by Bianca D'Arc
“Yes, I’ve been flying with Lady Genlitha. She is very sweet.”
“Sweet?” Paton tried to hide his bark of laughter with a cough, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. “Forgive me. We’ve been training with Gowan and Genlitha for the past few weeks, and she is formidable. A cunning flyer and a wicked fighter. I never would have applied the term sweet to her, though I have nothing but the greatest respect for her.”
“Nevertheless,” Livia insisted, “she is exceedingly sweet-tempered and kind.”
Paton was saved from crafting a response by the arrival into the great hall of Sir Jiffrey, accompanied by Gerard. Both walked quickly over to the table in the corner where Livia waited. Seth rose and made the introductions, wondering privately why Sir Jiffrey’s partner hadn’t also come.
“He is aloft,” said a dragonish voice in his head that he knew well. It was the female dragon who had been as a mother to him, Alirya, partner to Paton. “When they land, he’ll most likely join you, depending on what your lady has to say.” Seth heard the unspoken speculation in Alirya’s voice and knew questions would be coming. “Do you believe her story is as urgent as she claims?”
“Livia is not a woman given to flights of fancy. If she is concerned, then there is definitely something to be concerned about.” Seth defended Livia to the dragon, knowing he was probably damning himself by doing so.
Now the dragons would know for certain he had some sort of feelings for Livia, and they’d no doubt be asking him all about it at their earliest convenience.
Well, then. So be it.
Sir Jiffrey had been exchanging greetings with Livia while Seth was communicating with Lady Alirya. Finally, they were down to the crux of the matter. All were seated around the table, and Livia leaned forward, imparting her news.
“Two of our fleet made port today,” she was telling Jiffrey. “As a matter of course, arriving captains make routine reports to either my father or myself, if my father is on a voyage. I have been receiving these reports for many years, and I can tell you, I’ve never heard two more alarming accounts in all that time.” She paused to take a breath and scan the faces of those gathered.
Seth could see she still hadn’t convinced the older men, but she would. He knew Livia well enough—trusted her judgment enough—to know that she wouldn’t raise a false alarm. He would sit back in silent support unless she needed him. This was her show, and he knew she wouldn’t welcome his interference unless there was no other way to make the older men listen.
“What is the report, and from where?” Paton asked quietly when nobody else posed the obvious question.
“First to report was Captain Andrews. He does the eastern trade route that includes Ouray, Penilula, Sabatos and Zealanta. He first heard reports of a large fleet massing east of Zealanta, but didn’t think anything of it until he heard more in Ouray. Sightings of a large force, made up mostly of known pirates and heavily armed warships, was confirmed by at least three captains he has known for many years. Tales fill the seaside taverns and are spreading up and down the coast in that land. Captain Andrews is an older man of solid character. He believes the most reliable count is something in the realm of fifty to one hundred ships. Of that, he believes about three quarters have multiple cannons, and some are kitted out with catapults. Whether or not they have any of the diamond-bladed weaponry we’ve heard is the bane of dragonkind, he does not know.”
Now they were listening, Seth saw. All three older men leaned forward and had looks of grave concentration on their faces. None interrupted Livia with objections or questions. Not yet.
“An hour later, Captain Illers of the Sonova came tearing into my office in a lather. He has just come from Ouray. His ship left a day after Captain Andrews, and he’s been chasing the wind to get here as quickly as possible. Word came to Ouray that the pirate fleet had attacked Listerna, which is just down the coast from Ouray as the crow flies. Fears are that, after Listerna is sacked, Ouray might be next. Whoever was ready to sail took off with all possible haste. The port emptied in record time. Captain Illers had reports direct from messengers sent from Listerna to warn the other coast cities. I have a copy of the missive sent out by Listerna’s governor to all its allies. I had our scribes make up several copies and sent them to all the prominent businessmen in town, as well as the Dragonscove town council. And this copy…” She pulled a rolled parchment out of her pocket and handed it across the table to Sir Jiffrey. “This one is for the Lair. If we are soon to come under attack, I think the town council is going to want to know what support we might count on from your knights and dragons.”
“We will have to review this information and confirm our readiness,” Jiffrey said, scanning the document with a frown.
“As I thought. Which is why I came directly here to give you some time to examine the facts as far as we know them, before the town council comes calling.” Livia nodded, and Seth could see she’d surprised Jiffrey with her level-headed actions.
Seth wanted to gloat, but he just sat back and watched her in action. He loved this competent, businesslike side to Livia. Then again, he loved all her moods and facets.
And that was a dangerous train of thought.
“I’ve sent out two ships. Some of our fastest, not our largest. They are only lightly armed. Their task is reconnaissance. They will make frequent stops along the coast and return with all speed, but even that is going to take days. I was hoping…” Livia’s voice dropped to a deceptively innocent tone. “Maybe some of your scouts could fly out a little farther than usual and pay particular attention to the coastline?”
Jiffrey looked up at her sharply. Seth could see the wheels turning in his mind as he, no doubt, talked things over with his partners—both the dragons and the knight who shared responsibility of running this Lair with him. Jiffrey might be sitting at the table, but the other three were listening through him and conversing with him, Seth knew.
“We can do that immediately,” Jiffrey confirmed after a few moments. “Gowan and Genlitha are scouting in the east today with first wing. We’re sending them farther out toward Ouray. It should take them about an hour to get there from their current location.” Jiffrey stood abruptly from the table. “Perhaps you would like to refresh yourself here, Mistress Livia? I would like to send word back to Dragonscove with you, if you are amenable, since I have no doubt you have a network that far exceeds our own among the local business owners.”
“I would be honored to help in any way I can,” Livia replied demurely.
Paton and Gerard rose as well. “Perhaps Mistress Livia would like to visit with your mother while we wait for word,” Gerard suggested rather overtly before going after Jiffrey.
Livia giggled softly, and Seth knew she understood what was going on. Suddenly, he wasn’t embarrassed. A shared joke with the woman who had starred in so many of his dreams was a treasure.
“We’re going with Jif,” Paton paused to say. Gerard was already halfway across the room, not letting any grass grow under his feet, as usual. “Tell your mother we’ll probably be late for dinner, and not to worry. We’re just doing the planning now, nothing dangerous.”
That was classic Paton, always putting others’ worries before himself.
“I’ll tell her,” Seth promised. And now, they’d have to go to his parents’ suite. He reached out to shake his father’s hand. “And don’t think I didn’t see what you did there.”
Paton winked, smiling at them both, then followed after his fighting partner in double time.
Seth held out his hand to Livia. She rose, taking it, and smiled at him.
“Mistress Livia, now that we have no real choice in the matter, would you like to meet my mother?”
She grinned up at him, making him feel like the king of all he surveyed.
“As a matter of fact, I believe I would like very much to meet your mother. The question is…” she leaned closer, conspiratorially, “…is she going to want to meet me?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Currently, she was pouring tea for Livia and Seth around the family table. Seth tried not to squirm when his mother insisted on relating anecdotes from his childhood. Luckily, Livia seemed to think his mother’s stories were cute.
They started talking about the market in town and various changes that had been made in the past few years. Seth’s mother didn’t go down into Dragonscove much anymore, but she went with a group of her female friends—mostly other Lair wives—every now and again.
“I grew up here, you know,” Enid told Livia. “The town has changed a great deal since I was a girl. It was much smaller then. Just a fishing village, really. Now it’s a small city with industry and craftsmen that weren’t here before. Your father seems to have had a lot to do with that, Livia.”
“Did you know my father as a child?” Livia asked over the rim of her teacup.
Enid laughed. “Oh, no, dear. It’s not generally known, but when you share your life with dragons, they tend to impart some of their magic to their chosen families. I was born over three hundred years ago. Seth is our last child. We have two other sons, both of whom are knights in the Northern Lair. Gerard Junior is nearing two hundred and is mated with grown children of his own. Paton Junior has been a knight for about a hundred years, though he is still unmated. Seth was named for my father.” She smiled at Seth. “Our dragon children, Llallor and Mowbry, are also partnered. Mowbry chose Gerry as her knight almost from the time she hatched, which was a beautiful thing to witness. Llallor is partner to a nice young man named Karlac. They’re currently assigned to the Border Lair and doing quite well.”
To say Livia was shocked would be an understatement. She knew dragons had very long lives, but she had no idea they could also lengthen the lives of their chosen partners and their wives. Yet another perk—if it could be called that—to being a Lair wife.
“You must have seen so much in your time,” Livia offered, fascinated with the idea. “Have you always lived here?”
“Oh, gracious, no. We moved around to different Lairs, the way most knights do. Gerard and Paton were both stationed here when we met. I was a local girl, and those two just swept me off my feet.” Enid smiled softly in remembrance. “When my parents passed on, I felt free to move away, and the boys took a posting to the Northern Lair. I never saw so much ice in my life, I can tell you! And it’s cold up there. Colder than I had ever experienced before. It took some getting used to, but it was quite an adventure. Gerry Junior was born there, as was Llallor. Then we moved to the Castle Lair as my husbands moved up in rank. We lived in the capital for many years. Patty and Mowbry were born while we were there, and Mowbry was old enough to officially choose Gerry right before we left to help set up the Border Lair.”
“You were on the border? Have you seen a skith?” Livia asked, interested.
One of the rarest things her father had ever had in his warehouse was a skith skin. Most skiths who encroached on the border of Draconia from their native land of Skithdron were incinerated by dragon fire, but very occasionally, one would die in another way, and some brave soul would find the courage to skin it and remove all the venom. Skith leather was in high demand from those who worked with caustic chemicals, since it was impervious to almost everything. It would have to be, since skith venom was one of the most corrosive liquids known to man. That one skith skin had been enormous and had been parceled out and sold over years to specialty buyers from all over Draconia.
“I have seen skiths.” Enid shuddered. “It is a sight I will never forget. It’s one for nightmares, believe me. Those things are just nasty.”
Livia would have asked more questions, but the arrival of a large female dragon halted her words. She was red in color, every shade of red in the palette, with hints of golden shimmer and even silver sparkle here and there. She was lovely and fierce, and looking at Livia with a critical eye.
“Livia O’Dare, may I introduce Lady Alirya,” Seth said, standing to make the formal introductions. Livia stood, as well, then did her best curtsey to the imposing dragon.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Alirya,” Livia said politely, then her anxiety got the better of her. “Have you any word?”
Alirya nodded her great head. “It is why I have come. First, to meet you, Mistress Livia. I wanted to see for myself the young woman who has befriended my boy. And next, to relay the message that you are wanted in the war room.”
Livia exchanged looks with Seth. “That sounds very serious, indeed.” Livia turned to Seth’s mother and thanked her for the tea and conversation, then followed Seth out of the chamber, leaving the two mothers to gossip.
Livia had no doubt Lady Alyria would be well aware of all that transpired in the rather ominous-sounding war room, but she would probably also be comparing notes with Enid about Livia. She almost chuckled. She had often been the topic of gossip in the town, but to her best knowledge, she had never been gossiped about by a dragon. The idea gave her little thrill as she contemplated how her life had changed since meeting Hrardorr.
She thought about contacting him, but decided against it. He was blind. There was no escaping that fact. When and if it came time to fight, he would feel awful for not being able to fly alongside his brethren. Livia set one part of her mind to thinking up ways Hrardorr still might be able to help. He could see underwater—after a fashion. Maybe that could be useful in some way? She promised herself she would think more about it later, when she had time.
For now, she and Seth were walking swiftly through the halls on their way to the mysterious war room. She was glad he knew where it was. She was hopelessly lost in the maze of tunnels and corridors that was the Lair. She did notice an increase in activity from just over an hour ago. Before, the Lair had been almost a sleepy place, of slow-moving people and lazing dragons, basking in the heat of the sandpits she could see through open doorways as they passed.
Now, it was like an anthill kicked into wakefulness. People were scurrying here and there, and the knights were walking around in armor, with purpose to their strides. The dragons were moving around, too, walking through the largest of the hallways, where the humans had to stand back against the walls to give way to oncoming dragons.
Livia was glad to see they were taking her warnings seriously.
One of Seth’s fathers—Gerard—met them in the hallway and escorted them the rest of the way to their destination. He looked tense as they strode quickly through the halls.
“What news?” Seth asked.
“Grave news, I’m afraid.” Gerard frowned and looked at Seth. “Stanius was shot out of the sky. Tilden landed in the water and was able to swim to shore. Stanius crashed on a hilltop.”
“Send me out,” Seth demanded. “I can help them.”
“It is already taken care of. They are closer to the Border Lair, as the dragon flies, and the princess has already flown out to help them both. She is a true dragon healer, and based on the huge tear in Stanius’s wing, the enemy have at least a few diamond-tipped spears on their catapults.”
“Grave news, indeed,” Livia said, into the silence that followed.
There wasn’t time to talk more as they ushered her into an enormous chamber with a large round table in the center. Knights were standing around the table, looking at what had to be a map, and Livia was amazed to see an equal number of dragons arrayed behind the knights, around the perimeter of the round room. It looked as if they were all discussing battle plans together.
Well, what else? These were dragon-knight pairs. They would go into battle together and depend upon each other. They each had a stake in the outcome and should both be in on the
planning. It made sense to her, once she thought about it.
Having never been so close to so many dragons or knights, Livia had never before considered how they must work so closely together. It was really kind of wonderful to see the way they treated each other, and respected each other’s opinions. This was a meeting of equals. No species was subservient to the other. They were true partners.
“Ah, Mistress O’Dare,” Sir Jiffrey greeted her as they walked to the center of the room to stand around the table with the other knights. He went on to introduce her to his fighting partner, the co-leader of the Lair, Sir Benrik, and the dragon leaders, their partners, Sir Tiluk and Lady Anira. Tiluk was a green dragon, and Anira was a lovely dark blue.
“I have spoken with Genlitha,” a low voice rumbled in Livia’s mind. It was the female dragon, and apparently, she was including all the knights in her communication, as all eyes focused on Livia. “She tells me you can hear us.”
“Yes, milady, I can,” Livia answered with proper respect given Anira’s position and age.
“Good. Then, if you are willing, we would like you to act as liaison with the council in the town below. We understand you are highly placed in the merchant guild and command sufficient authority and respect that the others would listen to what you have to say. We need such a person, who can also communicate without the use of couriers and written messages, which are far too slow, to act as our conduit to the leaders of Dragonscove.”
“I would be honored to fulfill such a duty,” Livia answered. Inside, she was hopping in excitement. She’d be able to help, which was what she had wanted. Livia wasn’t one to sit idly on the sidelines while others did the hard work of protecting her.
“We would also like to place a dragon with you. While I assume you’d rather have someone you know, Genlitha and Gowan cannot be spared. They are wing leaders and must lead in battle—”
“Hrardorr!” she burst out, interrupting the dragonness, which wasn’t entirely polite, but Livia didn’t want any other dragon the leader might suggest. She wanted her best friend.
