AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I do,” Levian admitted. “I don’t see her as often as I should.”
Gwen wasn’t really sure she should ask, but she felt compelled. “Do you miss him? Your dad—I mean, Merlin?”
Levian’s face turned sour. “I miss a version of him. The man he was when I was little. But he is long gone. A memory. Nothing more. The man who sits in The Prison deserves to be where he is, if not someplace worse. Barith is convinced he’s going to ensorcell me to try and escape, and honestly I wouldn’t be shocked if he were right. So that should tell you something.”
Merlin definitely sounded like a Grade A asshole, from what Gwen had heard. And she’d heard a lot. Mostly from Barith. “I’m surprised you got Barith to come with you. He doesn’t seem very excited about the idea of going there. Or you going there.”
The mage scowled. “We’ve known each other a very long time. Too long, probably. He’s a bit overprotective at times.”
In the time Gwen had spent with the mage and the dragon, she’d wondered if there wasn’t more between them than just friendship. Not that she would ever mention her theory to Levian directly. “Too long?” Gwen questioned.
“You might not have put this together,” Levian replied, finishing up her packing. “But it’s not particularly common for creatures to develop close bonds with someone not of their own kind. Barith and I know where each other’s bones are buried. We’re also worlds different, as you’ve no doubt noticed. He would spend his existence naked, wandering the woods and chasing after forest nymphs if he could. I prefer more civilized company myself. Not that we don’t both enjoy a raucous bacchanal.”
“Like Abigail’s Beltane parties?” Gwen asked.
Levian flashed a devilish smile. “Exactly.”
“How have you two stayed friends so long if you’re so different?” Gwen asked, truly curious.
“It’s hard to say,” Levian replied. “We’ve fallen out of contact at times, but we always seem to end up in each other’s company again. Maybe we’ve saved each other too many times. Or perhaps it’s because we’re both black sheep. To be honest, I’ve never particularly cared for dragons, except Barith. They’re a brutal, old-fashioned bunch, devout to their outdated traditions.”
Barith hadn’t told Gwen much about his family. She’d asked him a few times in general conversation, and he’d mentioned his mom or some cousins, but he’d never really elaborated.
The dragon was rough around the edges but a definite marshmallow on the inside. It was hard for Gwen to think of him as brutal.
“Brutal in what way?”
“They’re barbaric,” the mage explained with a look of disgust as she fiddled with some more papers. “They treat their children little better than animals until they come of age. Force them to fight each other to gain the favor of their parents. Female dragons are known to be even stronger than the males because of it. They must fight even harder to rise above the males. They’re cunning too. Many dragon families are ruled by Queens. Barith’s mother is Queen of the Sun Dragons.”
Gwen’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “Barith is a prince?”
Levian huffed a sardonic laugh. “Far from it. His mother is a queen, but that doesn’t make him anything special. When the time comes that his mother isn’t strong enough to lead, a new king or queen will be chosen. Though Barith’s family has ruled for over a millennium. One of his sisters will likely take her place.”
“He has sisters?” Gwen blurted in disbelief.
“Three. They’re all loathsome.”
“You’ve met them?”
“Only one,” Levian replied with a sneer. “Judith. The youngest. It was not a pleasant encounter.”
It was hard to imagine Barith’s siblings being so horrible, given how jovial he was by nature. Maybe that was why he hadn’t mentioned them before? Still, it was a little weird he hadn’t even dropped a hint. Though now that she knew he had sisters, it made a ton of sense. Barith had shifted from flirty to brotherly with her with almost no effort at all.
“You don’t think Barith could be king?” Saying it out loud almost made Gwen laugh. The thought of him with a crown on his head seemed ridiculous.
“It’s not impossible, but doubtful,” Levian told her. “He’s been away for a long time. All dragons go through a period they call the Wandering, a time for them to sow their oats out in the world before duty calls them back home.”
“What sort of duty?”
“Mating,” Levian declared, as if it were obvious.
“You’re kidding?” Gwen asked, a little shocked.
“It’s more like an arranged marriage. But once they’re mated, dragons are tied to one another forever. The whole thing sounds utterly miserable.”
It didn’t sound great to Gwen either. “When will he have to go back?”
“It’s hard to say. He’s been on a particularly long Wandering already.”
