The Lightning-Struck Heart (Tales From Verania 1)

“Trust might be too strong a word,” I admitted. “But I don’t see what reason he’d have to lie to me. Even if he’s a fairy.”

“He’s your ex,” Ryan muttered. “Of course he’d lie to you.”

“He’s not my ex.”

“You were almost married!”

“That was once!”

“This is just fascinating,” Mama said. “Please continue to waste my time.”

I scoffed at her. “Don’t lie. This is the most fun you’ve had since the last time I was here. I bring joy and wonderment to your life.”

“That’s not quite how I would describe it,” she said, even though we both knew she was full of shit. “There was no dragon in Old Clearing. At least, not from what I’ve heard.”

“And you hear everything,” I said.

She nodded. “I do. It’s one of the perks of being Mama. Shit don’t stick and stories get told.”

“Then tell me a story,” I said.

She eyed me warily. She stood up and walked around the desk. She wore high heels, adding inches to her already considerable height. They clacked angrily on the wooden floor. She brought a single finger to her lips in warning as she moved around us to the carved door. She cracked it open briefly, peering out into the hallway. It was empty. She closed the door again.

She turned back to me. “Do you feel anything here?” she whispered. “Any magic that isn’t your own?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.” I would have noticed the moment we walked into the room.

She sighed. “Good.”

“Problems?” Ryan asked.

“Sometimes the walls have ears,” Mama said. “And sometimes the ears are attached to little heads that should not still be attached to their bodies.”

“That’s… ominous,” I said. “And confusing. You are ominous and confusing.”

She smiled at me. “Thank you, precious. I have spent a very long time cultivating such a demeanor.”

“Spot-on, then.”

She studied me for a moment. I didn’t know what she was looking for, but she nodded and said, “Your dragon has never been here.”

“Come again?”

“The dragon has never been to Meridian City. Or to Old Clearing. I doubt it’s been within days of here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You wouldn’t, precious,” she said. “Because none of us do, really.” She sat behind her desk and leaned back in her chair. “People have disappeared from villages around Meridian City. Men. Women. Children. Not in great numbers and only within the last two months, but they’re gone and have never been seen again.”

“Why couldn’t it be the dragon, then?”

“One would think if a dragon was attacking a village that it would not have gone unnoticed.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need the sarcasm, Mama.”

“Then don’t ask dumb questions, precious.”

“Why has no one brought this up to the King? Surely someone would have mentioned it by now.”