The Silent Dragon: Children of The Dragon Nimbus #1 (12 page)

“You are right. I’m glad one of my offspring learned something about magic theory,” Jaylor growled as he rose from his hiding place and approached his girls. “Good to see you, Indigo. Jaylor here.” He followed formal dragon protocol and bowed as well. “But, little Valeria, you exhaust yourself because you pour all of yourself into each spell. You must learn finer control. Conserve your strength.”

(Your sire is correct.)
Indigo stood in the middle of the upper creek, head tilted as if listening, or surveying a puzzle.

“What is so important that you had to summon a dragon with enough power to light the entire capital city with glow balls for a year?” Jaylor knelt beside Valeria and Lillian, gently soothing backs and legs and arms with his touch. He’d done his master magician duty in finding their error. Now he needed to be their loving Da.

(I cannot find Glenndon,)
Indigo answered for the girls.

“And neither can we,” Lillian added.

“I can always find Glenndon with a thought. But not now,” Valeria finished.

Jaylor sat back on his heels. “I can barely decide who said what. Are you all one personality?”

Indigo chuckled. Steam leaked out of his nose in his mirth.
(Closer to the truth than you imagine, Senior Magician.)

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, Da. Nothing. But Glenndon must have fallen into deep trouble if a dragon cannot find him,” Valeria insisted.

“Especially if he has royal blood as the letter claimed. The dragons are tied by magic, love, loyalty, and tradition to the royal family,” Lillian finished.

Da lifted Valeria slightly, cradling her in his own lap.

“I cannot go to Coronnan City at this time. Indigo, can you seek out my errant son?” He avoided confirmation of Valeria’s statement.

(No. I may not go. Shayla has forbidden any dragon to approach the city. Soldiers shot arrows at her.)

“So that’s what the fuss was all about earlier,” Da mused. “Then we must find another way to contact Glenndon. I will summon a circle of masters. Together we should be able to scry him out.”

(There is another way. Dangerous. I do not know if I can do this.)

Jaylor stood up, still holding Valeria close against him.

“How?” she asked, turning her head to peek at the dragon while still letting it rest on Jaylor’s shoulder.

“Can we help? Give you strength or guidance?” he asked the dragon.

“I’ll help too,” Lillian said. She stood beside Jaylor, holding Valeria’s hand.

(Trust me.)

CHAPTER 16

K
ING DARVILLE LEANED heavily on the last door mechanism. The stone wall moved ponderously on its pivots. He hadn’t had to use this portal in nigh on twenty years. In those days, the room at the end of the tunnel had been the guest chamber for the then-visiting Princess Rossemikka of Rossemeyer, his betrothed. He pushed aside the musty tapestry that obscured the portal, a half smile on his face in delightful memory. He patted the weaving fondly. The once bright colors depicting a mythological scene of the Stargods descending on a silvery cloud of fire were reduced to shades of gray from the accumulation of dust and cobwebs.

Behind him, Linda sneezed in the cloud of dust he disturbed. Fred rubbed at his itching nose. And Glenndon . . .

Glenndon was so absorbed in watching his feet that he barely noticed they’d emerged from underground.

The torch guttered and spluttered one last flame before slinking back down to the barest glow of ember. He ground it against the tunnel wall to extinguish the last of the fire and thrust the useless handle at Fred.

“Where are we?” Linda spun in a slow circle, memorizing every detail of the abandoned room at the end of an abandoned corridor. She blinked in the reduced light sneaking past three arrow-slit windows on the eastern wall.

“Another part of the maze this palace has become over the centuries. This is the oldest part of the keep. The foundations are still solid, but some of the mortar has begun to crumble. My architects decided a decade ago that we’d all be more comfortable in newer, less drafty quarters.”

And he could keep some delightful memories intact; prevent strangers from trampling them by altering any portion of this room.

“The outer walls will stand forever, some of the inner walls, floors and ceilings are less safe. Be careful if you ever decide to explore this section.”

Linda nodded as she continued gathering details from the center of the room.

Fred moved silently to the door, checking for unlikely intruders or observers.

“Glenndon?” Darville tried to draw him out of his deep concentration.

The boy didn’t respond. Not that Darville expected him to. He could at least acknowledge the summons by making eye contact. Instead he examined every crack in the plank flooring and the edges where they met wall panels.

“What are you looking for?”

A web of glowing blue lines appeared in his head. “Ah, you follow ley lines.”

Glenndon opened his eyes wide, questioning Darville’s knowledge of the esoteric magical knowledge.

“Your Da is my best friend. We had more than one adventure tracing out the forbidden knowledge. There is more for you to discover in Coronnan City. But not today. Not now. Now you must meet the queen.”

Glenndon shrank against the wall, trying to disappear into another tapestry. This one memorialized a ship from the Big Continent approaching the Great Bay with a precious cargo of grain and fruit during a famine long, long ago.

“You must present yourself to my wife. Better now than later. She won’t hurt you. She agreed some time ago to accept you into the court. And your Mama is her best friend.”

Glenndon shook his head as his face drained of color. His sense of abandonment nearly overwhelmed Darville with loneliness. He shook it off.

“Your family has not abandoned you, Glenndon. Try to think of us as more of your extended family. Please. We want you to feel welcome and comfortable here.”

Not belong.

“I don’t care if you come or not. I have wondrous things to tell M’ma. I saw a dragon today. And I touched her. And she spoke to me,” Linda said. She held herself tall and proud. Excitement gleamed from her eyes.

But Darville noted a small shadow at the corner of her mouth. His daughter had also faced danger today; witnessed more magic in two heartbeats than had occurred in her protected life since before her birth.

He’d hoped to protect her a little longer before plunging her into the kinds of adventure he’d endured as a young man.

Suddenly Darville lost patience with the boy, with the politics that had forced him to drag his son away from the protected clearing and his loving family.

“Come, now!” he ordered.

Glenndon pressed himself closer to the wall.

Roughly, Darville grabbed his arm and propelled him into the antechamber and thence onto the staircase landing. He was too angry to bother with subtlety. He’d run out of time for secrets. He needed to parade them all before the court, while ignoring curious questions and inopportune demands for government decisions.

He needed to announce to the world that he had a son, no matter how flawed or defective the boy might be.

Linda ran ahead of her father and Glenndon, whom he held firmly by the arm all the way across closed courtyards, open halls, and up winding staircases. Breathlessly she burst into her mother’s suite without ceremony or permission.

“Linda? Something must be terribly wrong or you owe me and Lady Anya an apology for your presumption,” her mother said sternly. The queen sat on a low stool while Lady Anya dressed her thick hair. The long tresses shimmered with a new luster that had been missing during her last illness. Light reflected off the strands of gold, brown, auburn, and black like iridescent mica on the beach. Only the streaks of white radiating out from her temples absorbed light, reminding them all that the queen’s health had nearly broken once and for all.

From their seats by the window, Manda and Josie held fingers in front of their mouths to partially hide their giggles. Linda frowned at them, knowing the game they played, a court game to ridicule someone behind a mask of formality.

“Your Grace,” she started formally, executing a proper curtsy to her mother, but couldn’t contain her excitement. Lady Anya was practically family. And her sisters were . . . her little sisters. “P’pa took me to see the dragon, Shayla, and some soldiers shot at her and Glenndon arrived with Fred in a dazzle of dragon magic, and Shayla flew away and we came back through the tunnels . . .” She had to pause for breath.

“You’ve had an exciting day, my dear. Now come sit and tell me and your sisters what happened. Slowly,” M’ma laughed.

Her
sisters!
Manda and Josie perched primly on the edge of their chairs beneath the big stained glass window (not as big as the one in the Council Chamber, but still an enormous luxury) working embroidery samplers. Like proper young ladies.

Linda drew a deep breath and swept her riding skirts out of the way as she took a stool close to M’ma.

“Now what is this about soldiers and shooting?” M’ma asked. She sounded calm and no worry lines marred her face, but Linda saw a flash of blind panic in her eyes.

“Nothing to worry you, my love,” P’pa said strolling in behind Linda and dropping a kiss on M’ma’s cheek.

Glenndon followed cautiously, peering into corners as if danger lurked in every shadow. His blond queue (a common three strands) swung back and forth across his back like a cat’s twitching tail. Given what had happened today, he had a right to be scared, Linda supposed. Fred took up the rear. Probably making sure Glenndon did not flee.

“Soldiers shooting outside of drills and hunting expeditions is always a concern,” M’ma insisted sternly.

P’pa sighed as he sprawled in an overstuffed chair reserved for him. “May I at least introduce you to my son before we dissect the who, what, when, why, and how?”

M’ma nodded.

Manda and Josie gasped and bent their heads together in a tight, whispered conversation. They knew he was coming. They had to. They were better at eavesdropping than Linda. Then they turned bland faces toward their father, properly trained court faces without a hint of personality or concern.

But they giggled behind their fingers,
again,
when Glenndon bent from the waist in an awkward and hesitant bow. He had a lot to learn if he was going to survive at court.

“I am very pleased to have you join us, Glenndon,” M’ma said regally. “Please come to me with anything you need. I will do my best to make you comfortable and welcome.”

He smiled and took her hand, planting a gentle kiss on her fingers. Then he produced a bouquet of wild lilies and lace roots out of the air, presenting them to M’ma with a huge smile that stayed. A genuine one, not one of the masks courtiers usually showed.

“Nice to see your Mama taught you a few manners,” P’pa grumbled. “But you have to stop using magic. At least in public. It is forbidden here. Has been for a long time.” At Glenndon’s frightened frown P’pa added, “For your protection, for the family’s, and mine, please refrain.”

Glenndon’s face went blank, but he edged closer to M’ma, as if she offered him protection from the king’s wrath, or the law. M’ma patted his hand reassuringly.

“Oh, Darville, leave the boy alone for today,” M’ma cajoled. When she used that half laugh, she always got her way. P’pa could deny her nothing. Linda vowed in that moment to learn her mother’s manner and wiles. Maybe she could cajole Lucjemm into forgiving her for abandoning him in the market.

Glenndon smiled again and gazed at the queen with gratitude and . . . and affection?

“Give Glenndon a chance to get used to us before we impose the artificial rules of court life on him. We’ll present him tomorrow, or the next day. When he’s ready,” M’ma said, burying her nose in the simple bouquet.

Linda didn’t think he’d ever be ready.

“If you insist, my love.” P’pa uncurled his long form and stood tall beside Glenndon. Not so much taller. Glenndon’s head was level with P’pa’s cheek. “I leave you in good hands, my boy.” He squeezed Glenndon’s shoulder. “Her Grace will take care of you, see that you have quarters, clothes, meals—I suspect you need a substantial one now—whatever, and as much as you need. I have to track down some malcontents who dared shoot at a royal dragon.”

“May I come with you, P’pa?” Linda asked. She needed to know how her father dealt with malcontents so that some day she too could do it. She had no doubt that some day she would have to.

“Not today, Little Lindy. Help your brother settle in.”

“He’s not
my
brother!” Heat flushed her face and made her heart race.

“Yes, he is. And for now, he is my heir. Remember that and behave.” P’pa stalked out, leaving Linda staring at Glenndon, daring him to steal her position and rank. And her place beside her father.

The king must be using magic. It is the only explanation for the way he disappeared. I placed guards and spies on all of the city bridges to watch for his return. Surely I can use this to bring him down. Then I will not have to marry his headstrong daughter to position myself to take the crown and the throne. Marriage to Princess Jaranda of SeLennica will make a better alliance for Coronnan.

But my Princess Linda is so very lovely. If I can make her love me and my lovely . . . I will need help to finalize that relationship. Help from my lovely. Then I can have both princesses.

If I can prove that Darville threw magic, or he ordered someone to throw it for him, then by law he cannot be king. His entire family will die or be exiled. That is the law. The people will flock to my army with this knowledge. I will not need to use my lovely to convince all the lords and their retainers to join us. They love the law more than they love my lovely.

For them I will make stronger the laws against magic with sterner punishments. Exile is too good for magicians.

The law is on my side. The de Draconis family must now prove their innocence.