A Destiny of Dragons (Tales From Verania #2)(137)

“Sam stole me away from my keep,” Kevin said.

“Sam stole Tiggy and me from the Dark Woods,” Gary said.

“Sam stole my heart,” Ryan said.

“I did not steal you from your keep. And Tiggy and Gary all but followed me home. And Ryan, I am going to fuck you until you’re cross-eyed later. You don’t even know.”

“Ew,” Gary said, nose wrinkling. “You kiss me with that mouth.”

I snorted as I stoked the fire. “Like you have any room to talk.”

“You talk about sex a lot,” Ruv said, cocking his head. “I’ve noticed that.”

“You get used to it,” Ryan said.

“Why shouldn’t we?” I said. “Everyone does it. Why does it need to be something no one talks about?”

“Merely an observation,” Ruv said. “We are not so… free in Mashallaha. It was rather shocking to come to the City of Lockes. It was loud. Very different.”

“Had you left the desert before that?” I asked, curious.

He shook his head. “No. That was the first time.”

“I can’t imagine having to stay in one place all the time,” I said. “I would get too restless.”

“But you’re the King’s Wizard,” Ruv said with a frown.

“Apprentice,” Gary coughed.

“I am. What about it?”

“Shouldn’t you be staying in the castle at all times? As the Wolf of Bari Lavuta, my job is to be by the phuro’s side.”

“You’re not right now,” Gary pointed out.

“Well… yes. But it is because I was ordered here. I do what the phuro commands. Is it not the same for you and your King? Or Morgan of Shadows?”

I laughed. “I guess. If they ask me to do something, I will usually do it. But they give me the freedom to do what I want. To make my own mistakes.”

“There is no room for mistakes,” Ruv said seriously. “Mistakes only lead to weakness.”

“But if you don’t make mistakes, how can you possibly learn anything?”

“By listening to your elders. They impart their knowledge and wisdom and you learn from them.”

“How would this have worked?” I asked.

“What?”

“You and me. Vadoma must have been telling you for years about me. What she thought you were to me. What she thought we could be. What she wanted for you. For me. Without even taking what I would have wanted into consideration. How would it have worked had I agreed to it? To have you be my cornerstone?”

I knew everyone else was listening as intently as I was for the answer. This, out of everything, was probably something that I needed to be focusing on the least, but I was interested in knowing Vadoma’s angle on all this. What her endgame was.

For a moment, I thought Ruv wasn’t going to answer. Then, “You would have come to Mashallaha. Lived amongst your people. Learned your heritage. The ways of the gypsy. Vadoma would have been your teacher. She would have shown you the path home.”

She was ballsy, I had to give her that. “Mashallaha is not my home,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “The gypsies are not my people. They looked down upon me as if I was lesser than them. They consider my blood diluted because of who my father is. And even if I could change their mind, why would I ever put myself in a position where I’d have to start something like that to begin with?”

“Really?” Ruv asked. “And I suppose the people of Lockes have shown you the same kindness? Just how many people in that crowd were… how did you put it? Looking down upon you. In Mashallaha, people are not trusting of outsiders, especially those with your power. But it’s because they do not know you. And they are mired in tradition.”

That… stung. More than I thought it would. Because he did have a point. I’d given my all to the people of Lockes. Or at least I thought I had. Sure, I’d made mistakes. I wasn’t infallible. But there’d always been an undercurrent there, a low hum ever since I’d been pulled from the slums and placed at Morgan’s side. There’d been an initial outcry, but it’d died down quickly thanks to Morgan and the King. But had it ever truly gone away? I knew I could charm my way out of most situations, but what good did that really do me in the long run?

I couldn’t place all the blame on Lady Tina for the movement against me, even if I wanted to. She merely latched on to something that had apparently already been there. She’d just given voice to it.

She was still a bitch, though.

“I can’t make everyone happy,” I said slowly. “Even if I wish I could. It’s not possible. No matter what you do, there is always going to be someone who doesn’t like it. And I can’t spend all my time trying to change their minds, even if I wanted to.”

“And yet you still fight for them,” Ruv said. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You may have put up a good front, but you’re still here.”

“Of course I’d still be here,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I be? People deserve to live how they choose, free and not governed by another’s will. Because that’s exactly what will happen if… the Darks get their way.” I couldn’t say his name. It was stuck on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t force myself to say it. Not after what Morgan had told me about him before we’d left Castle Lockes. Not after… everything.