by Bianca D'Arc
“So the Prince of Spies is now King of the Jinn?” Lera addressed her question to Hugh.
“A ceremonial title only, so he assures us,” Hugh said, rolling his eyes.
“And soon you’ll be sharing my throne,” she said as their gazes locked. For a moment it felt like they were the only two people in the world.
“Wait a minute,” Trey said.
“What’s this?” Collin asked, finishing the thought.
Hugh was brought back to reality. “Uh…Lera and I…”
“You don’t say.” Trey grinned, as did the rest of the group.
“Another royal sister-in-law?” Collin teased. “You’re putting a lot of pressure on us.”
“Where are we going to find a couple of princesses?” Trey laughed at his own joke.
“None are likely to have you, that’s for certain,” Hugh teased back good-naturedly.
His brothers stepped forward to pound him on the back in congratulations.
“We look forward to getting to know our new sister,” Collin said, grinning from ear to ear.
Lera took their enthusiastic congratulations well, though Hugh noticed neither of the twins were comfortable enough with her to give her a hug or kiss. They’d only just met, of course. And she was the ruler of a country. This older set of twins had always been a lot more aware of what was polite and what wasn’t than some of their other brothers. All in all, they were a good choice for this mission. They wouldn’t inadvertently insult anyone if they could help it, as some of his younger brothers might.
But they’d soon learn that Lera was the perfect mate for their brother. They’d learn to love her and welcome her warmly into the family. Hugh was certain of it. They just had to be around her a bit more to learn more about her.
Providing, of course, they could nullify the threat of the Eyes. Which reminded him…
“Actually, you could be of help. Lera’s life is in danger.”
That got everyone’s attention in short order.
“What sort of danger?” Drake asked, moving closer, Mace and Krysta flanking him.
“Eyes,” Lera answered. Drake and Krysta both frowned. Hugh found their reaction interesting. Both of them seemed to know more about these Eyes than Hugh did.
“What are Eyes?” Collin asked.
“Assassins of the highest caliber,” Drake answered. “They originate in the Kingdom of Talinor, across the sea. They get a new tattoo for each person they kill. The masters of their cult have eyes tattooed on their faces and all over their bodies.”
“We have killed three with those markings already,” Hugh was proud to state.
“Impressive,” Krysta said with what appeared to be genuine admiration. “Do you know who h [ou state.ired them?”
“My cousin, Sendra,” Lera admitted. “But let’s get you into the hall, where we can sit and discuss this more comfortably. I’m sure you’re fatigued from your long trip here. You must all pass before the flame, but I don’t think any of you will have a problem. At least, Hugh doesn’t think you will. The eternal fire welcomed him readily. I believe it will do the same for you.”
Lera turned and started slowly down the wide ramp, indicating that everyone else should follow. Hugh stayed at her side, knowing she was disturbed by talk of the assassins still on her trail. He didn’t want to upset her, but he knew the situation had to be forced to a head so as to eradicate it.
“Did you have a quiet flight?” Hugh asked his brothers, who loped along beside him.
“Quiet enough,” Collin answered with a shrug.
“To think, Rol and Nico were worried about you, and here you’ve been wooing a beautiful maiden all this time,” Trey teased. He could always be counted upon to lighten a situation.
“If you call fighting assassins and fleeing for your life wooing,” Lera answered with a rueful shake of her head.
“Hey, whatever works,” Trey quipped. Hugh punched him on the shoulder, but not too hard.
They made quick progress down the spiraling ramp. Hugh could see the surreptitious looks everyone was giving the flame down below. He understood how they felt. Only the day before he’d never seen anything like the Lady’s eternal fire. Now, it almost felt like an old friend.
“Is it dangerous?” Collin asked, nodding toward the flame they could now see at the bottom of the chamber.
“It can be, if one has evil intent. The Order of Light serves the goddess. The magic of the eternal flame is Hers alone, though it has been entrusted to the priests of this order. If Her flame sees evil in a being’s heart, it can burn. It can injure or even kill, but that happens only rarely. Those of evil intent seldom come voluntarily to the temple. They know the flame will see into their hearts and they avoid its judgment.”
“Good thing we’re on the same side then,” Collin observed.
“It kind of tickles at first,” Hugh told his brothers. He was so glad to have them here. Even if there was danger—no, especially if there was danger—he couldn’t ask for better men to fight at his side than his brothers and the knights and dragons they partnered. “Don’t worry. You’ll all do fine.”
They arrived at the foot of the ramp in short order, and the High Priest demonstrated the path the visitors should take.
“Let the dragons go first,” Hugh counseled.
Nellin was the first to move, walking bravely toward the unknown fire. Jenet followed, with Mace, Drake and Krysta not far behind. As expected, the flame licked out and Hugh watched it embrace Nellin for a moment, seeming to welcome him like a long-lost friend. It did the same with Jenet and she rustled her wings happily before moving along to make room for the others. She and her mate waited by the large, arched doorway for the rest of the party. Hugh felt reassured to have them here. The more dragons to protect his lady, the better.
When Mace and then Krysta walked before the eternal flame, it engulfed them slightly more than Hugh had seen it take any human, but when Drake entered the area, it completely enveloped him. Hugh started forward, but Drake’s voice came to him in his mind. [ miame, it
“Fear not, my prince. The magic meets and feeds my own. All is well.”
For a moment, Hugh had almost forgotten that Drake was a Firedrake, who had the ability to call fire and control it. It was Drake’s heritage, shared among his family. Their visit to the Wizard Gryffid had awakened Drake’s dormant magic—a residue from his ancestry. Gryffid had revealed that Drake was a descendant of the Wizard Draco, who had the same abilities. Draco had been the very first Firedrake.
Apparently the Lady’s eternal flame recognized his fiery quality and reveled in it.
“It likes him and his partners,” Lera observed. “I’ve never seen a man so fully engulfed.”
“Drake is special,” was all Hugh would say in public. It was Drake’s secret to reveal, if he so chose.
“Fire is something gryphons are always wary of. Are you certain this will be safe for my colleague?” Liam asked politely, coming up beside them.
At that point, Hyadror, who had landed behind the rest of the party, moved forward.
“Allow me to demonstrate,” the gryphon said, moving swiftly toward the fire. It sent out a gentle iridescent tendril of greeting to him, which he bravely faced before moving forward to join the dragons by the door.
Not to be outdone, the foreign gryphon followed him. The flame embraced him a little longer than the previous gryphon, with smoky, iridescent wisps of gentle magical glow that did not burn. Reliendor handled it well, shaking his feathers as he emerged unharmed on the other side of the gauntlet. There was no doubt he was a brave creature, willing to take risks, who kept his cool under uncertain circumstances. The eternal fire had showed them that much at least.
Liam went next. He paused before the fire, seeming to examine it as it examined him. Cheeky of him, Hugh thought privately. But the eternal flame kept glowing cheerfully, whirling happily around the fey diplomat before retreating once more. The twins went next, greeted much as Hugh had been b
y the tendrils of sacred fire. Hugh and Lera went after them, followed by the remainder of the priests who’d been up on the tower as honor guard.
It was a large group that headed across the courtyard into the main temple, but they were soon settled in the great hall. It was the only room big enough to hold all of them—two-legged and four-legged alike.
Before the princes and knights were seated, they shared a more informal greeting with Hugh. A lot of back pounding and manly hugs were distributed among them, and it was clear to Lera that the two knights and her new mate were old friends.
She found herself observing them as Krysta came up beside her. Without realizing it, she had drawn slightly away from the rest of the group, so the two women were essentially alone, off to one side. The priests were busy organizing seating for the newcomers, Father Gregor directing them while speaking privately with the fey diplomat.
“You’ll have to pardon the boys, milady,” said the Jinn woman. “They like to trade war stories when they haven’t seen each other in a while. They won’t say it, but I know my mates have been worried about Prince Hugh. He is not the first of the royal princes to find himself in distant lands, but of them all, Hugh has never been very good at blending in—or so my men tell me.”
Lera had to chuckle at that. “No, he’ll never be very good at espionage, but that’s only part of what I love about him. Far too many people in my [ peat. life have ulterior motives. It’s refreshing to know that he would never be able to pull something like that off.”
“Then in the interest of full disclosure, I would make it known to you that I am the Spymaster of the Wayfarer Clan.”
Lera turned to her companion in utter surprise.
“Please, milady, this is something I disclose to you alone, since I can be of help in your current situation. Plus, I’ve married into the world of dragons and knights.” She looked fondly at her family—the men and dragons standing a short distance away. “I find my world utterly changed by finding my mates. My cause is their cause. Our purposes run together and if at some point they diverged, my loyalties would be first with my new family, not my old one. But I can’t see that happening. The Jinn are now more strongly allied with Draconia and its inhabitants than they have ever been before.”
“You’ve been tested by the flame,” Lera said cautiously. “I have no reason to doubt your words, except for the fact that you just admitted to being a spy. A master spy at that.” Lera didn’t know what to make of the woman and her candid speech.
Krysta smiled understandingly. “A lot has happened to you in a short matter of time. There are many things we must all adjust to. I just wanted it clear from the beginning, who and what I am, so that you know you may call upon my skills and knowledge. Drake will say the same. He’s an even better spy than I am.” Krysta winked as she moved away from Lera’s side, a mischievous smile lighting her features.
Lera wasn’t truly surprised at the idea that the master bard was also a master spy. It was taken as a given that most court musicians listened in on any conversation one was foolish enough to hold while in their range of hearing. Lera had been taught discretion from an early age.
Hugh rejoined her when the extra seating was arranged, though he’d kept an eye on her all along. He placed one arm around her waist and drew her near. She liked the possessive gesture and accepted the pointed smiles of his friends with good humor. It felt nice to be part of a couple. Strange, but definitely good.
The High Priest began speaking, welcoming the newcomers once again, less formally, and asking questions. Unexpectedly, he turned first to the gryphon and the fey man who sat near him.
“I can’t imagine you traveled so far on a whim. Have either of you a message for us?” Gregor asked rather bluntly.
Liam stood with a flourish and bowed. “I do. The Wizard Gryffid sends his regards and has tasked me with delivering these two letters—one for the Doge and one for you, sir, the High Priest of the Order of Light.” Liam reached into a small, richly embroidered satchel that was slung across his body.
It was so ornate, Lera had taken the strap to be a banner of office rather than the more functional satchel strap it really was. Only now did she notice the flat square of fabric resting near his hip had a flap and closure hidden among the heavy embroidery. From within Liam produced two flat folded pieces of parchment, each sealed with an elaborate seal and ribbon that glowed with a hint of magic that was tangible when Lera touched the paper.
Wary of the magic but sensing nothing evil from it, Lera decided to break the seal, releasing a little glimmer of sparks that floated like twinkling dust motes on the breeze, shining with golden light before dissipating harmlessly into the air.
“So the Wizard Gryffid is truly alive?” Gregor asked. “Gryffid himself, from ancient tim [m ayou travees, not his son or grandson?”
Liam nodded, smiling politely. “The one and original Gryffid, who created the gryphons with the Mother of All’s blessing. Is that not so, my friend?” Liam turned to the gryphon at his side.
Reliendor nodded his powerful beak. “The maker livess.”
Hyadror’s beak opened in an expression of shock. “Truly?” he asked in an astounded tone.
“Truly,” Reliendor said gently to the other gryphon. “He ssendss hiss greetingss to all the gryphonss of Helioss. If you permit, I will fly out with you to bring hiss wordss to our brethren.”
“That would be mosst welcome. Praisse the maker’ss name,” Hyadror replied, more humble than Lera had ever seen the proud creature.
Lera unfolded the parchment and scanned the formal words of greeting and goodwill. It was a straightforward communication seeking to open diplomatic relations between the folk of Gryphon Isle and Helios. It introduced Liam and Reliendor as ambassadors and representatives of the two major races found on Gryphon Isle—fair folk and gryphons.
“For my part,” Lera said, passing the parchment to Hugh, “as Doge, I welcome the opening of diplomatic relations between our lands. As Keeper of the Flame, I suppose I could speak preliminarily for the gryphons and say that they will most like be very interested in learning more about the Wizard Gryffid, if at all possible. Isn’t that so, Hyadror?”
“Indeed it iss,” the native gryphon agreed readily.
The High Priest didn’t say much about his message and Lera didn’t push him. She’d learned over time that Father Gregor spoke only after he’d had time to think, and only when he had something of import to say.
She watched as he refolded the Wizard’s missive and pursed his lips. He gathered the attention of all just by the expression on his face. At length, he spoke.
“There are a few things you should know.” Father Gregor addressed the ambassadors directly. “First, and most important, we had a remarkable event happen yesterday, from which this temple is still reeling. A Visitation by the Lady, Her words spoken to us through an emissary created out of Her eternal flame.” The ambassadors both looked suitably impressed. “Our Blessed Lady has charged this temple and our Order to work with the gryphons of Helios—those selected by the emissary—in the way I believe the gryphons of Gryphon Isle work with your folk, Ambassador Liam.”
Liam nodded. “We work with the feathered folk and fight alongside them. Several highly trained wings allow us to ride into battle on their backs.”
“As I suspected. The Lady has charged some of our priests to do the same and I believe your folk could help us greatly in learning these new skills.”
“We would be pleassed to help,” Reliendor replied with all due gravity.
“Thank you. The second thing you need to know is the nature of the emissary.” Lera remembered only then that Hugh had wondered what the other gryphons would make of the new breed of gryphon.
The doors at the far end of the hall opened as if on cue, to frame the magnificent white gryphon in the carved stone archway. She paused for a moment, allowing everyone to get a good look at her before padding forward on four, silent paws. No clicks of claws on stone he
ralded her presence as they did for other gryphons who had the front end of the bird, including the front claws.
Lera watched the shock on the ambassadors’ faces. It was clear neither one of them had ever seen anything like the Lady’s emissary.
It was Miss who broke the tension, bolting in the doorway at a run before she’d had a good look inside. When she saw all the people at the table, watching her, she skidded to a stop, dismay in her eyes as her wings swept out to help her stop, displayed to their full extent.
“It’s all right, little one,” Hugh said to her in a coaxing voice. “Come meet everyone.”
Hugh stood and held out his hand. Miss started walking again, clearly bashful with so many eyes upon her. She walked in a hesitant pattern of fast and slow, then made a mad dash to Hugh’s side. He crouched down to her eye level and greeted her quietly, stroking his hands over her fur and speaking reassuring words to the frightened child.
While Miss held everyone’s attention, Jalinar had drawn near. She walked right up to the foreign gryphon, showing strength in every line of her proud body.
“Greetings, Master Reliendor. I am Jalinar, emissary of the Lady. Long has She waited for your flock to rejoin the timestream. As you can see, things have changed among gryphon kind over the many years your maker kept himself away from these lands and the normal flow of time.”
“I can ssee that. Iss thiss the normal appearance for gryphonss in this land?” Reliendor looked from Jalinar to Hyadror and back again.
“No,” Hyadror replied. “Only a few have been born thiss way. And it hass only happened in recent yearss.”
“What caussess it?” Reliendor asked, probably not realizing how rude the question sounded to Lera’s ears.
“Evolution,” Jalinar answered shortly.
At that point, Reliendor backtracked, tucking his feathers close to his body and withdrawing slightly. It was the gryphonic version of tucking his tail between his legs.
“I meant no dissresspect.”
Jalinar eyed him dispassionately for several moments. “The Lady gave me this form after observing what happened to the young one. She is called Miss because her sire called her misborn rather than give her a proper name and threw her out of the nest to die.”
