Dragon Redeemed

by Hopkins, Linda K.

  He replaced the papers and relocked the drawer before moving to the cupboard below. Here he found charts and maps, with dragon sightings carefully recorded. None revealed anything unexpected, and once again he replaced them and locked the cupboard. The third drawer contained carefully recorded notes, which he withdrew and began to read. He was partway through when he came across a notation regarding “the survivor,” and he quickly flipped through the rest of the pages hoping to discover something more, but came across no further references to the unidentified personage.

  It was the last cupboard that held the treasure Xavier was seeking. Callaway’s personal journals were neatly stacked, with dates etched into the leather binding. Xavier removed the first on the pile, which dated back to Callaway’s days in the Dragon League. He had made mention of the other members, including Lleland, and Xavier read the notes curiously.

  The trip to the Northern Mountains was related in detail. Xavier was already familiar with those events, but he was intrigued to discover the extent to which Callaway’s anger – at what he saw as Lleland’s betrayal – spilled through the words. That he had regarded Lleland as a brother-in-arms was clearly evident, making his change of heart more than just a difference of opinion – it was a desertion to the side of the enemy.

  The eastern horizon was beginning to grow lighter as Xavier carefully replaced the journal and relocked the cupboard. There were many more to read, but his time had grown short. He glided beneath the door and quietly climbed the stairs. Evelyn was still lying on her side when he returned to the room, and he slipped beneath the quilt beside her. She was cold, he noticed, and he pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her in an effort to make her more comfortable. She snuggled into him with a sigh, her touch chasing away any thought of sleep.

  Evelyn stirred some time later, stretching sleepily. He could sense when she became aware that she wasn’t alone, and she flipped around to look at him in shock. They stared at each other for a moment, before she relaxed with a sheepish smile.

  “I’m not used to waking up beside someone,” she said.

  “I know.” He leaned forward and slowly pushed a strand of hair over her shoulder. “It’s strange for me, too.”

  “It is?”

  “I haven’t been married before, either,” he said with an amused smile. She turned away with a blush.

  “I just assumed you’d awoken in ladies’ beds before.”

  “Really? Why would you think that?” He sensed her confusion and embarrassment as she closed her eyes. “This is the first time I’ve awoken with a lady.” He rose from the bed and grabbed his tunic. “I suppose I should bring some of my belongings here,” he said, pulling on the item.

  “Xavier, why did you insist that we stay here? This isn’t my home, after all. And given how much Uncle hates you …” Her voice trailed into silence.

  “I also don’t have a home in the city. My home is in the mountains. I have been staying with relatives.”

  “The people at the wedding?”

  “Some of them. Drake House is used by my family when they come to the city, and right at the moment it is rather crowded. I thought you would be uncomfortable amongst so many strangers. And my family can be particularly overwhelming.”

  “Are you” – she paused a moment – “are you planning to return to the mountains soon?”

  “I’m not sure. There are some matters my family and I are attending to. It depends on how long it takes to resolve them.” He sat down at the edge of the bed. “But I’ve already told you that I will arrange a house where you can live in the city. Suzanna can remain with you.”

  She dropped her gaze and fingered a loose thread on the quilt. Disappointment wafted through the air, and Xavier reached for her hand, gently winding his fingers into hers.

  “Is there someone else you’d prefer to have with you?” he asked gently. “Your sister perhaps?”

  She gave him a sharp look and yanked her hand away. “No. Suzanna is a perfect companion.”

  He frowned, confused by her reaction. “Very well.” He headed for the door. “I need to go out for a while.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have some matters to attend to.”

  “Then don’t let me delay you!” She met his gaze, then quickly looked away. “I’m sorry, I’m being waspish. I thought we’d have more time to get acquainted.”

  “We will. I shall be free to return later this afternoon, and perhaps we can go for a walk.”

  “Of course.”

  He pulled on his boots, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Have a good day.”

  As he stepped into the passage, he considered her reaction. He had been taken by surprise, since she had always seemed so calm and level-headed. He hadn’t taken her for a shrew. The streets were quiet as he headed towards Drake House. He was careful to ensure he was not followed, but his mind was on the woman he had just left behind. He twirled a ribbon of flame through his fingers as he walked. He had enjoyed feeling her close, he admitted to himself. The sensation of his human skin brushing against hers, her heat mingling with his, was more enjoyable than he would have supposed. But any attachment he felt towards her was purely physical, and soon he would be returning to his dragon form, once more forgoing his puny human frame as much as possible. He smiled at the thought. He missed soaring between the peaks of his mountains, and hunting his prey between the trees. Any hunting he had done around the city had been rushed, satisfying a purely physical need. But proper hunting took skill and finesse.

  He reached Drake House and entered the hall to find dinner being served. Aaron was frowning over a pile of papers. Xavier greeted both Lydia and Keira with a kiss on the cheek, then dropped into a space beside Zach, who looked at him in surprise.

  “What are you doing here so early? Shouldn’t you be with your wife?”

  “You know as well as I do that it is purely a marriage of convenience,” Xavier said. “She’s not my mate.”

  “Does she know that?”

  “Of course.”

  “You know, if you gave her a chance, you might find she’s a good woman.”

  Xavier piled some meat on his plate. “Oh, I already know that. Although, this morning …” He frowned.

  “This morning?” Zach prompted.

  “She was a little snappish.”

  “Did you say something to upset her?”

  “Not at all. I suggested that Suzanna could live with her when I return to the mountains.”

  Zach stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter. “You really don’t know what upset her?”

  “Well, she was clearly disappointed about something. I thought maybe she didn’t care for Suzanna’s company.”

  “She likes Suzanna’s company well enough,” Zach said. “But has it occurred to you that she prefers yours?”

  “Mine?” He frowned again. “No, that’s impossible. We both know she married me to escape her mother.”

  “Maybe that’s what you believe,” Zach suggested.

  Xavier was about to point out how ridiculous this suggestion was, when Aaron banged a fist on the table and turned to Xavier. “Let’s get down to business. Have you managed to discover anything?”

  Xavier described his activities of the previous night. “I’ll continue reading this evening,” he finished.

  “Good. Robin reported to us last night. He will be joining another meeting with Callaway and his hunters in two days, but it won’t be at the house.”

  “Where will it be?” Zach asked.

  “He’s to meet one of the hunters near the cathedral, and he’ll take Robin to the meeting place.”

  “Callaway doesn’t yet fully trust Robin,” Xavier said.

  “Nor you,” added Aaron. “Have you had much interaction?”

  “No. He’s avoiding me.”

  Aaron turned to Zach. “Have someone watch Robin. If there’s no opportunity to get a message to us, at least we can tail his movements. And
keep the tails on Callaway’s companions. Hopefully one of them will slip up and we can discover what they are planning.”

  “I still think we should just kill him and his hunters,” Max said.

  Xavier turned to his father. “You spared Callaway once before. Why was that?”

  “Because I’m not a monster,” Lleland said. “And I hoped Callaway would come to his senses.”

  “Which clearly did not happen,” Max retorted.

  “If we kill Callaway and his men now,” Xavier said, “then we are killing them in cold blood. Besides, if they were all to land up dead, it could feed the rumors about dragons.”

  “No one will know they were killed by dragons,” Zach pointed out.

  “You’re assuming no-one else knows what Callaway is up to. But if others are aware of his plans – others we don’t know about – you can be sure they will spread the word that they were killed by dragons.”

  “I agree,” said Aaron. “It would be far better to face Callaway in a fight where it is clear he is the aggressor. That way, any witnesses can attest to the fact that we are not brutal monsters.”

  “I’m not sure it matters what we do, people will still fear us,” Max said.

  “Maybe,” Aaron agreed. “So let’s not add any more fuel to the fire than necessary.” He turned to Xavier. “You will let us know as soon as you learn anything of interest?”

  “Of course,” Xavier replied.

  “Is there something else we need to be aware of?” Zach asked Aaron.

  “Something else?”

  “You seemed perturbed by your correspondence.”

  “Clan matters. Owain was informing me about some mutterings that have reached his ears.”

  “Rolf Bryne?”

  “You’ve heard something?” Aaron said in surprise.

  “Rowan mentioned something about it. Are you concerned?”

  Aaron scratched his chin. “With a clan as large as ours there are always some murmurings. But this is not the first time Rolf has come to my attention, and he may be positioning himself to launch a challenge as master.”

  “You think he would challenge you?”

  “Not me.” Aaron glanced at Xavier. “But as an elder he’s aware of my belief that Xavier will be the next master. If he’s planning anything, it will be to challenge him.”

  “He will lose,” Xavier said.

  “Yes. But this is a bad time to be distracted by divisions amongst us. Still, this is a minor matter and I don’t think Rolf will act anytime soon. There will be plenty of time to deal with him once the situation with Callaway has been handled. Let us keep our attention where it needs to be, and deal with the rest later.”

  Chapter 25

  The light was streaming through the windows when Evelyn finally rose from her bed. Nan had not come to wake her this morning, and she dug through her chest to find a fresh chemise and a clean gown, which she pulled over her head with some difficulty. She was unable to tighten the laces, and she peeked her head through the door, relieved to see Nan heading up the stairs.

  “I thought you’d still be abed with that handsome husband of yours,” she said.

  “Oh, he had some matters to attend to,” Evelyn replied airily.

  “What a shame. I hope that doesn’t happen too often.”

  Evelyn remained silent as Nan dressed her hair. She felt guilty for her waspish behavior, but after waking in Xavier’s arms she had thought he might be developing some feelings for her. It was foolish, since he had never offered her more than his affection. She glanced up to see Nan watching her closely in the mirror.

  “You know, when my sister got married, her new husband thought he would keep meeting with the boys. Silly man,” she said with a laugh. “It took a little while for him to fully appreciate all he had at home, and now he’s always by her side. Some women can become downright shrewish when that happens, but my sister kept giving him reasons to come back.” She wove a ribbon through Evelyn’s hair. “Sometimes it just takes a little patience. Now, how do you want me to pin this braid?”

  The last curl was pinned in place and Nan left Evelyn to her ruminations. She had not married Xavier for love, but the more time she spent with him, the more she saw that it was quite possible she might fall in love with her handsome, rather strange husband. Was it possible that he could learn to love her, too? She drew on her slippers and left the room in search of some sustenance. Suzanna had remained at home after the wedding, which meant she was on her own until Xavier returned.

  Having satisfied her stomach, she gathered her art supplies and walked down the road. She had not seen Uncle that morning, but she heard him pacing his study. He no longer had the authority to forbid her leaving the house, however. She arrived at the common and searched for a good spot to settle down for a few hours. The blooms of summer nodded cheerily at her, and she began to sketch. She lost track of time as the hours passed, and it wasn’t until someone touched her on the shoulder that she looked up from her parchment. Xavier dropped to his haunches beside her, his eyes on her artwork.

  “You have a very good eye,” he said. “You would love the mountains.”

  A spark of hope flashed through Evelyn and she smiled at him. “Perhaps you will take me there one day.” He met her gaze in silence, and the hope died. “How did you know where to find me?” she asked.

  “It seemed like a good place to start my search once I knew you weren’t at the house. And I’m glad I found you so quickly, as my parents wondered whether we would like to join them for supper at Drake House.”

  “With all your overwhelming family?” she asked.

  “Just Lydia and Lleland.”

  “I would love to get to know them better.”

  “Good.” He watched her pack her materials, then helped her to her feet, taking the art case from her grasp. They returned to the house so Evelyn could change and drop off her supplies, then started the walk to Drake House as Xavier told her about his family. It was clear that the family on his mother’s side was close-knit, but he had only met Robin and Suzanna for the first time a short while before.

  “You get on well with Robin,” she observed.

  “I do, although I wasn’t sure I would.”

  “Why not?”

  “From what my father had related about his family, I thought we would have little in common. That turned out not to be the case.”

  “Except he wants to kill all dragons.”

  To Evelyn’s surprise, Xavier smiled. “That is certainly what he would have us believe.”

  “But you don’t think so?”

  He shrugged. “Who’s to say what a man truly thinks.”

  Evelyn glanced around as they walked. They had reached the wealthy part of town, where the houses were twice the size of Uncle’s. The street was wide and clean, with trees growing along the pavement. A large tree split by lightning stood on one corner. Xavier stopped outside a large, three-storied house with blackened beams, whitewashed walls and large leaded windows, and pushed open the door.

  “Welcome to Drake House,” he said. The hall he led her through was huge, with enormous chandeliers and carved panels lining the walls. Brightly hued tapestries hung from ceiling to floor, but Evelyn did not have the time to take in more than one or two pastoral scenes before they entered the parlor. Lydia and Lleland were seated beneath the window, and smiled as she entered.

  “Evelyn, welcome,” Lydia said, patting the space beside her. “I’m so glad we finally have a chance to spend some time with you. We didn’t have much opportunity for conversation at the wedding.” Evelyn blushed, remembering how she must have appeared to her new parents. “You’re part of our family now,” Lydia continued, “so please tell me all about yourself.”

  “Well …”

  “I’ve met your mother, but do you have siblings?”

  “Oh, yes.” It was an easy subject, and Evelyn spent the next hour telling Lydia about her family and the place where she had grown up. In the corner of the pa
rlor stood a round table, and as they chatted a maid covered the gleaming surface with a snow-white cloth and set it with plates and silverware.

  “I hope you don’t mind eating here,” Lydia said as a steaming, savory pie was brought into the room. “We thought it would be a little more intimate.”

  “Thank you, Mistress. It’s wonderful.”

  “And please call me Lydia.”

  They tucked into the meal, and Evelyn almost groaned at the succulent meats and delicately flavored dishes.

  “So you’ve lived with your uncle since you came to the city,” Lleland said. “I used to know him quite well.”

  Evelyn threw Xavier a frantic look, and he smiled encouragingly.

  “It’s a long time since I last saw him,” Lleland continued. “Unfortunately, our paths diverged over a difference of opinion. But tell me, how does he do?”

  “He’s well. He keeps very busy with work.”

  “A good way to keep the mind active,” Lleland said with a smile.

  The rest of the evening passed pleasantly, and Evelyn was surprised at the hour when she and Xavier rose to leave.

  “I hope we will have many opportunities to further our acquaintance in the future,” Lydia said. “And perhaps, one day, you can live with us for a while.”

  “I would like that,” Evelyn replied.