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“So, you’re not who you said you were,” Nostar said at last.
The fire had died down and everyone else was asleep – even Katlana. We’d tried to question her. She wasn’t saying anything. Not about the golems or how they got there. Not about if more were coming or how many Magikas were back there operating them. Not even about if she could operate them from here. Nostar had given her a herbal remedy that she’d taken without complaint.
“We didn’t have a choice. We didn’t know who to trust and our mission is too important,” I said, sipping my tea.
I was tired, but like Nostar I was having trouble leaving my dragon. Despite my exhaustion, I felt on edge, as if what was going on with them was more important than a mere display of athletics.
“I don’t blame you,” Nostar said, rubbing his scruffy face. He looked at my silvery one from time to time when he thought I couldn’t see him. “And we believe you. I mean, those marks on your face are strange. And I don’t know how else you would have got them. And the girl and the golems back your story.” He sighed. “I did not think war would come again so soon. Did you fight in the Truth War?”
“I watched my city fall from the sky and then burn.”
“Vanika?” he shot me a concerned glance.
“Yes.” The wind was picking up and the smoke flickered back and forth between puffing in my face and blowing away. The embers were bright.
“I heard a rumor that the Dominar set it on fire on her way through your city.”
“It’s truth,” I said. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
I pushed back the memories that threatened to crash in, my hand shaking slightly from the effort. As if called by my pain, the mimic flickered into existence, raising a single eyebrow at me. Angrily, I pushed him away.
I thought I could hear him whisper, “You’ll have to do better than that, Tor.”
“She’s an impressive one,” Nostar said.
“You’ve met her?”
“No. But I saw her from afar. Our wing fought in the Ifrit battle under Dominion City. There were fifteen of us then. We were part of a larger wing of loyal dragons.”
His words were heavy, as full of memories as my own.
“An Ifrit killed many of my friends,” I offered. “Smashed them against buildings. Broke them.”
My whole body tensed as I fought the memories. I took a deep breath deliberately, forcing them away and sipping my tea.
I looked up to see Nostar watching me, nodding.
“You have that look to you. You’ve seen adventures. I could tell you weren’t really a Purple.”
My eyebrows shot up and I almost dropped my tea. We’d told him about everything – except that. We didn’t dare tell that.
“How – ?”
He nodded his head to Saboraak and I froze. She’d shifted from Purple to Green. I cursed quietly.
“Skies and stars!”
He chuckled. “I think you should tell me about that.”
“She’s female,” I said quietly. This was for his ears only. “They change colors.”
He grunted. “Well. That might explain a few things. Have you ever watched grassling birds in the spring?”
I shook my head. What a strange question
We sat silently for a few minutes before he clapped me on the shoulder.
“In that case, Tor Winespring – that is your name, yes? – I think I’ll get some sleep. This will either work itself out by dawn or we’ll be forced to find alternate transportation.”
We had no other options, but I could see what he meant. I nodded, but when he waited for me to join him, I shook my head. As he left for his blankets, I walked forward and joined Saboraak on the side of the hill.
She didn’t look at me. Didn’t even seem to notice me. I sighed and sat down beside her.
“I think it’s time you told me what is happening here,” I said.
They like me.
“And they can only show you that through feats of athleticism?”
Sort of. She sounded embarrassed.
“And you can’t just ask them to do it later?”
Once the dance has begun, it cannot be stopped until it is completed.
“Well, that’s very inconvenient. And they couldn’t have waited until later?”
She shifted uncomfortably.
“What does it mean? What do they want?”
They want me.
“Well, they can’t have you. You’re my dragon.”
She snorted loudly. Was that a laugh?
Of course, you’re my rider, Tor. They want something else. They ... well, they’re courting me.
“What, all of them?” I felt shocked. If a bunch of other guys showed up and wanted to try to court Zyla while I was getting her attention, they could look elsewhere. In fact, I still owed Eventen a good fist to the jaw for proposing marriage to her right under my nose! The nerve!
It’s not like that.
Maybe I needed to go punch a few dragons while I was at it. See if I could show them some sense.
You are always forgetting that we are not human. Dragons do things differently.
“Okay. Why don’t you explain?” I tried to keep the frustration out of my voice. I probably didn’t succeed.
She huffed again.
It’s very hard work to raise dragon eggs. For starters, the eggs must be kept hot until they hatch – not just body-temperature-hot but hot-hot. That means a dragon must be flaming on the egg at all times or we risk losing them. And one dragon – even two dragons – are not enough for that.
She didn’t mean that she meant to take them all as lovers, did she? I felt my face going hot at the thought.
Seriously, Tor. You need to stop being so human!
“Can I help it?”
It doesn’t work like that. There are a lot fewer females than males. A LOT fewer. And when a female establishes a family, it’s not like a human family. It’s like ... a human skycity. It’s a big deal. She has a lot of progeny over many decades and they are a force all on their own. Do you know about bee hives?
“I’m a city boy, remember?”
I’ll take that as a ‘no.’ She sighed again. Let me try to simplify this for you. Tachril is courting me. But his wing – Hyoogan, Nazscal, Elumans, Nelmper, and Izhoedi – they are offering to be his cohort. That means they will guard the nest and warm the eggs and basically begin a dragon city with us. They’re offering to be like an elite guard division with me as their queen.
“I’m not sure if you noticed, but we don’t have time to be building cities of dragons. Or engaging in elaborate courtships. Even if it’s flattering to be offered a role as a queen. We’re fleeing creeping hordes of golems!”
Once the ceremony begins, it must not be stopped without an answer.
“So say ‘no’ and let’s be on our way!”
The look she gave me was distinctly hostile. I stepped back.
“You do want to say ‘no’ don’t you?”
I am not certain.
“You aren’t certain?!” I could have pulled my hair out in chunks. All this because a dragon was proposing marriage!
Are you certain about Zyla? Would you like to marry her?
“I don’t know!” I was almost shouting now. I clamped down on my own words and looked around in the darkness. Hopefully, I hadn’t disturbed the camp. We hadn’t posted a guard. We all just assumed that the dragons would notice if enemies arrived.
Well, I don’t know either.
“Be reasonable,” I hissed, whispering now. I didn’t even need to talk out loud, but it was too hard to feel this strongly and not speak. “Where would you even put a city? Surely, the Lands of Haz’Drazen are crowded by now. The Dominion doesn’t have room for a Dragon City. Think of the practicalities.”
I was thinking perhaps Kav’ai. Or Ko’Torenth.
“What?” I almost broke out of a whisper.
Well, you are marked with their signs. When you’re done defeating these golem armies, I think they’ll owe you something. Like maybe a place to put your dragon city. Although we call them, “Drazenloft” not “city.”
“I’ll remember that,” I said hollowly. She was serious. She was seriously considering this. “If you say yes, can I assume that we’ll be stuck with these Green dragons indefinitely?”
She lifted an eyebrow ridge.
I have been nothing but supportive regarding your attachment to Zyla.
“She doesn’t come with five other dragons and six humans!”
The eyebrow ridge rose further.
I sighed.
“Can you at least decide quickly, before our enemies arrive and we all die?”
The eye narrowed.
Skies and stars!
I heard laughing and spun to see my mimic perched along the cliff. “You could go down there and kill a dragon or two. That would put a damper on things. Or you could tell her that if she agrees to this, you’ll leave her. She likes you. She’d have to take that threat seriously.”
“If you know what’s best for you,” I muttered, glaring at him. “You’ll stay behind me, mimic. You’re nothing but trouble.”
He was still laughing when I slunk back to my blanket and tried to sleep but sleep did not come easy. I couldn’t stop worrying about how I was going to find a place for Saboraak’s Drazenloft. I had no illusions that she would say no. She looked far too pleased at that ridiculous green frill.
I’ll have you know that the frill is a very attractive part of a male dragon.
I jammed my hands over my ears, but her laughter echoed in my mind anyhow.