I stilled and squeezed a cane so hard I pricked my finger again. “Why doyouthink that is?”
“Her friends were drained by the very same fiend, yet they appear to remember everything except for some of the time they wandered the ether.”
Memories of the wasteland flashed through me. The oppressive heat. My determination to get past a very high wall.
Vera rose. “I should go prepare breakfast. I thought I’d make muffins. Maybe cook ham to go with them. Eggs. It’s nice having so many here to take care of. It’s been a long time since the manor—or the city, for that matter—rang with laughter.”
“Why don’t I remember?” I bit out, not turning to look her way.
“That is a very good question.”
27
TEMPEST
Madrood sent me an image of the aerie’s location from overhead. I could’ve flitted, but instead, I chose to walk along the edge of the city.
I came across many of Lydel’s people standing in the open market, hawking their wares, others sitting at tables outside cafes. Still others worked in the fields near the edge of the city or bent over to pull weeds or plant something in a backyard garden.
All were frozen in place, some even with smiles curling their lips or mid-blink.
Itouchedthem, and warmth hummed beneath their skin. Their eyes gleamed with moisture, and I swore I heard rumbling inside stomachs when I paused beside a few of them.
My mother had cast an amazing spell. Why freeze them if they were covered with thorns to keep everyone away? She’dlocked them in time while the world continued to move on around them.
Spooked after seeing so many like this, I flitted to the open area outside the cliffside aerie. Inside, I found the tack room and collected supplies. I’d only traveled from the fortress a few times, mostly to visit other fortresses to deliver a message for the commander or to collect a dragon for training. Sometimes, one fortress had too many, and they shared them.
This aerie had been built like all the others.
Where are you?I asked Madrood as I strode down the hall.
Here.He bumped a gate to my right with his snout, sending it flying on its hinges to impact with the far wall.I hope you brought claw oil too because mine are a mess.
Stepping into his stall, I lifted the basket loaded with supplies.I have everything you need.
Start with my claws, please.
Since you asked so nicely, I will. It’ll be fun working with you now that we can communicate. No need to worry about you burning me alive.
He huffed, shooting sparks down the front of my leathers.I’ll never do that.
Others would disagree, though I wasn’t going to point that out.
Taking the claw oil, I started on his back left foot, filing the sides of the claws to remove burrs and rubbing in oil after. As usual, I left the tips alone. Some people insisted we should blunt them to keep them from slashing out at us when they were irritated, but too often, they’d used them to come to our defense against dregs.
That feels fantastic,he said with a throaty groan.You need to do this for me daily.
What did dragons do before we groomed you?
We bathed in warm pools topped with oil that coated our hides and claws when we emerged. We filed them ourselves on rocks. You do a better job.
Pride brought out my grin.I’ve never heard of pools topped with oil, let alone hot ones.
There are none on this continent,he said.You’ll only find them on the land stretching south of this one, the place where all dragons come from. I suppose there might be other pools elsewhere, though I haven’t traveled far to find out.
I paused while filing his front foot I’d chosen to work on next.There are other continents besides ours?
Why wouldn’t there be?
