Page 20 of The Dragon Shifters’ Enemy (Dragon’s Reign #7)
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V alerius stroked his beard as he tried to hide his smile from Caden. But he was unsuccessful as curious eyes met his own.
“Wha?” Caden asked around a mouthful of food.
The two of them were in white, fluffy robes sitting at a comfortable wooden table by the waterfall. The table was laden with roast meats, creamy cheeses, fresh-baked bread, olives, fruit and nuts, along with a variety of condiments.
“Oh, nothing, my little anaconda,” Valerius murmured. “It’s just you’re acting as if the pork medallions might sprout little hooves and run away from you if you don’t eat them all at once.”
Caden adjusted his mouthful of pork as he gazed speculatively down at his plate.
He’d managed to stuff two pork medallions with a red-wine reduction sauce into his mouth, leaving only a lone third on the plate.
Caden chewed--slightly--then swallowed the rest before primly cutting the third medallion in half as if that would somehow make Valerius forget the other two that were eaten whole.
“And you complained about Iolaire’s eating habits!” Valerius chuckled.
“Hungry,” Caden admitted with pink cheeks. “Even after the sheep and the… wool .”
He saw Caden’s pink tongue sweep over his teeth, evidently feeling for more of the wiry strands. Affection bloomed inside Valerius, enough to push away some of his discontent.
“I shouldn’t tease you. I’m more worried when you’re not eating,” Valerius told him with a sigh even as he only moved his roast chicken around on his plate.
In his mind’s eye, he could see their two Dragon Spirits.
Iolaire was leaning against Raziel as they gazed at the waterfall and pool.
They would occasionally look up at one another and blink slowly as cats do when showing love.
If they had been in their Dragon forms, there wouldn’t have been enough room here for the Black and White Dragons, but in their Spirit place between the human world and the mind, there was.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Caden asked after finishing off the second half of the pork medallion, noticing that Valerius was only shifting his food about and not bringing any to his mouth.
For Caden’s part, the young man made a sad face at the empty plate before evidently realizing an empty plate meant room to put different things on it to eat.
Caden went for the sweet and sticky BBQ chicken wings that had just a touch of heat.
Immediately, BBQ sauce clung to Caden’s cheeks and somehow his nose …
“I was just thinking,” Valerius said before pausing to lean over and wipe the BBQ sauce off the tip of Caden’s nose with his napkin, “about where the Behemoth is hiding.”
Caden paused in his stripping the meat from the wing and chewed thoughtfully. “That’s a good question. I don’t think it’s in your territory. It would be foolish to come here.”
Caden looked so relieved at this idea that Valerius considered not saying his own thoughts on the matter. But like with his attempt to hide his amusement from Caden, his concern was discovered immediately.
Caden’s eyes narrowed as he said too carefully, “Though the Behemoth’s followers are here. I mean that’s who we think at least the Faith people are following, yeah?”
“I doubt the Behemoth cares about how many of its followers are killed,” Valerius answered just as carefully.
“Because it just cares about itself so… definitely not coming here?” Caden made that sound like a question, because he clearly saw that Valerius didn’t agree with him.
“Illarion came here,” Valerius stated.
This might have sounded nonsensical to some, but Caden understood what he meant.
“That’s because Illarion thinks he can defeat you,” Caden said as he slowly lowered the chicken wing, evidently being put off of his food.
“Keep eating,” Valerius said with a gesture with his fork.
“I don’t know if I can eat thinking about a many headed Dragon coming after us.” Caden glanced up at the mountain range that nestled Valinor in its bosom.
That had been Valerius’ problem too. After he had enjoyed his time in the hot springs with Caden--when nothing at all could ever matter when they were together like that--ever since his unease was growing.
How could he sit here and enjoy this beautiful day with his amazing Caden when the Behemoth was waiting to destroy it all?
He had to do something to protect what was his.
In his mind’s eye, he saw Raziel turn his head on that long neck towards him. The fires in the Black Dragon’s eyes told him that it felt the same. Only the presence of a sleeping Iolaire against it was causing Raziel to remain more or less put.
“It could think like Illarion that it is undefeatable,” Valerius murmured.
“Then it wouldn’t be hiding,” Caden pointed out. He stared at the chicken wing in his hands and devoured it. BBQ sauce was now on his ear …
That required another rescue mission by Valerius’ napkin even as he said, “It is amazing how beings like Illarion can believe one thing and do another, which contradicts it.”
“I think that’s because Illarion knows deep down he won’t win, or at least there’s a chance that he won’t,” Caden said as he went for some of the bread this time.
“Yes, that’s true, because we’ve fought before and he’s lost,” Valerius agreed.
“Well, Raziel and the other Dragons fought the Behemoth before and they won so maybe it's the same thing,” Caden suggested.
“Perhaps, or perhaps it’s gotten smarter about how to face us and knows that striking from the shadows is best,” Valerius said.
While the young man spread creamy brie on the freshly baked french bread, Valerius took a sip of red wine and let the earthy, ripe berry flavors sit on his tongue before swallowing.
Valinor had always been a place where he could ignore the world and enjoy the simple pleasures, but the Behemoth’s presence had soured everything.
He imagined this going on for years, maybe even decades , as the Behemoth moved from territory to territory, stirring up civil unrest, causing death and destruction everywhere, but then disappearing.
How can one fight what one cannot find?
Having popped the piece of cheese-covered bread in his mouth, Caden had dug into one of the salads that had fresh cucumbers, roasted cubano peppers, ricotta, walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
The young man closed his eyes for a moment as he put a forkful in his mouth and simply chewed.
“God, so good,” Caden muttered before opening his eyes and focusing on Valerius. He frowned almost immediately. “Surely, we’re safe right now. All the Dragons are here . It wouldn’t dare attack now.”
Caden was likely right. As all of the Dragon Shifters had converged in his territory, the smartest thing that the Behemoth could do would be to strike in the farthest part from. Yet...
“You don’t think we’re safe,” Caden said slowly, his eyes growing large. “Even with all the Dragon Shifters here, together.”
“I do not know,” Valerius admitted even as he took another swallow of wine. “Everything you have said is completely and utterly logical. It should not strike here. It would be foolish of it to do so.”
“But?” Caden made a circular motion with his fork.
“Perhaps it is because I do not like unfinished business,” Valerius explained. “I thought our greatest problems were social upheaval and internecine conflicts between the Dragon Shifters now that you and Iolaire came onto the scene. But that is not what we face.”
Caden’s shoulders hunched. “I see your point. Waiting for something to happen is the worst. What do you want to do?”
Valerius stilled at Caden’s words. They were not: should we do something?
Or perhaps we should discuss a plan with the others?
Or I’d like to avoid this so can we just go back to eating?
No. It was what he wanted to do. Caden would go along with it.
That shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did.
Maybe “surprise” wasn’t the right word. It was a feeling that he hadn’t realized he was missing.
Caden would be with him no matter what it was. He was no longer alone.
“There is not actually much we can do,” Valerius admitted reluctantly.
“Chione and Esme are working their spy networks. Marban, Wally and Rose are all contacting their underworld contacts. Jahara and Anwar are scouring ancient texts to see what is written about the Behemoth. Kaila is… communicating with her fish, whatever that means. Even Illarion and Mei are working together. Tez is surely annoying everyone.”
“What about them?” Caden actually tilted his head towards the waterfall even though no one was there, but them… and their Dragon Spirits, though they were only visible in their minds.
“Them--”
“Raziel and Iolaire know more about the Behemoth than we do. We should ask them about all of this,” Caden said, putting down his fork and knife, which showed just how serious he was about questioning their Spirits.
Valerius slowly nodded. Though it had appeared that Iolaire was napping, like cats, Dragon Spirits always kept one eye open. In this case, two blue eyes and two red eyes were looking at them.
“So, Raziel, Iolaire, what do you think the Behemoth is doing right now?” Caden asked.
There was a slow blink of love from Iolaire to Caden. Valerius worried that Iolaire would go back to being non-verbal from the way that Raziel sheltered the White Dragon Spirit under one massive wing.
Far away, Raziel muttered.
But at the same time, Iolaire answered, Close.
The two Dragon Spirits looked up at one another in surprise.
“Okay, that’s not exactly helping as Valerius and I just had that argument,” Caden said with a faint smile. “And I’m guessing the reasons that you think the Behemoth is nowhere near here are the same reasons I have, Raziel.” Caden ticked them off on his fingers, “Your territory.”
Red eyes burned.