Page 9 of The Dragon Shifters’ Enemy (Dragon’s Reign #7)

Secrets

“ Y ou think that proves anything?” Illarion snorted at the end of the video. “The statue could have simply been moved.”

“It was built into the wall,” Anwar answered with narrowed eyes.

It was the first show of anger he’d exhibited, but Illarion did have that effect on people.

And Illarion had another lamb chop, drizzled with olive oil, studded with rosemary and salt and pepper.

In the Green Dragon’s hands it was a deadly weapon.

The way Anwar was eyeing the glistening meat and looking down at his spotless attire, a grease stain would not do.

“How do you know?” Illarion pointed to the screen with the lamb chop. Oil whipped through the air, which Anwar just side-stepped. “These images were grainy. Blurry. From a cell phone.”

“I hate to agree with Illarion on principle ,” Esme said tightly, “but I tend to agree that this--this video is some kind of hoax.”

“Spirits do not enter the world this way. You know that, Anwar,” Mei pointed out.

“Anwar, could you please send me that video? I would like my people to study it,” Jahara requested.

“Of course, and I’ll send you the report that my people did,” Anwar answered as he tapped on his phone to send the video along.

Kaila had drawn near to the screen and she was studying the two images. “The Behemoth is ugly. Very ugly. How can it fly? It's so big!”

“On hate alone, my dear,” Tez answered as he joined her. “Something so ugly would have to be fueled by hate.”

“The statue.” Here Illarion made quotes with the fingers of his free hand as he ripped off another piece of meat. He then continued to speak with his mouthful, “Could have been made of plaster of Paris! Easily moved by these cultest. Makes it appear all spooky when it is nothing at all!”

Anwar’s eyes sparkled dangerously at Illarion. “I confirmed with professors that the sculpture--not made of plaster of Paris and a part of the wall--was there. Now the wall is quite smooth. No chisel marks. As if the statue simply walked away from the wall.”

“Or they built a new wall!” Illarion swung the lamb chop over his head like it was a lasso.

Everyone had to dodge flying oil and bits of salt and rosemary.

Caden could see the fires in Valerius’ eyes just before the Black Dragon King moved lightning quick.

He snatched the lamb chop out of Illarion’s hands and tossed it expertly onto an empty plate on the table.

Illarion’s eyes went huge. His mouth opened in an “O” of surprise and dismay.

“I was eating that!” Illarion cried.

“You were drying to drench us in oil. I warned you,” Valerius told him. “No more lamb chops. Eat something else and it best not move except from your hand to your mouth and not very much.”

Illarion scowled and narrowed his eyes. But he said nothing and, instead, stalked back to the buffet, away from the lamb chops. But that didn’t mean he didn’t cast them a longing glance, but then his eyes alighted upon the spiral-sliced honey ham studded with anise, cherries and pineapple.

Caden dragged his eyes away from Illarion. There was almost a sick fascination watching him devour whole animals. But what Anwar had shown them had Caden’s head clearing. He turned back to Anwar.

“I’m assuming that you checked that the wall wasn’t new,” Caden said with an off glance back at Illarion before focusing on Anwar.

The Silver Dragon Shifter nodded. “Yes, we checked everything. Trickery was the first thing I expected. Especially considering that the phone was found while no one else was.”

“Do you think they’re dead? Or… what happened to them?” Caden asked.

“There were no sounds of death,” Anwar assured him.

He came over and took both of Caden’s hands in his. Valerius stiffened. Caden stroked him mentally.

You’re the only one for me, Valerius.

Anwar is charming , Valerius warned.

Indeed the Silver Dragon Shifter was turning on a 1000-watt smile on him. Anwar brought Caden’s hands up and kissed them.

“Anwar,” Valerius growled a warning. His eyes were a sulfurous red.

“Oh, you are too cruel, Valerius, to not let me at least give this lovely man a kiss on the hands,” Anwar said smoothly.

“That is Caden’s choice to let you--you kiss his hands,” Valerius got out.

Caden ducked his head and grinned. He knew how hard that was for Valerius to not try and snatch his hands away. But it was a sign of respect for him. Equals.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, King Anwar,” Caden said as he gently disengaged Anwar’s hands from his. “What you’ve brought us here is extraordinary and frightening.”

Anwar nodded. His smile died and a troubled expression crossed his handsome face.

“There has been so much unrest in these last years. I could not understand it all. People walking off into the desert. Artists going mad and babbling of a hydra. Looking into a friend’s eyes and not recognizing the soul behind them any longer. ”

As Anwar spoke, Caden saw matching looks on all of the Dragon Shifters’ faces as if they, too, had experienced something of this.

“How I found Tamira’s phone was by following a friend’s footsteps in the desert,” Anwar murmured.

His gaze turned inward. “I do not know if you have ever been to the desert. If you have ever stepped to the edge of town and looked out upon it. To see it is to know death. To go out, without shoes or water or a way back, is insanity.”

Dread grew in Caden’s chest. He could envision what Anwar was saying. He could see the vast and magnificent sea of dunes. Past a few palm trees that dotted an oasis to an endless ocean of sand. The moon and the stars gazing piteously down upon it.

There would be almost a siren’s call to that beauty.

The sand would be cold beneath one’s bare feet.

The night air would wrap around one’s bare limbs in an almost caress.

To walk and walk and walk, not at a fast pace, but at a leisurely one.

A stroll. To keep going for hours. To finally, turn around to look back at where one had come from and not see town.

Only the desert and one’s footprints being erased by the wind. So if one wanted to go back, could one?

“So you have the same problems we do with versions of Humans First and the Faith?” Mei crossed her arms over her chest. “Human inequality. Shifter inequality. Everyone is feeling hopeless because they can’t all be on top. Despite what some people think.” She aimed that last barb at Tez.

“I only seek to flatten things so that everyone has food, clothes, a roof over their heads and opportunity,” Tez retorted. He was onto shrimp now, devouring each one.

Kaila stole a couple and popped them into her mouth. “Everyone is so interested in material things. It only causes unhappiness. Why not love what we all have? The sea, the sun, the sand.”

“Because people won’t give you food for those things, let alone homes and vehicles and wifi!” Mei rolled her eyes.

Jahara had been studying the footage on a tablet with Chione and Esme. Tilly had also joined them and Jahara tilted the screen down for her to see.

“It looks so real,” Tilly stated uncertainly. “But movie effects could do all this, couldn’t they?”

“It’s hardly definitive proof of the Behemoth’s existence,” Jahara agreed with a nod.

“Your missing friend,” Marban said quietly, “It was Fadel Rahal, wasn’t it?”

Anwar turned to look at Marban with a lifted eyebrow. “Fancy you knowing that. And you are?”

“Forgive me, Anwar, I have not introduced you properly to everyone,” Valerius stated. “This is Marban. One of my Councillors and member of the Shifter Council.”

Though Marban didn’t show it, Caden knew he must be surprised to be addressed this way.

Chione gave a wry smile though she didn’t look displeased at having a co-Councillor.

Rose and Wally were also introduced as his Councillors as well as his parents and Tilly.

Anwar kissed the back of his mother and Tilly’s hands, which had both women smiling and blushing.

He really is a charmer , Caden said.

He has his moments , Valerius replied dryly.

Marban inclined his head. “It is a pleasure, King Anwar. As to how I know, I must know such things to counsel King Valerius. You two were close?”

“We were lovers,” Anwar cut to the chase. His eyes narrowed. “And I could trust him completely so when he… changed I knew it was something more than simple unrest over Shifter and human politics.”

“Changed how?” Rose asked.

“He wasn’t Fadel anymore. He still spoke with Fadel’s voice. He still had Fadel’s face. But the soul in those eyes was not Fadel’s,” Anwar said and his upper lip drew back from his teeth. “He...no, it was watching me. Playing its part. But it was a stranger. And then it went into the desert.”

One of Jahara’s hands tightened around the neckline of her dress. Caden saw something in her gaze.

“Jahara, what is it? Does this sound familiar to you?” Caden asked.

She nodded slowly. “There was a young woman I was considering to have join my own council. I had interviewed her many times. She felt like a sister to me. And then…” She swallowed.

“I had her for tea one day, prepared to offer her a place with me, but she… she was different. I did not like what I saw.”

“And you obviously didn’t give her a place so what happened to her? Could we perhaps speak to her?” Esme asked.

Jahara shook her head. “She walked off into the jungle. Never to be seen again. People thought she had done it due to the shame of losing a place with me.”

“But that wasn’t it,” Caden said.

“I blamed myself for what I thought was this girl’s suicide,” Jahara stated.

Kaila rubbed her arms. “She was already gone from what you are describing.”

“Just like Serai,” Esme murmured.

“Yeah, that totally makes sense,” Caden said.

“I thought it was just zealotry, but it was as if she were a different person,” Esme stated.

His mother said, “That might explain at least some of the Faith, wouldn’t it? Maybe they are affected too?”