The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons ld-2

by Katie MacAlister

  Dinner was forgotten as I did what I could to provide a balm to his aching heart. It wasn’t until after he had allowed me to love him—dragons, I had found, are dominant even so far as intimate relations are concerned—that I felt comfortable again broaching the subject.

  “Baltic, stop sleeping. I want to talk to you,” I told him, prying myself up from where I had collapsed against his chest.

  He cracked one eye open and considered me with some annoyance. “I have just pleasured you within an inch of your life, or so you claim, and now you wish to talk? My Ysolde—”

  “Yes, I know, your precious old Ysolde would have never bothered you at such a time, but since I am not as perfect as she was, you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

  He surprised me with a chuckle as he pinched my behind and shifted me so that I was draped more comfortably across him. Idly, I stroked my hand across the heavy pectoral muscles over his heart, tracing out the sept symbol that he bore there.

  “You were hardly perfect, my love. You always wanted to talk after lovemaking then, as well, although usually you did not require much response from me.”

  “Probably I knew I wasn’t going to get one. I seem to recall you going right to sleep after such acts,” I said, kissing his collarbone.

  He grunted and closed his eyes.

  “I want to talk about Constantine and you,” I said, propping my chin on my folded hands.

  His eyes popped open to glare at me, and he probably would have come up with some outraged declaration or other if I hadn’t stopped him by continuing. “I want to know why Constantine was meeting with Antonia von Endres and, more important, why the First Dragon had you kicked out of your sept.”

  He went absolutely still under me, not even breathing for the count of ten. Then he blinked. “How do you know about Constantine and Antonia?”

  “You want to tackle that subject first? OK. I had a vision today. Not a vision like before, but one where I wasn’t even born when the action happened.” I gave him a quick outline of the events I had witnessed.

  His face adopted a shuttered expression. “Why did you have that vision? It does not make sense. Neither that bastard Constantine nor Antonia has anything to do with you.”

  “They do if the First Dragon wants me to perform some task related to one or both of them.”

  He was silent again, then finally said, “I did not know they had met, although I suspected it. Antonia was very ambitious, and she expected me to be the same.”

  “Ambitious how? Becoming the heir, you mean?”

  “No, I was already fighting for that,” he said, lazily stroking my back. “She wanted more for me than to just be the wyvern of the black dragons. She wished for me to control the entire weyr, so that we could join our power and rule the Otherworld.”

  “Good god. So she thought she could do that by offing the competition?”

  His shoulders twitched. “I told her it was folly, that I would challenge Constantine for the position of heir and win it rightfully, but she was not known for her patience.”

  “So what happened that you were booted out of the sept?”

  “A complicated circumstance that has no bearing on your vision” was his answer after a long pause.

  “I don’t want to pry into something you’d rather not talk about,” I said slowly, moving a little so I could trace the lovely thick muscles of his chest. “But knowing what happened might give me some insight into what exactly I’m supposed to do about Constantine.”

  “I assure you that the situation had nothing to do with the traitor.”

  I looked at the face that I loved so dearly, reading in the set of his jaw and the obstinate glint to his eye that I would not get further information. That didn’t stop me from asking one last question, however. “That’s how the First Dragon knew you, isn’t it? You did something he didn’t like and he asked your wyvern to boot you out. Why has no one ever mentioned that? At the sárkány two months ago, Drake and the others seemed surprised to find out that the First Dragon knew you.”

  “No one outside of Alexei, Constantine, and a few others knew of the circumstance,” he said reluctantly. “All but one are dead.”

  I pounced on a name I recognized. “I thought you said that whatever you did had no impact on Constantine.”

  “I said it was not his concern. That is not the same thing,” he said with usual dragon caginess.

  “Will you tell me someday what happened?” I asked as his body relaxed once again, his eyes closed, and his arm wrapped securely around me.

  He pinched my behind again; then one side of his mouth went up and he pulled me up to kiss me. “When the time is right, yes.”

  I couldn’t help but wonder just how many hundreds of years from now that would be.

  Chapter Three

  “ I hereby declare this inaugural meeting of the Mates Union in session. Jim, must you chew with your mouth open? It’s ruining everyone’s appetite. Thank you. Where were we? Oh, yes, we’re officially all present and accounted for, except Cyrene, who is in Greece for a water elementals retreat. On the agenda today is Ysolde’s situation with the First Dragon’s demand that she do something for him, the problem of the weyr war against the light dragons, and, Jim, so help me god, if you blow any more spitwads through that straw, I’m going to take away your milk shake.”

  “I was just making a decorative spitwad mosaic of Cecile on the wall,” Jim protested, opening its eyes very big in an attempt to look innocent. “Bastian said for us to make ourselves at home, and that’s what I’m doing.”

  Aisling glared first at the demon, then at the wall across from where we sat in a corner booth. The pub, May had informed me, was owned by the blue dragon wyvern and was a favorite spot for May and Aisling to meet for lunch.

  “Wipe it off, or you can’t have a hamburger for your lunch,” Aisling told the demon, handing it a napkin. “Yes, that’s an order.”

  “Geesh, ever since you had the spawn, you’ve gotten über-bossy,” Jim complained as it took the napkin in its mouth, speaking somewhat indistinctly around it.

  “I hope someday to see your babies,” I said, a little sadly, since I loved babies.

  Aisling made a face. “I’m dying to show them off, but Drake is being downright obnoxious about the subject of you and Baltic visiting them. I know all moms think so, but they really are the most adorable babies, although no one can pronounce their names.”

  “What are their names?” I asked.

  “Ilona and Iarlaith.”

  “How do you spell that?”

  She told me.

  May laughed as I ran the names through my mind a few times.

  “They’re lovely names, Aisling. I can see why no one can pronounce them, though. I do expect that someday Brom will announce he hates his name, even though it’s a perfectly ordinary name.”

  “Er . . .” Aisling and May exchanged glances. “Yes. I’m sure the twins will give Drake and me endless grief about their names as well someday, but for now they’re just two little bundles of utter cuteness. I have some pictures on my phone. . . . Oh, sorry. We’re kind of getting away from the meeting, aren’t we? Business first, baby pictures later.”

  I looked around a bit nervously. “Are you sure it’s OK for me to be here? With the war and all, I wouldn’t think the dragons would like my being here. Especially the blue dragons.”

  “I cleared it with Bastian ahead of time. He said we could have the pub for an hour before it opened, and that no one would make any sort of an attack on you. And despite the fact that he broke Baltic’s nose, he really is a nice guy.”

  “But he still thinks that Baltic killed his dragons,” I protested.

  “Maybe he does, and maybe he doesn’t,” Aisling said, shrugging. “I kind of think he doesn’t. I mean, Fiat is nuts enough for two, and he knows that Fiat was involved, but with you saying Baltic isn’t . . . well, that’s part of our agenda, so we’ll come to that in good time. For now, don’t worry�
��you’re safe enough here.”

  May looked musingly at me. “How did you get Baltic to agree to let you come today? I assumed that letting Brom visit us pushed him to the limits of his patience.”

  “Oh, it did, but when I pointed out that we might put our heads together concerning a few things, he decided the risk of someone swooping down to kill me was not going to be very high with you two present.”

  “Drake would never attack you,” Aisling said, looking mildly offended.

  “Nor would Gabriel.”

  “I know that, and you both know that, but Baltic . . . well, you have to remember what he’s been through. My death, his death, his resurrection . . . it’s taken a toll on his emotions, and I suspect it’s going to be some time before he realizes I’m not going to be snatched from him again.”

  “You know,” Aisling said, dabbing at her eye with a tissue, “when I first saw Baltic, I figured he was a madman. But I can’t imagine what it would be like to survive when your mate was dead. The pain he must have suffered for all those years . . . it doesn’t excuse his actions, but it does make me understand his motivation behind them.”

  “There’s no excuse for him shooting at you all at a sárkány, certainly,” I answered, sniffling back a couple of tears of my own. “But I’m glad that you guys have come to realize that he didn’t kill all those blue dragons.”

  “Someone did,” May pointed out. “Fiat won’t talk, but pretty much everyone agrees that it would have been physically impossible for him to have killed all of them. He must have had help, but who helped him?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m determined to find out. I want this stupid war to end. I want us to be part of the weyr. I want to be able to invite you over for dinner.”

  “Dinner? Ooooh, I’m so there,” Jim said, plopping itself back into its seat. “Can I come for a visit?”

  “Jim!” Aisling scolded. “You don’t ask people to visit them, you wait for them to offer it first. Besides, I’m not going anywhere that you need to stay with Ysolde, and if I was, I’m sure May would be delighted to have you.”

  “Of course,” May said, although she looked anything but thrilled at the thought.

  “May knows I love her, don’t ya, May? But the eats are better at Soldy’s place, and it’s always fun to watch Baltic come unglued.”

  “Regardless, you’re not going to invite yourself to Ysolde’s house when she has so much on her plate right now. And speaking of that, you were going to tell me about this new vision you had. May said it was something different.”

  “Oooh, gossip,” Jim said, looking interested. “Spill!”

  By the time I was finished explaining about the vision, our lunch had come.

  “Well,” Aisling said, her fork poised over a plate of seared pork loin and caramelized onion. “That certainly is different, all right.”

  “Obviously the First Dragon wants me to do something about Constantine, but I’m at a loss as to what,” I said, admiring the oak-roasted salmon and new potato salad that sat before me.

  “No fries?” Jim asked, looking up from its mammoth hamburger. “How can I eat a burger without fries?”

  “Too much fat,” Aisling replied with a meaningful look at its midsection.

  “I’m not the one who was just telling Drake she’s still got to lose her baby fat,” it answered.

  “Do you want to eat that hamburger or wear it?” she asked sweetly.

  “Sheesh! You guys are witnesses. Cranky demon lord alert.” Jim went back to its hamburger with only a few mutters.

  “As for your situation, Ysolde,” Aisling continued, “I’m at a loss as well. Unless you think that the vision meant Antonia von Endres killed Constantine and that you’re supposed to avenge his death.”

  “But did Antonia kill Constantine?” May asked. “All Gabriel’s said is that Constantine disappeared right at the time that Kostya killed Baltic. Which we now know is when Ysolde died.”

  We were silent for a moment. I knew that they were seeing the same remembered image as I was—that of my body lying in the snow, still and unmoving, while a man stood over me with a blood-drenched sword.

  “He killed me, but I’m supposed to avenge his death?” I asked the table at large.

  “It does seem rather odd,” May agreed, munching on a grilled tuna, chickpea, and coriander salad. “But like Aisling, that’s the only thing I can think of.”

  “It’s just so vague,” I said, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “I wish I knew for certain what it was I should be doing.”

  “You could always ask the First Dragon,” Jim said around a mouthful of hamburger.

  We all stared at the demon dog.

  “What?” it asked, a piece of onion dangling from its lips.

  “Just when I think you were only sent to me to torment me, you pipe up with a bit of genius like that,” Aisling said, giving it a hug.

  “Does that mean I can have some fries?” it asked hopefully.

  “No.”

  “Of course,” May said slowly, a smile forming on her lips. “Ysolde can summon him. We can just ask him what he wants her to do.”

  “We could . . .” I considered this idea. For some reason, I was hesitant to go to the trouble of summoning the ancestor of all dragonkin, but really, did I have a choice?

  “She can’t summon him if her magic is still wonky. I don’t supposed Dr. Kostich has lifted that interdiction on you, Ysolde?”

  “No. I sent him a letter telling him that since he managed to blackmail that mage sword away from Baltic, the least he could do was lift the interdict and let me rejoin the Magister’s Guild, but he sent back a bill for the thirty-seven years of training I had while I was his apprentice, so I figured I’d better let it drop.”

  “He’s such a pain,” Aisling said.

  “A huge pain,” May agreed.

  “Just like a sharp stick shoved up the—” Jim’s eyes opened wide when Aisling removed its plate from in front of it. “Hey! Demon starver!”

  “Hardly.” Aisling gave it back its hamburger and we all resumed eating our lunches.

  “I don’t like summoning him without a very good cause, and I’m not entirely sure I can do it again, since I wasn’t trying to summon him before, but I don’t see any other way to determine just what I’m supposed to be doing.” I took a thoughtful sip of lemon water, then added, “I’ll do it tonight. Baltic is supposed to go down to Burleigh House to eyeball the rough plan Pavel made, so he won’t be in my way when I summon the First Dragon.”

  May and Aisling looked at me in surprise. “You know about Burleigh?” Aisling asked.

  “Drake’s house in the Sussex countryside? Of course I do.”

  “Well, hell. That was supposed to be a secret from you guys. I guess I’ll have to tell Drake that Baltic knows where Thala is being held.”

  “As we’re on the subject of Thala . . .” I bit my lip. “I don’t suppose you two would like to help me get her out of there?”

  “Ahem!” Jim said loudly.

  “Sorry—you three. And Cyrene, of course, assuming she’s back from her water thing by then.”

  “You want us to help you break out the weyr’s prisoner?” Aisling was clearly astonished by the idea.

  “Yes, I do.”

  May and Aisling exchanged a glance. “Let me make sure we’re all on the same page, here. You want us to set free the woman who helped Baltic attack our house the day I had the twins?”

  “I realize that she’s no one’s favorite, but yes, I would like your help. In fact, I need your help.”

  “Why?” May asked.

  “Why do I need your help?”

  “No, why do you want her out?”

  “Oh, well, a number of reasons,” I said, putting down my fork and leaning back against the curved settle. “For one, Baltic wants her out, and if we don’t get her out peaceably, he’s going to attack. I don’t think anyone wants more dragon deaths—certainly I don’t.”

  “But she’s Baltic�
�s lieutenant,” May protested. “They worked together to try to destroy us.”

  “Yes, but that’s all changed.” I waved away the pesky events of the past. “Things are different now. And besides, she’s Antonia von Endres’ daughter. That might have some significance to the First Dragon’s task.”

  “There is that,” Aisling said thoughtfully.

  May gnawed on her lower lip for a moment. “Gabriel would be very angry if he knew I was working to free the weyr’s prisoner.”

  “Drake wouldn’t be angry,” Aisling said with a wry smile. “He’d go ballistic. It was our house that Antonia helped Baltic destroy. Drake’s still a little cranky about that day.”

  “Well, I was kind of hoping you guys wouldn’t tell.”

  May and Aisling exchanged another glance.

  “We couldn’t do that,” May said slowly, a light of amusement in her blue eyes. “But I think there’s a way we could work out a deal.”

  “What sort of a deal?” I asked, suddenly wary.

  “Dragons love deals,” Aisling told me. “You wouldn’t believe the things I can get Drake to do if I present it in the light of negotiations.”

  “Yeah, like the time you negotiated him into chasing you around the house while you wore nothing but a gold chastity belt?” Jim asked, snickering.

  “It was a medieval girdle, not a chastity belt, and from here on out I’m going to lock your door at night.”

  “Meanie. Bet Soldy would never lock me in my room just so she and Baltic could have a kinky three-way orgy with Pavel.”

  “I have never had an orgy, three-way or otherwise,” I told the demon, setting fire to its napkin with a flick of Baltic’s dragon fire.

  “OK, OK! No need to go overboard! You almost burned my garnish!”

  Jim went back to munching on its frilly lettuce as I considered the two women sitting across from me. “What deal is it you want to make?”

  “You want Thala free,” May said simply.

  “Yes.”

  “And you’re mated to Baltic.”