Dragon voices rose in a hubbub, underpinned by vibrating bass indicating how upset they were. Dragon history had been lost, we’d thought irrevocably. Our ignorance about our past had always irked me, and now I knew the reason for it.
“Is that—” My words were lost in the noise in the room. I banged my fist on the table and raised my voice. “Does the fact you’ve been hoarding our history explain why the rest of us know so little?”
Silence fell, and everyone looked towards her, awaiting an answer.
Her eyebrows rose as she regarded me appraisingly through cool eyes. “We haven’t been sneaking around other families to steal their precious papers, if that’s what you’re implying.”
Despite her calm, there was a sibilance to her words, perhaps her dragon hissing at my near-accusation that she was a thief. Possibly the worst thing one dragon could call another. Yet if we’d had access to records, my family might not be split the way it was now. These dragons had been sitting on information that could have prevented heartbreak.
“I admit I was shocked to learn how little dragon history is generally known amongst you.” She looked around the table, broadening her answer to include everyone. “I suspect the threat of discovery kept any dragon records that were openly written secreted away, and whatever papers my family didn’t rescue were ultimately destroyed for reasons of safety. But there would have been no need to destroy disguised writings, if their existence was even remembered. And after centuries, we once again have a way to read them.”
What the hell was she talking about? And why did Abimelech Mortimer look so damn smug? I didn’t like this—it felt like a set-up.
“What are you saying?” There was anger in the Scottish voice that asked the question.
“In their dragon form, red dragons can read writing that remains hidden to the rest of us and to humans.”
“Red dragons are extinct,” the Scottish dragon said. He hesitated as a few other dragons around the table smirked. “Aren’t they?”
“They’re rare, certainly,” Abimelech said. “But they still exist. One of my grandsons is red.”
There was uproar. I sat still, my fingers clenched tightly around my pen. Red dragons still existed? That was almost as astonishing as the discovery of a new dragon family. If it was true that red dragons had this secret ability, it felt inevitable that Mortimer would have one in his family. He already had all the power, yet it was never enough for him. What was he trying to do here? Ireallydidn’t like this.
Mortimer rose to his feet, and the room slowly quietened. Whatever we thought of him, there was no doubting his dominance. At times I hated it, and at times I was glad of it. If the truth that dragons existed ever came out, at least we’d have a weighty defender. No one could drag Abimelech Mortimer off to a secret detainment camp without the entire world noticing and asking questions.
“Now you know the reason I have invited you all here. Not only to welcome the Berstows”—an ironic smile appeared briefly, because we hadn’t exactly welcomed the new dragons—“but to share with you the knowledge they have. Evelyn, if you’d like to continue.”
Of course they were on first-name terms. Abimelech wouldn’t have introduced her without making sure she was under his thumb. Yet as Evelyn Berstow looked around the room at us, her gaze sharp and assessing, I had the impression she wasn’t his minion.
“Despite the fact it isourtreasure, any one of you is welcome to come and study the documents in our possession. Our collection is deep in places but not particularly broad. If you’re looking for a comprehensive history, you’ll be disappointed. But we have more information than it appears you are currently privy to.” She glanced briefly at Lily Mansfield. “We have a six-hundred-page document containing detailed genealogy of the Leeds’ Mansfields, dating back to the fourteenth century, that may be of interest to your family.”
“We have to travel to your territory to study these documents? Can you not see the distances that are involved for some of us?” It was a dragon from the Outer Hebrides, perhaps the furthest flung part of the British Isles.
“I’m aware of that, and we are in the process of digitising our records. But as you will appreciate, storage of those electronic files must be completely secure, and many of the documents are extremely fragile due to their age.”
Which invited the question why they hadn’t been digitised and their content preserved earlier. But I’d probably upset her enough for one day, so I said nothing. I didn’t want to be barred from reading our history. Perhaps there would be hints about the construction of Avebury and Stonehenge.
“Rufus Mortimer is currently working on an overarching history and will distribute copies to all families.”
“RufusMortimer?”
My outraged words were lost under a Welsh dragon’s roar. “AMortimer?Why should we trust a Mortimer to produce a neutral history?” He was on his feet, fists clenched on the table before him, his glare moving between Abimelech and Evelyn.
Abimelech’s eyes were like ice as he stared at the Welsh dragon, whose pugnacity oozed away under that terrifying gaze.
“I would ask the same question of any family,” the dragon added weakly, and sat down again.
Mortimer inclined his head. “That attitude reflects my other reason for calling this moot. To answer your question, my grandson is a scholar at heart and would undoubtedly tear off his own wings rather than knowingly misrepresent our history. As I trust Evelyn to give Rufus access to every paper in her possession, so I trust the quality of his work. If my trust is found to have been misplaced, then we are in a different situation.”
I sat very still. Menace had cracked unmistakably through his voice.
“Now that you have all been introduced to Evelyn, we come to my second reason for calling this meeting.” Uncharacteristically, Abimelech paused, taking a sip of water from his glass. What could be more difficult than telling us about an entire new dragon family?
“You will be aware that this is our first gathering in three centuries. As families, we tend to form loose alliances with two or three other families and keep apart from all others. It has reduced bloodshed, with each of our families staying in our own territory. The downside has been that mistrust has grown into resentment and thence to hostility.” His eyes flicked briefly to the Fortescue dragon, who was still concentrating on the table.
“I’ve discussed with some of you how suited our arrangement is to the twenty-first century. Margaret Teague has some views on this and, I believe, a proposition to offer.”
Margaret took a moment to finish the mint she’d just popped into her mouth before speaking, seemingly unconcerned about all the eyes fixed on her.
