Jake's Justice, Book Three of Wizards (31 page)

“There will be wagons arriving soon,” Captain Assad told me. “But the King wanted to give the people who are already here something to take away. It is good politics.”

I nodded. I didn’t really want to talk to him as it felt like betraying Wilhelm.

Jenny took my hand and we stepped away from the queue. “This is wonderful, Jake. Now if we can find Urda and Anna, everything will be perfect.”

As if in response to these cheery thoughts, people started shouting and pointed up into the sky. I looked up and saw my dragon about to make a landing. When he started to skid on the snow I picked Jenny up and carried her out of the danger zone.

“You landed perfectly when we were with the elves,” I pointed out.

[It wasn’t snowing,] Fluffy replied defensively. He shook himself and we ducked as an avalanche of snow landed on us.

[Jake, the Representatives are being summoned to the Conference. When the call reaches us we will be materialized at the conference and will be incommunicado for its duration.]

What? Nobody had mentioned that to me.

“Jake’s children are due this week. He can’t go now,” Esmeralda said urgently. Jenny clung tightly to me as if to physically prevent me from disappearing.

“How long does the Conference last?”

Fluffy pulled his communicating face. He looked surprised. [The last Conference lasted five years.]

He began to fade and I could no longer feel Jenny holding onto me. The world became grey and I was hurtling through the mists of Hop Space.

The End

Jake Morrissey will return soon