He glances at her, apparently surprised by the comradely gesture. He thinks about his answer for a moment. It's a sensitive subject, in its way, but if they are going to be dealing with dragons and he's asking her to trust his judgment...

"I bear the aether of one within me... the remnant of a great wyrm's soul."

He stares at the ground ahead.

"I was taken as one's vessel for time, and his consciousness left this world when our spirits were still as one. It left with me... many things. His memories. His emotions. His power. The blood of dragons runs in my veins."