Kailin turned toward the sound, her brow furrowing. "What's wrong with her?"
Codric groaned pitifully and slumped against Shovia. "I'm never eating again," he declared.
"Not for the next three days, you're not." Shovia patted his head fondly. "But this should be a lesson for you. Don't make the same mistake during the Feast of Fate."
Codric waved a hand. "Please don't talk about food."
I watched their easy interaction with concern. Codric was getting too attached. Then again, who was I to criticize? Every time Kailin looked at me, my carefully constructed plans seemed to blur around the edges.
"The stage decorations are beautiful," Kailin said, drawing my attention to the structure before us. It had been adorned with mountain flowers and hanging lanterns that would be lit during the ceremony. "Wait until you see the shaman arrive on his dragonia. Saphir is quite the showman. He likes to make a grand entry."
The fondness in her voice didn't match the image of the formidable shaman I'd created in my mind. "Isn't that awe-inspiring?"
"The dragonia? Of course she is. All dragons are. They are magnificent creatures despite what the Sitorians think of them."
I chuckled. "I find it ironic that the Shedun call dragons demons and hell spawn when they practically worship the devil."
"Elusitor is not the devil," Shovia said. "He's the destroyer and the deceiver, but he's the counterbalance to Elurion, and they are the two faces of Elu. One cannot exist without the other. The devil is an entirely different entity. He's in charge of the seven hells, where he torments sinners and evildoers, and that's where all Sitorians end up, and where the Shedun spend eternity because they are not redeemable. The devil is their daddy."
Codric laughed, forgetting that he was supposed to be in agony. "Maybe Elusitor and the devil are one and the same? It's not like anyone has seen either of them, let alone standing side by side, so it could not be confirmed that they are two separate entities."
Shovia rolled her eyes. "It's not like I believe in any of this. I'm just repeating what others say."
"Fair enough." Codric returned to clutching his stomach. "Maybe the Sitorians are right and the seven hells are where the dragons come from. Perhaps they roast sinners and evildoerswith dragfire there. After all, it's the hottest fire of all, so it makes sense."
I shook my head. "Don't repeat their nonsense. Dragons are noble creatures."
Kailin nodded. "I've only met one up close, and he was as terrifying as he was magnificent."
I arched a brow. "He?"
"Yeah, it was very obviously a male." When I arched my brow again, Kailin blushed furiously. "I didn't seethat. They are just much bigger than the females, and my brother says that you can even see the difference in their faces. The dragonias are more delicate and prettier." Her lips twisted. "Not that I know how Dylon can call them pretty. As magnificent as dragons are, they are quite ugly."
Shovia gasped and put her hand over her chest. "Don't ever think that while you are next to a dragon. They might torch you for the insult."
The blood drained from Kailin's face. "Oh, drak. You are right. If I have the gift, and dragons can talk to me in my mind, they can also read my thoughts. What am I going to do?"
"Change the way you think," Shovia said. "Take Chicha, for example. I think she is an ugly little thing, but you think she's beautiful, right?"
"She's cute. I wouldn't go as far as calling her beautiful."
Shovia shrugged. "Good enough. Just think of dragons as cute."
"Really?" Kailin tilted her head. "Cute? They are terrifying!"
Shovia sighed. "You are so hardheaded, Kailin. So, think of them as wise old men. Old men are not pretty either, but we still like them because they have good stories to tell, right? With how long dragons live, imagine all the stories they know."
Something stirred in my gut at her words. The dragons must know a lot about the things I was here to discover, so if I bonded with one, I might learn all their secrets without having to do any spy work. Well, provided that the dragon I bonded with was willing to share.
Around us, the square was slowly filling up, as pilgrims and townspeople found spots on the ground or stood in groups, their excited chatter creating a low buzz of anticipation.
"Look!" Shovia pointed to the sky. "I think I see movement up there. I think it's Saphir."
I was still struck by the casual way Kailin and Shovia referred to the spiritual leader of their people. The Elucian shaman was respected throughout the continent, admired by some and hated by others, yet in either case, held an almost divine status.
"It's not him," Kailin said. "It's probably just the patrol. Saphir won't arrive until the square is full."
I was glad that they were patrolling from the sky.
The place didn't feel safe to me despite the high security and the proximity of the Citadel. All these pilgrims and the shaman who was about to arrive might be so tempting to the Shedun that they would throw caution to the wind and attack even if it were a suicide mission. They weren't afraid of dying. On the contrary, to them there was no higher honor than to die while killing the nonbelievers.
A chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the cool mountain air or with the anticipation for the famous shaman's arrival. I'd learned to trust my instincts during my training, and right now, they were screaming at me to pay attention, mostly because of Kailin's little dog acting so agitated, but also some innate sense of foreboding.
The need to act, but the inability to do so, was frustrating. If I were back home, I would have found the commander of the security force in charge of safeguarding the ceremony and demanded that the alert level be raised. But here I was a nobody—a wealthy Elurian pilgrim who knew next to nothing about what these people were dealing with. Even if I risked drawing attention to myself by approaching the guards, no one would listen to me.
The best Codric and I could do was keep Kailin and Shovia safe.
