FireDrake (9 page)

She was an ache in his heart that had never healed. Now, being near her again, he felt the happiness that had been missing from his life for so long. Now he felt complete. And it was entirely too dangerous a feeling.

He knew he still had to let her go when he left once more. This time though, the pain of separation just might kill him. He didn’t want to make it any harder on her, so he had to keep his distance. It was the only way to protect her.

“Are you going to stand there all day, or work up the nerve to actually go in?”

Lilla’s amused voice sounded through Drake’s mind. He turned his head to find the giant dragon who had been a second mother to him had somehow managed to sneak up on him in the wide hall. He’d been so distracted he’d been unaware of the massive creature’s approach.

“I’m not sure, Mama Lil.”
Drake shook his head, chuckling at himself.

“It won’t be so bad,”
Lilla encouraged him.
“You’ll see.”
Lilla moved closer and butted him in the chest lovingly with her head. It was a sign of affection and Drake returned it by rubbing behind her eye ridges in the way he knew she liked.

Without warning, the doors opened from within and Drake turned to find Ren and Elena there, watching him. Drake’s blue gaze shot back to Lilla, her head rising now as she shuffled through the door, pushing Drake along with her.

“You alerted Ren, didn’t you?”

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“Well I couldn’t let you stand out there in the hall all night while your dinner was
getting cold.”

Drake’s mother grabbed him in a fierce hug, having to reach up now, though they’d been about the same height when he’d left.

“Drake, my darling boy! You’re as tall as your fathers now, aren’t you?” Elena stood back to look at him, tears of joy in her beautiful eyes.

“Or maybe you just got shorter?” He couldn’t resist teasing her and she chuckled with that tinkling sound of joy he remembered so well. He’d always loved his mother deeply and the intervening years hadn’t changed that at all.

Ren grasped his hand and pulled him in for a quick hug. They were about the same size now, though Ren was just slightly shorter than Declan and now Drake as well.

“Come on in,” Ren invited. “Supper’s ready. We’ve been waiting for you.” Ren ushered him further into the oval chamber that housed the dragons’ large wallow. Arlis was there, gleaming and golden as ever, watching over Jenet who jumped up, spewing sand when she saw Drake. Within seconds she was at his side, rubbing her neck against him familiarly as she had when she was just a baby dragonet.

“I’m so glad you’re back, Drake.”

He didn’t have the heart to crush the hope in Jenet’s rare, heliotrope eyes. He scratched her scales and petted her neck. “It’s good to be back, baby.” Drake realized he meant it and the idea was startling. Never would he have thought his return would feel like this, though in the early years of his self-imposed exile he’d thought through the scene many times.

They walked together to the dining area, though Jenet remained outside the chamber itself, only craning her neck through the wide threshold, as did her parents. Declan was already seated at one head of the table, Ren took his place at the other, just as it had always been in their home. Drake’s stomach clenched as Declan rose, meeting his gaze.

“Be welcome, Drake.” Declan gestured to Drake’s seat and Drake moved forward a bit awkwardly, first to seat his mother, as politeness demanded, then himself. The dinner 62

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was already on the large table and Drake saw that his mother had indeed made all his favorite dishes.

“This looks really wonderful, Mother. Thank you.”

Declan cleared his throat, then said a quick, respectful prayer to the Mother of All to thank Her for Her bounty. Drake was shocked when his gruff blood-father added a line of thanks for returning their son to the family.

They began the meal in awkward silence until finally Drake couldn’t take it anymore. There were things he wanted to say—things he needed to say to these people before they could begin to truly be a family again—if that’s what they all really wanted.

For himself, Drake wasn’t so sure. He had his own life now and it was a good one. He was well-known and respected in the five lands he claimed as home. He’d done good service for his true homeland and would continue to do so, regardless of how things stood with his family.

Drake set down his fork, his thoughts churning.

“Don’t you like the green beans?” His mother watched his plate as carefully a she had when he was six and tried to con Jenet into eating his vegetables when his mother’s back was turned.

“No, the beans are fine, Mother.” He sent her a reassuring smile. “But there are a few things that need saying.”

Everyone at the table set aside their utensils, Declan last of all. The knight raised his blue eyes and met Drake’s gaze across the breadth of the table.

“You’re right, son. Say your piece.”

Drake’s back went up, just as it so often had when he was younger. He didn’t need Declan’s permission to speak, but with the wisdom of years, Drake reined in his hot temper. He recognized the bold, dominant streak in Declan that he’d come to know in himself over the years. They both shared the need to be the alpha male, which was probably why they’d clashed so much as Drake grew into a man.

“Thank you, Father.” Drake nodded, glad to see Declan start a little with surprise at his measured tones. “First, I want you to know that I’m only back for a short time. I have www.samhainpublishing.com 63

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responsibilities in other lands and most especially to the Jinn Brotherhood. They took me in and I’ve worked behind the scenes with them for a lot of years.”

“I don’t know much of the Jinn,” Ren said quietly, his eyes narrowed in thought,

“but I have heard they are more than they seem. Nico already told us you’re more than just a traveling minstrel. He told us you were Spymaster of the Jinn.”

Drake was surprised. He could count on one hand the people who knew his true position among the Jinn Brotherhood. Nico, as King-Consort of the Jinn was his only superior. In a way, Drake was now Spymaster to the King of the Jinn, if the Brotherhood used such titles. It was a high honor and a weighty responsibility. To be the master of all the Jinn spies was daunting, to say the least, for every traveling minstrel among the nomadic Jinn was a spy of one sort or another.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised Nico told you, but you must realize how important it is that you keep my true position to yourselves.”

Declan scoffed, but with a good-natured smile Drake had rarely seen from his stern blood-father. “That goes without saying, son. None of us would ever compromise your safety or your mission.”

Drake let that thought settle in his mind for a moment. This wasn’t going as he’d expected, but perhaps it was better than he ever would have believed. His family seemed to not only accept the path he’d chosen, but to take some measure of pride in his elevated status. They actually seemed proud of him.

Slowly, Drake nodded. “Well, you’ll understand that because of my position, I can’t stay in Draconia for long. There are contacts I must make and keep outside these borders.

Drake of the Five Lands has built up a certain reputation and a very large network that I must uphold.”

His mother sighed. “Your fathers expected no less, but now that you’ve come home for a visit, I hope you’ll return more often. I know Jenet wants you here as much as possible. As do I.”

Drake reached out to cover his mother’s small hand with his own. “I can visit, of course, but I can’t stay. There is much work to be done.”

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“I get the idea you never would have returned if there weren’t some grave plot afoot.” Declan spoke shrewdly, his sparkling blue eyes narrowed on Drake. “Can you tell us?”

Drake shrugged as he thought fast. Of all the knights, Ren and Declan were ranked among the highest. If there was a threat to the royal family, they would need to know.

“I can tell you this. There is a substantial threat to the younger princes, the twins in particular. I thought it real enough to return here after all this time to warn them myself.”

Jenet’s head loomed over the family dinner table.
“We’ve already taken
precautions,”
she said in soft tones, including them all in her thoughts
. “None of the
royal family will be without escort until we determine the seriousness of the threat. We’ve
devised a schedule. Nellin is with Wil right now. Jurak and Elinar are with the younger
twins. They and their knights will sleep in the royal suites tonight and we’ll switch off in
the morning. Roland and Nico refused guards, but we’re watching them anyway.”
She chuckled in her dragonish way, a little wisp of cinnamon-scented smoke rising above the table.

“You’ve been busy, sweetheart. Good work.” The approval in Declan’s voice made Drake start. Dec had indeed mellowed in the past fifteen years. He’d never spoken so gently in his life. Or perhaps Drake had just never recognized the deep caring in Declan’s otherwise harsh voice.

“Is there anything we can do?” Ren leaned forward, seeking Drake’s counsel in a way that surprised him. Roles had certainly reversed in the past fifteen years. His fathers were both looking at him the way his men often did—with respect and a willingness to listen and follow direction. It was a jarring, heady feeling.

“Having the dragons keep an eye on them is a good first step, but the information I have indicates the threat is greatest here, in the capital city and the castle. I recommended to Roland that his younger brothers either be confined here in the castle with multiple guards or dispersed to the outlying Lairs where the number of people going in and out can be controlled.”

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“What is the nature of the threat, exactly?” Declan asked from the head of the table, all business now.

“Abduction.” Drake’s simple statement caused a stark reaction from everyone but Jenet. She’d heard his full report to the king and knew already what was at stake. “What my spies have heard indicates King Lucan of Skithdron wants to capture one of the royal princes. They say it has something to do with his own transformation and I fear he wants a half-dragon subject to experiment on. Nico and Riki saw first-hand what Lucan’s done to himself.”

“What’s he done?” Drake’s mother wanted to know, a fearful curiosity on her delicate features as she looked from one man to the other seated around her table. “What haven’t you told me?”

Ren’s eyes were grim, but he nodded at Drake to do the honors.

“King Lucan cut a deal with the northern warlord, Salomar. Lucan would ship diamond blades northward in return for two things. First, he wanted access to the North Witch, Loralie. He asked her to merge him⎯bodily⎯with the skiths that inhabit his land.”

Elena gasped, shock and horror on her lovely face. Skiths were giant, venomous, snake-like creatures that killed all in their path. The only thing they were afraid of was fire, but even a dragon could be felled by their acidic venom spray and vicious bladed teeth. They weren’t of very high intelligence and tended to be lone creatures, but just recently the king of Skithdron had found a way to mobilize and organize the skiths of his land into a sort of army.

“But that’s crazy!” Elena’s whispered words reached Drake’s ear and he squeezed her small hand in reassurance.

“Lucan is insane. He’s half skith now. It’s the reason he chained Riki at his side. He made her heal the constant injury to his body caused by the skith venom and blood, as the process of change continued. Without her healing power, he would have died at the very beginning of the transformation. We all assumed after she escaped he’d die a very slow and painful death, but he’s still alive. My scouts confirmed it only a day or two ago.”

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Drake ran one frustrated hand through his hair. “Either he’s found a new healer somewhere—poor soul—or he’s beyond the point in the change where he needs constant healing.”

Declan sat back and all eyes turned to him. “What was the second thing Lucan bartered with Salomar for?”

Trust his father to remember the details. Drake would have smiled had the situation not been so grim. “Safe passage to the far north for search parties. Salomar didn’t know what Lucan was looking for, other than some magical artifact, but some of my sources claim it was something from wizard times.” Lilla reared up, as did the other dragons lying in the warm pit of sand some feet distant, but they said not a word, just listened intently while Drake continued. “One of my informants heard a name, but I don’t trust the man completely and I only have his word on it.”

“What was the name?”
Arlis’s great golden head loomed near, over his knight’s shoulder. There was urgency in his tone.

Drake surveyed the dragons, realizing there was something more here than met the eye, but he’d have to wait for a better time to ferret out just what the dragons knew. For now, he had bigger fish to fry and two princes to keep safe.

“The man spoke of something called the Citadel. He said that’s what Lucan’s men were looking for in the far north, but he didn’t know whether or not they’d actually found anything.”

The dragons bristled, but remained silent.

“Does this mean something to you, Arlis?” Declan asked of his dragon partner, suspicion in his gaze if Drake was reading his blood-father’s expression correctly.

“It could,” Arlis hedged, surprising Drake, “but we must seek the Dragon Council. I will call them together tomorrow at first light. We must confer on this development before deciding how to proceed.”

Drake knew both Arlis and his mate were senior members of the Dragon Council.

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