Page 7 of The Uncrowned King (The Bastard Duology #2)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Derek waited expectantly for Ash to speak. He was the one being who might give him an unbiased recounting of things—things humans wouldn’t know. He wanted to shake Ash to get him to start speaking immediately. It was all Derek could do to keep his hands to himself.

The tomte stared at him for a long moment before he thumped the shovel against the side of his boot to knock off the dirt. “You’d best come with me. It won’t be good for mortals to walk past and see you talking to air.”

Derek had forgotten that Ash was invisible to some. He followed the diminutive man over three rolling fields before Ash walked to a copse of trees. Derek expected to see a hut of some kind. Instead, Ash headed toward a tree and ducked into the hollow opening. When Derek didn’t immediately follow, Ash stuck his head out and motioned him forward.

There was no way he would fit into the opening, but Derek went anyway. He was surprised to find that once he stuck his leg into the hollow section, the entrance expanded to accommodate him. Magic traveled up his leg and pulled him in before spitting him out on the other side.

Derek stumbled forward, barely catching himself before he ended up in a sprawl on his face. When he straightened, he found Ash moving a kettle over a fire. Derek looked around in stunned silence. A vase of flowers sat on a dining table with two chairs, and past that was the hearth with an arched facing. There was a stove on one side with a sink and shelves with dishes. Pans hung on hooks along the wall.

He walked around the table and saw that the room containing the hearth had an armchair, a stool, and four sets of bookshelves overflowing with tomes. An arched doorway led to another room—likely the bedroom.

“I hope you like tea,” Ash said as he walked to the kitchen.

Derek nodded without thinking. Apparently, he instinctively knew some things. “Are we inside the tree?”

Ash chuckled. “In a manner. Sit, sit.” He motioned to the armchair.

Derek paused at the sight of the chair that was too small and looked around for another seat. “I don’t want to take your chair.”

Ash chuckled and dragged a chair from the table, angling it toward Derek before he sat. Then he stared at Derek, waiting.

Derek hesitantly lowered himself into the armchair, hoping it would expand as the entrance had. But it didn’t. There was a slight groan when Derek settled his full weight, yet it held.

“Hmm. Where to begin.” Ash laced his fingers over his gently rounded stomach.

“From the beginning.”

Ash’s gray eyes darted to him. “That far, huh?”

“I need to know everything.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how is it you don’t know this information?”

Derek could lie, and he almost did. But the thought of it soured his stomach. “I had a head injury. I’m trying to catch up on things.”

“Head wounds can be tricky, even for us magical beings. Alrighty.” Ash stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles. “I’ve never heard how old Zora is. Someone out there probably has the answer, but it isn’t me. It has long been whispered that it was meant only for you dragons.”

“Then how did others get here?”

“Good question. Infants arrive, but no one knows how or who brings them. Many have tried to find out, but no one I know has discovered the answer. It’s how I was brought here. It’s how everyone I know came.” Ash scratched his cheek. “I suppose the babies make up for the fact that only animals can reproduce.”

It was like being sucker punched. “No one else?”

“No human or otherwise. Just the creatures.”

“What about the dragons?”

Ash shrugged, his lips turning down. “I suspect so since they are animals. Like I said, we don’t cross the border to find out.”

Someone must have that information. Derek didn’t know why it was suddenly so important to know about the dragons and their young, but the question was seared into his brain now.

“There are more humans than any other,” Ash continued. “Maybe even dragons. Stories passed down through my people said that two mighty dragons, a male and a female, erected the border using magic that would alert them if someone crossed into their territory. It was meant to keep the humans out. From that moment on, it seems the fear mortals have about anything with magic spread like a plague, erasing all rational thought.”

Nothing sounded familiar to Derek so far, but whether that was because those memories had been affected or he’d never known any of it remained to be seen.

“The humans know the threat of death if they step onto dragon land. However, dragons are supposed to remain on their side of the border, as well. But that doesn’t mean they always do.” Ash gave him a pointed look.

Derek shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

The kettle began to whistle, so Ash rose and moved it out of the flames using a towel. He tottered back to the kitchen, mumbling something about forgetting things before returning with the tea bags and cups. He dropped them into another kettle to steep before pouring steaming water over them.

“The tomte live for close to three thousand years,” he said as he poured some tea into the cups. He handed one to Derek before taking his to his chair. “It’s odd. If a baby looks human, the mortals will take it into their villages and find it a home. For those who are different, like the tomte, we tend to find our way to others like us. Unlike some, we keep in contact with each other. We might live hundreds of miles apart, but no one passes information like us,” he stated with a grin before sipping the tea.

Derek took a small drink, somewhat surprised at how good it was. “How do you pass communications?”

Ash waved away his question as if it didn’t matter. “We talk. And I know there have been dragon sightings for a very long time. Two particular dragons—a blue one and a gold.” His gaze became pointed. “As well as a black dragon with scales edged in silver.”

Derek stiffened because Ash had just described him. “When you say a long time…?”

“A very, very, very long time.”

“There must be other dragons with my coloring.” If there weren’t, then that meant Derek was extremely old. And if he were as old as he feared, then that meant he had lost centuries of memories.

Ash took another drink. “Those two dragons mostly targeted human villages.”

“Mostly?” The moment the word was out of his mouth, Derek wished he could take it back. But he wanted answers, and knowledge was power. However, that didn’t mean the truth wouldn’t hurt.

“They also had a taste for hellhounds.”

Derek recalled Miena’s words about the scent of a hellhound. He rested the cup on the arm of the chair as he held the rim.

Ash’s eyebrows flicked upward. “From what I hear, the hellhounds have been wiped from Zora. Also, the attacks on the humans tapered off somewhat. Oddly enough, more dragons have been seen lately. Particularly around Stonemore. Does that city ring a bell?”

“None.” Derek wished it did, but nothing sounded familiar yet.

“Hmm. It’s not far from the dragons’ western border. Anyone with magic who goes to the city ends up dead. They target children, if you can believe it. Word is, a Banshee was spotted rescuing the kids about to die. Then, a dragon joined in. After that, dragons were seen around the mountain city.”

Derek didn’t like the sound of any of that. “How many people have the dragons killed?”

“Not a single one.”

Derek’s brows snapped together. “You said two dragons targeted the human villages. How is it that more arrived and have left the mortals alone?”

“They’re after the ruler of the city. That little tidbit has spread widely among the magicals. Everyone is watching Stonemore to see what happens. Some say a war is brewing. The humans certainly want it.”

“And the…magicals?” Derek asked.

Ash grinned. “Some say the tomte are lucky because the mortals can’t see us, which means they can’t hunt us or run us out. Many others fled their homes and went to Highvale.”

Something about that name sounded familiar.

“You know it?” Ash asked.

Derek shook his head. “Maybe.”

“It’s a city only for those with magic. It’s hidden, and the only way to find it is with magic. Many magicals have lost everything and want to rise up against the humans.”

Derek wrinkled his nose. “The mortals would be slaughtered. They don’t stand a chance against those with magic. Surely, they know that.”

“They believe they will win. After all, they’ve killed a few of us, and an untold number of children. They’ve even run enough of us off to make them believe they’re capable of anything.”

Derek sipped the tea as he stared into the fire’s flames. “But you don’t know anything about Dragon Kings.”

“Now, I have heard that term.”

Derek slid his gaze to Ash, every muscle tensed in expectation. “What did you hear?”

“That a Dragon King attacked Stonemore.” Ash finished the last of his tea and rose to pour himself another cup. He lifted the kettle to Derek, who shook his head. “From the accounts I’ve heard—and understand they were passed through several retellings—the dragons aren’t fighting each other. Wait. I take that back. There was one occasion recently.”

“Where?” This was it. This was what Derek had come to find out. He waited with bated breath to learn if Miena had lied.

Ash returned to his chair, his face lined in thought. “If I’m not mistaken, it was north of Stonemore. Aye. That’s it. My cousin saw the entire thing. It involved two amethyst-colored dragons and one with lichen scales. But it was the two amethyst ones going at it. She said they were trying to kill each other.”

“Do you know what they were fighting over?”

Ash shook his head. “’Fraid not.”

“How dependable are the stories passed through your people?”

“If we tell it, ninety-seven percent. We depend on accuracy to stay informed. We do not embellish. However, if the story passes to us from others?” He shrugged. “Who can say?”

Derek finished his now-lukewarm tea. “Do you know anyone named Miena?”

“Can’t say I do. Who is she?”

“A Star Person.”

Ash’s face drained of color. “We do not interact with them. They are more powerful than you can imagine. It is speculated that they create the realms and bring the infants here, stolen from other worlds. We are playthings to them.”

“How many are there?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know,” Ash said tightly. Then his eyes narrowed. “How do you know this Miena?”

“She said she found me hurt after my battle with the Dragon Kings. She took me somewhere to heal.” Derek paused and then told Ash the rest. “She said I should attack again. That I was the only one who could free the dragons from the Kings.”

Ash sat forward in his chair and nibbled his lower lip for a moment. “Let me reach out to the other tomte and see if anyone has heard about any other recent dragon battles.”

The offer startled Derek. “Why would you help me?”

Ash grunted as he rose to his feet and grinned. “Because you look like someone in need of it. Besides, I don’t see anyone else offering.”

Derek found himself smiling for the first time since he’d awakened.