“Why not?” Kre asked quickly, his curiosity getting the better of his manners, as per usual.
Bel nodded after a moment’s pause, “You are so like him that it constantly surprises me.”
She cleared her throat and continued, “I shan’t go into the history of how dragons and your knights first joined forces. Though it’s a tale often spoiled by your storytellers in the interests of adding in more excitement and adventure than was the case. Just know that the initial partnership was meant to be mutually beneficial, to save both of our kinds from a horrific fate.”
Bel’s eyes flicked up, looking past Kre for a moment, “You might as well come out here. There is nothing being said that I would not say in front of you nor that I would care if it reached the ears of your spymaster. I venture to guess that the Ylveryan know much of this in any case, given their extensive network.”
Kitalia slid around the doorframe, her hands moving to release the small blue light from the leather wrapping she had hidden it in. “I simply did not wish to disturb,” she offered gently. “Sometimes I feel that Kre does not appreciate my presence in these lessons about his Tehynshin heritage.”
Kre opened his mouth and immediately shut it again. He was beginning to learn now to be wary of his initial responses, as she was likely to twist his words and make him regret them. ‘Besides’, he had to admit to himself, ‘isn’t it true? Don’t I want to hoard these stories for myself? If not out of selfishness, then possibly because I still don’t trust her, even after all of this?’
That was certainly a topic he needed to mull over some more. He wasn’t sure why, but there was a tiny part of his mind that told him that she wasn’t being entirely truthful with him. ‘Scratch that,’ he corrected himself mentally, ‘I know there are things she’s holding back from me, but I don’t know if they’re things I should be concerned about.’ After all, he had to admit to himself, there are plenty of reasons to keep things private to oneself other than deceitfulness and malice to one’s traveling partner.
“I don’t mind,” he said calmly, measuring every word carefully as to avoid misinterpretation. “The more we know about each other and our respective peoples, the more we can put aside some of the mistrust between our races and really work towards something positive.”
“Well said Kre,” Bel said smiling. “And besides, the history of the Dragon Knights is as much an Ylveryan tale as it is a Tehynshin one.”
Kitalia frowned, “How is that?”
Bel looked around and sighed, “Honestly, I wish I could get into that more, but this is neither the time nor the place for that particular lesson.”
Kre nodded, “Too true. I don’t suppose you’ve come up with a plan to get us out of here?”
Bel sighed again and shrugged. “Yes and no. After some… consultations, let’s say, I think there is a path out of this city. It is far more dangerous than I would like, but the danger is of a more mundane nature rather than spiritual one.”
“I don’t follow,” Kre said when Bel paused. “Mundane?”
“It means,” Kitalia said softly, sliding up to stand next to him, “that the danger is from normal, dangerous underground critters and darkness-spawned creatures rather than the long dead spirits of the ancient ones.”