Blood of Dragons (27 page)

I wrap my arms around Kallen and he engulfs me in his.  “Raziel isn’t doing anything to me.  It’s what I did when I was in his body.”

Xandra, Belial has been responsible for the destruction of realms.  He is responsible for almost every act of torture ever known.  You did nothing to him that he did not deserve.

But it wasn’t my place or responsibility to dole out his punishment.

He made it your responsibility.

I challenged him.

He accepted.  He knew the risks going in, you did not.

Just because he has done worse things doesn’t make it okay that I did that to him.  I’m no better than him now.

Xandra,
I
have destroyed realms.  Am I evil?

I stop to consider that.  I have never felt anything but goodness being near Raziel. 
I’m sure you had good reason to do what you did.

As did you.  You brought down the Archangel of true evil.  You should be proud of yourself, not wallowing in guilt.

I’m not wallowing.

There is definitely some wallowing going on in here.

Fine, I’m wallowing.

“Xandra, you two are killing me.  What is going on?” Kallen asks impatiently.

“Raziel is trying to make me feel better about something I did when I was in his body.”

“I am sure it could not be that bad.  Did you kill anyone?”

“I came close.”

Kallen shrugs.  “Close does not count.”

I smile against his chest.  “Thank you both for trying to make me feel better.”

Kallen stiffens and then steps back.  “We need to follow the others.” 

I guess I should have thanked them separately.  I can’t imagine how hard this has been for Kallen.  I’m his wife.  Hopefully.  He should not have to feel as if he is in competition with another.  I slip my hand in his and it takes a second before he wraps his fingers around mine. 

“I love you,” I say, looking up at his hardened profile.

“I love you, too,” he says mechanically.  Yeah, this day has moved past jam packed.  It is now being drowned in a giant vat of sticky, gooey guilt.  We walk in silence the rest of the way.

The Goblin camp is horrid.  It smells and it’s dirty.  Sure, it’s in the woods but they have somehow managed to make the woods look dirty.  There are fresh mounds of dirt all over that I am hoping are not dead bodies.  There are muddy leaf beds strewn here and there.  I know they’re beds because there are muddy leaves hanging from the Goblins little dress things.  And the Goblins themselves?  This may be the only thing the fairy tales back home got right.  They are hideous.

There’s a fire in the middle of the camp where a pot of something that should smell good is cooking.  I can’t really smell it over the Goblin smell but I’m pretty sure that Tabitha made it so it has to be good.  She is currently stirring whatever it is.

I rush to her and throw my arms around her almost knocking us both into the fire.  She’s surprised at first but then her arms snake around me and she gives me a bear hug.  “I knew you would wake up sooner or later.”

Stepping back out of the hug, I ask, “Are you really responsible for the whole kidnapping thing?”

Red creeps up her neck to her cheeks as she turns back to stirring lunch.  “Some things should be made right.”

A suspicion is growing in my mind.  “And you lured us here knowing that I’d be pissed that the Dragons eat the Goblins the other Goblins breed.”

She shrugs.  “I had not given that any thought.”

I laugh.  “Sure you hadn’t.  Okay, what do you want us to do?”

“We want their magic,” the one who must be the head of the rebel Goblins says, pointing to Kallen and Isla.  “So we can defeat the Dragons and those of our kind who are willing to kill our own.”

Tabitha points her spoon at him.  “I have told you a million times now, you are not getting their magic.”

The Goblin harrumphs and crosses his arms over his little barrel chest.  I’ve never actually seen anyone harrumph before.  I’m impressed he pulled it off so well.

Turning to me, Tabitha says, “A meeting has been called between Mortain and Gowarth, the King of the Free Goblins.”

“Okay.  Do you really think that it’s going to accomplish anything?  I don’t see these little guys taking on the Dragons.”  I haven’t seen a Dragon yet but I’m positive that’s true.  Raziel puts a picture of a Dragon breathing fire in my mind so I’m really positive now.

A sharp pain in my ankle is followed by, “Who are you to call us little?”

Ow.  That really hurts.  And there’s blood on my jeans now.  Pulling a little bit of magic, I push the Goblin back until he’s pressed against a tree.  He’s struggling but he can’t free himself.  “You’re lucky I didn’t kick you back,” I tell him.  His reply is a string of words that I only half understand.  I’m sure none of them are very nice.

“Tabitha, this is ridiculous.  I know you have petitioned this cause for years, but honestly, what do you expect us to do?”  Isla doesn’t sound mad, she sounds exasperated.

“I have lived here for a mighty long time.  There is no other food for the Dragons to eat.  They will never agree to take Goblin off their menu,” Garren says. 

Tabitha gives him a dirty look.  “I know who you are.  I am surprised Isla will share the same air with you.”

To all of our surprise, Isla looks uncomfortable suddenly.  “Moving on,” she says too quickly.  “There is simply nothing we can do.”

Tabitha studies her for a moment.  “Getting to you, is he?  Well, maybe that would be good for that icicle you call a heart.  Just wish you would choose someone with a little more spine and a lot less baggage.”

Garren has gone from annoyed to irate.  Before he can say anything, I butt in.  “Can we talk about Isla’s icicle heart later?  We seem to have a bigger problem.”  Hey, why do I get the dirty look from Isla?  I’m trying to change the subject.

“We cannot plan anything on an empty stomach.  Have a seat everyone.  Take care not to sit on a buried excrement pile.”

There goes my appetite.  “I think I’ll pass on lunch.”

But it smells so good and it has been a while since I have fed your body.  You should eat.

Did you not hear her say ‘excrement piles?’

I am not suggesting you eat one of those.

I laugh out loud which earns me funny looks from Tabitha and Isla.  A dirty look from Kallen.  “Enjoying yourself?” he asks.

Remember this is hard for him.  Remember, remember, remember.  “Not particularly.  I would much rather be on a honeymoon somewhere with my new husband.”  I feel Raziel pull back inside my mind.  Kallen tries to smile but he doesn’t quite pull it off.

Garren shakes his head.  “What is the deal with you two?  One minute you are thick as leather and the next you are punching each other in the face.”

I turn a shocked face to Kallen’s guilty one.  “You punched me?!”

I punched him back.

Good.

“It was not you I punched,” Kallen says using the excuse of taking a weird bowl thing from Tabitha as a way to avoid looking me in the eye.

“Oh, so you hit someone else’s face then.”

“Xandra, there will be plenty of time for explanations later,” Isla says.  “At the moment, we need to convince Tabitha to give up this insane plan of hers and to come home with us.  Immediately.”  There was a lot of emphasis on that last word.

“You can get as high and mighty as you want Isla.  I am staying put until some sort of solution is reached.”

I can see her point.  “Would it bother you if Fairies were breeding other Fairies to feed to the Dragons?” I ask Isla.

I’m glad I’m not standing next to her at the moment.  I might get punched in the face again.  This time I would feel it.  “That is different and you know it.”

“Why?” Mortain asks.  “Why is it different?  Because we are smaller and uglier than you?  We may not be pretty like you are but we are still sentient beings who deserve to be treated better than food.  You sound no different than our brothers who save themselves at the cost of others.”

Isla is of course indignant.  “Your physical appearance is of no consequence here.”

Mortain turns to Tabitha.  “Is there really an icicle in her chest?” 

Tabitha nods.  “Yes, it has been there for quite some time.”

“Tabitha,” Isla says with a warning in her voice.  Tabitha ignores her.

“What do you suggest we do?” Kallen asks.

“First, we need to slit down with Mortain and Gowarth.  Try to make the stubborn coot see things for as atrocious as they are.”

Kallen shakes his head.  “Tabitha that would accomplish nothing except to break the treaty the Free Goblins have with the Dragons.  Then they will once again fall into the category of food source as well as the breeding Goblins.”

He’s right unfortunately.  But there has to be a way.  Turning to Mortain, I ask, “There truly isn’t anything here that the Dragons can eat besides you?”  That’s a weird question to ask someone.  Definitely not a question I would have asked anyone if I was still back in Colorado.  Amazing how much my life has changed. 

Your life was peaceful there.  I wish that peace had not been disrupted as it has.

Um.  I don’t.

Why is that?
  Raziel sounds surprised.

Life may have been peaceful but I wasn’t really happy.

You were not?

I shake my head which probably looks weird to everyone except Kallen who knows that Raziel and I are speaking to each other.  For his sake, I decide to answer the question out loud.  Not in front of everyone though.  Moving closer to where he’s standing, I turn to everyone else and say, “Excuse us a moment.”

I take Kallen’s hand in mine before anyone can argue and pull him farther into the forest where no one else can hear.  I stop and finally answer Raziel.  “No, Raziel, I wasn’t happy in Colorado.  I felt that I didn’t have a life at all.  I was kept away from the world and I had no real friends.  Yes, I loved my family but I never felt whole.  It wasn’t until I met Kallen and my life got out of control crazy with magic that I found what I had been missing all those years.  I have friends, people who have expanded my family twice over, and I have love.”