Dragon Kin

23

Alicja

I watched until he left. The crowd was encouraged to leave as well. I guess I wasn't 'public property', yet.

I really needed to know the source of these bonds. It bothered me. This was the first outcome of our bonds-mating. This or a variation of this. Was I supposed to be public property here? Was that fate or just a really good idea? And whose idea was it?

With him gone and the crowd gone, I turned and approached Uncle Max.

"Hello," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Welcome. Let's sit at the table, shall we?" he said.

Uncle Max was tall, with a full mane of bold silver hair. His eyes shone as sapphires from inside the narrow space between his eyelids. At the side of his eyes, deep crow's feet carved up the leathered flesh. His mustache and beard were trimmed, but full. And thick. And white. He had the same set of shoulders Victor had. I wondered about that, because they really did look very similar.

"You're a dragon," I said, making it a statement.

"Yes," he said, as we approached a table set for two, placed off the main room. "You could tell?"

"Your shoulders," I said. "They are remarkably the same shape and form as Victor's. But he said you aren't related by blood."

"So you made the leap of logic, and then tested your observation. But not as a question," he said, and pulled a chair out for me.

I sat, and let him ease me to the table. "Did that offend?"

"No," he chuckled as he walked to the other chair. "Not at all. Shows you are confident in your observations and your mind. I would expect nothing less from the Enedra. But may I ask, why?"

I hesitated, and then told him the truth, "I don't know which sources I can trust yet."

"Ah, yes. The source is important," he said as he sat. "Are you hungry?"

"I am, but I'm not sure what to ask for."

"I've taken the liberty..." he said. "Do you eat meat?"

"Yes, thank you," I said. Noting he must have had some experience with outsiders. That's what I was here, an outsider. "May I ask, what position am I in, right now?"

"Position? An honored guest, with a room she can go to whenever she chooses, while confident in the knowledge that she is protected."

"From whom?" I asked.

"Ah, well, from bothersome old men for one thing," he said.

I grinned, "Fair enough."

"So," I said, as he motioned to a server standing nearby, "You don't want to hold me captive? Or contain me?"

"Why would I do that?" he asked.

"The Morrigan," I said.

"Huh," he grunted. "Well, that would be a thing. But it's not a likely thing."

"No?"

"No, that's a very uncommon event. Don't get me wrong. It does happen, I've met three in my life. But over the course of two hundred years, you understand. But they do only come from bonds like yours and Victor's."

"Like ours?" I asked. "You mean between an Enedra and a Dradam?"

"Between an Enedra and a Royal Dradam," he corrected.

"Huh," I grunted. "Interesting. So, that would suggest that the source of the bonding makes them with current events in mind?"

He sat back and two servers approached, one placing a stoneware plate down in front of me with what looked like a grilled chicken breast and brown rice. It smelled divine, though that could have been my hunger. Max had a thick steak on his plate, which looked much too heavy and I was happy I had the ... bird.