Ravi looked wildly pleased at this, his grin bright enough to be a second sun. Smug, too. And wasn’t that interesting?
Yes, there was a great deal that Sora needed to observe here. And he didn’t mean just the clan itself.
Consort Cameron was all smiles as he held out a hand in greeting. “Welcome to Burkhard Castle, Mage Vo.”
“Sora, please.”
Sora took it, pleasantly surprised by the firm grip and hint of calluses. So, this was the newly wedded mage to King Alric, eh? He looked young, like a non-mage in their twenties. Charming, too, just as he’d been on camera.
“Thank you. Call me Cameron, would you? Please, sit, visit with me for a moment.” Cameron waved to a brace of chairs situated in front of a wide window that had both panes open, letting in a pleasant breeze. “I’m sure my husband will want to speak with you as well; he’s just all over the place today. We didn’t expect this influx of mages, you see. Definitely not this quickly. It’s caught us a bit off guard.”
“So I understand.”
Sora took a seat and looked around curiously. The building maintained the style of a castle even on the inside, with the elaborate wood paneling and landscapes on the walls. It felt old, as if it had stood a thousand years, but it was well maintained. Lovingly so, as his nose could faintly detect a trace of new paint.
But there were also things here that didn’t quite jive for him. Like the Roomba lurking in one corner, clearly docked and charging. Why the hell would a dragon clan need a robot vacuum cleaner? There were cleaning spells for that sort of thing.
And there wasn’t a trace of either cleaning spells or temperature control spells anywhere in the castle. Ravi had given him a quick tour of the place before bringing him up to Cameron’s office. He’d seen enough to get the gist of how the place functioned. There was far more tech here than he was used to.
And far too little magic.
Cameron dropped into the seat opposite his, curiosity all over his face. “Ravi’s text only told me that you were here and had questions.”
“Many, in fact.” Knowing very well the man would open up better if Sora gave some information first, he relinquished the basics. “I saw your interview with King Alric a few days ago. I had no idea the fire dragons were still here; no one in my family did. I decided to come up and meet all of you.”
“And we’re very glad that you did. You’re from a mage family, then? You still actively use magic?”
“Oh, yes. Ravi informs me that’s not always the case with the new mages coming in.”
Cameron’s face scrunched up. “Not at all. I’m a case in point, really. All knowledge of magic had been entirely lost in my family. We barely had any history to show that we were once magical, in fact. More often than not, when we meet a new mage, their history is similar to my own.”
Sora’s eyes nearly fell out of his head. How had so much knowledge been lost? Or was this a matter of perspective? Being raised in a magically oriented environment, he took such knowledge and history for granted. “Truly? I know you said in the interview of how you were found by the dragons. You really had no idea that magic ran in your family?”
“It was Alric who told me I was a mage, in fact. And I didn’t believe him at first.” Cameron shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face. “Of course, he was right, but I kind of gave the man hell until he convinced me. It’s why we’re so delighted to meet a mage like you, someone who’s comfortable with magic. It means that some magical heritage has been preserved, more than what many mages have been blessed with.”
Sora’s head spun with this knowledge. No wonder. No wonder there was so little magic here. Even the new mages were just that—new. New to magic entirely. They were likely learning from Mage Lisette and didn’t have a good enough handle on things yet to really contribute. This entire clan was built upon the backs of the six senior mages Ravi had mentioned and their fledgling students.
Over the centuries, they’d likely been forced to cut back on magic that was deemed superfluous, such as cleaning spells, in the name of having the strength to maintain more important spells, like those for protection. They were barely managing as it is. Of course they’d been excited to see any mage, such was the dearth of their situation now.
Cameron leaned forward and carefully asked, “Is there any chance that we can meet more of your family?”
And there was the question he’d expected. Sora decided to be honest with him.
“Possibly. I came ahead to sound out the situation. My family went into hiding right at the start of the Dragon War, and we’re used to concealing our true natures. They won’t come out easily, not until they’re sure that the world can accept them.”
“I truly understand. And we won’t press for it, not until they’re ready.” A wave of fatigue swept over Cameron’s face. “In truth, it might be safer for them to stay there until we deal with the Jaeggi.”
“I’m sorry?” That didn’t make any sense to Sora. The Jaeggi were old news, surely. After all, they’d been decimated during the war. “The Jaeggi? You can’t mean the same Jaeggi from the Dragon War.”
“I’m very sad to report that the Jaeggi are still alive and causing trouble. They’ve been kidnapping every mage they can lay hands on.” Cameron grimaced, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “We believe that the blood spell they enacted five hundred years ago damaged their magic and genetics. Their magic is fragmented now, warped in such a way that they can’t use it correctly. They only have what they can siphon off another mage.”
Sora sat there, a man waiting for the punchline to a bad joke he didn’t find funny. Then he sat back with a huff of air, reeling under this revelation. He felt like someone had slugged him in the gut. Not even in his wildest imaginings had this crossed his mind.
The Jaeggi, the worst enemy the magical world had ever had, were still alive. Still targeting mages. Still doing their best to decimate the world of magic because of their own selfishness.
A wave of anger rode through him. It was so strong he nearly choked on it, his hands clenching into fists. “Haven’t the Jaeggi done enough damage? They’ve robbed us of magic, of mates, of an entire world rich with wonder. Isn’t that enough?”
“I’d think so. They apparently have a different view.” Cameron shook his head. “So, you see, I don’t blame your family for their caution. Alric has enacted a rule that any Burkhard mage leaving the castle must be accompanied by at least two dragons. We don’t want you to feel trapped or that your freedom is limited, but it would ease our minds greatly if you’d allow our dragons to accompany you when you travel in the area.”
Sora’s mouth bobbed open for a moment as he tried to even pull his thoughts together enough to speak. “They’ve attacked mages here? This close to the castle?”
“They’ve kidnapped me, and tried for North and Tori, so they’re very active in Germany. Or were, as I hope we’ve scared them off for now. There are so many new mages coming in, after all, and they’re ripe for plucking as they don’t know to be on guard. Or even how to be on guard.”
“That is…alarming. In all the worst ways.”