There was a pounding on the door and Evelyn pulled away from her reflections about the previous evening. She heard the murmur of voices before Nan entered the room.
“Excuse me, Mistress, but there are two people wishing to speak with you. Master Jackson and his sister.”
“Jackson?”
“The woman said her cousin, Master Xavier, sent her.”
“Really?” Evelyn grabbed Nan’s hands. “Tell me, what does she look like?”
“She looks like a good, sensible woman.” Nan cast her a questioning look. “Who is she?”
Evelyn pulled Nan closer. “I met someone in the market. He said his cousin was looking for a position.”
“You met some –”
“Shh! He rescued me from an awkward situation. When he asked why I was alone, I explained I was without a companion.”
“And he offered to send someone? This could be a trick!”
“It’s his cousin. And I don’t doubt his sincerity. He didn’t strike me as unscrupulous. Besides, does the woman look dishonest?”
“Well, no.”
“Good. I’ll meet them in the hall. Oh, do you know if my uncle is in his study?”
“Yes. Would you like me to inform him there are visitors?”
“Not yet. I want to see what she’s like first. Stay close by, though.”
“Very well, Mistress.”
Evelyn followed Nan down the stairs and stepped into the hall, where a man and woman stood near the door. They shared none of their cousin’s fair coloring, but the man was good-looking with brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was shorter and stockier than Xavier, but still muscular and trim. The woman stepped forward, her hand outstretched.
“Mistress Talbot? I’m Suzanna Jackson, and this is my brother Robin. My cousin Xavier suggested we come and see you.”
“Yes, please, sit down.”
Evelyn watched Suzanna as she took a seat. She looked to be in her early thirties, and was plainly dressed in a practical gray gown, with hair that was neatly braided and wound into a coil at the nape of her neck. She was shorter than Evelyn, and her figure had rounded out to a soft plumpness. Her blue eyes regarded Evelyn frankly.
“So you’re the governess,” Evelyn said.
“Yes. But you don’t look like you need a governess.”
“I don’t,” Evelyn said. “But I really do need a companion.” She glanced around the room. “There’s only so much one can do within these four walls.” They shared a smile, and Evelyn found herself warming to the woman across from her. They chatted for a while as Evelyn learned more about Suzanna, while Robin interjected a few times with his own amusing additions. A half hour had passed before Evelyn noticed Nan hovering by the door. She turned back to Suzanna.
“Would you be agreeable to meeting my uncle?”
“Of course. I expected as much.”
Evelyn dropped her gaze to the hands in her lap and lowered her voice. “I would prefer to keep all mention of your cousin out of the conversation. Would you mind if we said that you learned about my need for a companion through other means?”
She looked up to see Suzanna shoot Robin a smile. “Xavier thought you might feel that way,” she explained. “We’ll tell your uncle that a mutual friend mentioned your name to me. Will that be acceptable? It isn’t too far from the truth.”
“That would be most acceptable,” Evelyn said, relieved. She nodded to Nan, who headed in the direction of the study.
Uncle stepped into the room a few moments later, a questioning look on his face. “Evelyn? Who’s this?”
“Uncle, this is Mistress Jackson. She heard I was in need of a companion.”
Suzanna stepped forward with a smile. “Good day, Master Callaway. I hope we’re not inconveniencing you.”
“No. Who told you about Evelyn’s need for a companion?”
“Mistress, eh –”
“Blackwell,” Evelyn quickly interjected. “A friend of Mother’s.”
“I see.” He looked at Robin. “And you are?”
“Suzanna’s brother.”
“Ah. Well then, follow me, please. We’ll talk in my study. Evelyn, you may remain here.”
Suzanna and Robin followed Uncle from the room, but at the doorway Suzanna looked back with a smile, and Evelyn found herself hoping that Uncle would approve. She began pacing as the study door closed, anxiously waiting for the interview to be over. Suzanna’s answers must have satisfied Uncle, as it wasn’t long before the study door reopened and the pair emerged, closing the door behind them. Suzanna smiled when she saw Evelyn.
“I will see you tomorrow, Mistress,” she said.
“Really? He agreed?”
“He did. I look forward to extending our acquaintance.”
“I look forward to it, as well.”
Evelyn walked them to the door, and as soon as it was closed, hurried to the study.
“Thank you, Uncle,” she said, bursting into the room without even pausing to knock. Uncle glanced up at her unrefined entry, then hastily covered the sheet on which he was working. It was covered with drawings and diagrams, but Evelyn barely even noticed in her excitement.
“I know it hasn’t been easy for you, cooped up inside,” he said. “I trust this arrangement will be satisfactory to you. Mistress Jackson seems like a good, sensible woman. She may take the bed chamber beside yours. And you had better write to your mother and inform her that you have arranged your own companion. And don’t be surprised if she comes rushing up to investigate your choice. I have a feeling she won’t enjoy having her position usurped.”
Evelyn smiled grimly – she knew the truth of Uncle’s words. “Of course. I will write to her right away.”
Chapter 11
Xavier was standing outside the Callaway house a little distance down the road when Suzanna and Robin stepped onto the street. Even without her smile, Suzanna’s emotions broadcast the news that she had been successful.
“I see you have a position,” he said.
“I do, but how did you know?”
“You wouldn’t be smiling otherwise, would you?”
“That’s very observant, Xavier. And you were right – Mistress Talbot did not want her uncle to hear of your involvement.”
“Of course I was right.” He glanced at Robin, aware of his watchful gaze. “Do you need me to direct you back home?”
“I think we can find our way,” Suzanna said. “After all, we have lived all our lives in Civitas, while you’ve only been here a matter of weeks!”
“Walk with us,” Robin said, “and we can continue to Drake Manor together. Or had you forgotten our arrangement for this afternoon?”
“No, I hadn’t forgotten. Let’s go.”
“You know, I’m quite capable of walking myself home,” Suzanna said. “It is broad daylight, after all.”
“No!” Xavier and Robin said the word in unison, and Suzanna glanced between them in disbelief.
“I’m perfectly safe,” she insisted.
“It’s on our way,” Xavier said. The look Suzanna shot him was doubtful, but after a moment she nodded in acquiescence and fell into step beside them.
The two men bid Suzanna goodbye twenty minutes later outside the door to her house, and continued on their way in silence for a few minutes. It was Robin who finally spoke.
“Are you going to tell me why you were anxious for Suzanna to get this position?”
“As I said before, it helps both her and Mistress Talbot,” Xavier said.
“Yes, but I don’t think that’s your primary motivation.”
“It is, in fact. But why do you believe different?”
“Callaway’s desk was strewn with papers. There were diagrams and notes about weapons and poisons.”
“And why do you think that concerns me?”
“There were also drawings of dragons.”
Xavier steadied his breath before answering. “I see.”
“Are you sending my sister into danger?�
�
Xavier spun to face Robin. “Of course not!”
“You need to tell me what you are hiding.”
“I’ve told you before, I’m not hiding anything.”
“Don’t lie to me, cousin. For some reason you think my sister could be of service to you, so whatever it is could impact my family.”
“I have no idea what Callaway is up to, and I would not do anything to place your family in danger. They are, after all, my family too!”
“Exactly!” Robin said dryly. “And yet, I barely know you.”
They walked in silence for another few minutes. “Very well,” Xavier finally said, “but not here. Is there someplace we can go where we will not be observed?”
Robin shot him a sharp look. “Yes. If we head through the south gates we will reach crown land. There’s a clearing that archers use for target practice, and beyond that are forests that are usually quite deserted, unless there is a royal hunt.”
“Is there a royal hunt today?”
Robin shrugged. “We’ll know when we get there.” He glanced at Xavier. “I still expect an introduction to your grandfather.”
“After.”
They walked along the cobbled streets, passing two different markets. The route took them past the university, and Xavier looked at it with interest. This was where Lleland had taught philosophy; Zach had been his student, and it was through Zach that he had first met Lydia and fallen for a dragon.
They reached the city wall, ten feet thick, built with stones brought from the nearby hills, and passed through the heavy doors, which stood wide open at this time of day. The walls and gates would be useless to stop a dragon, Xavier thought, but there had been no dragon threats against humans here for more than fifty years.
As Robin had said, there were a few archers in the clearing beyond the city, using posts as targets. Xavier wondered whether Lleland had ever used the field to practise with his longbow. He breathed in deeply, trying to catch a trace of his scent, but the passage of thirty years had erased whatever smells might have lingered.
They continued past the archers and headed into the forest. Xavier strained his ears as they entered the canopy of trees, but there were no sounds of a distant hunt, just the chirping of birds and the chattering of squirrels.
“I don’t hear anything,” Robin said.
“No,” Xavier said. He turned to face his cousin. “Have you heard the rumors about dragons?”
“Coming to attack the city? Of course, I’m sure most of the city has heard them.” He looked at Xavier shrewdly. “Whatever you’re hiding has to do with dragons, doesn’t it? You’ve drunk dragon’s blood.”
Xavier eyed Robin in surprise. “What do you know of dragon’s blood?”
“I know it is very powerful.”
“How do you know that?”
Robin began pacing between the trees. “I’ve always been aware that something was different about my aunt and uncle, and I suspected it had to do with dragons. I’ve heard stories about how zealous Lleland was in hunting the beasts before he met your mother. Grandmother used to tell me how much she worried for him.
“One day he traveled to the Northern Mountains to see Aaron Drake, the greatest dragon hunter of them all. I thought at first that he and Aaron had teamed up and were hunting dragons together, and the reason we never saw my uncle was because he was out hunting. But Grandmother was certain he had ceased such activities. It was then that I began studying everything I could about dragons. I read whatever books and manuscripts I could lay my hands on. Tales and myths, and any histories I could find. There was a story about a man who drank the blood of a dragon and became as strong as ten men. When I’d read all I could, I found a way to access the cathedral library. It was there that I stumbled across something that made me question all I knew. It was one short phrase, buried in a passage listing dragon characteristics, and I almost missed it. All it said was that dragons had extraordinary blood. For the first time, I wondered if the tale about the man drinking dragon’s blood was more than a myth. I had already noticed things about my uncle, and suddenly they made sense.”
“What things?” Xavier said, curling his fingers into his hands.
“He never seems to grow any older. He looks more like your brother than your father.”
“He carries his age well.”
“He never tires, his skin glows with rude health and he is as strong as an ox.”
“All the signs of a healthy man.” Xavier opened his palm and allowed a wisp of flame to wind between his fingers. The touch was soothing. He quenched the flames as Robin turned to face him.
“Yes, but there is more to your father than that. I think he’s drunk dragon’s blood. And you have, too. But what I don’t understand is why a great dragon hunter would drink the blood of the monster he was hunting. Unless he thought it would make him more powerful.”
Xavier held Robin’s gaze. “What you don’t understand is that dragons can take human form.” Flames wound between his fingers again.
“Human form?” The movement around Xavier’s fingers caught Robin’s eye and he dropped his gaze to Xavier’s hand, wreathed in flames. His eyes widened and he took a step back as Xavier quenched the wisps with a silent curse at his stupidity. Robin’s eyes flew to meet his. “What are you?” he demanded. Fear was leaking from Robin as he stared at his cousin.
“My father didn’t just drink dragon’s blood,” Xavier said. “He is a dragon.” He held out his hand and let the flames free once more. “And so am I,” he added softly.
Robin stumbled back, but in one stride Xavier had his hand on his shoulder, steadying him. “There is nothing to fear, man,” he said. “I would never harm you.”
Robin gave a shaky laugh. “I do actually believe you. But … you’re a dragon! It’s just a bit much to take in.” He leaned against a tree and passed his hand over his face. “How is it that my uncle is a dragon? He is my uncle, isn’t he?”
“He is.” Xavier stepped back and dropped to his haunches, leaning his back against a tree trunk. “Did your grandmother ever tell you about the dragon that killed her husband?”
“Our grandmother, you mean? Yes, she said that was the reason my uncle was so determined to hunt dragons.”
“Correct. Jack, the dragon, killed our grandfather, then gave his six-year-old son, my father, his blood. It was a cruel joke, as the blood of a dragon binds a human to that dragon, but what Jack didn’t know was that he started a change in my father that came to fruition only years later – when another dragon gave him blood to save his life.”
“Another dragon?”
“My mother.”
“What?”
“Lydia is also a dragon.”
Robin’s eyes widened, and he gave a low whistle. “That’s … something!” He slicked his hand through his hair. “Does that mean Aaron is also a dragon?”
Xavier nodded. “Aaron is a dragon.”
“That’s incredible! And you can take both human and dragon form.” He frowned. “Then why is this your first time in the city?”
“I am not like other dragons.”
“Why not?”
“Dragon children can only be born of human mothers.”
“Human mothers? But your mother –”
“Yes. My mother is a dragon. She is also the only female dragon to ever have a child.”
“And that makes you different?”
“Dragon children born to a human mother are born in human form and only take on their dragon forms around puberty. I was the opposite.”
Robin stared at him, then started laughing. “You were a true dragon child! No wonder you could not come to visit.”
“Exactly,” Xavier answered tersely.
Robin continued to laugh. “Really, coz, this is quite something to take in.”
“I know.”
“So are you going to show me your dragon form?”
“We’re too close to the city. Already there are too many rumors swirling th
rough the city.”
“Callaway.”
“We’re not sure. Perhaps. His brother was killed by the same dragon that killed your – our – grandfather, and he has nursed a grudge ever since. After my father changed, he made it clear he would never stop hunting dragons.”
“But why now? After all these years?”
“We don’t know.” Xavier met Robin’s gaze. “I had no inkling of who Mistress Talbot’s uncle was when I suggested Suzanna may be of service to her, but when we realized the connection, we saw an opportunity to get closer to Callaway and discover if he is behind the rumors. If he is, we need to know what he is planning.”
“So you’re going to tell her what you are?”
“No. She must not know about any of this.”
“She’s your cousin. She should know.”
“Impossible. I made an exception for you, but we do not risk our secret with humans.”
“Ah, I see how it is. You think we are not worthy, is that it?”
“There’s a village at the foot of the mountains where I grew up. I would watch the humans and observe their behavior. There were few I could truly admire. The men treated their women like chattels, and the women would turn against each other in spite.”
“And yet, you would act just like a human,” Robin said softly.
“How so?”
“You decide what is best for us puny creatures.”
Xavier frowned. “Humans cannot be trusted.”
“I agree there are many who cannot. But we are family. You can trust me.”
“I have already,” Xavier replied.
“You can trust Suzanna.”
“No.” Xavier twisted his back in an effort to relieve the itchiness caused by his wings. It had been too long since he last changed form, and he was uncomfortable in this human skin. He stripped off his tunic and threw it to the ground, then spread his wings with a sigh of relief. With Robin knowing the truth, there was no longer any point in hiding them. He pushed his hands through his hair, lifting his head to blow out a stream of flame. Robin watched him wide-eyed before smiling in amusement.
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