive, Hatare,” he said. “I know what happens in those camps. My brother and sister were small and weak. And my mom, with her health problems, she – ”

  “Until we know for certain, one way or the other,” I said, cutting him off, “we'll operate under the assumption that they are all still alive. And we are going to do everything we can to get them out of there. Have them join us here, where they'll be safe.”

  “Us?” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

  I smiled. “Us,” I said. “We're in this together.”

  He gave me a tight smile and we stood there, looking into one another's eyes for a long moment. Had this been another time, in another circumstance, I knew it would have been one of the most romantic evenings of my life. What girl couldn't resist a stunning sunset, a beautiful garden, and being with somebody as handsome and kind as Byr?

  Even still, with circumstances being what they were, I felt my pulse quicken as I looked at him. His eye markings were glowing, telling me that he too, was being overwhelmed with emotion – and I found myself hoping he was feeling about me the same way I was feeling about him.

  I couldn't deny the feelings for him that were growing inside of me. It was true that I had little experience with men – I'd remained locked away and sheltered while living in Unduth with my family. But there were plenty of men around my family's compound – some who'd even flirted with me. So, I knew enough to know that Byr made my heart pound and my pulse race in a way that nobody ever had before.

  When I was younger, I'd made a list of all the qualities I hoped to find in a mate. Kindness. Compassion. Intelligence. A sense of daring. A quick wit. A passion for learning and adventure. Those were some of the things I wanted in my dream lover. And I vowed to myself that I would never marry a man who wasn't my equal in all of those things, who didn't tick off the boxes on my personal checklist.

  And as I stared into his eyes, I knew that Byr had ticked off most, if not all, of them.

  He was a good man with a good heart. And seeing the hurt in his face not only broke my heart, but made me determined to do something about it.

  “I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's time we get back to the palace.”

  Byr and I turned as one and found our escort standing at the foot of the bridge – shattering the moment we'd been sharing – looking mortified for having interrupted us. I looked back at Byr and sighed.

  “I suppose we must go back,” I said.

  He shrugged. “At least it's a nicer room and will be far more comfortable than that room in the hospital they stuck me in.”

  I smiled. “Always the optimist.”

  “Sometimes,” he said and flashed me a grin.

  Chapter Four

  Byr

  “So, you never answered the question,” I said.

  “What question was that?”

  “Your favorite memory growing up.”

  We sat at a table that had been set up in our chamber – and contained a lavish feast. There was more food on that table – for one meal – than I saw most months back on Unduth. The food was so foreign and exotic – and delicious. Everything I tried was amazing and I couldn't wait to try what was on the next plate.

  I looked over at Hatare and saw that she was delicately picking at the feast, sampling this and sampling that – probably proper table manners in Unduthian society. But I'd never seen so much food – fantastic food at that – and couldn't seem to contain myself.

  Though I tried. I didn't want to make myself look bad in front of Hatare. I didn't want her to think that I was some uncultured, mannerless savage – though, in comparison to her, that's exactly what I was. I couldn't help but feel like I'd snuck into some high society gathering of the Unduthian elite.

  “My favorite memory?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Your favorite memory.”

  She sat back in her seat and looked up at the ceiling, sipping from her glass of wine, looking as if she were searching her memory. The fact that it took her so long to come up with something made me sad for her. She was a girl who had everything – at least, in comparison to me – and yet, I seemed to have better memories more readily available in my heart and mind than she did.

  I thought it said a lot.

  “I suppose it would be learning everything I did with my tutors,” she said slowly. “Some of them really opened my eyes and helped me become who I am today.”

  I looked at her and shook my head. “Lessons with your tutors? Really?”

  She nodded. “Oh, it wasn't just books and dry lessons,” she said defensively. “There were some adventures as well.”

  “Oh? What kind of adventures?”

  “Well, one time, I went to Unduth's Crystal Gardens,” she said. “It was beautiful. Yet a little cold and sterile, in a way. But it was an educational experience. One I recall enjoying quite a lot. There was also the trip I took to the Magma Falls of Xryn. Spectacular in a completely different way.”

  I finished chewing what I'd just taken a bite of – some noodle dish with seasonings that were like an explosion of flavor in my mouth. I thought I could eat that all night long and be happy. I quickly washed it down with a sip of wine.

  “All of your favorite memories seem to be – educational in nature,” I remarked. “What about your family? No fond memories of them?”

  She shrugged, an expression of sadness crossing her features. “We were never really all that close,” she said. “My mother and father viewed me as a commodity. A chip to be used to better the family's station in society.”

  Listening to the sadness – tinged with plenty of bitterness – in her voice made my heart ache for her. But in a grim way, I found it endlessly fascinating as well. To think that somebody who had all of the luxuries in life as Hatare did, could sometimes be as miserable as those of us with nothing, was something of an eye-opening experience for me.

  “Did you have any siblings?”

  “A couple of older brothers and sisters,” I said. “But I haven't seen them in quite a long time. I do have one little sister though. I love her to pieces – but she's already been completely indoctrinated into Unduthian society. She just can't get to the Academy fast enough.”

  There was no sadness, only bitterness in her voice as she spoke of the Academy – the training ground for proper Unduthian women. I didn't know very much about the Academy, but what I did know made me glad that I was not a woman, and not in the upper echelons of Unduthian society.

  I gave her a small smile, anxious to turn the conversation in a different direction – perhaps, one that was lighter, more fun. I was dying to see Hatare smile because I found it entirely intoxicating. It seemed to transform her face and her entire being.

  I raised my wine glass. “To us then,” I said. “To making new memories and building new worlds.”

  “To us,” she said, tapping her glass against mine. “That is something I can get behind entirely.”

  We talked as we feasted for a while longer – well, as I feasted. Hatare had stopped eating long before my gluttonous urges were sated. Eventually, though, I was too stuffed to continue eating and pushed myself back from the table.

  “That was amazing,” I said.

  She nodded. “I have no complaints,” she smiled. “They've fed us well here.”

  We stood up from the table, taking our glasses of wine, and strolled out onto the balcony. The twin moons of Optorio were both high in the sky, casting their light down upon the sea and making it sparkle like a pool of silver. I leaned against the railing and stared out at the ocean, breathing in the salt air.

  “I really like it here,” I said.

  “I do too,” Hatare replied. “Though I'm looking forward to the day we can actually get out and explore a bit more.”

  I nodded. “That would be nice.”

  I felt Hatare's hand on my arm and I turned to her. She was looking into my eyes, giving me a soft, enigmatic smile.

  “Thank you,” she said.
<
br />   I cocked my head. “For what?”

  “For this,” she said. “Without your help, I wouldn't be here. I'd probably be in that slave factory back home. Without you, I never would have made it to Optorio.”

  I shrugged. “I don't know about that. You're a clever, resourceful girl,” I said with a chuckle. “I have no doubts you would have found your way here on your own.”

  She shook her head. “I doubt it,” she said. “You saved my life, Byr. You really did. So, thank you for that. Thank you for everything.”

  I looked into her eyes and saw something I couldn't place. Some emotion filled her face that I didn't recognize. Her eye markings glowed as bright as the moon, but gave me no real indication of what she was feeling. In that moment, I wished more than anything, that I could be in her head, listening to her thoughts.

  Hatare was beautiful. More than beautiful, she was radiant. Ethereal. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. And what made her all the more attractive was that she didn't even seem to realize it. She didn't seem to know just how stunning she truly was.

  We looked into each other's eyes a moment longer and with my heart thundering in my chest, I leaned down and kissed her.

  Chapter Five

  Hatare

  The moment Byr's lips touched mine, an explosion of sensation went off in my mind – and through my body. I'd never kissed a man before – my parents had made sure to keep me well segregated to prevent their commodity from being spoiled before the wedding.

  But as he kissed me, it felt like small electrical shocks were flashing through my body from head to toe. As his tongue slipped into my mouth, swirling and dancing with my own, it felt like my every nerve ending was on fire. Kissing Byr seemed so natural to me and our mouths seemed to fit together like they were made for one another.

  Slowly, our kiss ended and Byr pulled back, looking down at me with eyes that were wide with fear.

  “I – I'm sorry,” he quickly stammered. “I didn't mean to overstep my bounds. I know – ”

  I cut him off by pressing my mouth to his once more, this time not waiting for him to make a move. I slid my tongue into his mouth and kissed him just like he'd kissed me. I knew I was inexperienced and in completely foreign territory, so I tried to just do what he'd done – trying to apply what I'd just learned.