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Unfortunately, this was true. Ben thought of Tal in particular.
The General of the Pure Ones had arguably suffered more than anyone else he’d ever met. Both physically and psychologically. The torture had been endless and endlessly depraved, perpetrated by none other than his Mate’s twin sister. Ere’s old Mistress, Medusa.
Ben was lost in thought when Sai said:
“Tell me. This family of yours. Tell me about…Ere and Kai.”
Sai pronounced the nameEh-rrrrayin a way Ben never could. The way the word rolled off his tongue. The rumbling undertone that sounded like a predatory purr. It was how Ere himself said the name. Ben had only ever heard Kai and Sorin pronounce it in the same way.
Perhaps it was because these ancient Beasts lived in a long-lost time, and the languages then were more guttural and primitive. Almost animalistic in the sounds.
As an avid student of history and ancient civilizations, even the ones that modern historians hadn’t discovered yet, Ben found these revelations fascinating.
Imagine! Ere, Sorin, Kai and Sai had lived during a time when magic abounded in the universe. When dragons, Beasts, and fantastical monsters roamed the earth, sky and sea. When gods commanded unfathomable powers.
Ben wondered whether he’d ever be able to visit this time on one of the Jade Emperor’s missions. But he supposed it wasn’t up to him. Besides, he was only a stand-in on this quest. Ere and Sorin would be back for the next one.
They had to be. If only because Sorin had to get better.
Ben couldn’t imagine it any other way. No telling what the black dragon would do if anything happened to his phoenix mate.
“Well,” Ben said now, trying to focus on the good things, not dwell on what he couldn’t do anything about at the moment.
“I don’t know how Rai was during your time—”
“Annoying,” Sai immediately supplied.
“Oh.” Ben smiled a little, thinking of Ere’s biting sarcasm and dry wit. His doggedness and irreverence.
“Same as he is now, then.”
“Innocent,” Sai said next.
Hmm. This was different. “Innocent” was definitely not a word Ben would ever use to describe Ere.
“How so?”
“He believed the best of everyone,” Sai reminisced in a low, half-growl, half-purr, staring off into the distance.
“Even in the middle of the fiercest storm, he always believed that the sun would shine again, and a thousand rainbows would bloom across the skies.”
“Ere is definitely…less optimistic than that,” Ben said.
He didn’t want to reveal the truth, which was that Ere was as jaded as they came, after everything he’d been through.
“He was exceedingly stubborn and possessive,” Sai continued. “But only about the eagle prince, Sol.”
“Ah. Sorin’s old incarnation,” Ben understood.
“He was jealous of Sol’s time and attention. Sol was Rai’s treasure, you see. A dragon never shares his treasure.”
“Yup,” Ben confirmed. “Still true today. Maybe more so than ever before.”
“Rai hasn’t changed much, then?” Sai asked, finally turning to look at Ben.
“Not in all the ways that count,” Ben replied solemnly.
Sai turned away again, nodding a little. His expression seemed to have brightened, though it was still very hard to read.
