“That is what our father says.” Sorrow was pleased to have her information confirmed. “Our humans do very well—for humans. Of course, they have dragon-blood in them, so that is what accounts for it.”

Ven’s thoughts went to his mother, Melisande, and to Bellona, the woman who had raised him. His mother had dragon-blood in her; that was why she’d given birth to the monstrosity that was himself. Bellona had not, at least so he guessed. Yet, she’d been raised with those like his mother who could work the dragon-magic.

“There is one human army who would not be afraid,” Ven found himself saying. He was immediately sorry he brought it up, but, oddly, he felt as if he needed to defend his race.

“What army is that? Not the army of Idylswylde?”

“No. The army of a place called Seth.”

“Ah, yes. True. We will not have to fight them, however. They are ruled by a dragon and so will be our allies in the upcoming war of conquest.”

“They don’t know they are ruled by a dragon,” said Ven.

“Of course they do,” Sorrow returned, amused.

“No, they don’t. My mother came from there, as did the woman who raised me after my mother’s death. Bellona told me that the people of Seth think that dragons are their enemies. They have been taught to hate and fear them.”

“But every month, the people of Seth send us their strongest male children to be raised here—”

“The babies are smuggled out in the dead of night. No one in Seth knows the truth, except for one—the Mistress of Dragons. And that’s because she is the dragon. Like Grald, she has stolen the body of a human and uses that body to keep the humans in ignorance.”

“Stolen a human body! What are you talking about?”

“Grald, our father, the dragon, stole a human body—that hulking piece of excrement known as Grald. The dragon uses that body when he walks among humans. He used that body to rape my mother and bring me into the world.”

“I don’t believe you!” Sorrow cried angrily. “Our father would never inhabit a human body. Our father is above such things. Grald is a human who serves the dragon. A human,” she said, laying emphasis on the word.

Ven shrugged. He couldn’t prove what he’d said. He thought it interesting that Grald hadn’t told his children the truth. Difficult to proclaim yourself human when you’ve taught your children to despise and look down on that race.

Ven wondered what the people of Seth would do when they found out the truth. He’d once asked Bellona why she didn’t return to Seth and tell the people what she knew.