I spread my hands wide. “Can’t a fae enjoy a dip from time to time.”
Shen hissed softly. His body uncoiling from its resting perch and circling around me, his massive head inching closer and his tongue flickering out with an air of distaste. “I’ll ask one more time, cousin. Why do you look like a water fae? What have you come here for?”
I frowned. “You call me cousin, why?”
His eyes rolled and then brought one serpentine eye closer, narrowing vertically on my person. “Typical fae, avoiding questions and asking your own.” He huffed, disturbing the calm waters and forcing me to collide with his body coiled around me.“Yes, we are cousins by nature. The shadow fae were the first fae created along with water dragons—our souls very much crafted from similar origins. For with light there must be darkness. What are they teaching you young ones these days if you are not privy to that knowledge?”
“I apologize for my ignorance.” Sardonic words for a bold dragon.
Shen blinked his vertical slitted eye at me twice, recognizing my lack of sincerity before he retracted away. The sudden movement caused me to spin like a top. When I finally slowed, he was back in his coiled resting position, his head settled with a raised purple brow.
“Now speak, cousin. Answer the questions I seek now that your curiosity has been satisfied.”
He was a moody beast, much like my shifter. “I spoke the truth, I do enjoy a nice swim from time to time.” A long blink demonstrated the dragon's vexation and I sighed. “We were cornered. By Kira. Her demand was that we come to The Under as guests for the Three Moon Festival. When we arrived we quickly realized something was not right and stayed to investigate.”
Shen snorted again, blasting me with a shower of bubbly sea water.“Your investigation did not end well, cousin.”
I crossed my arms and tapped my bicep with my long nails.“I’d say, it went well enough, seeing how I am alive, reunited with a lost family member, and no longer being impaled by the Sanguine."
A forked tongue snaked out as if he was testing the water before his booming voice echoed inside of me. "An old power rises as the fair one weakens—”
I couldnot stop the flood of words from escaping me. “Golden becomes the one true beacon, blood will run on the darkened moons, run child run, I will see you soon.”
The great water dragon nodded.“Yes, that is correct, cousin.”
Bubbles escaped at my exasperated sigh. “Mother.”
The water vibrated with a deep chuckle. “Ah yes, mothers do have a curious way of warning their children it seems. To give them just enough information so as not to spark the excitement of an adventure but also just enough to warn them of a future danger. This was especially the case with Eve, although it could have just been her prophetic nature.”
My head snapped up. “You knew my mother?”
“I did. I see much of her in you, although your father’s side is much more forthcoming. Especially the snark.”
My heart pounded. “Impossible. No one remembers who he was. Not even my mother.”
The dragon chuckled and the water vibrated with his laughter again.“Everyone has a father do they not? Your mother will remember him again, I’m sure. And also remember how much of an asshole he is.”
Sadness, like a deep ache that could not heal, stilled my racing heart. “You are mistaken. The shadow fae are no more, my mother is dead.”
“You dare question me, cousin? Have you not met one of my kind before?”
“Land dragons yes, water dragons no.” I said cautiously.
He snickered knowingly.“Tell me, cousin, how do I compare to my land brethren?”
I tilted my head, choosing my words carefully. “I hardly know you well enough to compare but if I must then I would say the land dragons in the south…have a tendency for battle that does not make them great conversationalists. At times, their wars with the Roc eagles spilled over the mountain ranges and into the heart of Faerie. Where I was often sent to intervene.”
“Intervene…interesting choice of words, cousin. What you mean is that you were sent to slaughter them.”He chuckled out loud when he saw my guarded expression.“I would not have cared if you did kill my air flapping brethren. Unsophisticated beasts of the sky as they are except—”He eyed me with interest.“You never did kill them. You ignored the orders of your queen, made it look like youdid your duty but in fact, you saved them. What I want to know is why?”
I narrowed my eyes. Only two beings ever knew my defiance of those specific orders and they perished at Morta. “I do not know where you get your information from, dragon.”
Shen smiled viciously.“You returned with burns and wounds severe enough to require healers and to make most believe you accomplished such a terrible massacre. But I know otherwise, what I don’t know is why?”
My hands fisted at my sides in anger and the shadows darkened in the white carven. “I do not need to explain my unwillingness to end an entire species on behalf of some inconsequential skirmish that could be contained with a bit of diplomacy and time.”
Shen’s tongue snaked out and grazed across my cheek. “Diplomacy. Is that what you call battling dragons for dominance…forcing their submission under your control, Natrix Drakaina?”
I inhaled sharply. “If you know all that, then you also know that title is only in name. The dragons still rule themselves.” I bared my teeth. “All life should be cherished, I do not slaughter innocents. I did what I had to do to save them.”
