“You needn’t worry, Tori, that anyone here is going to judge you because of what other members of the Taavi Clan believe. I’ve already spoken with Rodrigo and his people about some of the…difficulties we are potentially facing,” Alric added.
Rodrigo spat something out in a rough, almost guttural language that left his ears ringing and the translation spell scrambling to figure out what he meant. While Tori might not understand the word, Rodrigo’s look of disgust and hostility was clear. It eased some when he looked at Tori.
“It is abhorrent to me and my clan that any mage should have suffered the things you have,” Rodrigo growled, his voice becoming surprisingly deep, as if his dragon were trying to take control of his body. “We are not pleased to know that elder mages treat younger mages in such a fashion. And such nonsensical homophobia…” He drifted off into more guttural curses that Tori still couldn’t understand, but he looked down the table at Thiago, who cleared his throat, looking a little red faced.
“What my king is trying to say is that kind of negativity would not be welcome within the Valerii Clan,” Thiago said smoothly.
“Nor is it welcome within the Burkhard Clan,” Dieter added.
“We are hoping you can give us some more details on the composition of your clan and its history. Do you think there might be anyone who is more like yourself? More open-minded? Someone who is willing to look past such archaic teachings?” Thiago continued.
Tori sat perfectly still, trying to block out everyone closely watching him and hanging on his every word. Dinner at a quiet table at the back of the hall with just him and maybe Cassie or a quick visit from Ravi would have been preferable to this.
But then, Alric and the Burkhard Clan had already done so much for him. He could suffer through one difficult night. He wanted to give back to his new clan. It was just a shame that it involved his old clan and his ugly past.
Baldewin’s hand shifted in his, and he could feel the gentle sweep of his thumb across his sweaty palm. All through the dinner and light conversation, Baldewin had held his hand. It had made things awkward for both of them, but Baldewin had yet to release him. He was the anchor Tori so desperately needed in this storm.
“Information in the Taavi Clan tends to be tightly controlled. I’m guessing it’s how they’ve managed to keep anyone from discovering that the Jaeggi are the true reason for the Great Dragon War. I never gave much thought to it since we’re taught not to question our elders.” He paused and tried to organize his thoughts a little.
“I think you mentioned that the clan is about two hundred people now,” Baldewin assisted.
Tori nodded, grateful for the direction. “Yes. Two hundred. I believe it was bigger at one time. Several hundred, I think, when we first moved to Finland.”
“I’m assuming there are humans within your clan. Children who were born without magical ability,” Cameron said.
“Yes. Of the two hundred, about half are human and half are mage. The humans aren’t treated great, but they are largely ignored by the mages. If a human couple happens to have a mage baby, then they gain a little status within the clan.” Tori paused and rubbed his chin. “Lisette mentioned something interesting to me the other day. She said that mages without a dragon can live as long as two hundred years, but no one in the Taavi Clan is anywhere near that age. Most barely make it to one hundred.”
“That is interesting,” Gunter said, leaning forward to focus entirely on Tori. He’d met the royal researcher only once before. He seemed quite pleasant, if a little scattered at times, as if his thoughts were being pulled in a variety of directions. “Do you think it could be linked to the fact they’ve been apart from dragons for so long? Or maybe it’s something to do with the harsh winter conditions they must weather each year.”
“Or it could be linked to the intense glamour spells they have on the region to protect themselves,” Lisette offered. “The mages could be draining themselves too much for that work, and it’s shortening their lifespans.”
“That is very strange,” Evora murmured.
Tori offered a little shrug. “Growing up, there were only eight other male mages my age. It’s my understanding it was a larger number than previous generations. I know the leader of the clan is not happy about the number of male mages in the clan. I’d say we account for maybe thirty percent of the population right now.”
“That’s astounding!” Gunter exclaimed. “I would need to check my records, but I swear male mages used to account for only one percent of the mage population in the past.”
“Look at my family, even,” Cameron offered. “I’m one male mage out of three mages in the last three generations of my family. Neither of my parents were mages.”
“The fact that the number has shifted so drastically over the past five centuries has to be in response to the war and our separation.” Gunter smiled at Tori. “I’d love to discuss this further with you so I can make some appropriate research notes.”
Tori must have let his nervousness show, because Cameron laughed. “Don’t worry, Tori. Gunter won’t try to dissect you down in his dungeon.”
Gunter glared at the mage, who only laughed harder. “The royal library is not a dungeon!”
“While it is grimly fascinating to hear how the clan has changed,” Alric interjected, as if attempting to head off an argument, “do you think anyone in your clan might be of a more open-minded perspective like you?”
“Umm…well, I think there might be a few, but they’ll be hard to find. Most people wouldn’t dream of speaking up against the elders of our clan. I don’t think any of them would even consider leaving like I did. You might find a couple of mages, but I’m not sure. I don’t want to make any promises,” he hedged.
Rodrigo flashed him another of his devilish smiles that caused Baldewin to growl possessively. He fully suspected the king of the Ice Dragons knew exactly what he was doing and was enjoying pushing Baldewin’s buttons.
“We are not holding you to any promises. You do not speak for those people. Only yourself.” Rodrigo paused and spread both his hands before him. “I will not lie and say we don’t hope to find at least a couple of mages who might fit among our people, but the time I have spent talking with King Alric has already been incredibly fruitful for both of our clans. If I must leave Alric’s lands without a mage, I do not see this trip as a loss. We have gained knowledge, and that will lead us to finding more mages for my dragons.”
Rodrigo might be a bit of a playboy, but he was clearly a wise leader. Some of the weight on Tori’s chest lifted, and he didn’t miss that even Alric seemed to breathe a little easier. From the corner of his eye, Cameron’s expression appeared to twinkle with new amusement. He’d noticed Alric’s relief as well.
“While all that is true, we would be remiss if we didn’t at least try to speak with the Taavi Clan. If we could provide them with the truth, many mages may find the mate and happiness they’ve been longing for,” Gunter added. “Even if we fail on our first attempt, we could at least open the lines of dialogue with them.”
“And they also need to know about the problem with the Jaeggi,” Baldewin added. “They might not listen to us, but they must be warned. Their people can’t be left vulnerable to attack.”