Dimitri paid him no mind. “But I let you grow. In the world of men. Where they are cold and careless and plot the most calculating plots they can to ensure their survival. They think only for themselves and not about the suffering of others. You see, Sam, it’s only about power.”
I thought back to Morgan and the way he’d evaded my questions. “What is it?” I asked, curious.
“Your Prince was taken by a dragon, yes?”
This wasn’t guarded information. It was all the City of Lockes could speak of in the days before we’d set out. “He was,” I said.
“And now you journey to bring him back,” Dimitri said. “His knight and his would-be wizard.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Don’t you wonder, though?”
Games, games, games. “About what?”
“About where it came from. Why now?”
I wanted to play his game too. “You would have experience with dragons, wouldn’t you?”
He looked agitated. “Careful, apprentice.”
“The Great White. I’ve heard the stories. Tell me. When did you last see him?”
“He is not your concern,” Dimitri said. “Gods have little time for mortal men.”
“But he’s not a god,” I said. “His clock ticks just like yours and mine. It may tick slower and longer, but it still ticks.”
“He’s not—”
“You haven’t seen him, have you?” I said.
Dimitri was silent.
“Is he dead? Is that why this new dragon is here?”
“No one understands the minds and wills of dragons,” Dimitri said.
“Including you.”
Dimitri’s smile returned. “The Dark Woods are deep. I can see far.”
“How far?”
“Your human mind could never understand.”
Dealing with fairies was an exercise in frustration. Everything went in misshapen circles. “Specifics.”
“I am specific. You’re just choosing not to listen.”
“And you’re choosing to speak in vague riddles.”
“The dragon is north,” he said. There was a bitter set to his jaw. “Where the Dark Woods end before the mountains rise. In the hills there is a keep, long forgotten. The road from Meridian City will lead you there. When you reach the village of Tarker Mills, head toward the mountains. There is a valley. You shall find your keep there.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why would you help us?”
“You demand answers and when I give them, you question me?” he asked.
“You never do anything without a price, Dimitri.”