Jandra and Pet walked through the snow-covered night in uncomfortable silence. She found it difficult to look at him; his once fine face was now ruined. She knew she could heal him; he must also know this. But he hadn't asked her to restore his looks. Somehow, in this most serious of times, it struck her as an insufferably trivial subject to bring up.
A driving wind cut down from the north. Pale patches of moonlight dappled the ground as the sky churned. Countless gaps in the breaking clouds opened and just as quickly closed.
In the end, it was Pet who spoke first. 'I don't think you look all that much like Ragnar.'
He said the words in an almost comforting tone, as if he sensed that the matter was weighing heavy upon her.
'I don't either, but it's not impossible that he's my brother,' she said. 'I guess I could use my powers to learn the truth. Compare our cells and find out how closely they match. But what if it's true? What then?'
'What do you mean?'
'I mean, I used to dream of having a human family. I saw the way that Ruth and Eve were so close. I envied the intimate bond they had as sisters. The way they knew that they were bound by blood to the best friend they would ever have. So what if Ragnar is my brother? I can't possibly feel that same connection. It's pretty obvious he loathes me. If I want the companionship of an irrational, dragon-hating fanatic, I can go hang out with Bitterwood.'
Pet laughed. 'Killing Albekizan didn't mellow him?'
'Did you know he eats the tongues of dragons?' Jandra asked. 'I mean, he was preaching to me about how I shouldn't trust sun-dragons because they eat people, and then he cuts out Blasphet's tongue and eats it for dinner!'
'Wait, Blasphet? He killed Blasphet?'
'Oh, right. There's a lot to fill you in on. And, just looking at your face, I'm guessing you have a lot to tell me.'
Pet cut her a glance that wasn't exactly angry, but it let her know she'd crossed a line. He said, 'If Ragnar is your brother, at least you can find out your family history. You don't even know your family name. You might still have cousins out there, aunts and uncles and grandparents. You never know.'
'How about you, Pet?' Jandra asked. 'You've never mentioned your family.'
He shrugged. 'I'm a thoroughbred. I know my lineage. I know who sired me, and the mother I came out of. I know I have five half-brothers, six half-sisters, and two full-blood sisters. But dragon favorites don't really have family lives. I went to live with Chakthalla when I was five. She thought young humans were cute, in the same way you might think a puppy is cute.'
'Oh,' said Jandra. She'd known this, of course. Many dragons over the years had assumed she was Vendevorex's pet. She'd never really understood before how Pet and she shared such a common experience of being raised by dragons rather than humans.
'I'm not the most introspective person in the world,' Pet said. 'But looking back, when I think about all the women I seduced, I feel really bad. I used my finely bred looks and Chakthalla's wealth to earn the affection of tavern wenches.'
'From the way you bragged about it, I thought you saw that as sort of a privilege.'
'That was an element of it,' said Pet. 'On a deeper level, I was seducing women because it made me feel human. I craved human companionship. Chakthalla would never have allowed me true love, or life-long mating. As long as I was still her faithful pet and could breed with other pets, she didn't care about my trysts. All my little conquests were a substitute for a love I could never experience.'
Jandra felt an unexpected sympathy well up within her at these words.
'Perhaps you should try introspection more often,' she said. 'It suits you.'
'Until now, when I've looked inside myself, I've found nothing there,' he said. 'I was so empty, Jandra. But, fighting at Dragon Forge, I feel as if something has filled me. The human bond I could never find sleeping with the village women-I feel it, at last, with my fellow men. I would gladly give my life to save anyone in that fortress.'
'Even Ragnar?'
'Especially Ragnar,' said Pet. 'He's the will that drives our army. And Burke… Burke is the brains.'
'And what are you?'
'I'm just a soldier,' said Pet. 'And it suits me.'
'Well, now you're an ambassador,' she said. 'Let's hope you're up to that role as well.'
Pet said nothing as the clouds above continued to roil.
Invisibly, Jandra led Pet toward Shandrazel's tent. There were angry shouts coming from inside. Was that Hex's voice?
Jandra pushed aside the tent flap. The interior of the vast room was cold, but still a welcome sanctuary from the winter wind. As she dropped her invisibility, the two sun-dragons at the center of the room looked toward her. Shandrazel looked unhappy.
'Have I interrupted something?' she asked.
'Nothing important,' said Hex.
'It's nothing important only because my brother believes that nothing is important,' said Shandrazel. 'He advocates letting the world spin into chaos. He's willing to enumerate the faults of the world, but unwilling to do a thing to fix them.'
Hex calmly said, 'I've long maintained that anyone who thinks they have the right to fix the world is doomed to failure by their own arrogance.'
Shandrazel dismissively waved his fore-talon, as if trying to clear the air of such a preposterous utterance. 'This discussion has ended. I see you've brought back a fellow human, Jandra. Do you plan to introduce our unexpected guest?'
Pet pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing his face.
Shandrazel's eyes widened.
'I need no introduction, sire,' Pet said.
'How… how did you get here?' Shandrazel asked. 'Are you fighting for the rebels?'
'I am,' said Pet.
'I knew you weren't at the talks seeking genuine peace,' Shandrazel said. 'All along, you were-'
'No,' Pet interrupted. 'No, when I was at the talks, no man in that room had more faith in your promises than I did. I believed your fine words, Shandrazel. I believed your philosophical arguments, and I trusted that you had nothing but the best interests of mankind at heart.'
'I still do!' Shandrazel said. 'I will still be the king who brings an end to kings. I will be the dragon who brings an end to human slavery and inequality.'
'You say that while commanding an army where the menial labor is performed by slaves.'
'I would have no need of an army if you humans hadn't launched a war!' Shandrazel snapped, spittle spraying from his jaws. 'The nearby river runs red with the blood of dragons you've slaughtered. How can there be peace in the aftermath of such an atrocity? There can be no peace until there is justice. You humans have left me with no choice but to crush your rebellion, and return Dragon Forge to the earth-dragons.'
In contrast to Shandrazel's temper, Pet sounded very calm. 'If the earth-dragons need a new city to build a new foundry, let them have the Free City. It was designed by dragons. It should house dragons.'
'Don't be absurd,' Shandrazel said, his voice trembling. 'Dragon Forge is the historic home of the earth-dragons. They won't-'
'I'm told that Dragon Forge was built by men long ago,' said Pet. 'If it's history that drives your decisions, then you will support mankind's claim to the town.'
Shandrazel narrowed his eyes. 'You've stolen the city by violence.'
'Yes,' said Pet. 'And dragons rule this world by force. We can argue endlessly about which act of violence spawned which act of revenge. Back in the palace, however, you said something profound. You told me that history had ended. You declared the dawn of a new age. Do you still believe those words?'
'What are you talking about?'
'If you must declare an end to history, a stopping point for old grudges, let it be today. Take your armies home and allow Dragon Forge to remain in human hands. Show us that history has ended, and that you're willing to open a new age of peace. Show us that your fine words actually mean something.'
