House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(54)



“Can a woman be an overlord?” I asked, wondering if this was a patriarchal society.

All of them nodded. “Yep,” Star said, sounding proud. “Sometimes there are multiple children born with the marks. Sometimes there are none and then the houses will vote for their next overlord.”

“Those who are voted in, rather than born to the position, get their symbols after their initiation,” Jero told me.

I really wanted to know what Lexen’s symbols said, but I was a little afraid it was like asking someone their weight: personal, and none of my business.

“So … what do your symbols say?” Holy shit, where was my filter? I tensed, waiting for the slap down, but it never came. Lexen wasn’t the one to answer though.

“‘Draygone Lord, Ruler of Skies,’” Star trilled. “Lexen is the first to wear the draygone lord symbol in thousands of years. Father is so proud.” She said draygone not dragon, but since they sounded similar, and no one had corrected me before, it must translate.

I thought it was a little odd that we would call the beasts something so similar, but maybe the myth of dragons on Earth actually originated from Daelighters.

Jero, Marsil, and Star all looked proud of their brother. Lexen just looked resigned, like he knew it wasn’t something he’d earned, or probably even wanted, but he was stuck with the position. Kind of like being sent to Earth, another obligation. But what did Lexen truly want? What made him happy?

Before I could dig too deeply into his psyche, the dragons started to descend, swinging in close to one of the mountains. It had to be a hundred miles wide, and almost that tall. The huge creatures weaved expertly in and out, using air currents to glide toward the base. I lifted myself, standing as tall as I could to see everything. The mountain, while looking similar in structure and shape to ours on Earth, was made of a material other than rock, more like … an opaque diamond, with swirls of color intersecting throughout. Snow caressed the top, cascading down in long stripes of white. Except…

“How do you have snow without rain?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the peak.

“The draygones,” Marsil said simply. “The draygones are responsible for most things in Darken. Always look to them first.”

“How is it you live with dragons and they don’t eat you?”

The silence was long. I had to turn from the mountain to look between them. “They don’t eat you, right?”

Jero shrugged. “It has been known to happen. I wouldn’t suggest wandering off on your own.”

I was waiting for him to laugh again, tell me he was joking. I mean, the white and black beasts pulling this carpet looked absolutely terrifyingly ferocious, but Lexen had walked right up to Qenita. ‘Dragon lord’ was making a lot more sense now.

The carpet did a huge drop then. I caught my shriek as it was about to burst from my lips. I pressed a hand to my chest; my heart thundered. We were really moving fast now, and a lot of the chatter from other Darkens died off.

“Do you think this council meeting is going to reveal anything new?” Marsil asked, his tone serious. “We haven’t even been Earthside for half the allotted time. Seems odd that they would request our return so quickly.”

I remained quiet, not wanting them to remember a stranger was in their midst. I wanted to hear this.

Lexen, who had been focused on the mountain we were approaching – we looked to be only halfway down its massive height – turned to his brother. “No doubt it’s to do with Emma’s guardians. If they have indeed been taken from Earth to Overworld, it’s a direct violation of the treaty. The council is not going to sit on that.”

Marsil growled, which was so odd that I had to look twice to make sure it had actually emerged from him. “This is about the Imperials.” His voice was a low rumble. “Ever since Laous became overlord … he’s up to something.”

Jero clenched his fists. “I can’t believe no one interrupted the initiation ceremony. The council has been trying to keep Laous from taking that position for years.”

“Laous was the one to propose that the overlord families send their children to Earth.” Lexen’s voice was hard. “Father only agreed because another war between the houses would be devastating. We’ve hardly started to recover from the last one.”

I was following along with about half of what they were saying, but the definite vibe was just how bad news these Imperials were. Maybe they should get those munch-happy dragons on the case. Problem solved.

We dipped again, and this time, despite whatever amazing stability magic this carpet had going on, I didn’t keep my balance. Falling forward when your feet are locked in place is not something I would recommend. For my hands to break my fall, I had to bend my knees, because flexible I am not, and then I almost ended up face-planting and snapping my ankles at the same time. Once I was down, it was impossible to get up, but at least the suction holding my feet released before my ankles actually broke off. I tumbled forward, this time landing on my face. The carpet was a thick, soft material – thank freak – so I didn’t stress too much, deciding instead to have a nap.

A nap sounded really great, actually.

“The overlord is going to love you, poppet,” Jero said, grinning broadly.

I rolled over to see him better, and also to free my arm so I could flip him off. I was surprised to find Marsil glaring at his brother. “Leave her alone. This must be a lot to take in. Remember when we first got to Earth. It was hard to adjust, and we were prepared for it.”

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