by Meagan Hurst
“How did you survive?” she asked in the barest of a whisper—a level of quiet Z wouldn’t have suspected the Dragon could acquire.
“Ah,” Nivaradros breathed with a dark smile. “That is the main reason you are here.”
Explaining in-depth, Nivaradros bluntly told Veilantras how injured he had been. He also mentioned Shalion’s involvement and backtracked to cover the parts of the story that had happened years before he had made a play for Z’s trust. It was clear Veilantras was still able to be surprised; the news Nivaradros had approached many Rangers and Shalion to gain information was clearly something the female Dragon wouldn’t have guessed on her own.
At this bit of information Veilantras glanced her way again, and Z inclined her head before returning her attention to Nivaradros. He would, shortly, speak of the loss of his form, and how Veilantras responded would tell them both much; they needed her as an ally. As powerful as Nivaradros was in magic, Z did not want him to have to call upon it. He had managed to avoid revealing his full power for all this time, and Z knew he shared some of her thoughts on magic; never show your full hand until you absolutely have to.
Silence filled the room for some time before Veilantras broke it. Her voice was hesitant, and it was clear she had a suspicion or a fear over what was to come. “How did you survive, Nivaradros?”
“Z’s mysterious visitor,” was the Dragon’s emotionless response. “He transported me to…somewhere, and he offered me a choice.” Nivaradros’s eyes were working quickly to neon. “The choice was simple. Either I could keep my Dragon form and sacrifice a fair amount of my power to keep it or I could choose to take my lesser form and lose no magic outside of it.”
Veilantras actually let out a soft cry of pain and she stared at Nivaradros in shock. “You didn’t!” she whispered in a broken voice Z never wanted to hear her use again. “Nivaradros, tell me you did not surrender your form!”
Nivaradros didn’t reply since it was obvious. When Veilantras just stared at him aghast he shook his head. “Had I not I would never have been able to save her. The Shade had her almost past the point of return. It took time to bring her back. I would trade nothing, Veilantras. I miss the flight, yes, but losing her would have been worse.”
“And if she gets herself killed?” the female Dragon inquired in a weak tone.
“I doubt I will outlive her by much,” Nivaradros replied dryly. His eyes were neon, but Z knew Veilantras was not a threat. She was shocked—hurt by Nivaradros admission—but no anger was there.
“Your form, Nivaradros?” Veilantras repeated as though she didn’t want to accept what she had been told. Her eyes flickered to Z and Z managed not to react to the intensity of their gaze. “And what are your thoughts on this?”
“He agreed to this before I knew he was alive—before I was conscious—and while I appreciate the gesture, I can only hope there does not come a time when he longs for the feeling of the wind beneath his wings, since none of my research has uncovered a way to undo what was done.”
And she had researched. There was no documentation regarding the single known Dragon who had surrendered his form, other than a brief statement confirming the event had taken place. She was determined to keep searching though, because deep down she expected Nivaradros to pull away from her at some point. Someday it was inevitable that he would grow bored with her. It would only add insult to injury that when he did he was bound to his lesser form, and she would do anything to change that.
Nivaradros glanced at her in surprise for she had kept this bit of her research from him. “Zimliya,” he said in a tone he had never used with her before. “This choice is one I will never regret. I will swear it in blood and magic if you wish, but the loss of my form is minor.”
‘Never’ was not a word used by immortals. At all. She could feel the truth to it, and she finally nodded. She would abandon her research. Her time could be spent elsewhere. She doubted the guilt would fade for centuries, but the Dragon meant what he said; somehow in all of this he had grown accustomed to and at ease in his lesser form.
“This is why I was called,” Veilantras remarked flatly as she regarded them both. Her eyes were glowing silver with her agitation, but her tone was steady. “If he accepts the Council summons and someone challenges him; he cannot shift. That is a rather large problem.”
“Hence the reason we discussed this at length before requesting your presence. We need an ally who is able to fight in their native form. Nivaradros has magic, but whether or not it would be enough remains to be seen. He is also quite the fighter, but it takes practice to combat a Dragon when one is several times smaller than they are.”
Veilantras’s eyes darkened and she chuckled. “You would be the expert on that,” she agreed before her eyes went back to the Dragon Z knew she cared for. “I will back you,” she said without preamble. “I cannot believe you managed to fool me this well, but I will stand behind you in all of this. You are more than I could have expected you to be, and certainly a valuable being in this world—you would be valuable in any world. What do you intend to do with Z?”
“She is mine. I’ve claimed her life as she has claimed mine. I stand beside her in her decisions, but these kingdoms—her power—belong to her only. I am merely her support and I will offer whatever I can that she desires from me.”
“You have been spending time with the Mithane,” Veilantras said in an amused tone. “You’ve never exhibited this much diplomacy. When you took Zimliya to your lair I assumed you were after her power, but her power was not something you sought.”
“Never. I am attracted to it of course—there isn’t a Dragon alive who could say otherwise—but I sought nothing more than her and, in the beginning, the only thing I foresaw myself receiving was her friendship.”
Z cringed as she felt the question forming before it was asked. “Are you two having sex?”
Nivaradros chuckled and Z felt herself turning red. “Yes,” he answered simply. “But you should probably change the subject since it makes her squirm. Apparently that topic is the single thing she dislikes discussing.”
“Back on topic,” Z growled as she glared at the side of Nivaradros’s face. When he ignored her she turned her attention to their guest. “Veilantras, would my presence at the Council make things better or worse?”
“That depends. There are rumors you are no longer a Ranger.”
“Those would be exaggerated. I am no longer the de la Nepioa and I have placed myself under a giseis.”
It was clear Veilantras had decided speaking with her and Nivaradros was a great trial. Putting her hands to her temples she massaged them for a moment in silence before sighing. “And this seemed like a good idea…why?”
“Because the Shade had just finished assassinating the Ranger Council,” Nivaradros answered flatly before she could even draw breath. “Since his intentions were unknown it seemed wiser for her to step back from them.”
Z had never seen the Dragon look so pale. “Crilyne assassinated the Ranger Council…why?” Silver was positively glowing, and Z had no doubt Veilantras was considering attacking the Shade despite the fact the Dragon knew she couldn’t kill him.
“He was threatened,” Z said slowly. “I have addressed it and he is not a threat to me. But it is not safe for the Rangers to have me as their de la Nepioa. They also demanded Crilyne’s immediate destruction and I refused; I need him as he is.”
“For power?” Veilantras snorted.
“For guidance,” Z answered sharply. Anger threatened to emerge and Z stubbornly held it at bay. “He’s the oldest being I am readily in contact with and while this event was handled poorly on his part, he did it because in his mind he thought it would protect me. It was flawed thinking, but admirable nevertheless.”
Nivaradros was watching her intently, but he gave nothing away regarding her thoughts. Instead he placed a hand over hers and squeezed lightly before nodding to Veilantras. “It is in the past, but not far enough to be a topic that ca
n readily be discussed. Instead I would recommend we return to the reason we requested your presence, Veilantras. If I go before the Council should Zimliya stand beside me?”
“As your leader?”
“As my mate,” Nivaradros clarified. “And as a power in her own right. Do not try to convince us that the Dragon Council has finally managed to stop viewing her as a pet; we know they have not. I would like that remedied immediately, but not if a battle would break out while both of us were present. We can and will fight, but fighting over such a trivial affair seems like a waste.”
A blonde brow rose sharply. “I am pleased to see you consider yourselves above harm despite the recent events that have proven otherwise.”
“Those were minor events and neither one of us has shown our full power—I would advise that you hope we never have to.” Nivaradros glanced at Z with a small smile at the corners of his lips.
“Spare me.” Veilantras seemed to be considering what had been brought up in silence and Z watched her eyes narrow slightly after thirty minutes had passed. She was taking her time on this—clearly conflicted over which would be the best course of action.
“If I recommended Zimliya remain would you attend the Council?”
“No.”
It was a sharp, cold, and final statement, and the amount of power that was in that one word reminded Z that Nivaradros would not allow anyone to walk over him—ever. It was both a blessing and a curse, given what he had managed to get himself into. Occasionally one did have to pretend to get walked upon when it came to being in command. Not on major issues of course, but the occasional so-called ‘loss’ made people happy. Nivaradros, however, lacked the ability to make compromises still, and he definitely would display Dragon arrogance in meetings for some time. She would have to work on that, albeit slowly; attempting to change it too fast would be a disaster waiting to happen.
“At least you didn’t leave me wondering if I had asked the question,” Veilantras remarked in an amused tone. “Your display of diplomacy had me worried that the Alantaions were wearing off on you, and I would have to occasionally deal with a non-answer, one that makes me wonder if I in fact spoke at all.” She fell silent again and glanced at Z. “How solid is your acceptance of your immortality? And how solid are your holds on your kingdoms?”
That was a curious question. “My position here as heir—”
“—ess,” Nivaradros finished. At her dark look he rolled his eyes. “Heiress—you are an heiress; not an heir. You are female correct?”
Seriously? “I call everyone an heir,” she snapped. “No one else gives a damn. Does it really matter if I assigned the sex to it? I know I am female. You know I am female. The purpose of words it to convey something to someone else. Last time I checked you understood what I was trying to convey with my words so it shouldn’t be an issue!”
Veilantras chuckled and her eyes met Nivaradros with ease. “Her temper gives me confidence. But go ahead and finish what you were saying, Zimliya.”
“Z,” she correctly shortly. “My position here as heiress is secure. They don’t even mind Nivaradros. Likewise it is secure with the Syallibions. I haven’t managed to get to the other kingdoms I theoretically rule, so I refuse to offer you an answer on them one way or another.”
“It is not theoretical in Lyiastras,” a very cool voice spoke out of seemingly thin air.
A tear appeared in the edge of her vision when Z allowed it to switch to its fullest ability. Shadow touched the edges of the tear for a second before the Islierre emerged. He nodded politely in greeting to Nivaradros and Veilantras, but his attention returned and remained on her. His smile displayed his humor, but his eyes warned her to ignore the smile.
“You’ve managed to retake your throne?” Z inquired politely knowing full well he had done no such thing. Midestol had pooled most of his warriors in two kingdoms, Lyiastras and Triharin—the two other kingdoms she had been handed besides Istuion and her position as Arriandri’s heiress.
“Do not be smart with me,” the Islierre retorted as Nivaradros growled softly. “You know I have not, but I have been sending shadow messengers to those I deemed it wise to communicate with. They know I have renounced my throne—and they know Shalion handed it to you.”
“So we can expect to be attacked after we save them, good to know,” Z sighed as she glanced at the Islierre. “Could you use the door next time?”
“Why? You rarely bother to and I didn’t overhear anything.”
Scowling at him and knowing this was a test, Z growled. “Fine. Next time you will use the door or I will plant a dagger in your chest. Do you have any questions?”
“No I believe that does explain things quite clearly. Do you want me to leave or will you allow me to remain?”
Immortals. “If you feel you would be a solid addition to a discussion you know nothing about, then by all means, feel free to join us,” Z answered in a cuttingly sarcastic tone.
Unfortunately he appeared to want to hassle her. Taking a seat next to no one, he watched the three of them as though he had been there throughout the whole conversation, even though she knew he had not. She had barely had a second’s warning before he had emerged from the shadows, meaning all he had heard was the topic of her kingdoms. His eyes were faintly dangerous and as he was here in Arriandie, Z knew something was bothering him. Plus he was injured. Despite hating the thought of having to quickly wrap up the conversation between the Dragons, Z was well aware she couldn’t allow the Islierre to leave the room.
Then again she didn’t need to. Veilantras watched the Islierre in silence for a moment before glancing at Nivaradros. “Bring her,” the Dragon declared softly. “And come soon.” She left without another word and Nivaradros waited until she was gone before addressing the Islierre.
“Do you need privacy with Zimliya?” he wanted to know.
“No, and it is best you remain. As Zimliya’s…chosen, you have say in my kingdom as well.” The Islierre fell silent—eyes closing with exhaustion or pain. But Z knew better than to offer him aid.
“How is Azabell?”
Z blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to inquire over Shalion’s betrothed since he positively hated the Ryelention and she came from a lineage that had attempted to assassinate him several times. “She’s recovering. I haven’t found the time to speak with her about how she came to be in this condition.”
“That is not necessary—I can enlighten you as to the events that led to her condition. She’s been the link to our homeland during these long months of exile, and we’d arranged meeting days and locations to discuss the goings-on of our kingdom. This most recent time resulted in an ambush. I have no idea how we were discovered, but during our meeting the guards were slain and the enemy gained entry. Azabell was wounded immediately so both Shalion and I had her flee—taking one of the horses we had in place. We remained behind to fight. It was a close thing.”
Eyes closing she exhaled slowly. “Shalion?”
“Was wounded—he is, however, quite alright. As soon as the skirmish had been won, he began to heal. He began to heal,” the Islierre continued in a dark tone, “from your magic. Did you realize you had left a heavy trace upon him when you healed him from that arrow?”
“Islierre, I threw magic at him in the hope of saving him. I was scarcely aware of my surroundings. It was in no way intentional, but as it seems to be a hidden blessing, I am not going to apologize for it.”
Something shifted in the depths of the orange. “You were unaware this would or had occurred?”
“Did I stutter when I told you I planned to speak with Azabell about what had occurred when she is strong enough to handle it?” she demanded harshly. “No, I had no idea. How would I have known?”
“You are a seer.”
“I also theoretically control the shadows and you know how often I use that talent—or any other talent I possess. Honestly, Yasyan! If I had intended your death I would have killed you myself!”
&
nbsp; “Z has been worried about you,” Nivaradros added before the Islierre could reply. “Both you and Shalion. Did you presume she wouldn’t? She does not—and never did—want your throne. She has been fretting since Azabell arrived, but has managed to keep that concern bottled up as a proper immortal should. Shalion has simply been awarded an extra level of protection. You should be grateful instead of suspicious. Shalion is—and will always be to Z—an heir. She would not plot his downfall, and she hasn’t conspired to remove you from the world either.”
“Perhaps not, but you can imagine my suspicion. She has made no move to regain Lyiastras since it was overrun.”
“Need I mention there were twenty-three other kingdoms that were also overtaken at the same time?!” Z inserted irritably. “I can only be in so many places at once and I will remind you that for several months I was busy trying not to die as well!”
“There was that,” he conceded in a tight tone. “But the kingdoms you have regained have mostly been mortal kingdoms. I am curious to know why? You have no claim to them.”
“They are allies,” Z sighed. “And frankly they hold larger armies. They were also easy to regain, several of them were recovered without my involvement at all, and they were not the staging ground for Midestol’s forces. And on top of it all, none of those lands have been the source of vanishing troops. I’ve been planning, Islierre. I wasn’t about to run in and try to retake your kingdom only to be beaten back by too many elements I knew nothing about. I have been gathering my own knowledge about what is awaiting any army in your kingdom; I have not been ignoring it. I would like the majority of the people I take with me to survive, and I would prefer to survive as well.”
“You have a plan?”
“I have several; all of them have flaws I want addressed before I sound a call-to-arms.” Z crossed her arms and regarded the immortal before her. “Or would you prefer, in your rush to regain your kingdom, that I sounded the call and lost thousands needlessly? You do realize any mistake I make will impact us all greatly in a short time to come? Midestol challenged us—me—on all fronts because our losses would be heavy if we were foolish enough to try the same. He has us in numbers; we have him in skill and magic. We have immortals, but he has the abominations he creates that can attack us without causing him grief over their loss. We have an alliance; he has forces that have yet to be revealed. I am planning, Islierre. This is a war that will easily lose the world if I do not tread with care. His goal was to rush me to the field; I refuse to be goaded into making a mistake. I can make those without aid.”
