Still, he was hardly in a position to point fingers. Uncle Virgil had never talked about Jack's own parents, and he had only vague memories of them himself.
But that hadn't stopped him from spending hours wondering what they'd been like, or fantasizing about how his life would have been different if they hadn't died when he was three.
And in every one of those daydreams, his parents had come out taller and kinder and more handsome and more important than any human beings could actually be.
Draycos and his half-mythical hosts were probably no different. "So what went wrong?"
Draycos started pacing again. "Our world was attacked by slavers," he said, his voice so low that Jack could hardly hear him. "They came from the stars, with fire and death and supreme arrogance. The Cark, they called themselves. They came seeking lives to steal. They saw us, and decided they wanted us."
"You fought back, of course," Jack murmured.
"With all the power and skill we possessed," Draycos said. "But in the end it was all for nothing. The slavers had strength beyond ours, and weapons far beyond those of the Dhghem. They captured many of us and our hosts and then returned to the sky."
The dragon paused again, his neck arched, his glowing green eyes staring off into the distance. "There are songs about our time of captivity," he said.
"One day, perhaps, I will sing one of them for you. For many years, many generations, we served the Cark as slaves. The K'da worked or fought for them, or guarded their slave auctions. Their Dhghem hosts also did some work, but mostly they were held hostage for our good behavior."
"Didn't they try to fight back?" Jack asked.
"Of course," Draycos said. "There are also many songs about those attempts.
But in the end all of them failed. The Cark were too strong, and too cunning.
Eventually, most of the Dhghem gave up and resigned themselves to their fate."
"Let me guess," Jack said. "The Cark decided they'd beaten you and started getting sloppy."
"You are very perceptive," Draycos said. "But even with relaxed attention, the Cark still watched them closely enough that a rebellion would never have succeeded."
He paused, staring through the wall again. "Well?" Jack prompted.
"Something happened that had never happened before," Draycos said. "Something no one had ever thought could happen. Completely by accident, we discovered that a
newly collected group of Cark slaves could serve as hosts."
"The Shontine?"
"Exactly," Draycos said. "They were thought to be poor soldiers, so the Cark used them as menial slaves."
He flicked his tongue around again. "Much as you and I have now become for the Brummgas."
"I get it," Jack said, nodding. "Because they were just simple slaves, they gave you the advantage you needed."
"What do you mean?" Draycos asked, turning his eyes on Jack.
"I mean, it's obvious," Jack said, suddenly feeling a little flustered. Even at the most relaxed of times, the dragon's stare was a little disconcerting.
"Slaves are treated like dirt, or like animals. But you can turn that to your advantage. As long as the Shontine behaved themselves, the Cark probably hardly even noticed them."
Draycos was still staring, but the tip of his tail was tracing out slow circles.
"Interesting," he said. "I do not think I have ever thought of it quite that way."
Jack shrugged. "It's the way I was brought up to think," he pointed out. "No one expects a seven-year-old kid to be able to pull the stunts Uncle Virgil taught me. And you already said they didn't think the Shontine could fight."
"True," Draycos said, still sounding thoughtful. "At any rate, the Shontine were eager to help. Together, we made our plans, and awaited our opportunity."
"Where were the Dhghem in all this?"
"Those who had not yet given up hope of freedom were part of the planning,"
Draycos said. "The others... we could not risk their knowing."
Jack grimaced. "Must have been tough for you."
"We did what we had to do," Draycos said. "Our opportunity came some months later when the Cark landed on a new world to collect fresh slaves. The inhabitants fought back fiercely; and in the battles, some of the best K'da warriors began to slip away."
"Faking their deaths," Jack said, nodding. "And of course, since the Cark were keeping tabs on the Dhghem, they knew that even if the K'da had just run away, they'd be dead within a few hours anyway."
"Correct," Draycos said. "Instead, the warriors slipped onto the bodies of the chosen Shontine, hiding beneath the long clothing they wore. And when the Cark finished their raid and lifted their ships into the sky, we struck."
He stopped, his back crest stiffening with memory. "It was a short battle," he said, his voice quiet again. "We were all aboard one ship, with all our strength gathered, and had the advantage of surprise. But even so we nearly lost the battle."
His tail lashed the air. "Someday I will sing you that song, as well."
"So now you had a ship," Jack said.
"Yes," Draycos said. "But there was no way to return home. We did not know the location, and it had been too long for the ship's records to be of any use.
We offered to return the Shontine to their world, but they were afraid other Cark ships would come looking for them and us. So instead we went in search of a new home where we could all live in peace and safety."
"All three groups of you?" Jack asked. "K'da, Shontine, and Dhghem?"
"That was our hope," Draycos murmured. "But for the Dhghem, sadly, the time of peace was all too short. Too many of them were lost in the final battle aboard the Cark ship, and there were no females left among them."
Jack winced. "Oh."
"Those who remained lived out their lives among us in peace and great honor,"
Draycos went on. "But when they died, it was the end of their line."
Jack felt a tightness in his throat. "So you and the Shontine made yourselves a
a
"
"Yes," Draycos said. "Still, we had many centuries of peace there. And though we now have been forced to flee, we also found friends and allies during our stay.
In balance, we have no cause to complain."
"If you say so," Jack said. " 'Course, that's never stopped anyone else."
Draycos seemed to draw himself up. "Perhaps not," he said firmly. "But a poet-warrior of the K'da must hold himself to higher standards. We must learn from our past, but we must not allow our history to write itself over the present. Our task is to create the future."
"Right," Jack said, deciding to take the dragon's word for whatever it was he'd just said. Did all K'da warriors talk like that, he wondered, or was it just Draycos? "So what part of the future did you want to create tonight?"
"We can only control that part immediately before us," Draycos said. "And our first task to that end is to rest and gather our strength."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Jack said, yawning. "You going to sleep, too, or haven't you finished pacing yet?"
"I have finished," Draycos said. Stepping to Jack's side, he slipped up his sleeve. "Thank you for listening. And thank you, too, for your words of wisdom."
"You're welcome," Jack told him, wondering what words of wisdom the dragon was talking about.
Maybe later he would ask about it. For now, any further conversation would have to be in the form of sleep-talking. "Pleasant dreams," he said, and scooched himself down to lay flat on the bed again.
Draycos might have said something back to him. But Jack was asleep long before he ever could have heard it.
CHAPTER 16
Her Thumbleness woke up five hours later, as preparations for the noon meal were underway in one of the smaller dining rooms. Naturally, she woke up bellowing for her new pet human.
Heetoorieef himself came to fetch Jack, getting a grip on the collar of Jack's harlequin outfit and hauling him up into a sitting position on his cot. He shoved a cup of something hot into his hands, ordered him to drink it, then crouched down and pushed the boy's shoes onto his tired feet.