by Avril Sabine
“Did you figure out why yet?”
“Because you can’t help plotting and planning?”
“Because she interferes in your plans through her ignorance. And that in turn interferes with mine.”
“Can’t you do anything for someone else for a change? Just for them with no benefits at all for you.”
“No. There’s no point to it.” He hung up.
With a frustrated growl, Amber returned the phone to the bedside drawers. “You dragons are so annoying. Everything has to be complicated.”
“Without complications, life would be boring.”
“No it wouldn’t,” Amber muttered.
“Yeah, it would. Imagine a couple of hundred years of peace. What would you do with it?”
“Since I don’t know what peace is like, how would I know?”
Kade laughed softly. “Get some sleep. Or at least be quiet so I can. It’s been a long week with all the interviews I’ve held.”
“I didn’t know you’d been searching for warriors that long. What made you think trouble was coming?”
“You attract trouble like magnets attract metal.”
“I don’t.” Amber rolled over, her back to Kade as she lay on the edge of the bed, knowing he’d take up most of the space once he fell asleep and turned dragon. She didn’t attract trouble. Or at least she never used to. Not until dragons came into her life.
* * *
Jasper had not long left for the city, and they were all seated at the kitchen table having lunch, when Ronan appeared out of the Void. “I’ve arranged a talk.”
“What’s going on,” Donna demanded as Gary reached for her hand, which was resting on the table near her plate of sandwiches.
Ronan kept his gaze on Amber. “Be ready in an hour. No weapons allowed. Only the two of us can approach.”
“What are we offering in exchange for him?”
“It doesn’t matter right now. We’re only talking and sounding them out. And meeting your grandfather.”
“You’ll see my father?” Donna leaned forward.
“Can Mum come too?” Amber asked.
“No. It’s not a sight seeing trip,” Ronan snapped.
“I haven’t seen him since I was three-years-old.”
Ronan ignored Donna, his gaze remaining on Amber. “Remember, no weapons allowed.
“Why only two?”
“Two of them, two of us. We meet on neutral grounds and then we’ll discuss things. When the talks are ended, it’s time to leave in a hurry. That’s when the temporary truce is over.”
“But they won’t have any weapons.”
Ronan shook his head. “Have I taught you nothing? A dragon without weapons is never truly unarmed.”
“Neither am I.” She could do more damage with claws and fireballs than she could with any weapon.
“One hour.” Ronan returned to the Void, leaving arguments behind.
Amber tried to listen to what her mother had to say, but there wasn’t a single word she could agree with. Rising to her feet, she kept her eyes on Donna. “No one else can go. I have to do this. It’s the only way to keep us safe.”
“You’re a child. That man can’t expect you to go wandering around the countryside without my permission,” Donna said.
“Mum, it’s settled. Things are different. I’m not a kid, I’m a Dragon Mage.” She brought fire to one of her hands, snapping it closed to extinguish the flames a moment later.
“Being able to play with fire doesn’t make you an adult,” Donna said.
“I know. It’s the people who want me dead that make me one.” She regretted the comment the moment she saw her mother’s expression. It had obviously been the wrong thing to say to convince her.
Donna rose to her feet. “We’re leaving. I don’t care where we go. Maybe England.”
Amber laughed, a slightly brittle sound. “You don’t get it, do you? There’s nowhere far enough. Dragons go where they want.” She made a sharp motion with her hand when Donna started to speak again. “I have to get ready.” Striding from the kitchen, she headed for Kade’s room, closing the door and leaning against it. Besides grabbing a jacket to throw on over her vest, there was nothing else she needed to do, other than not have to listen to another argument.
Hearing movement in the hallway outside, she tensed, relaxing when mentally searching the hallway showed her it was Kade. Half opening the door, she leaned against it, staring at him. “How safe is this?”
“Completely safe until it’s over, but Ronan will get you out of there.”
“Are you sure? How do you know that one day he won’t decide that, word or not, he couldn’t be bothered?”
“Because he’d be dead. Everyone now knows that you’re his to protect. If you die and he’s there, he’ll be hunted until he’s dead. It’s our one law we all abide by.”
“Bloody possessive dragons.”
Kade grinned. “We keep what’s ours or die trying.”
“I miss my old life. It was so much simpler.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into all this, but I can’t say I regret having you here with me.”
Amber pushed away from the door, letting it swing completely open. She slid her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. “It’d be much better if someone wasn’t always trying to kill us.”
“We’re dragons. We not only want to keep what’s ours, but we want what’s our neighbour’s too.”
Hearing footsteps, Amber mentally searched and found her mother was headed her way. Stepping back, she dragged Kade into the bedroom with her, closing and locking the door.
“What’s wrong?”
“Mum’s coming this way. I don’t want any more arguments. I just need a bit of peace and quiet before I meet my grandfather.” A man who probably wanted her dead. As well as most of the people she cared about. She still didn’t know what to do about him.
Kade linked his fingers through hers, leading her to the bed where he tugged her down to sit beside him. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he drew her close. “I wish I could be there with you, but the rules are two from each party negotiating.”
“What can I expect?”
“It’s a large open circular area about half a kilometre across. Even though you can leave through the Void from it, you can’t enter it from the Void or speak to people in their minds. The paving stones prevent it.”
“What are they made of?”
“Similar to Ronan’s prison, but for some reason they not only prevent calls out, but also within.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. No one does. It could be the stone pillars that surround the place at intervals, but the only ones who’d know are the ones who built it and they all died centuries ago.”
“Does it have a name?”
“Feralenzi. It’s named after the dragon who first suggested we needed a safe place for negotiations between enemies.”
“And the dragons I’m meeting are my enemies?”
“They aren’t your allies.”
“But that doesn’t mean they’re enemies.”
Kade laughed softly.
Amber lightly hit his chest with her open hand. “Oh shut up. Bloody dragons.” Silence filled the room and Amber spent the time before Ronan arrived trying to think about what she could offer in exchange for her grandfather. Nothing came to mind. There was nothing she was willing to part with.
Ronan stepped out of the Void, to stand at the foot of the bed. “Time to go.”
Amber slowly rose to her feet, grabbing her jacket from the floor where she’d dropped it earlier. Shaking it out, she pulled it on. She turned to kiss Kade who’d joined her. “I’ll be back soon.”
Kade’s hand lightly brushed across her cheek. “Be careful and get out of there as soon as the meeting is done.”
Amber nodded, pulling away, her eyes still on him. She felt Ronan’s hand land on her shoulder, his grip tightening. Then she was in the Void, her world
reforming before her eyes as they stepped out of the Void to arrive at Feralenzi. She was so not ready for this.
With a hand at the small of her back, Ronan guided her between two large pillars of glossy black stone. Beneath her feet were large uneven pavers, grass growing between the cracks. The place was empty of everything but the stone pillars that surrounded it, the whole space stretching out around them.
Directly opposite, six men stepped out of the Void. Three disappeared immediately while the other three started to cross the circle towards the middle of Feralenzi. Amber couldn’t stop staring at the man in the middle. His hands were shackled in front of him, but his head was held high and his shoulders back, like he was the one in charge. Forty years of captivity hadn’t weakened Charles’ strength of character. Amber had a bad feeling that nothing would weaken this man. That he would never waver from his plan to eliminate all dragons.
They reached the centre of Feralenzi before the other group and Amber tested the area’s security. Kade had been right. There was no mentally reaching anyone outside Feralenzi let alone in it. Anything spoken here would be heard by everyone in Feralenzi and there’d be no mentally calling for help. She fought the urge to step closer to Ronan. The last thing she should do was show weakness in front of the people who had finally reached the centre.
Ronan lightly touched his chest. “Ronan.” He gestured to the side. “Amber.”
The man opposite Ronan touched his own chest. “Blair.” He gestured to the man next to him. “Charles.” Then a little further across. “Irvin.”
Both men were large, over six foot, and taller than Charles. Blair had swirling tattoos down both arms, bronze eyes and dark hair while Irvin had long blond hair tied back from his bearded face and green eyes with flecks of gold. They were dressed in black dragon-leather clothes. Long pants and vests.
“We have need of a captive from the Knights,” Ronan said.
“You’ve already mentioned that, but you haven’t said why,” Irvin said.
“Why will not be discussed. You are obviously willing to part with your prisoner for the right price or you wouldn’t be here,” Ronan said.
While the three men spoke back and forth, making very little progress as far as Amber could see, she studied them. Why hadn’t Ronan given her more information about them before they arrived? And why did he even need her here if there really wasn’t anything she could do or say? She wondered if the bronze in Blair’s eyes meant he was a Gold. Or the flecks of gold in Irvin’s green eyes meant he was one too. Other than seeing them in dragon form, was there any way to tell? Alsandair’s eyes were almost pure gold, but Kade’s were only a golden brown so maybe the eyes didn’t tell the full story. But, then if they were Gold, why had they needed someone to transport them through the Void? There was so much about dragons that she still didn’t know.
Charles spoke, interrupting Amber’s thoughts. “I knew a woman once with hair the colour of yours.”
Amber struggled to come up with something to say. All she could think of was photos of her grandmother when she was younger, her hair the same rich chestnut waves that fell around her own shoulders. She shrugged. “It’s a common enough colour.”
“The woman I knew would never have let dragons speak on her behalf.”
“People change. It’s been forty years since you’ve seen family and friends,” Amber said.
“If she has allied herself with dragons, that woman would be as dead to me as my son.”
Had her grandfather just threatened her? Did he know who she was? She was conscious of the dragons watching her. “We aren’t interested in your past, only how you can be of use to us in the future.”
“I’m a worn out old man, no use to anyone.”
“Quiet.” Irvin hit Charles in the back and he lurched forward, barely keeping his feet. “He’s valuable. If someone could break into his mind without destroying it, all the secrets of the Knights would be laid out for them.”
“How many have tried?” Ronan asked.
“None with great experience. We are only a small clan,” Blair said.
“A Goldless clan,” Ronan said.
Anger flushed Irvin’s face. “Our father is Gold.”
“Yet none of his offspring or his grandchildren are.” Ronan’s tone remained even. “Your clan would dissolve if your father was to die.”
Blair’s hand reached for the empty scabbard at his side. “Is that a threat?”
Chapter Nine
Ronan shook his head. “Merely an observation.”
“We are in negotiations for a Gold bride for one of our sons,” Blair said. “Our situation isn’t desperate and it has no bearing on these negotiations.”
“I’ve heard that the Gold bride you’ve been wooing has many suitors to choose from. You have eight sons between you both, don’t you?” Ronan asked.
“And a daughter,” Blair said.
“What if I could provide a possible Gold bride for you?”
“We would want a guarantee,” Irvin said.
“No guarantee. The raising of a female Gold and, if one of your sons could convince her when she is of age, a marriage,” Ronan said.
Amber wanted to ask where Ronan would get a young Gold female. Then she realised, she had two in her keeping. She wanted to tell him no. Wanted to bring an end to the negotiations. But she couldn’t, they had to maintain a united front. How long had he been planning this? Damn dragon couldn’t stop plotting and planning and keeping secrets from her. It was an effort to keep her expression neutral and her body relaxed.
“You could guarantee we’d have the complete raising of her?” Blair asked.
Ronan shook his head. “No. There’s likely to be conditions from the other party involved, but if you were willing to exchange your prisoner for the possibility of a Gold bride, I can start negotiations with the other party.”
“We’ll discuss this with our father,” Irvin said.
“Shall we say this meeting is at an end?” Blair asked.
“Amber.”
She met her grandfather’s sharp blue eyes.
“I wish I could tell that woman that mourning is for the weak. The only emotion of value in these situations is revenge.”
Revenge against who, she wanted to ask. Ronan spoke before she could think of a way to word her question.
“The meeting is ended.” Ronan grabbed hold of Amber and took them away, through the Void.
She looked around at the bathroom she’d never seen before. “Where are we? This isn’t Kade’s place. And I hope you weren’t thinking about Doneele or Paili’s egg when you were talking about brides. That isn’t going to happen.”
Ronan turned on a tap. “My place. And why isn’t it going to happen?”
“You can’t sell people.”
“I’m not. They’ll have complete freedom of choice.”
“No.” Amber glared at him.
Ronan shrugged. “Then I’ll ask Jasper.”
“No you won’t. They’re mine.”
Ronan laughed. “So you can’t sell people, but you can own them. How proud you make me feel of my teaching abilities at times. You’re becoming more of a dragon every day.”
Amber’s anger evaporated as quickly as it had come and she was unable to meet Ronan’s eyes. She didn’t want to be a dragon. She wanted to be herself, not something Ronan made her. “They’re not for sale.”
“They would treat either one of them like a treasure. For that is what Gold bloodlines are. A treasure everyone wants. Without it, you can’t rule.”
“You seem to manage.”
“No. Not where it matters. Without Gold you can only ever be on the fringes of power. Only Gold can become a Representative or any rank higher.”
“How would we know they’d treat them right? Doneele’s parents were renegades, no one would want her if they knew.”
“They won’t know who her ancestors are. You claim her as your own and her past will be irrelevant. And you don’t offer both of
them. Only one. Never give more than you need to in a negotiation.”
“How would we know?” Amber persisted.
“You could make it part of the conditions. Give them Paili’s egg. She hasn’t any attachment to you and won’t know the difference. Come on Amber, I added in the conditions for you, the least you can do is consider it.”
“It seems wrong.” She wanted to pace, but there was no room.
“That’s because you’re looking at it as a human. See it through dragon eyes.”
“How can I? I am a human.”
Ronan’s predatory smile appeared. “Are you?”
Amber pushed that disquieting thought away. “Yes.” Her voice was firm, her gaze steady. “I’m human.”
“Talk to Rian. He’ll tell you this makes sense.”
“I’d have to speak to Jay too. And probably Kade.”
“You don’t need to ask the entire world what they think. Your first warrior and your brother since they’re in his care. That’s more than enough.”
Amber nearly smiled at the way Ronan spoke the words ‘first warrior’. He’d told Rian he was an idiot not to give up that position now he co-owned land. “Maybe.”
“It is.” Ronan turned off the tap, stepped forward, grabbed Amber’s wrist and took her through the Void before she had a chance to protest.
They emerged at the entrance of Temolae Keep, the castle Amber shared with Kade, Flinn, Rian, Crystal and Jasper. “What are we doing here?”
“Making a decision before too many people know what we’re planning.”
Jasper stepped out of the Void with Alsandair, who sent Amber a grin and a wink before he disappeared back into the Void. Jasper faced Ronan. “You do know I have other things to do than be at your beck and call.”
“Alsandair’s working for you again?” Amber asked Ronan.
Ronan pointed at Jasper. “No you don’t.” His finger moved towards Amber. “Is there something I should know?”
Amber shook her head. Ronan had been known to kill those who annoyed him. She wasn’t about to risk Alsandair’s life. Not over a misunderstanding. “No. I was just surprised.”
“Good. Rian will join us in the planning room.” Ronan strode inside.