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One dragon disappeared, leaving him with the larger of the two, who was wearing a very strange expression, as if torn between laughter and tenderness. That was just fine with Amaru.
He allowed Vasily to help him to his feet and listened as he explained each piece of clothing. Thankfully, there wasn’t much due to the heat and humidity that squatted over the lake.
The underwear was lovely and soft, nicely hugging all his boy bits. But it got stripped right off and tossed aside. As soft as it was, it didn’t allow anything to breathe. All his important parts were going to be drenched in sweat and itchy in no time. That was a no to underwear.
The T-shirt took three tries. First Vasily said it was inside out. And then backward. Whatever. It was soft and colorful and smelled like Luka.
Finally, the shorts. Good name since they were short enough to come to his knees. Vasily warned him against the metal teeth that would bite his boy bits if he wasn’t careful.
“And look at this.” Vasily gently took his hand and shoved it into one of the openings at his hip. A secret compartment! A secret compartment for storing things! “They’re pockets. They let you carry many things at once, leaving your hands free.”
Amaru squealed a second time. “Pockets are brilliant! Why didn’t my people invent pockets? Everything should have pockets! Here! Here! Give me something. I need to store something in my pockets now!”
Vasily spun around in the tent, but the space was nearly empty. There was only a chair, the things Amaru had used to bathe, and a couple of large bags. He snagged one of the bags and dug around in it until he came up with two small items.
“A pencil and a small notebook,” Vasily explained as he brought them over to Amaru. He thumbed through it, revealing many blank white pages and the pencil marks on the page. “Luka packed a couple spares ahead of this trip. You can use it to make notes for ideas or things you might have questions about. Both fit perfectly in your pockets.”
“Luka won’t mind you giving these to me?”
The dragon shook his head and smiled. “Not at all.”
Just as he was tucking the little book and writing instrument into one of his many pockets, Luka returned with a plate heaped full of food that smelled delicious. He was accompanied by many people who set up chairs and cushions in a chatter of excited, friendly noise. Thank the gods the translation amulet could keep up with all the conversations.
When they were all settled and his tongue was once again happy, Amaru looked at King Rodrigo. He was the one who most likely had all the answers.
“Okay. What did I miss?” Amaru asked. Choked laughter and groans instantly filled the tent. He wasn’t surprised. A lot could happen in that time, but at least the world hadn’t ended. That was a plus, right?
Rodrigo cleared his throat. “There’s a lot of ground to cover, and I think it might be best to introduce you to some of the general technological and world events slowly. We should probably focus more on what’s likely to impact you.”
“The Dragon War,” Vasily murmured, his voice a quiet, deep rumble that felt as if it had come from a wound in his soul. Luka reached across and covered one of Vasily’s hands with his own.
“The what?” Amaru asked. The question nearly got stuck in his throat when he gazed at the solemn faces that had once been joyful.
Rodrigo succinctly painted a picture of vicious battles between the Jaeggi Clan and countless dragon clans. Of a curse that wiped out entire mage clans and resulted in the death of thousands of dragons.
Only when Evora lunged forward and caught his nearly empty plate did he realize it was slipping from his dead fingers. He flashed her a weak, grateful smile as she set it aside, not needing to be told that his appetite had disappeared.
Yes, he’d not had any prior contact with these now extinct mage clans, and he’d known only Tupã lightning dragons, but that didn’t mean his heart didn’t ache for the lost mages. They were his kind, his people. Even the territorial dragons of his past would rage at so many lost souls.
“And…and the Jaeggi Clan now? Were they also wiped out in the fighting?”
“Not entirely,” Sam replied with an uncomfortable wince.
“There are some who remain—descendants left to suffer under the horrible mistakes made by one mad man.” Rodrigo reached out and placed a hand on Sam’s slumped shoulder and squeezed while the dragon who appeared to be Sam’s mate grabbed his hand in both of his. “They are left with broken cores, unable to achieve their true potential as mages, or fully bond with their mate if they are able to find one.”
