Chapter 9: Returning Nemesis

Today was the day Aeris was supposed to go see Aubrey to begin the Ravager’s reading lessons. Unfortunately, Aeris had never taught anyone anything and she had no idea where to even begin. She tried sneaking a few books out of Master Aaron’s study, but none of them held any tips on teaching.

Even when learning to read from Maggie, it was mostly sounding out the words herself with assistance from the red-haired woman when needed. It was slow, tedious, and at times incredibly frustrating. Until Aeris finally got the hang of reading, it was a chore and she wondered why the humans ever bothered doing it. After almost a year of practice, she saw what she was missing out on. Hopefully, Aubrey would be the same way.

But before going anywhere, Maggie needed to be informed of Aeris leaving. It was only fair the woman know where she was going.

So to pass the time, she decided to do some research. Cutter had used several words that Aeris didn’t understand. It was clear they were meant to be insults, but it was why they were considered insults that intrigued her.

The problem was she couldn’t find the terms anywhere. Maggie had told her of a large book that explained what words meant. It had been a source of information on more than one occasion and had always come through for her, but now it seemed her only hope had failed.

Aeris stiffened and gave a glance upward when she heard the door being opened. It was too soon for Master Aaron to be home, and Lilith didn’t know about her reading. No matter how nice the woman was being to her recently, it was still too risky. She breathed a sigh of relief when Maggie entered the room carrying a tray in her hands. “Hello, Maggie.”

“Hello, Aeris, I brought you—Where did you get that book? Damn it all, Aeris, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t go sneaking into Lord Strauss’s study.”

“I’m sorry, Maggie, but I only need it for a little while, and I didn’t want to bother you,” Aeris responded, still leafing through the pages.

Maggie sighed, placed the plate on the table, then sat down on the mattress. “I guess it’s fine so long as the book is returned before he gets home. What are you reading anyway?”

Aeris shot another look at the woman and noticed a steaming cup of tea in her hand. Looking at it made her aware that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. But she ignored the low growl coming from her stomach and turned back to her book. “That book you told me about that explains what other words mean.”

“You mean a dictionary? What on earth could you need a dictionary for? Aeris, you could’ve just asked me if you wanted to know what a word meant rather than risk getting caught breaking into Lord Strauss’s study. What word are you looking for?”

“Pussy,” Aeris replied calmly.

Maggie spat her tea all over her front and on the floor. She turned to the dragon, her cheeks and ears a deep shade of pink and tea still dripping from her chin. “Did you just say—Aeris where on earth did you hear that word?”

Aeris froze for a moment. She couldn’t risk telling Maggie about the encounter with Cutter without telling her about Windor as well. Somehow she knew the middle-aged woman wouldn’t take the news well. “I-I overheard someone say it while I was out with Aubrey. I was too ashamed to ask her what it meant.”

Maggie quickly composed herself although her cheeks were still as red as her hair and her blouse was stained with tea. “Well, Aeris, it’s a nasty word for coward. It’s also used as a vulgar reference to certain…female parts. It’s not a word one uses in polite company.”

Aeris tilted her head in confusion. She understood what Maggie meant but was still perplexed by what Cutter was talking about. Windor was a male, and while she wasn’t familiar with slang terms, she knew the difference between males and females. Unless Cutter was referring to her as a coward, but why? Cutter had said she was the bravest dragon there.

Maggie stood and took the dictionary. “You won’t find a word like that in here, I’m afraid. Why don’t you go outside and fly around for a bit instead of staying cooped up in this stuffy old room? And don’t worry about the dictionary; I’ll take it back.”

Aeris knew Maggie was just looking for an excuse to change the subject, but if it meant an afternoon of flying, she wasn’t going to complain. But flying would have to wait. “Actually, Maggie, I wanted to tell you—”

Her words were cut short by the door opening and Charles entering the room. Aeris tail wrapped protectively around her rear legs the questions rushing through her mind. How long was Charles standing outside? Did he overhear her conversation with Maggie? Could he see the dictionary in Margret’s hands? Aeris didn’t dare look over her shoulder to check and silently prayed that Maggie hid the book away in time.

The old man stepped into the room as if nothing was wrong. “Hello, Margret. Did I come just in time for a story?”

Aeris bit back the frightened cry trying to escape her muzzle. Charles had seen the book! What was she going to do? Even if Maggie pretended to read it, all it would take was one glance at the cover to know what kind of book it was. Once he figured that out, he would wonder why Maggie was reading from a dictionary.

“I just finished reading Aeris a story,” Maggie said. Her hands as well as the dictionary were hidden behind her back. Aeris tried her best not to let her relief show in her face. “Aeris was just on her way outside.”

“Well, Lord Strauss needs you to make the dragon presentable,” Charles said. “We’re having guests today. You can skip the bath, just a quick polish should do.”

“Strange. Lord Strauss never mentioned to me we were having guests,” Maggie said in a stiff tone.

“I was supposed to tell you, but it slipped my mind. I guess it’s a good thing I reminded you before the dragon slipped away again.” He turned and left the room, leaving both females to stare in perplexity.

Maggie recovered first. “Pay him no mind, Aeris. Let’s get you ready for our guest.”

Aeris was too worried to feel any joy about not having to get a bath. The last time there was an unexpected guest, Lilith came to live with them. Sure things were peaceful between her and the young woman, but it did get off to a rocky start.

She did everything Maggie asked without question or hesitation. She tried to ask questions as to who was coming and why her master didn’t give any advance notice, but Maggie only told her to hush and let her work. After a quick polish and donning one of her specially-made vests, Aeris was ushered outside and around to the front of the estate.

Master Aaron was standing next to Lilith and talking to a very thin and tall man with a very thick mustache and beard. Behind the human was a dragon with shining silver scales. The dragon kept its eyes on the ground, but its tail, which had two curved horns on the tip, swayed in the air as if counting the seconds. Aeris froze as she stared at the dragon. He looked very similar to the Silver-Horntail, Reks, who bullied her at the party. She prayed that she was wrong and this was a different horntail.

As if he could sense her, Master Aaron turned around and motioned for Aeris to come closer. Aeris kept her head high as she approached the group despite wanting to hide behind her wing. She couldn’t appear weak before her master’s guests. Master Aaron would be very upset with her if she did, so she focused on her master instead of the human and his dragon.

“Aeris, I’m glad you could join us,” Master Aaron said. “This is Mr. Zachery Bachmann, a business associate of mine.”

Aeris bowed deeply. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bachmann.”

Mr. Bachmann looked down at Aeris, his green eyes judging her. It made her dig her claws into the ground. “Well, I see your dragon is very well-spoken. Most dragons have a slight slur in their speech almost like a bestial accent. This one especially needs to take a few lessons,” He motioned to the Horntail behind him. “You must tell me your secret for teaching her to speak so clearly.”

Aeris clenched her jaw. It was a compliment, but it felt like Mr. Bachmann was insulting her somehow.

“To be honest, Aeris and I learned how to speak together,” Master Aaron said. “She was there when I was taught how to speak properly and pronounce my words. You could probably do the same with your dragon if you hired a tutor.”   

Mr. Bachmann rubbed his beard as he mulled over the suggestion. “Perhaps. But the best tutors can be expensive, and I’m sure they’ll charge extra to teach a dragon. But it would be such a huge help to teach this one how to speak more civilized.” He turned the Horntail, his displeasure clear in his expression. “Just like he seems to forget his manners. Don’t be rude, Reks, say hello!”

Aeris felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her. Of all the dragons to bring here, why Reks? She still remembered his harsh words and nasty looks he gave her during their first meeting. She had to be very careful not to let her shock or displeasure show in her voice or expression. Regardless of her personal feelings, Master Aaron would be very upset if she insulted his guests.

Reks flinched at his master’s order then stepped forward and bowed deeply and said, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Strauss, Lady Lilith, and of course, Aeris.” He said Aeris’ name with a small note of annoyance.

Aeris didn’t respond. She was too busy trying to comprehend why Master Aaron would call Reks to the estate. If Reks was mean to her again, what should she do? Should she call for her master? Deal with Reks herself? She didn’t wish to cause trouble for her master. If things went poorly between them, it would hurt her master. No matter what, she needed to come through and make sure that didn’t happen.

“Aeris, I need to discuss business, would you mind giving Reks a tour of the estate? I’m sure he’d love to see your room,”  Master Aaron said. “In fact, why don’t we have Aeris tutor Reks? He is going to be spending more time here after all.”

Aeris whipped her head around so fast, it made her neck hurt. “What?” Did Master Aaron just say Reks was going to be spending more time here? Was he going to live here like Lilith?

“I think that’s a splendid idea,” Mr. Bachmann chimed in. “And it’ll give our dragons time to get to know each other.”

Reks lowered his head and shot his master a dirty look. “Whatever you say.”

“Excuse me?” Mr. Bachmann said, raising a brow.

The Horntail flinched at his blunder. “Whatever you say, sir.”

Aeris wanted to protest, but she also knew better than to disobey her master. She bowed and said, “Of course, Master. Please follow me, Reks.” The timing couldn’t be worse. She was supposed to be meeting with Aubrey, not wasting her time with Reks. If it were any other dragon, she wouldn’t mind helping her master. She shook the thoughts from her mind. It didn’t matter which dragon it was. Her master was relying on her, and she wasn’t going to let him down.

Reks didn’t speak until the humans were out of earshot. “So, you have a room, huh? My master makes me sleep outside. During the rainy days, he’ll let me sleep with the horses.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Aeris answered politely. “I thought all dragons had rooms.”

Reks scoffed and remained silent. It occurred to Aeris that last time Reks had mentioned the humans showed her special treatment at parties. It never occurred to her that it extended to the dragon’s homes as well.

But right now, her biggest worry was doing as she was told and teaching him how to speak properly. She barely remembered her master’s lessons, though she did remember getting struck a lot with a very thick ruler whenever she messed up.

When they reached her room, Reks pushed his way inside without waiting to be invited. Aeris growled at his discourtesy but reminded herself she needed to remain calm for her master’s sake. “I apologize for the mess,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting guests, and my master never invites anyone to my room.”

Reks walked over to the mattress. “Look at that, you even have a bed.” He tested it’s softness and snorted. “It’s even good quality. You really are spoiled.”

Aeris tried her best to ignore him and went over to her bookshelf. There were no books on proper word pronunciation, but perhaps she could use something as a base to practice with.

“What are these?” Reks asked. He used his wing to brush the harnesses hanging on the wall. A devious smile appeared on his face when he realized what they were. “Oh, you even have a saddle. But you’re way too small to ride. Unless…you’re doing a different kind of riding?”

Aeris had no idea what the Horntail was implying, but she knew it was an insult and decided to leave it at that. “Are you finished? My master said I’m supposed to tutor you and you’re wasting time.”

“What our masters want us to do has nothing to do with teaching me anything.”

Aeris tilted her head in confusion. “What does that mean?”

Reks went over to the chest were Aeris stored her vests and cloaks for outings. Using his tail, he flipped open the lid and rummaged around inside. “I know I said you were stupid and naïve, but can you really not see what’s happening here?”

Aeris snorted at Reks’ comment. It didn’t matter if she saw it or not. Her master was relying on her, and not even Reks was going to mess it up. She went over and shut the chest on the Horntail’s head. Reks grunted in pain and pried his head from the chest, but one of Aeris’ vests hung from his horns.

Aeris growled and pulled the vest off the Horntail’s head. “Please stay out of my things.”

“Why do you wear that? You’re a dragon, not a human.”

This line of questioning was beginning to get on her nerves. At this point, she was about ready to kick him out and apologize later. She took her time returning the vest to its proper place so she could calm down. She felt a little better by the time she turned to Reks again. “So what if I do wear it? I like how it looks, and it feels nice.”

“I bet it’s not the only thing you think feels nice,” Reks mumbled.

He was baiting her and she knew it, but she had to ask, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I know what the humans want from you at those parties. Why they like having you around so much. Everyone knows you like to lift your tail for humans.”

“I do what?!” 

Reks’ condescending smile returned as his tail slapped against the ground in triumph. “You thought we didn’t know? That your master takes you to those parties and passes you around like a cheap toy.”

That couldn’t be right. She hadn’t heard anything about these rumors. Why was this the first time she was hearing of them and who made them up? She had never done anything like that before! Her master was one thing, but he never asked her to lift her tail for anyone else. “N-No, you’re lying.”

Reks rolled over on his side and roared with laughter. “The look on your face! You’ll believe anything.”

It took a great deal of patience to keep her temper in check. He was taking a little too much joy in teasing her. “Reks, I would appreciate it if you took this seriously,” she said, her voice even. “Master Aaron gave me a task and I plan to see it through.”

That wiped the smile off Reks’ face. “You don’t get it, do you? I guess in this case, that’s a good thing. For once I wish I was as clueless as you are. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just stay here until my master tells me it’s time to leave.” He curled up in the corner and closed his eyes.

Aeris was glad not to have to talk to Reks anymore although she had no clue as to what he was talking about. In the meantime, she wanted to head outside and do a bit of flying to clear her head.

Just as she reached the door, Reks said in a commanding tone, “Stay here.”

“Why?” Aeris asked, not making any attempt to hide her annoyance.

“Even you aren’t that stupid. How are you going to tutor me like your master said if you’re roaming around alone?”

Aeris sighed and went to her mattress. Reks made a good point, so now she was stuck inside with him until his master called. She didn’t like having Reks there, her room was her haven, the one place she felt safe and secure. Having Reks there felt like her haven was being violated. 

Rather than sit there in boredom, she got up and went to her bookcase and pulled one of the books off the shelf. She curled around the book on the mattress and began leafing through the pages. If the Horntail wasn’t going to cooperate, she was going to read by herself. It bothered her not doing what her master had asked, but unless Reks was going to cooperate—which wasn’t going to happen, this was her only option for passing the time.

It was a basic adventure story about a group of knights who were tasked with rescuing a princess from a dragon. She wasn’t usually a fan of those kinds of tales because of how the dragons were perceived, usually as monstrous brutes who hoarded gold, burned fields, and killed people indiscriminately, but she always liked this one because the princess became friends with the dragon and together they uncovered a plot by the knights to overthrow her kingdom. They work together and defeat the evil knights and in the end, the dragon becomes a part of the royal court. It was Aeris’ favorite story. Only a few pages into reading, Aeris became so absorbed in her book, she forgot all about Reks and his bad attitude.

The serenity was short-lived as Reks’ voice broke the silence, “What are you doing?”

“I’m reading,” Aeris replied, not looking up from her book.

“You read?”

Aeris lifted her head. “You don’t? I know clan-borns don’t care for human writings, but I thought that domesticates read at least. Here, I’ll read it to you.”

“Why?”

“You are my guest. It would be rude not to see to it you are entertained. Unless, you’d rather sit there, bored?” As much as Reks annoyed her, she wasn’t about to forget her manners.

Reks grumbled under his breath. “Fine. Go ahead and read.”

Aeris flipped back to the first chapter and began reading out loud. At first, Reks kept rolling his eyes, sighing loudly, or asking obvious questions—most likely to annoy her. Eventually, he became fascinated with the story. He even came out of the corner and sat in the middle of the room. Every few sentences, he stopped Aeris to ask a question about the words he didn’t understand, and she answered as best she could. It felt nice to have a conversation with him that didn’t begin, include, or end with a statement about her intelligence. Aeris almost forgot about the Horntail’s cruel treatment of her. That they shared a common interest in books made her wish they had met under better circumstances.

He was very upset when his master called him saying it was time to leave. “Ugh, why is he calling me now? How am I supposed to find out what happens next?”

“You could take the book with you,” Aeris offered. “I don’t mind.”

For the first time, Reks looked ashamed. “I…I can’t read.”

“Oh. Sorry, I thought you could read but didn’t like to. Isn’t there someone who could read it to you? What about your master?” she offered.

“If I so much suggested he should read to me, I’d go a week without dinner.”

Aeris was taken back his words. She’s been punished by Master Aaron plenty of times, but he never once made her go hungry, nor had he ever threatened to. He also never punished her over something as trivial as asking for a story.

Reks’ master called him again eliciting a growl from the Horntail. “I guess I should get going. Thanks for the read.”

Aeris trotted to his side. “Wait, what if I taught you how to read? That way you could read the books yourself.”

Reks frowned. “And where will I get these books?”

“Our masters said you’ll be spending more time here, right? I have books in my room. You’ll always be welcome to read them whenever you want.”

Mr. Bachmann called out again, and this time Aeris could sense he was upset. “Reks! Come here you lazy pile of scales!”

“I gotta go,” Reks said, quickly hurrying out of the room.

Aeris followed the Horntail as he went back to his master. He grumbled under his breath the whole way. She tried not to listen in, but she heard some very unpleasant things about the human. It bothered her hearing him say such nasty things. Reks’ master looked after him, fed him, kept him safe. How could he be so ungrateful?

They found both Mr. Bachmann and Master Aaron outside the front of the estate. Reks’ master, Mr. Bachmann, glared at the Horntail as he tapped his foot on the ground.

“There you are, you lazy dragon,” Mr. Bachmann said. “What were you doing that it took you so long to respond?”

Reks lowered his head, a small whine escaping him before he replied,  “Aeris and I were just r—we were just talking about different foods. Aeris was telling me about the sweets she’d tasted.” He shot a nervous glance in Aeris’ direction.

The two humans shared glances, making Aeris’ heart race. Reks had almost let it slip that she had been reading to him. Maggie had warned her that humans wouldn’t take kindly to finding out she could read, and she dared not test the validity of that statement. It was likely Master Aaron wouldn’t be too upset with her, but there was no telling how Mr. Bachmann would react.

To her surprise, Mr. Bachmann laughed. “I’m sorry to tear you away when you were enjoying yourself, but I’m afraid it’s time to leave. Don’t worry, Reks, I plan to bring you back, so you’ll have plenty of time to continue your ‘conversation.’ In fact, we’ll be making repeat visits over the next several weeks. I could bring you back next week if you’d like.”

“Master, is Reks really going to come back next week?” Aeris asked. But she had plans to meet Windor next week—not that her master knew about them or could be made aware of them.

“Of course he is,” Master Aaron replied, his smile friendly but his voice suggesting that it was the end of the conversation and that Aeris had better not even think about arguing it.

Aeris dropped her head and mumbled, “Yes, Master.” What was she going to do? With Reks coming back regularly, it would become harder to sneak away to visit Aubrey and Windor. She would have to take Reks with her or attempt sneaking off whenever he was gone. Which meant knowing in advance when Reks was to visit. It shouldn’t be too hard. Lilith promised to help, so it was just a matter of talking to her.

She stood by her master’s side until their guests disappeared from view then she turned to head back to her room. The sun was already close to setting. It would be dinner time soon. Even if she moved quickly, it would be getting dark by the time she reached Aubrey’s place. A visit would have to wait until after dinner. Hopefully, Aubrey wouldn’t be too upset about her tardiness. They hadn’t officially agreed on time after all.

Master Aaron’s hand touched her side and she froze. “How was your visit with Reks?”

“It was fine,” Aeris said, hoping her anxiety didn’t show in her voice. She wanted to leave while she had the chance.

“So the two of you had fun, then? I trust you were a gracious hostess.”

“Of course, Master. I was very polite and showed Reks my room just as you instructed. He was very interested when I told him about the books Maggie reads to me.” Another lie. While she did mention that Maggie read to her on occasion, Aeris had done most of the reading. It felt strange lying to Master Aaron so easily. Her tail remained still, there was no tightness in her chest, and she didn’t feel at all bad about it. But I should feel bad about lying to my master, shouldn’t I? she wondered.

“Neither of you knows how to read; surely you did more than discuss books,” Master Aaron said, laughing. 

Aeris also laughed, though it was fake. She had learned a long time ago how to laugh at something she didn’t find amusing. It was an invaluable skill for speaking to humans at parties. Just like changing a topic of conversation before things became unpleasant. She decided to wrap up the conversation if she was to ward off any suspicions. “We didn’t talk about much else. I’m sorry, Master, we didn’t get to go over his speech lessons.”

Master Aaron smiled and rubbed Aeris between her horns. “Well, that’s okay. I’m sure Zachery won’t mind so long as the two of you get along. Hopefully, you’ll eventually grow more comfortable around him, and the two of you will find more interesting things to talk about.”

Aeris nodded and took the cue to walk away. Her master didn’t try to stop her. She moved at a half-trot back to her room to avoid suspicion. When she reached her room, she paced around the room until Maggie came in with her dinner.

No sooner had the tray touched the table, did Aeris start scarfing it down, not even bothering to check what it was.

“Goodness, was the dragon that unpleasant?” Maggie asked.

Aeris swallowed a particularly large chunk of meat and said. “At first he was, but I learned he likes stories as much as I do. But that’s not why I’m hurrying. I promised I’d meet Aubrey today.”

“But, Aeris, it’ll be dark soon. I know I agreed for you to meet this dragon, but I don’t like the idea of you roaming around at night. It’s dangerous.”

“You can come with me,” Aeris offered. No matter what, she had to see Aubrey today. She couldn’t risk the Ravager thinking she had gone back on her word.

Maggie looked out the window then back to Aeris. Eventually, she let out a defeated sigh and went to retrieve Aeris’ cloak. “You’ll be much faster without me. Just promise me that if you run into any trouble, you’ll run as fast as you can.”

“I will, Maggie.”

“Then finish your dinner—slowly. And you can go. I’ll make sure the coast is clear for you.”

That was all Maggie said before going outside. Aeris quickly ate the last of her steak then slipped outside.

No one was approaching, and the estate grounds appeared empty. Aeris slipped around the back of her room anyway and darted quickly into the surrounding woods. Once she was certain the trees hid her from view, she broke into a run at full speed towards Aubrey’s.

Just as Aeris predicted, the sun had dipped below the horizon by the time she arrived. She was tired and out of breath, but she had made it and that was the important thing.

The moment Aeris walked up to knock on the door, it opened, revealing Helen standing on the other side. She smiled warmly at the young dragon and said, “Aeris. I’m so glad you could make it. Please come in.”

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Aeris said as she followed the woman inside. “My master—er, caretaker wanted me to meet someone.”

“That’s quite all right,” Helen said. “Lady Aubrey said that may be the case.”

Aubrey was waiting in the common room, staring at a large painting on the wall. It showed an adult male sitting in a chair, clearly posing for the portrait. It was the only painting of a human in the room. Aeris wondered who the human was and what he meant to Aubrey.

“Lady Aubrey, Aeris has arrived,” Helen said.

“I noticed,” Aubrey said in a neutral tone, still staring at the painting. Aeris wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. “Thank you, Helen, you may leave us.”

Helen bowed and left the room. Aeris did her best to hide her fear of being left alone with Aubrey. Even knowing the Ravager was unlikely to physically harm her, it didn’t make it any easier.

Aeris decided it was best to explain herself rather than wait to be asked. “Aubrey, I—”

“So how did things go with Windor?” Aubrey asked. She turned away from the painting and sat on one of the cushions in the center of the room. “When I heard there was a commotion in the dragon district, I was worried. You can imagine my fright when you didn’t show up today for our lesson.” 

“Right. Sorry. My day with Windor was great.” Aeris explained at length the fun time she had with Windor. She even mentioned the incident at the restaurant and how Cutter appeared and put the two drakes causing trouble in their place. Aubrey sat silently while Aeris spoke, but she did smile when Aeris mentioned Cutter beating the other Ravager with her tail.

“It’s a shame so many of our kind like to resort to barbarism,” Aubrey said sadly. “But next time, Aeris, you shouldn’t be so eager to challenge another dragon. I know I mentioned our kind lives by matriarchal rules, but respect still plays a large role in how much authority you have. Sadly, as a domesticate, the chances of any dragon respecting you are quite low.”

“I know that,” Aeris said. “But I couldn’t let them treat Janine that way.”

Aubrey tilted her head but looked at Aeris endearingly. “It’s a real shame that there are so few like you, human or dragon. But enough of that. You mentioned your caretaker wanted you to see someone.”

Before Aeris started talking, she noticed two cups of tea had been left on the table that wasn’t there before. It was almost creepy how Helen had brought them a drink and left without either of them noticing her presence, though Aubrey likely did notice but chose not to say anything.

Aeris took a much-needed sip of tea, as all the talking was making her thirsty, and told her story to Aubrey. Aeris tried to leave out that Reks was mean to her before and how he was nasty to her today, but the Ravager quickly caught on to Aeris’ dislike toward the Horntail and demanded an explanation.

Realizing there was no way around it, Aeris told Aubrey everything. How the other domesticates were forced to sit outside while she was among the humans and how they hated her for it, how Reks teased her constantly, and that she offered to teach him how to read. Again, Aubrey kept her opinion to herself and silently listened to Aeris’ tale. She tensed during a few scenes but otherwise said nothing.

When Aeris finally finished, Aubrey remained silent, but her eyes showed a fury that made Aeris want to leave the room. For a few minutes, the two females sat in silence. Aeris stared at the floor in shame.

Eventually, Aubrey spoke again, her voice calm. “Sounds like you had a very interesting day. I’m surprised you forgave this Reks so easily. I would have certainly held a grudge against him.”

Aeris looked down at what remained of her tea. “I know. Part of me still hates him for how he treated me, but I also feel sorry for him. He doesn’t even have a room as I do. His master makes him sleep outside and no one reads him stories. He must be so bored and alone.”

It seemed so childish, taking pity on someone who had done nothing but make fun of her. She had more than enough stories about a character who had done the same thing only to be stabbed in the back as a reward. But she couldn’t bring herself to hate Reks, not when she could relate to how he felt.

She was shocked when she felt Aubrey wrap a wing around her body, pulling her close to the Ravager in a dragon-style embrace.

“Aeris, you are truly a kind soul. It pains me to know what the coming decades will do to you, but I hope you never lose that kindness. I know plenty of both species who could benefit from it.” That wasn’t very comforting, but Aeris figured it was the thought that counted.

Aubrey broke away from the embrace and cleared her throat. “Now that is enough of that. It is getting late, so perhaps we should begin the lessons another time.”

“No, I can start now,” Aeris said.

Aubrey smiled. “Very well then. Let’s begin. And next time, you can bring Reks with you. I would very much like to meet him.”