He grinned and took a sip of tea.
“Jaax wasn’t too pleased,” Jahrra managed under her breath.
“Of course he wasn’t,” Ellyesce said smoothly. “But, that is to be understood.”
Deciding a change of subject would be best, Jahrra cleared her throat and said, “I received some letters from Lidien this morning. One of the maids brought them to me.”
Ellyesce lifted an eyebrow at that. “Who were they from?”
“Torrell, Senton, Neira and Dathian. Neira is the housekeeper at Jaax’s mansion, and Torrell, Senton and Dathian are friends from the University, although Dathian is also a member of the Coalition.”
As well as a member of the royal family in Dhonoara, Jahrra didn’t say out loud. But that wasn’t information her friend readily spread around, so she wasn’t about to tell Ellyesce.
The elf furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. “I know of Dathian,” he said. “What news did he share with you?”
“He said Shiroxx hasn’t given up on her determination to corrupt the Coalition and that Kehllor, the Tanaan dragon Jaax left in charge, is going on a quest to the southern desert region of Terre Moeserre to recruit the Nephaari.”
Ellyesce’s pale green eyes went wide. “That is news indeed. I wonder if Jaax knows any of this.”
Jahrra shrugged and reached for her tea.
Before either of them could make any more guesses on the matter, another knock sounded at the door.
“Now who is it?” Jahrra wondered aloud.
“I’ll go see,” Dervit offered.
Jahrra arched a brow in his direction and had to stifle a grin. An impressive stack of empty plates surrounded the place on the couch where he had been sitting. For such a small creature, he had a rather large appetite.
Using a series of wooden shelves, her friend was able to climb up to the larger door latch and pull it open. The door swung open as if on oiled hinges, and Jaax stuck his head through. Jahrra’s relative mirth fizzled away, and she stiffened, the handle of her teacup clenched tightly between her fingers. They had parted the day before on ill terms, and seeing him again reminded her of his angry dismissal and her stubborn outrage. Her ire had since fled, as it often did, but there was still that cold distance between them, an aloofness which reminded her of her earlier years when she and Jaax didn’t get along at all.
Jaax’s eyes scanned the space before falling upon Jahrra. He lowered his brow and then said, “I didn’t think you’d have company. I was hoping to speak with you alone.”
Jahrra tried not to grimace. She needed to talk with her guardian about their recent argument, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that conversation.
“Of course,” Ellyesce stated, standing up from his chair. “I have yet to unpack for our stay here in Nimbronia. Dervit, how about you?”
The limbit gave a silent nod, pretending he had enough belongings to warrant the desire to scatter them about his temporary room.
Ellyesce gave a gentlemanly bow, and he and Dervit headed for the exit. The elf tugged the other large door open, giving Jaax more room to enter. Only when the dragon was entirely in the large chamber did he pull both doors shut.
An uncomfortable silence ensued, but Jahrra refused to speak first. For one thing, she had no idea what to say. In the past few days, she had run the gamut of emotions: fear for her life and the lives of her friends, rage at Keiron for his betrayal, immediately followed by the heartbreak of knowing everything between them had been a lie. Then, absolute joy at learning Jaax had not perished in Cahrdyarein and the sting of his rebuke after her plunge from the bridge. Despite her night of sleep, she was exhausted, physically and mentally, and coming up with the right words at the moment was too much to ask.
Fortunately, her guardian didn’t seem to be suffering the same problem.
“Jahrra,” he said, his tone stern but not harsh, “I need to apologize to you.”
Startled, Jahrra shot him a staggered look.
Jaax drew in a tired breath, then let it out slowly before making his way across the massive room. He didn’t approach the couch where she sat, but rather, headed toward the raised part of the room open to the elements. When he reached the inner edge of the balcony, he turned to face her, then sat down.
“I am sorry for the way our conversation went yesterday,” he began.
“I know,” Jahrra cut in, casting aside her determination to remain silent. “I understand why you were angry. It was reckless of me to jump like that, and I’m sorry I frightened you, but I don’t regret my decision.”
A small grin tugged at the corner of the dragon’s mouth, and he lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Yes, it was a rather dire situation, wasn’t it? And you came up with a way to get out of it rather quickly. Although I was very angry yesterday, I am extremely proud of you for that.”
Jahrra ducked her head, feeling her cheeks warm. This wasn’t the first time Jaax had ever shown pride in her, but for some reason, she always had the same reaction.
“But that is not the only thing I want to apologize for,” he continued on when Jahrra didn’t make any move to speak. “What happened with the steward’s son, while we were in Cahrdyarein ...”
Jaax let his words trail off, as if unsure whether or not he should go on. Jahrra merely clenched her teeth and glanced away from him, turning so she faced the hearth. Anger, anguish and embarrassment threatened to wreak havoc on her heart, but she fought to keep those emotions under control. Yet, as much as she didn’t want to think about all that had happened in Cahrdyarein, burying it deep in her memory without addressing it was a worse idea. Fortunately for her, Jaax continued on as if sensing how difficult this was for her.
“I should have been there for you, Jahrra” he said, his tone sharper than it was mere seconds ago.
Jahrra gave up on staring at the fire and cast her ward a serious look.
“I should have spent less time playing the obsequious diplomat and more time making sure you were settling in. I had once again torn you away from your friends and thrown you onto the path of danger, after all.”
“Jaax,” Jahrra interrupted, her voice tight. She readjusted her position on the couch so she was facing him more directly. “You don’t need to apologize for Keiron. Yes, I wish you had told me about his treachery before we left for Nimbronia, but if you remember correctly, you tried warning me away from him earlier, and I didn’t much want to listen to your opinion on the matter.”
Jaax opened his mouth to speak, but Jahrra held up a hand, staving off whatever it was he meant to say. “You cannot protect me from everything. Some things, I must learn on my own, as painful or inconvenient as they may be.”
The Tanaan dragon tilted his head, his emerald eyes bright. “You are recovered, then, from his deception?” he asked quietly, his mood hard to decipher from his tone.
No, she wasn’t quite recovered. Since learning of Keiron’s ruse, a well of boiling anger had come slowly to life just below her heart. She wanted to let it expand and take over, to burn through her body and purge all the lingering pain and sadness Keiron had left behind, but a small voice in her head warned her against it.
Remember only that he is not what you thought he was, it cautioned. Do not let your anger for what he did to you harden your heart, or you will find yourself becoming that which you fear and despise the most.
The wooden bead bracelet wrapped around Jahrra’s wrist warmed, and she shot her eyes downward. The runes carved into the smooth surfaces of the beads glowed, each one a different color than its neighbor. Just as quickly as the heat rose, it dissipated, taking the brilliant glowing light, as well as the burning rage in her heart, with it. Jahrra arched her brows. Had it been her conscience warning her against this blossoming hatred, or the spirits of the Sacred Trees passing on their advice? She didn’t know, but heeded the warning anyway. They were wise words, even if she wasn’t in the mood to fully embrace them just yet.