He gathered all the information he had on the planet in his mind and started asking questions, trying to make sense of what he knew from what he had seen so far. “So, you tell me there are three nations on this island, right? Have they ever been together under the same government?” he asked.
She frowned. “No, never and I’m not sure I would call them ‘nations.’ They are more like regions. Each village, city or town has its own independent government. Before the demons arrived, there used to be fighting all the time over the control of each settlement. Now, people are more interested in defending themselves from these creatures than fighting each other.”
“Are you sure of this? Not even centuries ago?”
“We have historical records with over five thousand years, and there’s no evidence of what you’re mentioning in any of them,” she assured him.
“How many continents do you know of?” he asked, more and more puzzled.
“We are in Europe, and there’s Africa and Asia. Never heard of any others. People from those parts are very wild and uncivilized, or so they say. We only hear about them from the merchants that bring us the spices and silks they buy in such places,” she explained.
That meant they hadn't discovered America or Australia, which shouldn’t be that surprising, considering they didn’t appear to have that much technology. But that didn’t make any sense with all he knew about the planet. It was as if the black hole had thrown them into a different planet, or more likely, an alternative reality.
He would have to investigate a bit more about “How do these merchants get to those continents?” he asked, looking for a way to get to the coordinates they had been given when they left home.
“They use carriages and boats, as far as I know.”
“How often do they come here?”
“Not as often as they used to, due to the demon attacks, but at least once a month we receive a visit from one of them,” she explained. “The last one was here a few days ago,” she added.
That meant he would have to wait a few weeks if he wanted more information on this place. And he did. He didn’t want to wander around a planet he knew nothing about, especially if it was being attacked by strange creatures he knew nothing about.
“I would like to talk to the next merchant,” he said with a slight frown.
“You’re welcome to stay for as long as you wish,” she offered, smiling. “I’ll appreciate the company, believe me.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind of you, but I can’t repay you for all your help.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll find a way for you to pay me. There’s a lot you can do to help around the house if you’re willing,” she suggested, smiling.
“Yes, I would love to be of use.”
“There you have it. Now, let’s get some rest. I’m sure you had quite a rough day, so you need some rest. With luck, we won’t be visited by the demons tonight, but if we do, don’t worry about it. As long as you don’t go outside, you’ll be fine.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
Fortunately, that night was a peaceful one. Kael was able to restore his energies, and when the sun came up in the sky, he was already in the kitchen helping Gwendolyn to bake some bread.
“You bake bread every day?” he asked her, realizing baking bread implied a lot of work.
“No, sometimes I just go to the bakery and buy it, but my bread is a lot better than his, so I don’t go there that often,” she explained, with a naughty grin.
“I can’t wait to have some of it.”
She had left the dough resting during the night, so that morning, she only had to put it in the oven. A few minutes later, the kitchen was filled with the fantastic smell of freshly baking bread.
She prepared some meat she called bacon along with some eggs and a good cup of coffee. He remembered his mother mentioning the beverage and how much she missed it and now that he tasted it for the first time, he understood why.
After they cleared the kitchen from breakfast, he turned to look at her. “If you don’t mind, I would like to go for a walk, to check the surroundings,” he told her.
“Don’t you think it’s too dangerous? If someone sees you, they will think you’re a demon,” she warned him, sounding concerned.
“I promise I’ll stay out of sight at all times. I just need to know what I’m up against.”
“Very well, just don’t take too long.”
“I won’t.”
“Perhaps you should use this.” She handed him a long, brown hood. It didn’t cover him completely, but it covered his head, hiding the features that identified him as a drogon.
“Thank you, it will be of great use,” he assured her before he left the house.
Kael waited until he was far enough from the house and into the forest, to drop the hood and stash it under some bushes. He wanted to fly over the village, and the hood would only be a hindrance.
He would have to fly high if he didn’t want to be seen by the people in the village, but that didn’t worry him. His sight, as well as all his senses, were acutely accurate and he could see perfectly over long distances.
Walking to a small clearing in the woods, he stretched the leathery wings on his back and flew away, as high as possible.
The village was quite small, with one main street and a few secondary roads. Kael was sure there weren’t more than a couple of thousand people in it, which was surprising, considering they had been able to stay independent from other villages.
There were a few houses scattered on the outskirts of the village, like Gwendolyn’s, but most of them were gathered around the biggest house in town, that he figured belonged to the ruler of the place.
His house wasn’t quite a palace or even a castle, but it sure was some sort of fortress, probably able to give cover to all the people in town.
Not willing to be spotted, Kael flew away and explored the area around the village.
They were surrounded by woods, but there was a river not far from it, explaining the local water source. Kael flew over the river until he spotted another village. He then turned around and did the same, in the opposite direction. The communities weren’t that far apart from each other, and they were practically identical, with their main street, and the houses gathered around a small fortress.
People mainly stayed in the village, but he could see a few wondering through the woods, probably gathering firewood or hunting. He had seen some good prey animals on his flight, and he guessed some people hunted them to feed their families.
He would have to ask Gwendolyn about the policies on hunting.
When he was returning to the village he was staying at, he noticed a small stream feeding the river with its clear waters. Curious, Kael decided to fly over the stream and see where it led.
A few minutes later, he was looking at a small waterfall that seemed to be the origin of the stream. It wasn’t very tall, but its water formed an inviting waterfall and apparently, someone else thought the same about it. A woman was bathing in it, and though she wasn’t naked, the wet fabric of her gown didn’t leave much to the imagination.
Too curious to fly away, Kael landed on a small clearing near the natural pool created by the waterfall and silently walked towards it.
The woman was still under the water, allowing the cold water to fall down her magnificent body. Used to the sturdy, muscular women from Zuvrak, watching this woman’s body stirred something inside him he wasn’t quite able to recognize.
She was short, probably only a bit over five feet, but her body was as curvy and voluptuous as they could be. Many would describe her as plump, but for him, her body was perfect, along with her wild, curly, dark mane and her fair skin.
She had her eyes closed so he couldn’t tell what color they were, but it didn’t matter. No matter what color they were, they would only enhance her overwhelming beauty.
All of a sudden, she stood still and opened her eyes, as if she had sensed she was being watched.
Kael considered walking away, but he couldn’t as he was entranced by the beautiful woman standing in front of him. Her eyes were the brightest green he had ever seen.
“Who’s there? I know there’s someone there. Show yourself.” she demanded, looking around, trying to find the intruder.
He wanted to talk to her, but he knew his presence would certainly scare her, so he didn’t dare to take the few steps that separated them.
Looking upset, the woman walked out of the water grumbling, and Kael walked away, not wanting to be confused with a demon. He would find a way to gain her trust before he allowed her to see his true self.