The Awakening (42 page)

Jaax looked at her, long and hard, then drew a breath and said, “What have you been hearing?”

She shouldn’t have been surprised he knew but she flinched anyway. Swallowing hard, she opened her mouth and answered him, “Apparently I’m not the human child Ethoes sent and you are simply a liar looking for fame and glory.”

Jaax nodded once and looked down at his desk. He didn’t say anything for a moment. When he looked back up he didn’t appear troubled, as Jahrra had expected, but calculating.

“To be honest, I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner.”

Jahrra drew her eyebrows in. She opened her mouth to speak but Jaax held up a scaly hand. “There will be questions and doubts, there always are in cases such as these.”

That surprised her. “In cases such as these?”

She felt her spine stiffen as the familiar sensation of irritation grew in the pit of her stomach. “Are you saying you’ve done this before? Are you saying that their speculations are true? Jaax,” Jahrra moved forward again, “have you been lying to me, again? Is this all a hoax?”

The dragon shot her an angry glare.

“Of course not!” he hissed, “I’ve never, nor will I ever, present a false savior to the people of Ethoes.”

“You wouldn’t be tempted then?” she said once her initial distaste at the idea passed. “To find a Nesnan child who looks human enough to pass off as one? No one has seen a human in five hundred years, Jaax. It would be so easy to pull the wool over their eyes. I mean, if your job was to find a human girl, and despite looking for centuries, you couldn’t find one, it’s understandable if you got frustrated. If people started talking, saying you were incompetent–”

Jahrra had been so focused on her rant that she hadn’t noticed her guardian’s movement across the room. In fact, she didn’t realize he was sitting right in front of her, his face lowered to hers, until he spoke.

“Jahrra,” he said sharply.

“I could see where you could be driven–”

“JAHRRA!”

Jahrra stared at the floor and blinked at the ring on Jaax’s finger, the red speck lodged within the blue stone sparking once as if scolding her for her accusations; her disloyal insinuations. She took a breath and closed her eyes. Her fists were clenched and her arms were shaking. Shock spilled through her. How had she become so angry and upset?

“Jahrra, listen to me,” Jaax’s voice softened. “This is exactly how they want you to respond to all this, those responsible for these rumors.”

Jahrra swallowed the lump in her throat and clawed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She nodded, blinking several times and breathing through her nose.

“I did lie to you, for seventeen years I did. But it was to protect you, not to alienate you.”

Jaax took a pained breath. “You know this.”

Jahrra nodded again, afraid to look him in the eye. What had she been thinking? Saying all those awful things? What she had heard in the city wasn’t so bad that she should react this way. What was wrong with her?

As if to answer her question, Jaax continued, “This is Shiroxx’s doing, I’m sure of it. The words I heard today had the pall of negative magic hanging around them. I think she managed to spell the rumors she repeated in order to cause you to become more upset than you would have had they simply been the ignorant musings of a passing servant.”

The small tremors that had been pulsing through Jahrra’s body calmed and she unclenched her hands. Finally, she looked up at her guardian. He wasn’t upset. At least, he wasn’t upset at her.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Jaax answered in similar tones. “But you don’t need to fear their gossip. You
are
human and no matter what they think or say that won’t change.”

A silence fell over the room and Jahrra suddenly felt cold. Jaax noticed and said, “Go sit by the fire in the great room and try to warm up.”

Jahrra sighed and turned to go, leaving Jaax to his studies.

Once clear of the hallway, she scooped up a blanket and plopped down in the stuffed chair that was closest to the fire. Neira came in as soon as she was settled with a cup of tea, black with cream and honey just the way Jahrra liked it. She smiled up at the housemaid and Neira clucked her tongue and patted the girl’s head.

“I very nearly punched a scullery maid in the market today because of what she was saying about you and Master Jaax.”

Jahrra sighed and grinned, the steam from her tea warming her face. “Thank you, Neira,” she murmured.

The woman leaned down and grasped Jahrra’s shoulders. “Don’t let the negative thoughts of others form the opinions of those you know best,” she whispered, then kissed Jahrra on the top of her head before leaving the room to return to her chores.

Jahrra thought those were the wisest words she had heard in a long time and eagerly took them to heart.

Several minutes later her friends arrived. Jahrra was glad to see them, despite her shaken and disgruntled mood. She was especially glad when Torrell crossed her arms and lowered her eyebrows.

“So, do explain this nonsense I keep hearing about Jaax spreading lies,” she demanded, her dark brown eyes snapping with ire.

“Calm down, Torrell, you’ll frighten Jahrra,” Dathian said in his usual, practical voice.

He gave her a look meant to be comforting as he took a seat on the couch across from her.

Torrell just snorted, plopping down on the armrest that Dathian had settled against.

“But what happened this weekend, Jahrra? Three days ago you were like a well-loved celebrity,” Senton said, taking the seat across from the couch. “It’s as if someone went around telling everyone that you kicked puppies in your free time or something.”

Jahrra scowled in his direction, but Torrell only nodded.

“Senton’s right,” she said, crossing her ankles as she found a better position on the arm rest. “Everyone was finally getting used to seeing you around the city and now it’s as if they want to tar and feather you.”

“And the rumors are more vicious this time, not like before,” Senton started to say before Torrell lodged a well-placed kick to his shin.

Jahrra sat up straight in her chair, setting aside her empty tea cup and letting the blanket fall to the ground. She didn’t care; she felt warm all of a sudden.

“What rumors?” she demanded.

Senton was rubbing his shin and Torrell heaved a great sigh. “Nice job, Senton.”

“There were rumors before this?” Jahrra said in surprise. How could she not have known? How had she not heard them?

She cast a glance at Dathian for he would know more than the rest of them. The look he gave her proved that he did, but to elaborate or explain what he knew at that moment would risk revealing his secret.

Senton sighed. “A few, but it was mostly curious onlookers voicing what everyone thought. Sorry,” he mumbled, giving Torrell a wary glance, “thought you already knew about them.”

Jahrra blinked, her mind whirling with astonishment. So this entire time, some of the citizens of Lidien thought she was a fraud? The idea made her stomach knot with unease. It shouldn’t really shock her. After all, she’d been reluctant to believe who she was at first. In fact, it was probably good that these early rumors never did reach her ears; they very well may have put a large dent in her self-confidence.

“You have to understand, Jahrra,” Dathian cut into her thoughts, pulling his tall frame up from his relaxed position on the couch. “Humans are extinct, they no longer exist. The thought of one being found, although prophesied by the Oracles, was a thought of fancy. The people of Ethoes lost their faith in this over time. It’s only natural for people to be doubtful.”

“But what I heard today was far beyond a healthy amount of curiosity and doubt,” Torrell interjected. “The lies being tossed around on the streets are so far stretched and exaggerated that you would have to be a complete and utter fool to believe them.”

Jahrra blushed. Hard. She
had
believed them. At least she’d believed some of them were possible.

Torrell sighed and suddenly looked slightly vulnerable. “Yet, I felt myself drawn in with even the most ridiculous of the lot. I’m sorry Jahrra,” she continued, looking at her friend with an apology written all over her dark face, “I didn’t want to believe them and my original intention, while coming over here with Senton and Dathian, was to demand explanations from you and your guardian. What was I thinking?”

Jahrra felt the flush slowly leave her face. So, Jaax had been right. The words were hexed.

She looked then at her other two friends. “Dathian? Senton?”

Both young men glanced away, unable to meet her eyes.

“I’d grown angrier and angrier all day Jahrra,” Senton admitted. “I thought it was because of what people were saying about you and Jaax but later I realized I was becoming angry with
you
, for lying to us for so long. It was only when I got to the base of the hill that I began to think about why I was angry.”

Dathian nodded in agreement then grinned sheepishly and shrugged, “I don’t even remember riding here.”

Jahrra suddenly felt a flash of relief, followed closely by fear. These rumors could be a lot worse than she and Jaax had originally thought. Could they have the power to compel people to act out violently?

She shot up out of her chair, taking her friends by surprise.

“Where are you going?” Torrell called.

“I have to tell Jaax!” Jahrra threw over her shoulder as she turned down the hall.

The Tanaan dragon was still at his desk, toiling over a few more letters when Jahrra came charging through the entry.

Jaax looked up in surprise.

“Senton, Torrell and Dathian are here,” she breathed, “and I think you should come out and hear what they have to say.”

The dragon’s look hardened but he nodded once and rose from behind the desk.

Upon reentering the great room Jahrra noted her three friends sitting or leaning against the couch, all of them trying and failing to adopt a relaxed posture. They looked up at Jahrra, then beyond her towards Jaax. No one ever looked away once they laid eyes on the dragon; that was just something Jahrra had grown used to.

Jaax stepped through the opening and narrowed his eyes. When he spoke it was in Kruelt, “Keiht ist aebiy drothe?”
Why are they here?

Jahrra blinked and had to think for a moment. Jaax hadn’t used Kruelt with her since they’d left the Hrunahn Wilders behind.

“Apparently you were correct on your theory about the rumors,” she eventually answered in the same language. “All three of them told me they became angry at us after hearing the gossip, but it faded as they made their way here to confront us.”

Jaax stiffened and his jaw tightened. “I didn’t think it would be as bad as this,” he continued in the dragons’ tongue. “Now I’m not sure if it’s safe for us to leave the house.”

A sudden thought hit Jahrra. “How did you find out about it in the first place then?”

Jaax grinned down at her. “Kehllor.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m just wondering if you could please speak in the common language. I’m not sure if you’re planning to set us on fire or welcome our presence.”

Of course it was Torrell speaking, though her voice didn’t carry her usual confidence. Her arms were still loosely crossed, one leg draped over the arm of the couch where she sat, but there was a tension about her as if she were preparing to flee.

Dathian and Senton merely sat still, staring up at Jaax and nodding when Torrell was finished.

Jahrra smiled. “Sorry. Old habit of ours.”

Although she trusted her friends, Jaax would never openly discuss anything he considered to be sensitive material pertaining to himself and his ward in the presence of others.

“It appears a previous member of the Coalition has been trying to soil mine and Jahrra’s names,” Jaax said coolly.

“Previous member?” Senton spoke up, shifting so he was facing Jahrra and Jaax.

Jahrra gave her guardian a look and Jaax returned it with that short nod of his that told her to go ahead.

Jahrra took a breath. “Jaax had to, uh, let go of a member the other night. This particular individual was becoming a bit too,” Jahrra struggled with the right words, “
self-involved
for the health of the organization.”

Sketching a quick glance at Jaax to see how she handled that, Jahrra caught a slight grin of approval. She breathed a sigh of relief but only on the inside.

“So this person has decided to seek revenge,” Senton pronounced, nodding his head in understanding.

“Most likely,” Jaax growled. “But I fear the damage may be greater and more widely spread than we had thought.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment, watching the afternoon sun trace long shadows across the stone floor.

“What can we do?” Torrell asked quietly.

Jahrra snapped out of her train of thought.

Jaax cleared his throat. “Ignore the rumors as best you can and try to deter people from believing them.”

Dathian actually snorted. “That might prove to be a little difficult. We ourselves believed them as far as your front door.”