had attended upon the monster. I thought of its great hoard of gold. I swallowed. " Which comes first? "
I do not understand .
" There are three measures of a dragon's power. No, four. " I felt a prickling in the back of my head, discomfort and irritation. He did not want to speak of these things, but my curiosity compelled me. I rose and entered the cave so I could meet his eyes across the still pool. " Territory, " I thought. " And the brood. And the gold hoard. "
His mouth fell open in a hiss, his long, sharp teeth flashing white within the darkness. Shame and vulnerability bubbled up hot in my head, and I found myself hissing, too. I shook my head. I took a slow breath and steeled a corner of my mind until my thoughts cleared, and then I nodded to the gold again.
" That is your power, too. "
For a long time he said nothing. He didn't move. His gaze burned hot and his breath rasped, but I did not back down. He pressed at my mind, too, but I refused to relent. For the first time in days I felt human again, and I would not give up.
At last he backed down. And the fourth? he asked. You said there was a fourth .
I nodded to him. " Your size. In men, that one is easy. We grow with time, gradually and steadily, and the larger we are, the stronger ."
As simple as that? he asked, and there was mockery in his tone.
I nodded instantly, but then felt doubt. The dragon relaxed some, his long tail rolling out and wrapping lazily around him, then he settled to the floor. Strong men have power , he said at last. You take much power from your strength. But women in your world have power, too.
" Well, we protect them out of need— "
He laughed and laughed. Without forming a word he showed me the sense by which he'd meant power, a memory of Isabelle and the feel of her soft skin beneath my fingertips, and a blush began to burn in my cheeks. He went on as though I hadn't interrupted.
And there are wizards. Wizards greater than you who take power from their understanding, from their clarity of vision. And kings who take their power from their blood. And rich men buy their power with their gold.
I nodded understanding. " Of course. You're right. We are at least as complicated— "
Not by half , the dragon said. But nothing is so simple as it seems. A dragon does not grow in time, like man. We grow by spilling royal blood and devouring the strong. We grow by stealing human wealth and by shattering understanding. And the reward for all of this is power. It's control. It's dominion over reality.
" Like wizards —" I began to say, but he cut me off with a snarl that burned in the dark cavern.
Not like wizards at all , he said. I thought you, among them all, would understand. Wizards exercise dominion over nothing. Over the gossamer shades of illusion men call real. But it is daydream and fancy. Dragons are reality. Power is reality. Chaos is reality. And only we can tame it, control it, command it.
" We, " I thought. " The dragons. And me. "
And you , he said in agreement. I have never known it done before. Men should not know what dragons know. Your kind stains the world enough at six removes.
" I gained it from you ," I thought. " When we bonded on that mountainside. You gave me a power wizards don't even dream of. " He said nothing. I could feel his uneasiness again, gnawing at the back of my head. I pushed it away. " You told me you could not kill me. You wanted to, but you could not. I think I understand. "
Do not confuse one insight with understanding , he said. He pushed arrogance at me, condescending with all his might, but I could feel his fear behind it. I smiled in sympathy.
" I became your brood, " I said. " Not your conquest. Not your prey. Still your enemy, but now a part of you. You could no more easily kill me than I could cut off my own hand. "
It can be done , he said. Easily enough, at that .
" And you tried your best, " I thought. " But would you have, if you had understood? Would you have tried to
I do not understand .
" There are three measures of a dragon's power. No, four. " I felt a prickling in the back of my head, discomfort and irritation. He did not want to speak of these things, but my curiosity compelled me. I rose and entered the cave so I could meet his eyes across the still pool. " Territory, " I thought. " And the brood. And the gold hoard. "
His mouth fell open in a hiss, his long, sharp teeth flashing white within the darkness. Shame and vulnerability bubbled up hot in my head, and I found myself hissing, too. I shook my head. I took a slow breath and steeled a corner of my mind until my thoughts cleared, and then I nodded to the gold again.
" That is your power, too. "
For a long time he said nothing. He didn't move. His gaze burned hot and his breath rasped, but I did not back down. He pressed at my mind, too, but I refused to relent. For the first time in days I felt human again, and I would not give up.
At last he backed down. And the fourth? he asked. You said there was a fourth .
I nodded to him. " Your size. In men, that one is easy. We grow with time, gradually and steadily, and the larger we are, the stronger ."
As simple as that? he asked, and there was mockery in his tone.
I nodded instantly, but then felt doubt. The dragon relaxed some, his long tail rolling out and wrapping lazily around him, then he settled to the floor. Strong men have power , he said at last. You take much power from your strength. But women in your world have power, too.
" Well, we protect them out of need— "
He laughed and laughed. Without forming a word he showed me the sense by which he'd meant power, a memory of Isabelle and the feel of her soft skin beneath my fingertips, and a blush began to burn in my cheeks. He went on as though I hadn't interrupted.
And there are wizards. Wizards greater than you who take power from their understanding, from their clarity of vision. And kings who take their power from their blood. And rich men buy their power with their gold.
I nodded understanding. " Of course. You're right. We are at least as complicated— "
Not by half , the dragon said. But nothing is so simple as it seems. A dragon does not grow in time, like man. We grow by spilling royal blood and devouring the strong. We grow by stealing human wealth and by shattering understanding. And the reward for all of this is power. It's control. It's dominion over reality.
" Like wizards —" I began to say, but he cut me off with a snarl that burned in the dark cavern.
Not like wizards at all , he said. I thought you, among them all, would understand. Wizards exercise dominion over nothing. Over the gossamer shades of illusion men call real. But it is daydream and fancy. Dragons are reality. Power is reality. Chaos is reality. And only we can tame it, control it, command it.
" We, " I thought. " The dragons. And me. "
And you , he said in agreement. I have never known it done before. Men should not know what dragons know. Your kind stains the world enough at six removes.
" I gained it from you ," I thought. " When we bonded on that mountainside. You gave me a power wizards don't even dream of. " He said nothing. I could feel his uneasiness again, gnawing at the back of my head. I pushed it away. " You told me you could not kill me. You wanted to, but you could not. I think I understand. "
Do not confuse one insight with understanding , he said. He pushed arrogance at me, condescending with all his might, but I could feel his fear behind it. I smiled in sympathy.
" I became your brood, " I said. " Not your conquest. Not your prey. Still your enemy, but now a part of you. You could no more easily kill me than I could cut off my own hand. "
It can be done , he said. Easily enough, at that .
" And you tried your best, " I thought. " But would you have, if you had understood? Would you have tried to
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