“So, what? She had a dragon baby and all hell broke loose?”
“No. She never had the child. She was killed.”
Cora’s smile faded. “That’s awful.”
“Someone saw a winged creature with red scales hanging around her home. When the news hit that she was with child, the hysteria started. Her village became convinced she’d been impregnated by the devil or some other demon. They accused her of witchcraft and murdered her.” Stig drew lazy shapes on the tabletop. “That’s how the war began.”
“Her family…?”
He nodded. “Her brother, a blacksmith, forged a sword that he prayed over and imbued with the blood of his murdered sister and his own tears. He used that sword to kill the dragon.”
She hesitated. “Did you know that dragon?”
“No.” Stig picked up his coffee mug and took a long drink. “That was before my time even. That dragon, Sixtus, had an older brother, Ignatius, who founded the Brotherhood of the Green Hide to avenge his brother.”
“Avenge what?” she dared to ask. “Both families were in pain and hurting. Why not just let it go?”
Stig shrugged. “Why did the Hatfields and McCoys let the theft of a pig lead to the ugliest blood feud in the history of this country? It was a different time, Cora.”
“And now you’re all locked in this vicious war? The rules you talked about, the ones about where you can fight, is that why this feud keeps going? I mean, if you can’t attack them when they’re vulnerable and vice versa…”
“It’s part of the problem.” He paused and wondered if he should continue. “I’d considered asking Hector to accept a position as my claviger.”
“But?”
“I waited too long.” There was no hiding the sadness in his voice. For the rest of his life, he’d always wonder if taking Hector under his wing, so to speak, might have saved his friend’s life. “I wasn’t sure whether I wanted another claviger. I haven’t had one in such a long time.”
“Do the other Brothers have them?” Cora started gathering up their dirty dishes, so he rose to help her.
“Some do. It’s one of the traditions falling by the wayside. Now that we have the benefit of technology, we don’t really need someone standing outside our cells keeping guard.”
“So the death of a human woman started your war but you relied on humans for protection in your weakest times?”
Stig smiled. “Our fight isn’t with all humans. We’re just concerned with descendants of the original family. They’re the only ones who can wield the swords that can slay us.”
“Swords?”
“Yes. We’re incredibly strong and impervious to most other weapons. At one time, there were nearly fifty of them. We’ve found and destroyed all but seven. We know a handful of other swords were melted down to make other weapons. My time in Afghanistan and Iraq actually allowed me to hunt down two swords and some useful first-person accounts of battles between dragons and Knights that had been lost to history.”
“A gun won’t hurt you?”
“Not in dragon form, no. In this human form?” He ran a hand down his chest. “I can be severely wounded but that’s about it.”
With a pensive expression on her face, Cora rinsed off the plates. “You know the story of St. George that they teach in Sunday school?”
“I’m somewhat familiar with it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a smart-ass.”
He laughed. “What about it, Cora?”
“Was he one of the descendants?”
“He was,” Stig confirmed. “The sword he used, Ascalon, is still missing. It’s the first sword and the most powerful and dangerous.”
“Um, speaking of dangerous things, what about me?”
Stig frowned. “You?”
“I’m human, Stig. Is that…is it a problem?”
He wanted to lie but couldn’t. He couldn’t keep any more secrets between them. “It might be.”
“Might be?”
“When I swore my oath to the Brotherhood, I also swore to stay away from human women. Other dragons have taken human brides but never the Brothers.”
“So we—”
“Are fine,” Stig said firmly. “We’ll figure it out, Cora.”
She looked like she wanted to argue with him but didn’t. On the way back to the table, she dragged her fingers across the basement door. “Without a claviger, you’re all alone, Stig. What if something goes wrong down there? You’d be stuck until morning.” Concern clouded her eyes. “Do you have some kind of backup plan when you’re in the chains?” She chewed her lower lip. “Maybe I could be your claviger.”