Page 9 of Consort's Dragon
“Perhaps they arrived by ship.”
“None had recently docked.Their arrival is a mystery, but we are happy for it as Merisu has never been more prosperous.”
Intriguing.Avera wondered when she’d get to meet them.As they reached the main level, the faint smell of food cooking had her salivating.Real food without hair or spit.She couldn’t wait.
The dining hall proved large and filled with many people sitting at long, wooden tables.However, the emperor dined alone at a large table.When he saw Avera, he stood with a welcoming smile and gestured to the chair beside him.
As she sat—tucked into her spot by Titus—he remarked, “I see you inherited your mother’s beauty.”
Her mouth rounded.“Um, thank you.”Although she did wonder at the comparison, for Avera and her late mother had completely opposite coloring.
“I trust your room is to your satisfaction.”
“It’s lovely, as is Prielli, the handmaiden you assigned to me.Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.I must atone for your previous treatment.”He sounded angry on her behalf, and yet Avera reminded herself this same man had been the reason she’d been kidnapped and then forced to snatch the Dracova stones from under the literal snout of a dragon in the first place.
“I’m surprised to see you dining alone,” she replied.
“Given your probable fatigue and the newness of my home, I thought that you might appreciate a more intimate meal rather than having to deal with all the questions my court would have surely bombarded you with.”
He considered this intimate?She forced herself to not hunch to avoid the scrutiny by the hundred or so people seated nearby, openly watching.
“That was kind of you.”
“My pleasure.”
The food emerged, hot and savory, and Avera ate with gusto while reminding herself to not overdo it lest her tender belly rebel.In between bites and sips of a refreshing lightly sweetened tea, she made conversation.“Your palace is lovely and huge.How many rooms?”
“Too many,” he offered with a laugh.“There are a few hundred, but that number includes many storage chambers under the castle.”
“I’ve never seen black stone.Our tends to be of the gray variety.”
“Most of it comes from past volcanic explosions.”
“Do you get many?”
“Enough that we never seem to run out, which is good as the city and palace keep expanding.”
“My home in Daerva cannot do the same, for there is nowhere for it to sprawl,” she offered in reply.The castle she’d grown up in resided atop a stony outcrop.
“I recall it from my visit.Magnificent views.Shame the lake bordering it is so poisonous, though.”He referred to the Lake of Tears, a body of what might have once been water until something caused it to become acidic.
“It makes the choice of placing the castle there odd, given the sparse hunting and difficulty farming.”
“Perhaps, once we’ve retaken your throne, we can have one of my viziers examine it to see if something can be done.”
Seeing an opening, Avera dove in.“Your viziers are magic wielders.”
“Yes.I take it you’ve heard of them.”
“A little.I’ll be honest, I didn’t put much stock in those rumors.You see, Daerva doesn’t have magic.Or didn’t until recently.Our witches were mostly potion makers with no actual power.”
“Sounds as if something changed your mind.”
Her lips twisted.“Kind of hard to not believe in magic when I’ve seen statues come to life.”She left out the fact it had happened on several occasions, and each time they’d tried to kill her.
“You’ve encountered golems.”
