Dragon's Challenge - D. R. Rosier Page 0,33
after all.”
He ignored that last, and asked, “So, what do you do for the king?”
Cinder said, “Sometimes the magical humans go bad. Sorcerers, or a wizard or witch will grasp for power or turn to demons for power. I remove the problem for a price. I’ve also been known to spy on his enemies, at one time or another.”
He smirked, “Doesn’t that kind of thing require subtlety?”
Cinder grinned, “You’re right, there’s not much subtle about me, of course they’d have to see me to know they were being watched.”
Shar interjected, “You watch through flames.”
Cinder nodded, “Fire sorcerers are capable of such things as well, though few bother to master the art. Much like your dryad can enter one tree and leave another, I can join two fires with a touch of magic and spy that way, carrying their voices and images to me.”
Cinder smirked back at him, “I would also note, your kind aren’t exactly renowned for their subtlety either.”
He laughed in true amusement, “Truth.”
He had to admit, as frustrating as her presence was, he was starting to enjoy their banter of wits, and despite the insanity of the thought, she was easy on the eyes. That was his human instincts however, his dragon instincts told him it would be foolhardy to try and bond her. Besides, it was the last thing he needed, he already had all he needed that way to complete his walkabout and master his magic, as well as fully explore humanity through his princess.
He sighed, “So, first thing. Lesser and elder dragons are natural enemies, and nothing alike except for their shape and ferocity. Second, my sister is here and wants me dead. You may be drawn into that if you hang around. I don’t know what her next move will be, except she won’t attack me straight on.”
She looked thoughtful for a minute, then asked, “You trust me with that information?”
He shrugged, “You swore to mean us no harm, and even if you tried my sister would not deal with you. If you killed me and approached her she would either leave you behind, or try to kill you. She is strong, but weak willed when it comes to her own instincts. I believe you will keep your word, but if you didn’t you would lose your chance of reuniting with your kind.”
Cinder giggled, “So, she would try to kill me, instead of merely wishing to?”
He wasn’t surprised she’d picked that up from him, “Exactly.”
He was feeling that less strongly in that moment, but that was probably because she hadn’t pissed him off in the last two minutes.
She said, “You’re right, I wouldn’t break my word. So, is she weak, or are you strong, for your kind?”
“Both,” April said in a prideful tone of voice, “Most elder dragons are somewhere in the middle. He has remarkable self-control, and she should’ve been culled as a youth.”
Cinder bit her lip, “I’ve heard a lot of rumors about you.”
Shar pointed out, “You’ve also spied at us through the flames,” in her usual intuitive fashion. Between her frightening intelligence, warbling personality between coy, cold, and sweet, he could never be sure exactly where he was with her. When she was sweet, he wanted so bad to believe that was the true Shar, hiding behind her coldness and artful coyness, but it would be madness to believe and be persuaded by his own wishful thinking.
He cared for her a little too much for his comfort.
Cinder sighed, “Maybe a little, to pick out the truths among the rumors. I like the princess. She has a lot of fire in her nature. I’ll have to get to know her too as the king’s time on the throne wanes.”
He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, except her tone had been almost wistful. That made him curious more than anything, what part of their lives made her wistful?
Nysa snickered, “You were saying?”
Cinder said, “Well, you know almost nothing about me. Sadly enough, there isn’t much to know. I travel, work on occasion, and hunt. I have no connections, and I feel that lack. I already said I was lonely, and that is a large reason I want to get to my own kind, but it’s also a reason I want you to know me. Being around humans can be exhausting, I can only handle small doses.”
He grunted. He kind of got that. He had some similar issues, and he was bound to have a lot more patience with it than a fiery