Page 9 of The Uncrowned King (The Bastard Duology #2)

CHAPTER NINE

“Derek.”

Her voice was right beside him, her breath on his ear. He reached for her, wanting to cradle her body against his, longing to feel her softness. Needing her on a level he couldn’t fathom.

She slipped away. A roar filled him, but no sound escaped. He burned for her. It was a pain deep within, an ache that would remain until she was in his arms once more. His soul knew her.

If only he did.

“Derek.”

Elation at her return made his heart trip over itself. He turned toward her. There was a note of urgency in her voice that hadn’t been there before. His gaze was drawn to her dark strands of hair. It was parted on the side and hung in waves over her left shoulder to skim the side of her breast. The ends glowed red, reminding him of sparks. This time when he extended his hand, his fingers brushed the soft locks. He ran them down to the ends. The moment he touched there, they blazed hot and then dimmed.

“Derek?”

If he could see and touch her hair, then he could see and touch her. Yet he was afraid to look at her face. Afraid it would be blank once more.

“Derek…have…me.”

She was trying to tell him something. He lifted his gaze to her face. Just as he feared, it was blank. But not all of it. This time, he saw her lips. They were moving, talking, but he couldn’t hear all the words. He studied her mouth, trying to make out what she was saying, but as he watched, she began moving away from him again.

“Who are you?” he asked.

A firm hand on his shoulder yanked him from the dream. Derek jerked, startled to find himself staring into Ash’s gray eyes. The tomte regarded him for a moment before straightening and going to stoke the embers in the hearth back to life.

“That must have been some dream to make you call out like that,” Ash said.

Derek rubbed his palms along his thighs. He was shaken by the images that had filled his head. But especially the message the unknown woman had tried to share.

Small flames began dancing around the new log as Ash got the fire started. He dusted off his hands and faced Derek. “I didn’t think it would take me so long to get word from the others.”

Had it been that long? The fire had died, so it must have been. Derek remembered being content sitting in Ash’s home to just be. It felt odd but nice. Did that mean he hadn’t had such a place? Surely, he had someplace he called his. He must have lost that memory. It was hard to tell. “Did they tell you anything?”

“Quite a bit, actually.” Ash poured water into the kettle and put it over the fire once more. “That, combined with the wait, is what kept me.”

Answers were right there. Derek could sense it. Impatience drove him, but he stopped himself from demanding the information. Ash had done him a favor. The least Derek could do was let him speak in his own time. But knowing the answers were close, things that had the potential to fill the gaping holes in his memory, was almost too much.

Ash walked to the chair from earlier and sat with a long sigh. He scratched his jaw and adjusted in his seat. “You wished to know about a skirmish with dragons.”

“I did.” Derek leaned forward, his muscles taut with anticipation.

“There was something recently.”

The spike of elation at knowing Miena hadn’t lied died a quick death the moment Derek discerned that Ash hadn’t continued. “What is it?”

“Dragons were involved, but they didn’t fight each other. They, along with other magicals, stood against a Star Person.”

It was like being kicked in the balls. Derek slowly leaned back in his chair. “Miena?”

“The name they heard was Villette. That doesn’t mean anything. People change their names all the time,” Ash hurried to add.

But Derek knew it was someone different. He couldn’t say why, but he did. “What color hair did this Villette have?”

“Blond.”

“Miena has brown hair.”

Ash’s lips twisted. “Could be magic altering her appearance.”

“Did they kill Villette?”

“No idea,” Ash replied with a slight shake of his head. “Might’ve. Or she could’ve vanished herself. They move like that.”

Derek looked into the fire and watched the flames dance around the kettle, slowly heating the water. It made him think about the woman in the dream and the ends of her hair. They had sparked just like the fire.

“I can see this news isn’t what you were hoping for.”

Derek grunted. “You could say that.”

“That doesn’t mean the battle you speak of didn’t occur. It could’ve been deep in dragon territory.”

“And I won’t know if that’s true unless I go and see for myself. Where I could potentially be attacked and killed.”

Ash crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “You’d know then, though.”

Derek glanced at Ash to find the tomte grinning. He shook his head and found a smile pulling at his lips, too. “Do you always look at the world in such a way?”

“It helps to get a different perspective. There’s enough doom and gloom to go around without me adding any. I prefer to find the positive in things.”

They fell silent until the kettle whistled. Derek watched Ash move around, making them tea again. He tried to decline, but Ash put the cup in his hand anyway. Derek shrugged and drank it.

“I’ve found that tea solves everything,” Ash said, a grin curving his lips as he sipped. “If you’re cold, it warms you. If you’re hot, it cools you. If you don’t feel good, it soothes you. If you’re down, it revives you. In other words, whatever the problem is, make tea.”

Derek could find no fault in Ash’s words. The tomte seemed so sure of himself. About everything. Perhaps Derek had been the same before. Would he ever be so certain of things again? Or would he always have a kernel of doubt, waiting to rise at the most inopportune moment?

“What are you going to do?” Ash asked.

Derek lifted one shoulder. “I have no idea.” But he couldn’t remain with Ash. He had to take some kind of action. Besides, he wouldn’t be the reason Miena entered Ash’s home.

“Let’s go over what you know for certain.”

“Very little, I assure you.”

Ash waved away his words. “Humor me.”

“All right,” he replied with a sigh. “I know I’m a dragon. I can shift from that form to this one and back again at will.”

“What else?”

Derek searched his thoughts. “I know basic things, but I didn’t even know my name when I woke.”

“What about the dream? Did anything seem familiar?”

“There was a woman. I can’t see her face. She’s trying to talk to me, but I can’t make out all the words.”

Ash scratched his chin. “Hmm. You missed one. Miena.”

“I suppose you could consider her a known fact.”

“Of course, you can. Fact one: She’s a Star Person named Miena. Fact two: She wants you to attack the dragons. Fact three: She was there when you woke and told you what she wanted you to know.”

Derek ran a hand down his face. It was all the truth. The only thing he didn’t know was if what Miena said was genuine.

“That’s a lot of certainty, if you ask me,” Ash said and sipped his tea. “Are you sure she’s a Star Person?”

“I felt her power. It was…intense. Something about Miena warned me not to push her.”

Ash grunted. “Then it sounds as if she was being honest about herself. What we don’t know is if there was a battle, or if you received a head injury.”

“What else but a head injury could take my memories?” A shiver ran down Derek’s spine when Ash quickly looked away. “Ash? What do you know?”

The old tomte looked into his teacup, his jaw working. He waved his hand dismissively. “Talk. Hearsay.”

There was no way Derek was letting this go. Ash knew something, and he wanted to know what that was. “From others, or your people?”

“It might be nothing.”

That meant it could be something. “Tell me. Please. I have enough hidden from me. I’d rather face whatever you don’t want to tell me than keep wondering.”

Ash blew out a long breath and lifted his gaze to Derek. “A very, very long time ago, humans were found wandering. They didn’t know their names, nor could they speak about their pasts. They knew how to walk, talk, and other basic things, but they didn’t have a single recollection about anything before they were found.”

“Just like me. Where was this?”

“Like I said, it was a long time ago. Thousands of years.”

Derek set the cup on the floor and scooted to the edge of the chair. “Where?”

“Stonemore.”

“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned that city.”

Ash wrinkled his face. “It’s a bad place. Evil resides there.”

“What happened to the mortals who lost their memories?”

“They had to build new lives. As far as I know, they never remembered their pasts.”

Dread iced Derek’s blood. He’d feared exactly that, and to hear it had happened to others was disconcerting. “Did anyone ever figure out what had happened to them?”

“There are some very formidable magicals out there. Some claim dragons could overpower all of us if they wanted. It is hard to know for sure since your kind mostly stays on their side of the barrier.” Ash rested an ankle on his opposite knee. “To my knowledge, no one ever figured out who damaged the humans in such a way.”

“Could it have been the Star People?”

Ash finished his tea. “Sure. It could’ve been anyone, really.”

“We stated your facts, and it hasn’t gotten me much of anywhere. What if everything Miena told me is true?”

“There’s only one place you’ll find answers.”

“The dragons.” The very place Miena wanted him to go.

Ash caught his gaze. “What are you going to do?”

“What I have to do.”

“I’d go with you if I could, but I’m not much good in battle. I’d mostly be there for moral support.”

Derek grinned despite himself. “With tea.”

“Always tea.”

They shared a smile. It felt like Derek had found a friend. He had enjoyed himself at Ash’s, even if he was swimming in tea. He didn’t want to leave the cozy home within the tree, but he couldn’t stay. Miena might come looking for him, and Ash and his people didn’t want to be near any Star People. The longer Derek remained, the more that became possible.

He pushed to his feet. “Thank you for your hospitality. I won’t forget it.”

“We tomte usually keep to ourselves unless we know other magicals. They know about you now. Don’t be surprised if you see more of the tomte around.”

“Only if they have tea.”

Ash’s face split into a wide smile as he got to his feet. “I’ll make sure of it.”