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11
As Orik spoke of his parents’ demise, a shadow of something haunted his eyes, and she recognized a deeper trauma that resembled her own. Though it would never be quite the same. His parents had been killed by witches, purposely targeted for death. Her own mother had been killed by a drunk driver. An accident, but no less tragic.
Yet, strangely, as he spoke, it was almost as if he stared at her with something like an allegation in his gaze. In the garden, he’d alluded that she reminded him of a witch, but that was pure ridiculousness.
So why am I suddenly seeing auras?Edel was lightly covered by a green hue, the color of new growth. Tristan was blanketed by varying shades of red and orange, the aura oscillating between the two. For some reason it reminded her of strength and vitality.
Great. Now I’minterpretingthe colors. Would Orik consider that to be a witchy tendency? Since this only started happening on this planet, perhaps she should tell everyone what was going on. They might be able to offer some insight.
“So,” Orik continued. “When I grew up, I vowed revenge on the witches who tore my life in half and all their kind.”
“Revenge?” A chill ran up her spine.
“You asked what it meant when Tristan referred to me as The Destroyer.” There was something dark in his tone now. “When I was old enough to take my revenge, I sought out as many covens as I could…and eliminated them all, one by one.”
Jessie blinked. “Eliminated? As in…” with a croaking sound, she dragged her finger across her throat.
He nodded. “I vanquished so many, I quickly became known as The Destroyer of Covens. The Destroyer for short.”
She shuddered. He’d dedicated much of his life to killing witches… “And you’re proud of this?”
He jutted his chin. “Extremely. The only good witch is a dead witch.”
The warning echoed through her cells, and another shiver racked her bones. But why should it seem like a warning?I’m not a witch. I’m not. I’m not. I’m not.
In that moment, the lights decided to flicker. Everyone glanced up, except for Orik, who kept his eyes trained on her.Do not appear guilty.Do not appear guilty. Yet, unbidden, her eyes darted nervously. His narrowed.
One thing was certain. No way would she admit to any mystical anomalies that even remotely resembled the supernatural.
“You see, dearling,” Edel added, disregarding the lights. “There is a long history of enmity between witches and dragons. In the past, they have hunted us ruthlessly. Killed us with impunity. For no other reason than to harvest our corpses for ingredients in their spells. To bolster their magic. Legions fell to them.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Indeed. It’s what originally caused our people to form clans, settling into groups for protection. Dragons used to be intrinsically solitary creatures, fiercely guarding our prospective territories. Some Nomads still exist, mind you, rejecting civilization altogether, but there’s strength in numbers. Before his death, my husband, the former king, was attempting to garner piece with the witches. No easy task, since their covens exist independently from one another, as do our clans. To that end, he worked to ease Orik’s quest for vengeance.” Edel faced him, “Right?”
Orik swilled his drink. “My responsibilities here at the castle require me to remain near. I have not been The Destroyer for some time now.”
Jessie couldn’t tell if he was happy about that or not.
Edel continued. “We have managed to live peacefully with a single coven who resides on our land beyond the Castion Mountains. The treaty holds that no witch on our land is to be indiscriminately killed without solid reason and, in turn, dragons should have no fear of being hunted by them.”
So no moredestroyingfor Orik, or else he’d risk their tenuous peace.
“But again, every coven lives by their own rules, and this bargain applies to but one.”
“How much area makes up your land?”
Tristan answered, his shoulders shooting back with pride. “As far as you can see and farther still. The next kingdom is many miles away.”
“I’d love to meet this peaceful coven,” she said. Maybe a real-life witch could explain what was happening to her.
“Absolutely no’!” The table went silent at Orik’s outburst. His aura flailed like a flame whipping in the wind. “Just because they have remained peaceful thus far does no’ mean they are no’ dangerous.”
“He’s right, dearling,” Edel agreed. “Though we’ve brokered peace between us, it’s tenuous. Any provocation could prove disastrous for both parties.”
Jessie only shrugged, not wanting to push the subject. It wasn’t as if she’d be spending much time here anyway. For all she knew, this weird technicolor vision would return to normal back on Earth. It could be atmospherically charged.
After dinner, they moved to the sofas and were served a sweet wine and a delectable dessert that tasted like strawberry shortcake. She sipped her wine slowly, tasting a high level of alcohol in the innocuous drink. Tristan and June finished theirs quickly before bidding them all farewell for the night. Soon after, Edel did, too. As Jessie walked her to the door, Edel turned, as though to take her in for a final evaluation. “It was lovely to meet you, Jessie.”
