Jahrra’s intended words lost all their steam. She couldn’t remember the last time Jaax had apologized to her and all she could manage at the moment was a short nod of acceptance.
Neira cleared her throat behind them and Jahrra jumped in surprise. “Will Master Kehllor be dining with us?”
Jahrra looked back at the two dragons and grinned. “I hope so,” she answered.
Kehllor gave Jaax an imploring look and the older dragon nodded. “Of course you may eat with us.”
“I guess it’s decided then,” Kehllor answered, his cautious stature relaxing even more.
As they ate, Jahrra couldn’t help but be pleased with Jaax’s reaction to the entire situation. He never asked her where she had gone and what she had done and she felt slightly guilty once again about keeping Denaeh a secret from him. Perhaps I’ll tell him eventually, but first I must gauge what her true intentions are. Jahrra laughed to herself as the roast beef disappeared from her bowl. To think, she mused, a few short years ago I would tell Denaeh anything and refuse to speak to Jaax and now I want to keep information from her.
The meal passed in relative silence, what with no one wishing to discuss the issue that crowded the room to the point of suffocating everyone in it. Instead, Jahrra, Jaax and Kehllor passed the time making small talk as the light of day slowly faded into dusk. They spoke of the weather, of Jahrra’s progress at school, of the latest fashions being touted by the elite of the city. Kehllor even went as far as to bring up a tidbit of gossip he’d heard in the open marketplace, a clear sign of how desperately he wished to avoid talking about the Coalition meeting and Rohdann’s threats from the night before. Kehllor abhorred gossip, it seemed, and Jahrra knew for a fact that her guardian didn’t care for it either. For some reason, it cheered her up.
Jahrra played along with their pointless dialogue of course, sipping at the tea Neira had served. It was rich and sweet and helped ease her pounding headache, so she did her best to savor it despite the tense atmosphere surrounding what should have been an otherwise delightful dinner with friends.
Kehllor eventually left, claiming to be exhausted from the previous evening’s meeting and the day-long search for Jahrra. As he left, the younger dragon gave Jaax a look that clearly stated please don’t be too hard on her, then glanced over at Jahrra with an expression that said try to see things from his point of view. With a final farewell, Kehllor stepped through the great door and disappeared into the darkening night.
Neira, who had appeared from the kitchens to accommodate Kehllor’s departure, swung the door shut with a loud creak, latching it securely behind him. She turned, gave Jahrra and Jaax one long, assessing look, then took a breath.
“Well,” she said, “the kitchen is cleaned and our guest has departed. I think it is time for me to retire.”
She drew her shoulders straight and crossed the great room, trying to ignore the two sets of eyes that watched her progress.
The substantial space that already separated Jahrra from Jaax seemed to grow even larger. The Tanaan dragon sat in his usual corner, the elevated floor in front of the ceiling-to-floor window, and Jahrra was at her table, a good three dragon lengths away. Kehllor had been reclining on the lower floor, his body a welcome barrier between herself and her guardian. Now there was no force there to block the unbroached emotions in the room.
Jahrra took a nervous sip of her tea, hoping that it would calm her nerves. Jaax followed suit, raising a great stone mug to take a drink himself, the spirit stone in his ring catching the firelight and flaring like a bright star. Jahrra would have found the whole scene comical if not for her weariness and the tension in the air.
I will not be the first to speak, she thought stubbornly, looking down at her plate ruefully. She was hoping that she could distract herself by finishing her meal but it turned out her plate was empty.
The room’s silence became painful to listen to, the flames from the fire rippling gently, the wood popping and crackling every now and again. Finally, after a log fell and sent sparks scattering throughout the fireplace, Jaax spoke, his voice calm, quiet. “Last night’s meeting proved to be, interesting.”
Jahrra risked a glance in his direction. He took another drink from his mug, the belly of the heavy stone vessel resting easily in his palm. His fierce eyes never left Jahrra’s. Jahrra returned the hard gaze as long as she could, glancing away only when her guardian’s mug reclaimed its resting place on the floor below.
Looking down at her plate once again, Jahrra sighed, “Yes, it was.”
She heard Jaax draw breath but say nothing. She imagined he was trying very hard to control his emotions; to rein in his temper.
“Your presence caused quite a stir, something I can only imagine you did not intend.”
The air of accusation in his voice caused Jahrra to snap her head up and take on a disgruntled continence.
“Do explain what you mean by that,” she demanded, crossing her arms, “especially after all the praise you rained down upon me when Kehllor and Neira were present to hear it!”
So the battle has begun, she thought. Good, I can deal with this much easier than I can the evasive small talk.
“Do you ever stop to think, Jahrra, that maybe I ask you not to attend these meetings simply because you have the potential to cause such a distraction? That perhaps, as valid as your arguments are, that a meeting following such a dramatic decision on my part wasn’t the best time or place to voice those arguments?”
Jaax had risen from his reclining position, no longer trying to keep this a calm, even conversation.
Jahrra stood as well, stepping away from her table and moving closer to her guardian. “Do you ever stop to think that perhaps I cause such a distraction because you go out of your way to keep me silent in front of those who most need to hear my thoughts?”
“And so you go behind my back, sneaking into the meeting, and look what came of it,” Jaax responded with a snarl. “Receiving threats and disdain from those very people you claim should hear more of your opinions!”
Jahrra opened her mouth to disagree but bit back the acidic reply she had ready on the tip of her tongue. Jaax was right. Her input hadn’t exactly been warmly welcomed and she couldn’t blame it entirely on Rohdann. True, he had instigated the doubt, but there had been a good number of Coalition members echoing his thoughts. He had just been the one to voice what the others were thinking. Her input was important but perhaps she should have waited until the initial shock of it all had time to blow over.
For a moment, Jahrra allowed her shoulders to sag, her crossed arms to hang a little looser. But then she remembered what Rohdann and all the others had been focused on at that meeting and it hadn’t entirely been about her. It hadn’t even been all that much about Shiroxx. Their complaints lie mostly with Jaax and the verdict he had reached in regards to one of their members.
Jahrra took a deep breath and looked the dragon in the eye. “It wasn’t me they had an issue with, but your decision concerning Shiroxx. If you remember correctly, I stood up for you. How can you be so sure it would have gone much better had I not been there?”
“That was not the first time Rohdann has tried to cause trouble within the Coalition,” he finally said, his voice, at least, sounding slightly deflated. “He has been very adamant before, long before you came here.”
“I thought he joined the Coalition after my arrival in Lidien.”