“Since he does not speak of it, we should respect that privacy and not mention it again, either,” he said. At her nod, he added, “Come on, we’ve spent enough time by ourselves that the others are probably getting worried. We had better get back and be on our way again.”
As if on cue, Geneva said, “Brock wishes to know if you are all right, Love.”
“I am fine,” he replied. “Tell Brock that Rita and I are on our way back to the clearing and we will be leaving soon.”
The winds had shifted and the dragons were able to soar for most of the afternoon. Since they were making good headway, and they all wanted to get to Larimar as soon as possible, they stopped briefly for a cold meal after about five hours and then flew long into the night. When they finally stopped to rest, it was near midnight, and no one even bothered trying to make camp. They simply divested the dragons of their saddles and packs before pillowing their heads on their Bond-mates’ feet and went to sleep.
The changing red hues told him that he was in the Dream State. He looked around and saw some dragons soaring. He just stood next to Geneva and, together they watched for a while.
“We have company, Love,” Geneva said.
Delno sensed more amusement in her voice than annoyance, so he knew it wouldn’t be an unwelcome interruption. A dragon materialized into view, and he immediately recognized the light blue female and the blonde rider.
“Brother,” Will said, “isn’t this place amazing? This is only my second time here, but I am completely thrilled with the place.”
“Yes, I have been here often, but I am always taken by the beauty and serenity.”
Will turned to watch the other dragons soaring for a few moments. They stood shoulder to shoulder, and Delno suddenly felt closer to his younger sibling than he had ever felt before.
Will turned to him suddenly and exclaimed, “Standing here in all of this beauty while watching the dragons soar, I almost forgot I came with news. Six more un-bonded dragons—they really do prefer that term over calling them wild—have joined our cause. They showed up and presented themselves to Nassari, who was drilling the new Riders on the plain the afternoon of the day you left. Two of them wished to be bonded, and they each chose one of the two candidates who weren’t picked the first time. Nassari saw to the whole thing, and he has them ‘settled in and geared up,’ as he put it. He really has taken charge; I never would have thought of him as being so capable.”
“That is good news,” Delno said smiling. “Tell me though, what of Saadia? Is she close to laying those eggs? Gina laid her eggs early. I understand that dragons can tend to misjudge the time of the laying if it is their first clutch.”
“I believe I have misjudged my time,” Saadia spoke from close behind him.
“I’m sorry, Saadia, I didn’t mean to speak of you as if you weren’t here. I thought you might be communing with the other dragons and didn’t want to disturb you,” Delno said, thinking he might have offended the dragon.
“I was a bit perturbed, but your reasoning is most courteous, so I forgive you,” Saadia replied good naturedly. “I do believe now, and my mother concurs, that the signs are showing that my quickening will come sooner than I expected. I will probably lay these eggs within the next few days.”
“Then we will make sure that you are comfortable for the event. I will speak to the king personally about it when we arrive in Larimar.”
“You are most generous, Delno Okonan, I thank you.”
Delno bowed at the formal compliment.
“How are your magic studies coming, Brother?” he turned to Will.
“Nassari and I have been reading and practicing quite a bit. It’s funny, for someone who claims to have so little connection and knowledge of magic, he certainly takes to it well enough.”
“Well, Brother, that probably has something to do with him having a strong bond with a lineage holder.”
“A lineage holder? Wanda? That certainly explains a bit. Now I understand why he struts around the practice field like a drill instructor . . . and why we obey him so willingly.”
“Practice field?” Delno asked, somewhat amused.
“Oh, yes, he has us all up at the crack of dawn with practice blades in our hands studying with the weapons masters. After that, it’s magic practice, where he and I drill the others on what we’ve learned. Of course, he pushes himself harder than he pushes any of us. In fact, by the time we all arrive on the practice field, he is already there and has been practicing for an hour or so.”
“It sounds like he is filling in for me quite adequately. I’m glad to hear that none of you has neglected your studies in the three days of my absence. I worried that if I had been gone longer, you might have slipped into complete laziness,” he joked. “Now, of course, it looks like I shall have to ask Nassari’s permission before I commandeer any of his troops.”
Both brothers laughed, and then Will said, “Well, Brother, dawn comes early, and I must be ready for training, so I will leave you now. See you when you get back.” With that he faded from view.
“Nassari certainly seems to have changed for the better,” Geneva observed.
“Yes, I always knew that he was a good man deep down. He has always been sensitive and driven to succeed, but that public face he cultivated kept most people from seeing it. He may be just the lieutenant that I have been looking for. With him and Brock, I will have enough leaders among the bonded pairs to keep our attacks and defense coordinated. With Sheila as commander of the wild—excuse me, un-bonded—dragons, we will be able to fit them in as part of a cohesive whole. All in all, we will take a formidable force to Horne when we go.”
“I hope it is enough, Love.”
“So do I,” he responded, “I have one last thing I want to try for, and then we will be off, and the game will be in play.”
“Care to fill me in on that little bit of information, or are you still keeping secrets?”
“I think I will keep this one to myself for now, Love. I know you won’t betray me, but there is just something that seems right about keeping my own counsel this time.”
“All right, but I can’t help you if I don’t know what you are doing.” She tried not to sound upset and almost succeeded.
The next morning Delno was up before anyone else. He spent the time writing a letter. When everyone else was awake, he called them all together and made an announcement.
“Lawrence is not going to Larimar with us. I have an urgent task for him that requires he fly to Palamore immediately. The rest of us will continue to Larimar; if we leave quickly, we should be there by this afternoon.”
The rest of the group exchanged glances, but no one asked what this was all about. Brock, Craig and Rita busied themselves with packing and saddling the dragons for the remainder of the trip. Delno took Lawrence aside and handed him the letter.
“You are to take this letter to Jhren in Palamore. You are not to get involved with any of the Queen’s plans or schemes while you are there. If she tries to get you to do anything or go anywhere, you must simply apologize for not being able to do as she asks. Tell her that you have specific orders from me and cannot do otherwise.”
“What are my specific orders, other than delivering the letter to Jhren?”
“Very simple: make yourself available to Jhren and do as he tells you.” As Lawrence nodded, Delno added, “You do whatever he tells you, including taking him where he tells you to go. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t understand, but I do know that I am to follow Jhren’s orders,” the man said with a puzzled look.
“Good, you have no need to know more for now. Just remember that Jhren is in charge.” Delno then waited until Lawrence mounted before adding, “You may feel better knowing that this isn’t just make-work, Lawrence. This is a vital task I have set for you. Jhren will probably need you to transport him soon after he has read that letter. Go now, and don’t let anything or anyone distract you from your task.”
Lawren
ce nodded once, saluted, and then Rhonna launched into the air. Delno watched until he could no longer see them before he turned and walked back to the group. They all mounted up and took off. Everyone remained quiet for the rest of the trip and he was grateful for the solitude.
Chapter 29
“Well, Love, that was a short trip. The stones of the wall are almost still warm from where I was resting before we took off.”
“I know you have done quite a bit of flying recently, Dear Heart, but we still have much to do.”
“Yes, but unless you intend we do it right now, I am going to lay here on the wall and rest while you handle the human end of our situation!”
Delno laughed out loud. “You rest, Love, I will call if I need you, but I promise to only call if I need you.”
“Is Geneva getting settled all right?” Rita asked. “Fahwn is a bit grumpy. She says it is because we pushed them so hard on the trip, but I think she likes it in Orlean better than she likes it here.”
“Geneva isn’t exactly grumpy, but if I were one of the guards here on the wall, I’d walk softly while she’s resting,” he replied.
“”Well, they don’t have any more to complain about than the other dragons do,” Brock observed as he joined them. Leera had taken a place on the wall nearest to Geneva, automatically fitting into that place reserved for a trusted second in command. “Leera and Torin have spent a good deal of time flying over the last couple of weeks, also.” Then he turned to Delno and added, “It might be a good idea if we give them a few days to rest and eat before we head south.”
“I was thinking the same thing, but also think that the exercise is good for them.” He held up his hand to forestall protests from either Brock or Rita. “I know you wish to defend your dragons and tell me that they are hardworking, but they are not in nearly as good shape as the wild, excuse me, un-bonded dragons who have joined us.” Again he had to stop them from speaking up. “At least, they weren’t before we started all of this. Look at Torin. She’s the newest member of our team and, though she put a brave front on it and didn’t complain, she was barely able to keep up with Geneva on the trip from Orlean, and Geneva set a light pace because she was along. We have pushed our dragons hard, and they sometimes complain about it, but show me a soldier who doesn’t complain about the physical exertion expected of him. They are in better physical condition because we have pushed them to do more than would normally be expected of them.”
Rita was thoughtful but Brock was simply staring at him with his mouth hanging open.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked Brock.
Brock had to visibly shake himself to break the spell that had come over him. “Because, my friend, for a minute there, the way the light was playing on your features and the tone of your voice, I thought that I was looking at and listening to your grandfather. Many was the time that he railed against dragons and Riders neglecting physical conditioning in favor of a more sedate life style. He gave me the last couple of lines of that speech nearly word for word many times.”
Delno smiled. He wasn’t sure why he liked being compared to Corolan so much. He knew his grandfather was a good man and a great Rider, but he had never met him, that he remembered anyway. However, he always felt a real sense of pride when one of the older Riders compared him to the man, but it wasn’t just pride: it made him feel more kinship with his grandfather, and that made him somehow feel less alone as a leader.
“Well,” he said in a softer tone, “when we get to Horne, we will be facing dragons and Riders who have kept hidden for the most part. Hopefully, they have been letting themselves get slack, and our physical training will give us another advantage.”
“I hadn’t thought about that, Handsome,” Rita was never one to be left out of a conversation for long. “I was just getting a little bit annoyed that you were pushing us so hard. I hadn’t realized that part of your motivation was to give us a physical advantage over our enemies.”
“It really is part of my upbringing and military training,” he replied. “Here in the north, the climate is harsh and can kill you if you aren’t prepared for it. Not just the cold either; the whole country is just reluctant to give you a living: you have to scrape that living out forcefully. Children are pushed hard to achieve, both mentally and physically. In fact, the children of Corice are some of the best educated in the known world. Then the army’s training regimen is big on stamina as well as weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The Battle of Stone Bridge that I am so famous for was won partly due to the bravery of the men who fought there, but also due to the fact that we were able to fight on longer even though fatigued because of the emphasis on building stamina in the Corisian Army. Since it has served me so well in the past, it is only natural that we prepare ourselves in a similar manner now. Because we all mesh so well together, I tend to forget that we all come from such different backgrounds. I guess I should explain my actions more often.”
“You are the commander, and we have accepted that, so perhaps we shouldn’t question you so often. What you say makes good sense,” Brock responded. “It is always better if we and our dragons can outlast our opponents as well as out fly them.”
“Well, you’ve done pretty damn well by us up to this point, Delno,” Rita said seriously. Then she smiled and added, “You lead, Handsome, I’ll follow.”
“Well, I may understand why you are pushing us so hard, Love, but Brock is right about one thing. At this level of exercise, I am going to need to eat soon. Please remember that when you speak with your uncle.”
“I will remember, Love. I will try to have enough food beasts for all who are hungry available by the time you have finished resting.”
Craig joined them and Delno said, “I suppose it’s time I take you and Brock to meet the king.”
The “palace” wasn’t all that palatial; it was originally built to house the officers of the garrison that protected the docks, and the city sort of grew up around it. Once Larimar became the capitol, the building was taken over by the royal family and had been called the Palace ever since. It consisted of kitchens, the main hall, a couple of small offices, the main dining hall, the king’s private dining hall, and the library, as well as fifteen small apartments. It did have indoor plumbing for both the refreshers and the baths. While the mountains in Corice were rich in gold and other minerals, the Corisians weren’t people who squandered their wealth. They preferred to use the money to take care of their people rather than build elaborate government structures to impress visitors.
Delno led Brock and Craig into the main hall while Rita went to check on the children. Dorian was easy to find. He was, as usual, dealing with some city council members in the main hall. The conversation was on one of the very subjects that Delno needed to speak with his uncle about.
“Why does Corice, and the city of Larimar in particular, have to bear the brunt of feeding those colossal beasts?” one of the council members asked in a nasally voice.
“Partly because those ‘colossal beasts,’ as you put it, are responsible for the kingdom of Corice still owning the city of Larimar. We owe them our freedom and most likely our lives.” Dorian responded tiredly as if this subject had worn thin from over use.
“Well, they are now just lying in the open field or perched on the walls like stone gargoyles doing nothing. Couldn’t they go somewhere and hunt for their food?” the man responded.
“They could,” Delno said coldly, “but if they all hunted locally, the area would be so depleted of large game it would take years for the deer and wild pig population to recover.”
The councilman was startled by the unexpected appearance of the Dragon Riders. He looked to the king for support and found none.
“Also,” Delno continued, “dragons usually only eat three to four times a year. Sometimes they will feed more if they are working hard enough to need the extra food. By nature, dragons are quite frugal with their resources. Most of the dragons who are here have not fed and will not need
to do so for quite some time. By the time they do need to feed, they will most likely have finished fighting your war for you and returned to their own lands so that they won’t over burden this area. They know how to be good guests even if you aren’t willing to be a good host.”
He knew that saying that last bit would further alienate the man, but he was sick of the whining about providing for loyal allies, especially when they came in answer to his call for help, not because they saw the opportunity for a free meal.
“You have no right to speak of what we should do here in Corice,” the councilman spat. “You are one of them. We have our own problems, and you swoop down and add to those problems by burdening us with, not just more mouths to feed, but giant appetites attached to them. You claim that these beasts eat so daintily, but that blue monster devoured a whole cow and two large pigs. Then what did she do, she flew back to her perch on the wall and . . .”
“Set up watch over your city, you pompous ass.” That may not have been the way the man had intended to finish the statement, but Will, who had just come in and heard the man insulting Saadia, had decided that he liked his ending better. “She, pregnant, flew all night to come to our aid because she had been asked to do so, and you fault her for a few scrawny beasts? Your selfishness amazes me and makes me sorry that you come from the same homeland as I.”
“I . . . you . . . he. . . .” The councilman was so enraged that he could only splutter nearly incoherently.
Delno put his hand on his brother’s shoulder to quiet him, but Will ignored him. He had apparently been putting up with this nonsense since he moved into the palace, and he was through holding his tongue.
“As for my brother being one of them and not one of us; if it weren’t for this man and the few brave souls who stood shoulder to shoulder with him on Stone Bridge during the last war, you would be lucky to be a beggar in a land ruled by the Bournese rather than a wealthy merchant and politician in Corice. Even if you don’t feel obliged to admit your debt to the dragons, you owe this man more than you can ever repay. He was born and raised in Corice and served honorably in the Corisian Army and was decorated with the highest award our kingdom can give for his bravery and service to all of us. The least you can do is acknowledge that much.”
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