Sovereign - The Dark Sorcerers: Book 2

Chapter 7: Research and Development

Kenna

The definition of a miracle: the First Dark Sorcerer, His Dark Lordship, Great Evil of the Entire Bloody World, showed another emotion than indifference, boredom or his usual plotting evilness, namely enthusiasm. Actual, genuine enthusiasm, radiating off his angelic, sinful face.

A miracle happened today.

I stood on the top of the Tower of the Honored, next to Jaeger's cozy new nest. Since he had grown too big for my room, Cain had ordered his men to build the Dragon a refuge from where he could easily fly out of the city to hunt, but which was still close to my own living quarters. At first, Jaeger had protested, unwilling to part with me, yet a few soothing words and the solemn promise to visit him every morning had ultimately persuaded him.

It would take at least two more months until he reached puberty and would be large enough to carry me, but in the meantime, Jaeger was perfecting his ability to spit fire. Last week, he had burned Dominic's cloak—much to my amusement—and only yesterday, I had been called to the Tower of Forgotten Souls because he had accidentally set a laboratory on fire. The potion makers who had been working there had not been pleased, but they had been too afraid of my wrath to take the matter to Cain. Not that Cain would have listened to their complaints. For some reason, he punished every single soul in this city except for me.

A gentle breeze, chilly but pleasant on my heated cheeks, notified me of Cain's presence. Jaeger lifted one lazy eyelid to inspect the newcomer, but went back to napping when he confirmed the Dark Sorcerer's identity. I always got the impression that my Dragon didn't particularly like Cain—it was more like he tolerated him. Good enough for me.

"How are you today, Sorceress?" The low rumble of his voice in my ear raised goosebumps on my arms. Peering at him from the corner of my eye, I noticed his amber eyes staring down at me, gleaming with an unusually bright light. The sharp lines of his face were softened by the smile playing on his lips and the barely restrained excitement that lingered just underneath his skin.

I crossed my arms over my chest. Something was going on and I was dying to know what it was, yet I maintained a blank expression on my face. "I'm good, thanks for asking. You seem to be in an awfully good mood."

His grin granted me a rare view of his perfectly white teeth. "I have something special to show you. Would you care to join me for a walk?" He offered me his arm and I took it, scratching Jaeger's head when I passed him on the way to the door.

Without letting go of my arm, Cain guided me down the many flights of stairs to the ground floor. About halfway down, I sent a longing glance in the direction of the bridge that connected this tower to the Onyx Tower, which was still under construction. It was one of the High Council's newest projects: two bridges that formed a passage between the two minor towers and the Onyx Tower to make traffic between them easier for the people who worked on the highest floors. However, for now, we still had to take the classical route.

Although the air was hot and damp, the hustle on Sapphire Square never seemed to slow down. Sorcerers, servants, merchants and citizens ran across the giant square to carry out their daily tasks. Sweat beaded my forehead as soon as I set a foot outside, leaving me craving for the cool breeze that ever blew around Jaeger's nest. Fortunately, Cain dragged me into the Onyx Tower before I would turn into a pool of human fluids at this feet.

My attempts to get more information out of Cain during our short walk earned me nothing at all, which only added to the frustration that made the temperature of my blood slowly rise to its boiling point. I came to an abrupt halt at the foot of the first set of stairs leading up the Tower, the muscles in my legs already sore at the mere prospect of having to use them to climb in this sultry weather. Raising a wary eyebrow, I stared Cain down. "Which floor are you taking me to?"