through an ordeal not many have endured and
even less have survived.”
She shook her head. “More than that.” As soon as the words
left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. “Never mind.”
Xandra started to walk away, but he stepped in front of her.
“What else happened to you? What are you hiding?”
“Why do you care?”
He scrubbed one hand over his jaw, his eyes diverted in
thought. A dark shadow covered his jaw. He hadn’t shaved in many a day, but it
only added to his handsomeness. “I can tell when a person is running from
something, and you’re a prime candidate for it.”
Determined not to answer his curiosity, she returned to the
bed and found the comb and brush the women had brought her. “Yoanda and Phili
were very generous.”
She sat on the edge of the bed and flipped her
shoulder-blade-length hair over her head. Methodically, she worked at the
tangles until the comb ran smoothly through the strands. When she sat up, her
hair flowed in thick strands about her shoulders. That felt so much better.
“Things are never what they appear,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair and the inky strands
curled and waved in disarray. Muscles rippled in his arms, and she remembered
how strongly his arms enclosed her. “Yoanda isn’t as sweet as she acts, and
Phili is as sharp and ruthless as a taracore bird.”
“I gathered that Phili doesn’t like me.”
He smiled. “She doesn’t like other women at all. They’re
competition.”
She placed the comb and brush on the bedstand. “In what
way?”
“She likes the attention of men, and she often gets it.
She’s the admiral’s concubine, but she probably has sex with other men on the
ship for money or favors. If you think Farcam and Oscan were mean to you, you
haven’t faced the full wrath of Phili.”
Fascinated, she sighed. “Well, I can’t say that isn’t
interesting. Women in Magonia aren’t usually that powerful.”
He sat on the bed next to her but not close enough this time
to make her uncomfortable. “With freedom comes opportunity for power and corruption.”
“Perhaps the Truth and Order Police and the scribes are
correct then.”
“About what?”
She looked over at him. “Freedom is the greatest evil. If
people know too much, they think too much. If they think too much, they do too
much. Certain chaos is the result.”
“Perhaps. But which would you rather have? Knowing nothing
and living by rote like you do on Magonia or the freedom to be who you really
are in Dragonia?”
Stunned this brute of a man had asked such a
thought-provoking and intelligent question, she stared at him a long time
before answering. “I’m fine the way I am. Don’t think that your philosophy can
change me.”
“You’ve never thought what it would be like to know
freedom?”
She shrugged. “Until I met Ketera Aldrancos, I rarely gave
it thought. I wasn’t certain it was an option.”
“She was the friend you mentioned with you on the ship?”
“More an acquaintance, but we quickly became friends. She
was sailing to Opali to save her father who was imprisoned for having seditious
documents.”
His eyebrows winged upward. “Seditious how?”
“He’s an archaeologist and apparently he found documents
that bring the Chronicles of Magon into question. The authorities on Magon say
the documents are lies and dangerous. That her father betrays his country by
saying that Dragonians are not like what we think they are. That Dragonians are
not so much different than we are.”
Rayder’s eyes filled with curiosity. “Very interesting. Do
you think her father is a traitor to his country? Do you think Dragonians are
the bad people the Magonian powers-that-be want you to believe?”
What could she say to that? “I’ve never met any Dragonians
until I met you and the other people on this ship.”
His grin flashed, and it did things to his eyes that she
liked, changing the brooding quality to a
even less have survived.”
She shook her head. “More than that.” As soon as the words
left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. “Never mind.”
Xandra started to walk away, but he stepped in front of her.
“What else happened to you? What are you hiding?”
“Why do you care?”
He scrubbed one hand over his jaw, his eyes diverted in
thought. A dark shadow covered his jaw. He hadn’t shaved in many a day, but it
only added to his handsomeness. “I can tell when a person is running from
something, and you’re a prime candidate for it.”
Determined not to answer his curiosity, she returned to the
bed and found the comb and brush the women had brought her. “Yoanda and Phili
were very generous.”
She sat on the edge of the bed and flipped her
shoulder-blade-length hair over her head. Methodically, she worked at the
tangles until the comb ran smoothly through the strands. When she sat up, her
hair flowed in thick strands about her shoulders. That felt so much better.
“Things are never what they appear,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair and the inky strands
curled and waved in disarray. Muscles rippled in his arms, and she remembered
how strongly his arms enclosed her. “Yoanda isn’t as sweet as she acts, and
Phili is as sharp and ruthless as a taracore bird.”
“I gathered that Phili doesn’t like me.”
He smiled. “She doesn’t like other women at all. They’re
competition.”
She placed the comb and brush on the bedstand. “In what
way?”
“She likes the attention of men, and she often gets it.
She’s the admiral’s concubine, but she probably has sex with other men on the
ship for money or favors. If you think Farcam and Oscan were mean to you, you
haven’t faced the full wrath of Phili.”
Fascinated, she sighed. “Well, I can’t say that isn’t
interesting. Women in Magonia aren’t usually that powerful.”
He sat on the bed next to her but not close enough this time
to make her uncomfortable. “With freedom comes opportunity for power and corruption.”
“Perhaps the Truth and Order Police and the scribes are
correct then.”
“About what?”
She looked over at him. “Freedom is the greatest evil. If
people know too much, they think too much. If they think too much, they do too
much. Certain chaos is the result.”
“Perhaps. But which would you rather have? Knowing nothing
and living by rote like you do on Magonia or the freedom to be who you really
are in Dragonia?”
Stunned this brute of a man had asked such a
thought-provoking and intelligent question, she stared at him a long time
before answering. “I’m fine the way I am. Don’t think that your philosophy can
change me.”
“You’ve never thought what it would be like to know
freedom?”
She shrugged. “Until I met Ketera Aldrancos, I rarely gave
it thought. I wasn’t certain it was an option.”
“She was the friend you mentioned with you on the ship?”
“More an acquaintance, but we quickly became friends. She
was sailing to Opali to save her father who was imprisoned for having seditious
documents.”
His eyebrows winged upward. “Seditious how?”
“He’s an archaeologist and apparently he found documents
that bring the Chronicles of Magon into question. The authorities on Magon say
the documents are lies and dangerous. That her father betrays his country by
saying that Dragonians are not like what we think they are. That Dragonians are
not so much different than we are.”
Rayder’s eyes filled with curiosity. “Very interesting. Do
you think her father is a traitor to his country? Do you think Dragonians are
the bad people the Magonian powers-that-be want you to believe?”
What could she say to that? “I’ve never met any Dragonians
until I met you and the other people on this ship.”
His grin flashed, and it did things to his eyes that she
liked, changing the brooding quality to a
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