Exiles From The Sacred Land (Book 2) (15 page)

“Where did you actually send them?”

“Oh, I really sent them to Sildariel. She will help the boy and take care of my kin.”

Steban took a relieved breath. “Foreshome. You sent them to the Great Sythian Forest. What if Morgoran was right? Sildariel will not like it.”

“She will get over it. She always does.” He hesitated. “Steben, Morgoran mentioned they left someone behind. He was talking about Amadace’s new knight, was he not?”

“Aye, he was. The first female dragon knight and Bren, First of Amadalea.”

“Excellent, take me to them.”

“Aye, Your Grace. I am curious, Your Grace. Why did you send Morgoran away and not help the boy? I am certain our clerics could have cured him.”

The king took a deep breath. “I owed the bastard one.”

“Your Grace?”

The king regained his composure. “But he did help Dianora when she asked it of him. I can’t ignore that.”

“Your Grace?”

“Never mind, Steban. Take me to this new female dragon knight.”

“Aye, Your Grace.”

Chapter 9: The Talon Order

“This is nerve-racking. I don’t know what is wrong with me.” Tatrice put her hand to her forehead.

“I’m sure you will be all right. You have already met with the great dragon once before,” Bren reminded her.

“I remember. You have told me about fifty times.”

“Oh, and remind me to get another personal Lora Daine while we are here. I loaned mine to Ianthill.”

“Do I get one?”

“I am sure you do, just remember to ask Amadace.”

As soon as the pair of dragon knights entered the chambers of Amadace the Blue, they were greeted by a radiant woman dressed in all white. She appeared to be no older than Tatrice in visage, but she modeled a full head of beautiful snow-white hair. Deep green eyes accented a slightly pale complexion.

“Greetings, and welcome to the home of Amadace the Blue and his siblings.”

Tatrice stopped and bowed, following Bren’s lead.

“I am Bren Halla, and this is Tatrice Valloney Alemele.”

“Ah, yes, the blue armor of Amadace. She is his knight. The first female dragon knight.”

Tatrice blushed and immediately became angry with herself for it. “So I am told.”

“I am Delanora.” She paused as if Tatrice and Bren should recognize her name.

“Pleased to see you again,” Bren said.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Tatrice followed.

Delanora led them to a couple of divans immediately inside the main chamber. “Amadace will be with you shortly.”

Glancing around the room, Tatrice did not see much she could recognize from her vision with Amadace. The walls were covered in tapestries of dragons that Tatrice assumed were family members. The smooth floor appeared to be marble with elaborate carpets arranged under each piece of furniture. As with most of Draegodor that Tatrice had seen, the lighting was soft and low but bright enough to see everything clearly. It emanated from somewhere up above, unseen. A nice fire burned in an enormous fireplace on the opposite side of the room.

“Ah, here you are.” Tatrice recognized the voice of Amadace. She also expected a dragon, but a man came strolling out. Both Bren and Tatrice stood up to greet him. He circled around the furniture, followed closely by Delanora. Tatrice was awestruck immediately by his beauty. He was as radiant as Delanora, except he wore jet black hair and had deep blue eyes. He was dressed in black leathers with a deep blue cape. He reached for Tatrice’s hand and kissed it. “My lady knight.” Tatrice bowed her head in acknowledgment. “My lord dragon.”

“Amadace, my lord dragon, it is good to see you again,” Bren said.

“And you, broodlord. How is Amadalea the Red?”

“As wonderful as ever.”

“Of course. Ah, here is my sister Delanorasylva. You remember her, I take it.”

“Of course,” Bren said. “How could I forget?” He kissed Delanora’s hand. “I trust you are well, Shadesilver?”

Tatrice’s mind went wild with recognition. This beautiful woman was Shadesilver—the white dragon that had come to her rescue before the battle at Brightonhold Keep! She was Amadace’s sister!

“I didn’t expect Tatrice to recognize me in this form.”

Tatrice spoke up. “I must admit, I didn’t. I am so sorry.”

“No need for apologies. You have never seen me in this form as Bren has.”

“Forgive me, but you are dragons. You are so beautiful in your natural forms. Why do you not appear that way now?”

“Careful,” Amadace said. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” Tatrice thought the comment was a bit awkward and even a bit silly. “I tell you what,” he gestured to the divans, “sit down and I will explain a few things to my newest knight.”

They all took their seats, and Amadace sat on the edge of his seat, leaning in toward Bren and Tatrice. Delanora sat back and rested her arm on the back of the divan.

“We find that when meeting with our knights informally, it is easiest to speak in this form. Our natural state is unnecessarily intimidating. It is a bit uncomfortable for us to remain like this for too long, but I thought it might be a good idea meeting you like this for the first time in person.” He looked at Delanora. “Tatrice, have you ever heard of the Talon Order?”

Tatrice thought for a moment before shaking her head.

“What about you, Bren?”

“I have heard rumors. I am not sure what it’s all about.”

Amadace clasped his hands together. “It’s an exciting order that some of us dragons have been working on. In the old days, dragons were the guardians of man. Simply put, the Talon Order is reviving that promise. We are also dedicated in bringing together all the magical races and creations of Fawlsbane Vex. We feel that in order to accomplish this, we need to root out the evil that Toborne created in our world. We have even been gathering up users of wild magic in a secret location in Ishrak.”

“The dragons are joining in the fight to take back the Sacred Land? That’s great news!” Bren said.

“Well, no, not exactly. Only the dragons in the order. Officially, the dragons of Draegodor will continue to exercise neutrality. In fact, you might not want to mention it to any other dragons. Amadalea has joined us as of yesterday, but the others are still contemplating it, and King Amarantus hates the idea.”

“Won’t he do something about it then?” Tatrice asked.

Shadesilver grinned. “We think we can bring him around eventually. He knows about the order, of course, but he is choosing to ignore it at the moment.”

“Before we discuss the order any further, I think we had better clear something else up.” He took Tatrice’s hands in his. “Tatrice, I have brought you through the trial of fire. You are a dragon knight, but Shadesilver and I have talked it through, and we agree the first female dragon knight should be the first knight of a female dragon. You are bound to my service and cannot be unbound. You can however, be rebound to the blood of my blood. If you agree, you will become Tatrice Alemele, First of Shadesilver the White.”

Shadesilver beamed. “You would actually be my first knight ever. I am only now considered old enough.”

“All right, Delanora, don’t get too excited,” Amadace cautioned.

Tatrice could only think of her blue armor and how funny it would look with a white dragon.
That is not a reason to say no
, she told herself. Besides, it would be so much more comfortable to be the knight of a female. She would understand the needs of a woman much better. “Of course I accept,” Tatrice blurted out.

Shadesilver handed her hands over to Tatrice. “We are going to learn all this together, Tatrice,” she said. “I will honor you always.”

“And I, you,” Tatrice responded. Tatrice almost pulled back when she felt a strange tingling sensation enter her fingertips from Shadesilver, but the dragon shook her head.

“Don’t pull back; just relax. Trust me.”

At first, Tatrice thought Shadesilver was somehow bonding her, but as she watched her concentrate, she realized something else was happening. Little by little, Tatrice noticed her armor was changing from blue to white. Not only was it changing in color, but it was growing and shaping in places. The masculine lines of the armor were becoming more feminine and lacy. Sharp, masculine edges became sensuous female curves. Pieces that were previously uncomfortable for the female form settled in to become form-fitting and comfortable. Frilly patterns emerged on the breastplate and pauldrons.

“Do you like it?” Shadesilver asked with excitement. “Come over here.” They both stood up, and Delanora led Tatrice to a mirrored wall.

Tatrice had never seen armor more striking. It was still in the dragon scale tradition but now looked and felt feminine and sensual. “I love it! I thought I was going to have to get used to the blue armor, and I was almost sad to see it go until now.” She hugged Shadesilver. The dragon went stiff. “I’m sorry, Shadesilver.” Tatrice pulled back.

“No, it’s just that I have never felt that embrace before. I am not sure how to react.”

“Here.” Tatrice helped her. “Put your arms around me like this,” Delanora mimicked what Tatrice was showing her, “and squeeze.” Delanora squeezed her tightly. “Yes, just like that. Only, I am glad I am wearing armor, or you may have just crushed me.”

Shadesilver let go. “Oh, I am so sorry.”

Tatrice chortled with glee. “You will get the hang of it.”

Steban entered the room, surveyed it, and then moved back toward the door.

“The king is here,” Shadesilver whispered to Tatrice. “Don’t forget to bow. In fact, just watch me.”

Steban bowed slightly and extended his arms out. “His Majesty, King Amarantus.” Everyone in the room bowed, and Tatrice followed Shadesilver’s lead.

The king entered. “You may all rise.” He went straight to Tatrice. “Ah, splendid. Look at you!” He glanced at Shadesilver. “Nice job on the armor, Delanora.” He spun Tatrice around by her hand. “A very pleasing representation of the first female dragon knight,” he paused, “and your first knight, Delanora. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Shadesilver said before genuflecting.

“Welcome, Tatrice, to the ranks of the dragons. I know you must have many questions.”

“Aye, Your Grace, I do.”

“Well, we will do all we can to train you as soon as possible. I like to meet each new knight personally and give them all the same bit of advice. May I?” He held out his hand for Tatrice. She placed her hand in his. He cupped his remaining hand over hers.

“The free peoples of the lands have many misconceptions about the relationships between dragons and their knights. Let me dispel some of them right now. You are considered an equal, not a slave. Dragons do not have knights as pets, nor are we some race of magical steed for our knights to ride around upon. The relationship is based on mutual respect. Keep in mind that we often use magic to take the form you see before you now, but that is usually for the benefit of visitors, in order to make them feel more comfortable. Many times, when you return to Draegodor, you will most likely see us in our true forms. Delanora is responsible for your training. Any questions you have will need to be addressed to her.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

The king smiled and nodded.

A knight in golden armor entered the room and stopped in bow. “Your Grace, I present myself, Sir Oberan, First of Amarantus.”

“Certainly, Oberan, my friend. It’s good to see you back.”

“It is good to be back, Your Grace.” He motioned to the door, and a man dressed in green and black leathers entered. “I found this man wandering the great hall. He was unsure of where to go.”

“Ganas!” Tatrice cried out. She immediately covered her mouth.

The king laughed loudly. “I guess he is safe, Oberan, show him in.”

Ganas bowed before the king. “It is an honor, Your Grace.”

“What can we, the dragons of Draegodor, do for you?”

“I was sent here by Theosus Fiderea of Trigoth. He tossed this to me.” He showed the blue Lora Daine.

“Steban, Oberan, look at this stone. Who does it belong to?”

Steban held out his hand. “May I?” Ganas handed him the stone. “Yes, I believe this is the azure magic of Brendlewyre the Blue.” He handed the stone to Oberan.

Oberan turned the stone over in his hand and then closed his eyes for a moment. “Aye, this is the azure stone. This is the Lora Daine of Brendlewyre the Blue.”

Oberan handed the stone to the king, who squeezed it tightly. “Well, Morgoran knew exactly where to find him. That’s what he was trying to tell me. I thought he was just trying to stall. I would send you to retrieve Brendlewyre, Oberan, but he is long gone by now.” The king slapped his forehead. “I was so worried about helping the boy. I was so afraid of his essence sickness. Morgoran knew—he could have told me when he first arrived.”