by Bianca D'Arc
It was the dragon the younger priests eyed with distrust. Hugh stretched his long neck as if allowing them to study his form—especially the spikes along his neck and the scales that shone a gleaming black all along his body.
“Do you agree to withhold your fire, Hugh?” Lera asked him directly.
“For you, I’d do just about anything, my dear,” he answered in her mind. His teasing tone made her warm inside. He then made a great show of nodding his scaled head for benefit of the priests.
“I am satisfied,” Gregor said, nodding as well. “Brothers? What say you?” He looked to the elders for their agreement.
The elders agreed readily and the lower ranking priests were ordered to leave. When the last one had cleared the area, one of the elders sealed the doors, going from portal to portal, erecting a barrier of magical flame around the edges. Lera had seen it only once before and was satisfied they would not be disturbed or overheard.
When he was finished, he returned to his place at the table. Lera turned, sensing Hugh was gathering his magic.
Sure enough, he’d gone from dragon to human as the priests watched in amazement.
“What is this?” Father Gregor asked, standing in shock from his chair.
“Father, as you just witnessed, Hugh is a shapeshifter. He is half dragon and half man, as you have just seen for yourself.”
“And I would appreciate it if that fact remained a secret among ourselves. There are those who would hunt my kind if our existence was widely known. There are very few of us as it is.”
Gregor resumed his seat. “I had wondered how a dragon could enter unseen into our city.”
Hugh dipped his head in acknowledgment. “I did not reveal my dragon form until the threat to Lera was imminent.”
“You saved her from the Eyes.” Gregor seemed to put everything together.
“More than once,” Lera said, touching Hugh’s arm as he took a seat at her side.
“You had best start at the beginning of your tale,” one of the elders put in. “We will not be overheard or spied upon in any way with the flame guarding us.” The man who spoke was the same one who had erected the magical wards around the doors.
“I’m impressed, elder,” Hugh addressed the man. “I’ve never seen s K ne>
“Says one who can change from dragon to man and back again,” the elder replied dryly. The smile on his crinkled face was friendly enough and Hugh responded in kind, Lera was glad to see.
“Point taken, sir. Perhaps I should say, I have never seen your kind of magic before. As I said, it is very impressive.”
“As is yours,” Gregor added. “How do you come by it?”
“I was born this way. My line is descended of Draneth the Wise. It was he who made a pact with the dragons and humans of Draconia long ago to allow him, and his descendants, to rule over both races by being part of each.” Lera wondered about that verb he used—to rule. Was he more than just a soldier?
“A clever and interesting solution.” Gregor seemed to think about the ramifications of the wizard’s bold move so long ago. “It is no wonder they called him wise.”
“Why were you in Helios? Had you come to spy on us?” the elder asked pointedly.
Hugh shook his head. “Sadly, I must admit, I came here to learn the true feelings of your people and government toward Draconia.”
“We have long been allied with that distant land. Nothing has changed as far as we have heard,” Gregor answered.
“That is what I have observed, to my gratification. We’d heard rumors in my land that made us doubt the old alliance, but that’s something we can address further after the threat to Lera is neutralized.” Hugh brought the focus neatly back to her problem, Lera was glad to see.
The political stuff was something to be handled later between herself, her council and the kingdom of Draconia. The priests need not be involved. Where she did need their help was in stopping the Eyes her cousin had hired. They might also extend themselves to help apprehend her cousin. In fact, they were working on that already, since Gregor told her they’d been assisting the Guard looking for Sendra.
“How did you come to be in the company of our Doge?” the elder asked of Hugh.
“I guess the sequence of events started when Miss came to me.” Hugh motioned to the child, patting the wide seat of the cushioned chair next to him. It was just large enough for her to perch on and she hopped up and settled her wings while Hugh scratched behind her ears. “I took her back to the inn where I’d been staying to weather that last big storm. I believe the innkeeper sent his son to report Miss’s circumstances to the Doge and Lera arrived shortly thereafter to check on her.”
Lera nodded. “That’s exactly how it happened. I went to the inn to take custody of the child, but Hugh wanted to be sure she would be safe with me. I stayed there longer than I expected to and alert neighbors sent word to the innkeeper that Eyes were seen on the street. The innkeeper delivered the warning and Hugh agreed to protect me. We went up to the roof and that’s when I discovered Hugh’s secret. He shifted shape to protect me and flew me away from there.”
She remembered those moments as she described them. She’d been so shocked by the dragon, yet so grateful for the fierce protector. Hugh had been the next best thing to a stranger, but he’d proven to be a man of honor and a warrior to be reckoned with. Looking back, she thought maybe that was when she’d started falling in love with him.
Hugh took up the story. “I tried to fly her to the palace, but we both saw right away that something was wrong there. Lera wa Kherhen shnted to go to her cousin’s home next, so I landed in the orchard, preferring to take an oblique approach. There were Eyes waiting in the orchard, as you know.”
“Hugh dispatched them, with Miss’s help. I was slightly injured, but Hugh healed me.” Lera helped by pointing to the bloodstain she’d tried unsuccessfully to wash out of her bodice.
“After that, I was taking no more chances. I took Lera and Miss into the wasteland over the hills to regroup.”
“We had just decided to head back when Hyadror intercepted us,” Lera added, glossing over the time they’d spent alone together. Her personal life wasn’t really any of their business. As long as the flame accepted her—and Hugh—the priesthood couldn’t say anything about it.
“The resst you know,” Hyadror added from his seat in the cushions behind the table.
“We came straight here,” Lera added. “I wasn’t sure if the palace was safe.”
“Until Sendra is caught and the Eyes are called off, you’re better off here,” Gregor stated.
“Thank you, Father Gregor. I’d hoped you would say that.”
“We convened our Council last week,” Gregor admitted. “Portents led some of our number to believe a nexus approached. I believe this is it. Especially since meeting your new friends.” He nodded toward Hugh and Miss. “Things have been changing in the surrounding lands—not necessarily for the better. It was only a matter of time before Helios could no longer avoid becoming involved.” Gregor turned his sharp gaze to Hugh. “What can you tell us of the Citadel?”
Lera was shocked. There appeared to be a much deeper game being played here than simply—though there was nothing simple about it—the threat to her life. She looked at Hugh, noting the momentary surprise cross his features before he suppressed it.
“That is something we have been learning about in my land. Apparently the last of the wizards were imprisoned in the far north, in a place called the Citadel. Certain forces have been working toward releasing them. King Lucan of Skithdron was working with both the barbarian horde in the north and the witch, Loralie, who has been aiding them. We’ve discovered Lucan was behind multiple murders and kidnappings in our land over many years.”
A moment of silence greeted his revelations. Lera was the first to speak.
“Is this firsthand knowledge or merely rumor?” she asked.
“Knowledge from myself and my family.” Hugh’s expression seemed res
igned and she didn’t quite understand why.
“Who is your family?” Gregor asked, though she kept her focus on Hugh. Something was up. His tension level had risen more than a little.
“I am third in line for the throne,” he admitted. “My eldest brother Roland sent me on this mission, with advice from Nico.”
“The Prince of Spies,” Lera whispered. Hugh’s sharp look made her shake off her surprise. “Even in Helios, Prince Nico’s reputation is known.”
Hugh smiled. “As you can probably tell, I am nothing like Nico.”
Lera chuckled with him and touched his cheek. “Lucky for me, you’re more honorable warrior than spy.”
The moment was almost intimate as she gazed into his eyes. Only when one of the elders coughed did she reali Kdid21;
“Prince Hugh.” Gregor addressed him and nodded in respect. “Thank you for saving our Doge’s life.”
“It was my honor and pleasure, Father Gregor.”
Lera would talk to him later about hiding the fact that he was not only noble, but also royal. It didn’t matter to her if he’d been the commoner she’d thought, but he had to know from personal experience that his being royal would be both helpful and create difficulties in their relationship being accepted by her people and her court. Of course, that was if they had a relationship. She wasn’t sure what the future would hold at this point.
“It becomes clearer why you don’t want your ability to change shape widely known,” the elder put in shrewdly, bringing her back to the matter at hand. “I assume your brothers are the same as you.”
“It is a gift of the royal family alone. Only those of us descended from Draneth the Wise have the possibility of shifting,” Hugh confirmed.
“It is not guaranteed?” the elder pressed.
“Forgive me, but there are some things I cannot divulge. Suffice to say, the ability does not always pass down to every member of the family.” Hugh was firm but respectful, striking just the right tone with the nosy elder, Lera thought.
“What is being done to find Sendra? Tell me what happened on this end while I’ve been away,” Lera asked.
“As I mentioned, we have been asked to assist in locating her. When you went missing, the entire Guard, all the gryphon wings and most of the novitiate were alerted. The palace tracked your movements to the inn and heard the tale of Eyes on the street, the child and the stranger who had promised to protect you.” Gregor’s gaze went from Miss to Hugh and back to Lera. “No one could understand how you’d made it off the roof, though of course, now that is clear.” He nodded in Hugh’s direction.
“They thought it was something supernatural? Is that how the temple became involved?” Lera guessed.
“Exactly so. The Guard asked us to allow our novitiates to join some of their search parties to look out for signs of magic. Sendra’s was one of the first places they searched. She was already gone.” Gregor’s raised eyebrow spoke volumes. “They went over her estate and found the bodies in the orchard. One of our young brothers was with the group that found them. Two master assassins—we discovered later by counting their tattoos.” Gregor looked at Hugh with respect. “We feared the worst, but I knew that if those two were dead, you had to have help. Good, able help. I went to the scene myself and noticed small paw prints in the soil, so I knew at least part of the story the innkeeper told was true. I didn’t know what to make of the giant claw marks. Not all of them looked like gryphon tracks.”
“Did you actually see gryphon tracks near the site?” Hugh asked, leaning forward slightly.
“I did. And oddly enough, some of them were over what I know now were the dragon’s footprints.”
“Well, you said the gryphon wings had been out searching for me,” Lera said, searching for some kind of explanation.
“True, but none had been in Sendra’s orchard before the Guard got there and any who came after were directed specifically not to Kicae p land in the orchard.”
“One of uss wass there after the attack, but before the official ssearch,” Hyadror concluded, sitting up on his front paws. He looked angry to Lera’s knowing eye.
“It couldn’t have been soon after, or they would have followed us over the hill,” Hugh said quickly.
“But why would any gryphon not report the bodiess?” Hyadror asked.
“Good question. They were in plain sight. Judging by the paw prints I saw, the gryphon got very close to them. Close enough to examine. Yet the bodies remained where they’d fallen until the Guard found them,” Gregor supplied.
Silence fell as everyone considered what that meant.
“At least one of the gryphons is working with Sendra,” Lera said with a sinking heart.
Hugh’s arm came around her and she leaned on him. She didn’t care that Father Gregor and the elders saw her moment of weakness. The idea that one of the gryphons had betrayed her—that one of them wanted her dead—was almost more than she could bear. As Keeper of the Flame, she was responsible for them in so many different ways. She thought they liked her. That they respected her. That they were loyal to her. It was hard to conceive even one of their number being willing to help those who were trying to kill her.
Hyadror was conspicuously silent. Lera hoped his tongue was stilled by shock. She dared not look to see his expression. Gryphonic faces were hard to read, but she had come to understand the subtle shifts of their feathers and angles of their heads over time. She couldn’t bear to see if he had been expecting something like this.
Suddenly there was a pounding on the main door to the great hall. Bounded by magical flame, the sound was muffled, but distinct in the silence. Father Gregor grumbled and signaled to the elder who had posted the magical barriers.
Lera belatedly remembered the old man’s name. Seldom seen in public, she’d met him when she had first been blessed by the flame. He’d overseen her initiation, but always from afar. His name, she recalled, was Edon. He was something of a hermit who lived a secluded life here in the temple. She hadn’t realized until now just how conversant with the flame’s magic he was.
He took down the ward with a wave of his hand and opened the door. Gregor had followed him and his voice carried easily across the hall as he chastised the young priest who had disturbed them.
“But Father, you have to come,” the man protested and Lera could easily see he’d been through some kind of shock. His face was pale and his hands shook.
She straightened away from Hugh’s warm shoulder and stood. She noted Hugh stood as she did, as did many of the elders. Something was clearly wrong.
“What is it?” Gregor demanded.
“Something stirs in the cauldron. You must come.”
Lera started in surprise. The cauldron was the source of the eternal flame in the main part of the temple. She knew it well. It was where she’d first encountered the flame that had changed her life so greatly, but she hadn’t been to the cauldron chamber since the last high holiday. Seven times a year she performed ceremonies in that sacred space.
Gregor turned to look directly at Lera. “We all must go.” His words fell like blows on the hard polished stone of the hall floor. Lera felt the seriousness of his pronouncement and knew in her heart, he was right. If the flame had chosen this moment to become a Kt twas righctive in some heretofore unknown way, it had to be significant.
Lera moved first, Hugh at her side. Predictably, Miss followed her guardian and Hyadror took up the rear guard position as they walked with the elders, moving quickly out of the great hall. The cauldron chamber was nearby, at the heart of the temple building. The great hall had been built onto the central structure, which meant they only had to traverse a long corridor to get to the sacred cauldron.
They made an odd-looking parade as they headed for the chamber. Priests lined the hall, scooting out of the way as they passed, then closing in behind the gryphon to follow the group. Everyone seemed to want to know what was happening in the cauldron chamber—one of the most sacred places in the temple.
The elders arrived first and arrayed themselves around the chamber to allow room for Lera and her party. Hugh escorted her, standing side by side with her as they faced the deep stone pit from which the flame shone in pink, purple, orange and gold glory. It shimmered against the polished stone that picked up its coloration, bathing the room in a golden shimmer.
Lera stepped forward, to within a few feet of the gold-rimmed bowl. There was no discernable source for the flame’s combustion and indeed, the priests never fed the fire. It burned magically by the grace of the goddess the priests served. It was Her light. Her power. Her flame.
As Lera was Her servant. Just like Gregor and all his priests.
Lera sank to her knees, awed as always by the presence of the flame in this chamber. It was here that it burned brightest and largest. She stared into the heart of the flame and there definitely was something in there she had never seen before. Something…moving. Growing larger.
No wonder the brothers who always stood guard in this chamber had sent for the High Priest. Gregor knelt next to her on the curved, cushioned rail that circled the fire pit a few feet back from the actual golden rim that contained the cauldron.
“What iss it?” The big gryphon was terrible at whispering. Hyadror’s question echoed in the chamber.
“A miracle,” Edon stated.
The flame suddenly spiked, reaching upward to lick the high, arched ceiling of the chamber. The thing within it grew in proportion, as if it had waited until everyone had gathered before continuing its evolution.
Wings began to take shape within the tendrils of fire reaching toward the domed ceiling. Wings of flame fanned upward from the white-hot center of the sacred fire. Lera watched in fascination as it grew to unheard of proportions, the thing in its center becoming larger.
Hugh was behind her, guarding her back. She could feel his tension and knew he thought to protect her. He did not realize the flame—or anything it contained—would never hurt her. If the one she served had turned against her, Lera would have known it when they’d arrived and walked near the testing fire. She’d been welcomed by it then. She knew whatever was happening now, it would not hurt her.
