Page 129 of Veiled Flames
“The veil ruptures and they come through.”
Impossible. The veil was designed to hold for eternity.
“And yet it tears periodically.”
When did this begin?He swoops low over a field and then soars toward the Great Beyond.
“Centuries ago.”
How can you know that?he asks.You are too young. You are a mortal.
He banks hard to the right, and the rush almost distracts me from our conversation. “I know, because I’ve been told.”
He grumbles and then turns again, soaring between two mountain peaks and diving down through a verdant valley. He’s still headed toward the veil, but it’s hard to feel fear while seeing the world from this vantage point and so much of it at once.
Tell me more of these demons. What type of demon invades? Are they greater or lesser demons?He banks again, and flies so close to a mountain peak I feel the chill of the snow there.
“There aretypesof demons?” A shiver traces through me that’s not from the snow.
Oh, my little one. You have much to learn. There are many varieties of demons, but they divide themselves into two overall classes: greater and lesser.
His tone, even in my head, indicates he doesn’t approve of this division. And I certainly don’t know what type of demon comes through the veil. I’ve only ever seen drawings of demons depicted in books I was not meant to read, and those illustrations looked nothing like the creatures Tynan described.
This human you call Tynan rides Xendus,Zogar says.And he’s the one who’s told you of demons.
“Yes.” I’m still shocked each time Zogar knows things I haven’t explicitly said. Some I didn’t even realize I’d thought.
Please describe these demons.He swoops lower, taking us through a valley, then he banks again and starts to climb.
I recall all the things Roule told us in class, plus what Tynan recounted last night. “The demons are the blackest black, and they fly as if they are snakes. When slain, they drop to theground like sludge, or a thick black syrup that quickly disappears as smoke, as if the ground incinerates them. Their eyes are red, their teeth are large and sharp, and there is fire inside their bodies.” That’s all I can remember.
That is a lesser demon. Likely a minion of darkness.
Looping around, we head back toward camp at great speed, and relief overtakes me. He’s following my directions, as dragons are meant to. Soaring through a mountain pass, I drink in our surroundings, elated and awed at how I can see so much of the world from his back.
Soon, we cross the enclaves again, and below us, the dragons roar and shriek, clearly aware that we’re flying above. Do they know which dragon I’m on? Can dragons recognize each other?
My people recognize their king.Zogar’s booming voice answers my unspoken question.I’m introducing them to my queen.
“You’re a king?” Shock ripples through me. “Why do you keep calling me your queen?”
When you freed me, you earned the right to become my queen.
I bristle. I escaped one arranged marriage to a king I didn’t know; there is no chance I’ll marry another. Especially not one who’s a dragon.
Zogar chuckles.There is so much you do not understand.
I narrow my eyes. “I can’t be your queen. I won’t. I refuse.”
I sense tension inside him, but no clear words or emotions. It’s almost as if he’s blocking his thoughts from me. He banks around, and crosses over a group of dragon pens I haven’t seen before. This must be the matched dragons’ enclaves. In fact, Ispot Xendus and Surath, penned next to each other. They both roar, and Surath sends a stream of fire into the air.
You don’t yet understand,Zogar says after a pause.There is so much you don’t know. Once all is explained,you will not refuse me.
I frown. I don’t like how he’s making all these assumptions and declarations, or how he keeps telling me that I don’t understand anything, even if there are many things I don’t know.
“What are minions of darkness?” I switch back to a less personal subject. “And why do they break through the veil?”
Those lesser demons are nothing, mere slaves of the Darkness. They possess no ability to think on their own and exist only to do the bidding of their masters.
