by Bianca D'Arc
“I apologize.” She paused, gathering her courage. “I brought the skiths here. Lucan was looking for me and attacked you because of it. I am deeply sorry.”
Stunned silence met her words until Estella spoke.
“How can you be so sure this was your fault? We don’t blame you.”
“Well, then you should. I know because Lucan spoke to me through one of the skiths.” Shocked gasps met her statement. “He directs them with his mind. He has power over them now, since he merged with them.”
“Merged?” Arabetta’s voice was grave with worry.
“Lucan is no longer human.” Grave silence met Nico’s announcement. “At least not completely. He’s part skith now. I saw it myself. He talks to them.” Nico stepped up behind Riki, standing close with her back against his chest, offering his support.
“And he talks through them,” Riki confirmed. “He sees through their eyes and was able to communicate with me through one of them.”
“What did he say?”
Riki shrugged. “He wanted me back. Or dead. No surprise there. I was the only thing keeping him alive and out of pain. Without me around to heal him constantly, he’ll be in agony.”
“So he’ll be looking for another healer,” Arabetta said shrewdly. “We must get the word out.” Nods all around the table confirmed the grave need to warn other healers. Riki hadn’t even thought of that, but it was an excellent idea. Still…
“Loralie told him he needed a special healer and that I was the only one in Skithdron.”
“A dragon healer, then,” Estella said without doubt, but Riki was shocked by her assumption.
“I’m not—”
Nico stopped her words with a quick squeeze of his arm around her middle.
“Oh, yes you are a dragon healer. Never doubt that, my love. It is a gift of your heritage. Female descendants of Draneth the Wise are usually able to heal dragons.”
“I had no idea.”
“And until this morning, you’d never shifted either, so don’t doubt it. You have much within you that you’re only just discovering. Personally, I’m going to love every minute of learning just who and what you are.”
Nico’s warm arm around her waist branded her, firing her blood, as did the sexy tone of his voice in her mind.
“What happened to the skith Lucan was using?” Estella’s question shocked Riki back to the conversation.
“I killed it.”
Silence met her words until Nico asked simply, “How?”
She turned in his arms and it was as if only the two of them existed. “At first I was so scared. I’m embarrassed to admit I considered jumping out of the tree to let the skiths have at me. At least they would give me a quick end, or so I thought. But then I thought of you, and I got angry.” She reached up to cup his cheeks in her hands.
Nico chuckled. “Thinking of me made you angry?”
“No.” She smiled at his teasing. “Thinking of Lucan threatening you—and me—made me angry. The fire bubbled up and before I knew it, flame came from my hand and fried the skith.”
“Sweet Mother of All!” someone at the table gasped, reminding Riki they had an audience.
Arabetta stood, her smile kind. “Can you show us, child? Can you direct your flame over there, for example?” She indicated the empty central fire pit in the big tent.
Riki tilted her head, thinking. “I don’t know, but I’ll try, if you like.” She stepped out of Nico’s arms and clear of the table, summoning the fire within her blood and trying to aim for the shallow pit filled with stones. The blue flame came forth, crackling against the stones, but not setting fire to any of the twigs that had been set for kindling. “It did that in the forest too. It burned the skith, but not the grass or dead wood.”
Riki stopped and turned back to the table, surprised by the nearly uniform looks of awe directed at her. Only Nico smiled, grinning from ear to ear as he watched her.
“It is as it was foretold,” Arabetta spoke at last, breaking the silence. “Her fire burns evil alone.”
The gathered Jinn whispered excitedly among themselves while Arabetta and Estella watched her with new respect in their eyes.
“I don’t understand. I mean, I know this is a strange development. I was shocked by it, but why are you so amazed. I thought the Jinn were comfortable with magic of all kinds.”
“Magic, yes,” Arabetta nodded. “It is part of our daily lives. But this kind of magic is something special, even for us. This magic could be our salvation in the fight to come.”
“Speaking of which…” Nico drew their attention away from her, thankfully. She had a lot to think about and was still uncomfortable being the center of attention. “If Lucan sees through the skiths’ eyes, he surely knows what’s happened and where we are. He’ll be sending soldiers to finish the job.”
Grave nods met his assessment. “We must disperse,” Estella said strongly and all nodded in agreement, “but before we do, we must arrange for your escape across the northern border and then into Draconia. We’ve also learned this day how badly prepared we are to fight as dragons. That has got to change. I’ve already sent a messenger to our people in Draconia. They will be meeting with your brother to bring him up to date on your travels and also to request training for our dragons in your Lairs.”
Nico nodded, a smile on his face. “Roland will be surprised, but all dragons are welcome in Draconia. Black dragons especially so.”
“Good.” Estella smiled as well. “Then you’ll enjoy the company of five of our kind on your journey home. They will act as honor guard, decoys, and emissaries to your land. You’ll leave tonight, as will all the Jinn. This Jinnfaire must be concluded with all possible haste and our people dispersed to avoid Lucan’s soldiers. It’s no longer safe for Jinn in Skithdron.” She addressed the leaders sitting around the big tent. “Spread the word to all the Brotherhood.”
Nico and Riki were among the last to leave, their parting with Drake bittersweet.
“Won’t you come home with us?” Nico asked his old friend, already knowing the answer.
“Not yet. Besides, you’ll make much better time without me along, and I can’t leave my instruments and my wagon.”
Riki stepped close to hug Drake, though Nico had to hold back his growls as Drake held her a little too tightly. “Thank you for all you’ve done.” She kissed his cheek.
Drake swooped in and kissed her lips, laughing when Nico tugged Riki out of his arms, effectively ending the kiss. Drake winked at her flushed face and she giggled like a carefree girl. The sound lightened Nico’s heart, and he forgave Drake’s outrageous behavior.
“We’ll all meet again. I promise you.” Drake shook the hand Nico offered, then surprised him by dropping to one knee. “Nicolas, I swore to serve you years ago as Prince and Spymaster to the King of Draconia. I renew my vow now to you as King-Consort of the Jinn Brotherhood. If ever you need me, just call. Any service I can perform, for you or your queen, I will do gladly.”
Nico felt the gravity of Drake’s vow, and the slight tingle of magic shooting from where their hands were still joined. He didn’t question the new title yet, though his thoughts were racing. Slowly, he placed his other hand on Drake’s shoulder and tugged him to his feet.
“I accept your oath, Drake, and welcome your friendship and service.” Formality done, he hugged the other man close, pounding him on the back once for good measure. When he released his old friend, his face was confused. “What’s this King-Consort nonsense?”
“Didn’t you realize? By marrying our Riki here, you became, in effect, King and Spymaster of the Jinn.” Drake laughed and winked at Riki, making her smile. “Your network has just increased five-fold, Nico. The eyes of the Brotherhood now report to you.”
“And who led them before?” Nico had a sneaking suspicion, but it needed confirmation.
“Why, I did, of course!” Drake laughed, setting Nico’s mind at ease. Taking over someone else’s network was risky at best, but if
the network was Drake’s to begin with, the situation just became a whole lot easier to deal with.
“Then you will continue, Drake of the Five Lands—Drake of Draconia—to serve as Spymaster for the Brotherhood of the Jinn.” Nico used his best formal voice even though his heart was light with laughter. “But you’ll have to let me know what’s going on now, of course.”
Drake bowed his head, all smiles. “Of course, my liege.”
“You sly dog. I’ve been trying to crack the Brotherhood’s spy network for years.”
Drake laughed. “Yes, I know.”
“And you’ve been leading me in circles, haven’t you? I ought to pummel you for that, my friend.”
“You can try,” Drake dared him, laughing all the while. “But think of it this way…you’ve finally got an in with the Brotherhood and it cost you nothing at all.”
Drake walked away then, leaving them with a smile and a wave as he jumped aboard his loaded wagon and drove out. He was whistling as he left them, waving as they waved back.
“He’s wrong, you know.” Nico pulled Riki into his arms as they watched Drake drive off. “It cost me my heart. But that’s a price I’m more than willing to pay.”
For someone who had only just discovered she could become a dragon that morning, Riki flew beautifully that evening as they took off with their five new black dragon friends for the north. Nico marveled at how quickly the Jinn had dispersed. One moment a giant gathering had filled the encampment, the next all that was left was a circle of smoldering skith corpses. Nothing of the Jinn remained. Even the grass cooperated, looking as if nothing had trod upon it in ages. The land was as pristine as it had been before the Jinn arrived. Only the dead skiths marred the beautiful forest landscape.
Their honor guard flew in formation, one in front, one on either side of Nico and Riki and two behind, guarding their backs. They hadn’t known at first what positions to take until Nico gently guided them into a formation used regularly in Draconia.
Of the five black dragons, two were female and three male. Of the females, one was about Riki’s age or perhaps a few years older. Her name was Kira and she flew to Riki’s side, quite obviously hoping to make friends with someone near her own age. She looked to be a fierce fighter as well. When she’d walked up, decked out in leather from head to toe just like a male warrior, Nico had taken a second look. Jinn women were known for their bright dresses and gold jewelry, but this girl was very different.
The other female was older and had a more mystical quality about her. Although she looked like she could handle herself in a fight, she had healer written all over her and Estella had confirmed she was, in fact, a seer as well. Zallra was her name and she had asked to come on the trip because of a vision she shared with none but Arabetta.
The men were all seasoned fighters, though Arabetta had confided to Nico that one of them, an older man named Seth, had quite a bit of magic at his disposal. The other two were twins named Jase and Jeffry. They fought as a unit both on the ground and in the sky. They of all the black dragons were the most likely to be able to fight well from the air, under Nico’s command, without much training. Nico was glad to have them and as they winged their way through the dark night over the northern border of Skithdron, Nico was glad to talk with them all and make friends.
Because all the skiths in the area had been herded to attack the Jinn, they crossed into the Northlands with relative ease. Only a few soldiers’ watchtowers had to be skirted or otherwise avoided, and all in all, Nico was surprised by how easily their escape from Skithdron had been accomplished. Still, they weren’t home yet. They had to traverse the cold northlands, heading for Draconia.
Nico decided their best bet was to make for the Northern Lair. It hadn’t been too long since Salomar’s defeat, so the area near the Lair should have been relatively free of obstruction. There were those diamond-tipped weapons to be wary of, though. Salomar might be gone, but his armies of brigands survived for the most part. Nico knew it was only a matter of time before a warlord or two rose to replace Salomar.
As night turned slowly toward day, Nico sighted the shining waters of Crystal Lake. They would be able to sleep the day away in a secret cove he knew there. Silently, he signaled to the contingent of dragons, altering their course slightly toward the lake. They followed his lead smoothly, having learned through the long night how to fly in formation as he had them rotate positions every half hour. It was the way he drilled young dragons and knights and it worked well with these black dragons too.
Riki, too, was flying better with each stroke of her wings. They stopped from time to time to rest, but she was keeping up, new as she was to flying. He felt pride in her, though Nico knew his bride was going to be very sore when they finally stopped for the day.
Still, it couldn’t be helped. Every step closer to Draconia was a step closer to safety and he had to take them as quickly as possible. Too much was at stake. Riki’s safety was paramount, but there were other considerations as well. Nico had learned much on this odyssey about the threat they all faced. Roland needed to know these things and word needed to spread to all possible allies. The safety of all lands was at stake.
“What’s that?” Riki asked in the silence of his mind. She was still getting used to her enhanced dragon vision, and had asked him several times what they were looking at from above as they passed over.
“Crystal Lake. We’ll stop there for the day to rest.”
“How close are we to the border with Draconia?”
“Not far now. Can you see where the rocks give way to trees just on the other side of the lake?” The first gray streaks of dawn were on the horizon, lighting it well for dragon sight.
“I can see some big brown blurs and some big green blurs, but that’s about it.”
He chuckled, sending a stream of smoke out behind them. “Well, you can trust me on this, the border is not far ahead, on the other side of the lake.”
“Then why stop on this side? Don’t you want to be in Draconia before we rest?”
“I’d love that, but it’s not possible for several reasons. First, the lake is much wider than it looks from here. It will take hours to traverse and we would be vulnerable to She Who Lives in the Lake should we try to cross it during the hours of daylight.”
“She Who Lives in the Lake? What’s in there? Some kind of monster?”
“Not a monster, exactly, but it’s better to cross under cover of darkness to avoid her notice. Also, the Draconian side of the lake is wild and mostly uninhabited. I wouldn’t trust Lucan not to have sent soldiers or skiths—or both—to harry us there. I also know a place on this side, which is well protected enough that we can sleep the day away in relative ease. We’ll stop here for the day, fish, eat, wash up and sleep, then cross the lake tonight, under cover of darkness.”
“And then what? I mean, where are we heading for after that?”
“Then we make for the Northern Lair. It’s not far past the lake. We should be able to land there before dawn. And won’t they be surprised to see us? Your sister roused them when she brought a wild Northern Ice Dragon home with her, but you’re bringing five black dragons. I think you’ve got her beat.” Nico chuckled, sending smoke out behind him, and Riki joined in, coughing a little as she got used to the workings of her dragon throat and the flame always kept banked within.
“I don’t care if I beat her at anything. I just want to see her!”
Nico moved to the left, riding the air currents as he led the rest of the dragons to the place he alone knew. Or so he thought. In the dim morning light, he could just make out a huge silver dragonet splashing around in the shallows…fishing.
“Tor, is that you?”
“Uncle Nico?” came the young voice piping through all the dragons’ minds. “Where are you?”
“Right above you, boy. We’ll be landing any moment. Is Lana with you? And Roland?”
“Yes. They’re sleeping in the tent. They always sleep so much nowadays.”
Nico chuckled at Tor’s artless words. He realized he’d better give his brother some warning since he was bringing company. Nico was careful to send his thoughts to Roland alone.
“Rol! Stop fucking your wife for a minute and come outside. You’re not going to believe what I’m bringing you as a present.”
The contingent of black dragons touched down as dawn kissed the sky. Six of them landed first, the last one circling behind, waiting her turn and working up her nerve. Riki chose her spot and aimed for the ground, closing her eyes at the last moment as she came in too fast and ended up tumbling ass over teakettle into the shallow part of the lake.
The shining silver dragonet was the first to come over, his diamond eyes sparkling as he laughed. Riki couldn’t hold on to her embarrassment when her antics so clearly amused the young dragon.
“Who are you?” she asked the big youngster.
“I’m Tor. You’re funny. You land like Lana.”
“Lana?” Hope rose in Riki’s throat as she looked around at the dragons, shifting to human form one by one. And then she noticed the small black tent and the woman stepping from it. “Lana!”
Riki’s heart broke open and joy filled her spirit. She stumbled out of the water, shaking off her big dragon body, thinking of her warm, dry clothing as she shifted form quickly to face the woman who was her twin.
“Lana?” she asked tentatively.
“Riki!” The other woman moved closer, then ran forward and pulled Riki into her arms, hugging her close. It was her sister. Her twin. Riki felt the two halves of their souls rejoining as they’d once been when they were children. “Riki!” Lana cried tears of joy, just as Riki did, the twins reunited and hugging each other close for long, long minutes.
“She looks just like Lana,” they both heard Tor whisper to the others some time later.
It was Lana who turned toward the big silver dragon. “Tor, baby, this is my sister, Riki. I told you about her, remember?” Lana turned to her sister and smiled. “Riki, this is Tor. My best friend and companion these past years. I never would have made it without him.”