‘No, human girl,’ Chumana says. ‘Daria is no supporter of Goranov or Wyvernmire. She is one of us.’
I nod, feeling sick at the irony of finding an ally in a Bulgarian invader when the rebel I trusted most has betrayed me.
‘Krasimir, Goranov and I were fathered by the same dragon, many years apart,’ Daria says quietly. ‘But that is where our family ties end.’
‘You’rethe third dragon in the Bulgarian trio?’ I say, unable to keep the accusatory tone out of my voice.
But Daria just grins.
‘I thought Bulgarian dragons didn’t speak other languages?’ Gideon says, eyeing Daria warily.
‘They do when they learn them in secret,’ Daria quips.
I turn to my cousin. ‘What happened to you after you left Wyvernmire’s camp?’
‘We didn’t find Chumana, obviously,’ Marquis says, rolling his eyes. ‘But we came across Jasper, on his way back to his camp to salvage any supplies before he holes up in there.’ He points to the caves that house Ruth’s tunnel system. ‘He said he saw Ralph giving Goranov his blood.’
‘Again?’
‘Goranov was drinking Ralph Wyvernmire’s blood?’ Chumana says sharply.
Marquis nods and I see the two dragons exchange looks.
‘We saw him do it after Wyvernmire gassed the wyvern tunnels, too,’ I tell them.
‘It’s not making him stronger, though,’ Marquis says. ‘Jasper said Goranov was having trouble flying.’
‘Then itisstrengthening him,’ Daria growls. ‘Goranov is gravely ill. So if what you say is true, the Wyvernmire nephew’s blood may be the only thing keeping him alive.’
‘Ill?’ I say.
Daria nods.
‘The Bulgarian tradition of blood-perfuming was once a practice reserved for regals,’ she says. ‘But with so few humans left in Bulgaria, the Regal Vasil, head of the council of regals, claims the privilege for himself. No other dragon is permitted to partake in it.’
‘What’s a regal?’ says Serena.
‘Bulgarian dragon royalty,’ I mutter, my eyes still on Daria.
‘The practice involves taking on a humanprotégé, one that will willingly mutilate their own body to allow a dragon to drink their blood,’ she says. ‘The cells in the human blood create a chemical reaction in the dragon’s body, causing its own cells to regenerate. If drunk every day by a healthy dragon, it can extend their lifetime by a century. Drunk by a dying dragon, it can tether him to this world for several more years.’
‘So human blood heals dragons?’ Marquis says.
‘Yes,’ Chumana hisses.
My skin crawls as I remember how Ralph described a Britannia in which humans are herded like cattle by theBulgarian dragons. How hard would it be to convince a person to offer up their blood to keep their family alive?
‘Next time I see Ralph, I’m shooting him,’ Marquis growls. ‘We need Goranov weakened, not high on Wyvernmire hemoglobins.’
‘Ruth’s coming,’ Serena says.
Ruth is walking out of the caves towards us, flanked by Jasper and Freddie. They hesitate when the dragons turn to look at them, but I lift up a hand and they don’t stop.
‘Back so soon?’ Ruth says to me with a raised eyebrow. She doesn’t mention Atlas.
‘Fucking Bulgarian dragons?’ Freddie murmurs to Jasper. ‘I thought—’
‘You thought they were the enemy,’ I say, my eyes landing on him. ‘These two are different, although I can’t promise Chumana won’t eat someone if Ruth asks her to, so make sure your lot behave.’
