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The meeting lasted for another two hours, then Astrid and Finn called it a night. Viggo was tired too, but he agreed to stay when Eric asked him to pour whiskey for both of them and tell him the whole story, in detail this time. The Fyrstur had slept too long. It would be months until he’d feel the need to sleep again. On the one hand, he couldn’t wait to sneak in bed next to his young bride and watch her sleep, but on the other hand, there were things which needed his attention. Also, the clock on the wall couldn’t tick away the minutes and hours faster. Eric drummed his fingers on the edge of the desk as he listened to Viggo, then started pacing the room, then sat down again and drummed his fingers some more, driving the Annarr crazy with his restlessness. Eric couldn’t wait for morning to come so he could make the call.
The dawn did come, but then he had to wait for the proper time. He couldn’t possibly bother Arthur Harington at 7 AM. Viggo spent as much time as he could with Eric, but at some point he was too tired, and Eric was too distracted to be good company. The Annarr wished Eric luck and excused himself. He needed sleep if he was to be of any use to his Fyrstur in the next couple of days. It was enough that he hadn’t slept quite right lately, his thoughts too loud in his head, constantly screaming Delyse’s name and urging him to do something. But what? What could he do when she belonged to his Alpha, when he had bought her specifically for his Alpha? Viggo was more than tired. He was emotionally exhausted, and now that Eric was here, he knew things would get more complicated before they got simpler.
Eric waited for Viggo to close the door behind him, then threw another impatient glance at the clock. 7:15. He decided time would pass quicker if he went for a flight. He still needed to stretch his wings, and he was curious to see the rest of the archipelago. So, he finished his whiskey, left the glass on the desk, got rid of all his clothes, opened the window and jumped into the freezing air. As he shifted in the air, he stretched his long neck to the sky and released a thin stream of flames, then flew right through it. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so good. So alive. So free.
Svartvinge had changed a lot in the years he had been gone. The people dressed and behaved differently… The largest town on the island had wide streets, all filled with cars and bicycles. There were shops, supermarkets, and small businesses everywhere, and they were all marked with big, flashy signs. He knew the people who lived on Svartvinge were aware of the existence of the dragon clan, but he didn’t feel confident enough to fly too low. Some of them looked at the sky as he passed over the tall buildings, smiling and pointing at him as they did when they saw an airplane. If he came to think of it, their reaction was comforting. Seven hundred years ago, it would all have been entirely different. Even though shape-shifters had never quite lived in the shadows and humans had known about them since forever, it had still been difficult for them to live normal lives when they actually depended on the humans and their beautiful, fertile females. Viggo had told him about the war, how it started and how it ended, and Eric thought it had been a good thing, even though many people, humans and shifters alike, had died. His Annarr had also told him things were getting better and better every year. There were always bumps in the road, but the factions were learning to work together. Soon, there would be no rivalry left between them. A world where shape-shifters of different species and humans could live as brothers. “We’ve really come a long, long way,” Eric thought while leaving Svartvinge behind and heading to the nearby islands, which were smaller than the main one. He flew over three more, thinking of the dragons sleeping inside their glaciers, then returned to the palace. It was time to make that phone call.
He wasn’t sure how to introduce himself to Arthur Harington. “Hello, I’m your daughter’s husband.” Eric huffed and decided it sounded silly. “Hi! How are you? I’m your son-in-law.” He smiled and dialed the number Viggo had given him, Harington’s personal number, not the one which would direct him to his secretary. That introduction was worse than the first one. The Councilor picked up after the third ring.
“Arthur Harington here.”
“Eric Drekinn. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time.”
Silence at the other end of the line. Eric could hear the man’s regular breathing, but he couldn’t know exactly what he felt. Confusion? Curiosity? What he did know for sure was that Harington knew who he was, so there was no need for Eric to go into detail.
“Mr. Drekinn, what a pleasure! How may I help you?”
Eric cocked an eyebrow. He was tempted to take the phone away from his ear and stare at it. He couldn’t believe that was the Councilor’s first question. He thought he would first want to know if his daughter was fine.
“Lily…” Eric heard the human Councilor take a sharp breath at the sound of her name. “She told me about your work,” he added, and he immediately heard Harington release the air slowly. What was going on? Had the Councilor been afraid that he had just called to tell him he didn’t want his daughter? What a silly idea…
“I’m sorry, I’m not following. My work? As in… my position in the Council?”
“No. Clan Drekinn appreciates everything you’re doing for the factions, and I truly admire your dedication to the peace treaty, but that’s not what I’m referring to. Your daughter told me about Harington Pharmaceuticals and the research you’ve been conducting in your facilities.”
“Oh.”
There was a long pause, and Eric gave the Councilor time to put his thoughts in order. From what Viggo had told him, Lily hadn’t specifically talked to her father about the plan. In fact, she hadn’t exactly been in touch with him much after he had donated her to the Alma Venus Boarding School. However, in a subtle manner, Viggo had suggested to the Councilor there might come a time when Eric Drekinn would call and ask for a favor. That was… if he accepted Lily Harington as his bride. Well, that time was now, and Eric hoped the Councilor was at least somewhat ready.
Arthur Harington was more than ready, though. Eric realized this when he heard the man draw a chair and sit comfortably in it before speaking.
“I see, Mr. Drekinn. I’m sure you know that part of my work is not very popular. I am willing to tell you anything you’d like to know, though. It’s the least I can do for my daughter. You’ll first have to give me your word this conversation will stay between us. We’re… how should I put it?” He hesitated for a second.
“We’re family now. We need to look after each other.”
Eric smiled. Yes, this was a man he could do business with. “Of course. I understand your position and situation, and I assure you I have your daughter’s best interests at heart. I want to be completely honest with you… Is it all right if I go ahead and just tell you why I called?” The Alpha dragon had never liked to waste time with pleasantries.
“I’m all ears.”
“The antidote for the dragon venom… it could change so many things in what my faction is concerned. In a good way.”
“Mhm.” The Councilor waited for Eric to finish. In truth, he already knew what his daughter’s husband wanted, but he had to be patient and figure out how much he knew about his research. And how badly he wanted the cure.
“It’s no secret that Clan Drekinn isn’t what it used to be, and the saddest thing is that it’s become more and more common for dragon-shifters belonging to various clans, powerful clans, around the world to fall into hibernation and abandon the life and wealth they had struggled to build over hundreds of years. We are a proud species, and we have our rules. Since the peace treaty was signed and your faction agreed to offer shifters human brides, things have started to work better for us. We’re not facing extinction anymore, and for that we are grateful. It is entirely thanks to your good will. However, our near immortality makes things… hard… exhausting…” His voice faded as he was trying to find even better words to describe that feeling of hollowness which weredragons had to endure year after year.
“Unbearable,” said Arthur Harington. “I understand, Mr. Drekinn. The time spent with a human bride is but an insignificant sliver in a dragon’s long life.”
“Yes.” Eric swallowed heavily, but tried to mask it by clearing his throat. It had always been uncomfortable for dragon-shifters to admit they had such a weakness. And it was the worst weakness of all: the women they loved, the mothers of their children.
“Turning them is illegal…”
“You know very well dragons have never endorsed turning humans into shifters. In our culture, it has always been… unacceptable.”
“Indeed.” Harington had to remember dragons were the most noble of the shifter species. “I apologize.” When Eric didn’t say anything, he continued: “An antidote which could, presumably, turn a human into a hybrid would be… the middle ground we all need. It would level things up.”
“I can’t speak for all the shifter factions, but I know such an antidote would benefit the dragons.”
