“I can smell it on you.”
“Oh.”
“How did you meet the youngest son?”
“At the human village,” Gwenyth lied.
“I’ve heard he does business with the humans and helps them if they require aid.”
“What are Leo’s older brothers like? Have you met them?” Talking to the stranger, even if it was through a prison wall, helped to regain her equilibrium. Besides, her father always said information was power. He—
A gasp emerged, and she tentatively tugged the info that had popped into her mind unbidden. As usual, pushing and pulling to free the memory resulted in the recollection dissipating like Leo’s smoke. Frustration brought misery, and she tapped her forehead against the bars three times. Each tap was progressively harder, but the outer pain jogged nothing free. She sighed. “Are you still there? Do you know Leo’s brothers?”
“I know them.” Bitterness surged in his tone.
Gwenyth caught her breath, waiting for more.
“They used to be my friends. We grew up on different islands, but our families visited often. Played together. Created mischief and mayhem.”
“And then?”
“They took things too far. They raped a girl. The three of them with two of our other friends. I tried to stop them, but I was one against five drunken dragons.”
“What happened?” Gwenyth asked.
“The girl committed suicide.”
“You ended up in the dungeon?”
“The five ganged up together and accused me of the crime. I told the truth, but it was my word against theirs. The three oldest sons of the clan rulers plus two dragons of equally highborn parents. I never stood a chance.”
Gwenyth got a sense of where this was going, but she asked anyway.“Who are your parents?”
“My father is highborn but lacks the standing of Leo and his brothers. My family is not as wealthy. Father is a scholar and teaches while my mother ran our pottery business. As part of his employment package, I received a decent education. My father thought the opportunity might help me advance and make valuable contacts.”
“I see.”
The man sighed. “I never had much to do with Leo since there is a seven-year age gap between him and his next oldest brother. I know his brothers teased Leo. Their mischief often tipped over into bullying. I hear whenever Leo didn’t have lessons, he made himself scarce. No one knew where he went or what he did. His brothers didn’t care.”
“I know little of Leo’s life. Only that he hates visiting the castle and prefers to live at his home rather than spend time with his family.”
“I don’t blame him. After a time, Leo left Hissing Isle and lived on another island. It shocked everyone when he returned and entered the annual battle. His brothers laughed and placed bets on him losing in the first round. The ultimate battle was something to behold. The current champion wore his arrogance close to the surface. He couldn’t believe Leo dared to challenge him for his title.” The man laughed, a deep bark of amusement. “Leo didn’t muck around. He fought to win. That was three years ago now.”
“His brothers don’t bully him any longer,” Gwenyth said.
“Not that I’ve heard. It was after the champion battle that I ended up in the dungeon.”
Appalled, she said,“You’ve been here for three years?”
“Almost.”
“They must feed you then.”
“When they remember. A word of warning, no matter how hungry you are, try your food with caution. The guards find it amusing to add extra salt to make the prisoners thirsty, then they deprive us of water. Treat everyone with suspicion.”
“Even you?”
“Especially me. I might spin you a lie.”
