first dragon is getting really close to the target. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything,” the young snow dragon promised, speaking in both their minds.
Suddenly, another dragonish head appeared alongside Shera’s by the window. Salveer was there.
“Lord Salveer! I didn’t realize you were here. Where have you been hiding?” Isolde asked, laughing after his sudden appearance had made her jump.
“I’ve been here all along,” the ice dragon said, smoke rising from his nostrils in amusement. “Sam wanted me to show you why only ice dragons went on the reconnaissance flights.”
“You can disappear?” Isolde asked skeptically.
“In a manner of speaking,” Salveer replied a bit cagily, then relented. “We have the ability to move our bodies and scales in such a way as to reflect what is around us. We practice stealthing from a young age because it’s an art that takes a long time to master.”
“You should show her,” Sam suggested with a wink.
“All right. Ready?” Salveer waited for her to nod. “Watch closely now. Here I am and…” The dragon seemed to shake slightly and then winked out of sight. Isolde gasped. “…here I’m not.”
“That’s amazing!” Isolde almost squealed, leaning forward in her seat.
Salveer’s eyes blinked open and glimmered at her. They were the only part of him she could see. He winked one large eye at her, then shimmered back into view.
“I’m still learning, but I’m getting better at adjusting as I go. As I said, it takes decades to master the skill, and some of us take longer than others to get it right. The dragons that went on the missions tonight are all experts. They will not be seen.”
“Thank you so much for showing me this, Lord Salveer. I had no idea!” Isolde could already see the possibilities of such an ability for gathering information. She really needed to recruit some of the ice dragons into her network, if at all possible.
“You needed to know, so I was given permission to let you in on our little secret,” Salveer surprised her by saying. “The elders wish me to impress upon you the need to keep this quiet.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. I can easily see how this ability can be used—but only if others aren’t aware of it. I won’t tell anyone,” Isolde promised.
“First report coming in. Zalrazz is at Lord Moreline’s home. He’s already circled but sees nothing amiss. He’s now hiding on the battlements listening to a few gabby soldiers who are supposed to be guarding the walls but are chatting about how their Lord has been so worried lately about his wife, who has been ill. Apparently, he’s been so distracted by caring for her, he hasn’t been paying much attention to anything else. If that’s true…” Shera trailed off.
“If that’s true—and it probably is because I have heard some corroborating rumors about his wife’s health in decline—then he probably isn’t our man,” Isolde finished the thought.
“My friend, Valoxian, reports strange happenings at Lord Orthan’s home,” Salveer spoke next, a note of urgency in his tone. “A build-up of soldiers. More than any other country estate we have flown over while traveling here. And there’s something about the manor house, itself. It rings hollow. As if many of the treasures that had been within are now gone. The stone walls echo emptily.”
“Hiring Eyes is an expensive business,” Sam muttered.
“He could have sold off his family’s treasures,” Isolde replied, thinking hard. “He is distantly related to the King. Perhaps he thought if he eliminated Alric, he would have the nation’s treasury at his disposal somehow.”
“We need to determine how close he is in line for the throne. Someone at the castle must know,” Sam said quickly.
“The Crown Chronicler,” Isolde replied at once. “I can send one of my apprentices with a message to someone you trust to get the information out of the man.”
“Sergeant Goodfellow,” Sam said decisively. “Let me just write him a note.”
Isolde pointed him toward pen and paper on a side table while she rang a bell. They’d devised this system since she’d been hurt so someone could come help if she ran into trouble. A few minutes later, Malea stuck her head in the door after tapping lightly to announce her arrival.
“Please get Kurt. I need him to go up to the castle. This is urgent,” Isolde told the girl. Malea’s eyes had widened when she’d seen the two dragons at the window and the General penning his note, but she hadn’t said a word, just scampered away quickly to get Kurt.
Sam finished his note and folded it a moment before Kurt arrived. Sam walked to the door and handed him the note.
“Do you know my aide, Sergeant Goodfellow, on sight?” Sam asked before handing over the note.
Kurt nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Go up to the castle and give this to him as quickly as possible. Wait for a reply. He’ll have to get in touch with someone else to get it, so you might have to wait a bit,” Sam warned, handing the note over.
“You can take Nightstar if you think she’ll get you there and back faster,” Isolde volunteered.
Kurt nodded respectfully and headed right out.
As they waited for the news that Kurt would bring back, they were kept busy by the reports of the other dragons. The other three dragons didn’t see anything untoward at any of the other noble country homes. While they couldn’t really eliminate the other three, none had such suspicious circumstances as Lord Orthan.
About the time the dragon who’d had to fly the farthest distance finished her report, Isolde heard Nightstar’s hooves through the open window. Kurt had returned. He didn’t bother coming inside. He merely tethered Nightstar to a post and came to the window himself, handing over the return note to the General.
Isolde thanked Kurt for his speed and service, and he went back to Nightstar. He’d have to get her back into her stable and settle her for the night. Sam read the note, and his expression grew grim.
“Somehow, from tenth in line for the throne, Lord Orthan has worked his way up to a much closer number. If Alric dies before marrying, it wouldn’t take much for Orthan to take over. The next in line is a child who could easily become a pawn or be killed. Then Orthan could take it all.”
“Did all the others die in suspicious circumstances?” Isolde asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Some, certainly. Others could be explained away, but the Chronicler has been watching all of this unfold with some concern. He apparently told Alric about this a few months ago, but no one else.”
“The King knows?” Isolde shook her head. “Why didn’t he tell anyone who could have kept watch?”
“The Chronicler, woken from his slumbers and in a foul mood, according to Goodfellow, claimed the King is so besotted with his lady love, he didn’t seem to be listening when the Chronicler had made his report.” Sam crumpled the paper in his hand. “This isn’t good. Orthan could have been behind any number of things that have been happening at the castle. He is well placed to be a menace we would never suspect.”
“We have to flush him out, somehow,” Isolde murmured, thinking out loud and reaching behind her for a large book. She opened it, paging through the handwritten notes and skimming them for particular names.
“I agree.” Sam’s expression was grim. “We need to set a trap of some kind.”
“They’re all here at court right now, except for Lord Moreline, which makes sense since he is preoccupied with his wife. But the other four are here and have been attending each court session, according to my notes.”
“You keep notes?” Sam sounded intrigued.
“I’ve had to start doing so since gathering so many apprentices,” she told him, showing him one of the pages of the book.
“It is some kind of code?” Sam frowned, trying to make sense of the symbols on the pages.
“My own little language that nobody else can decipher,” she agreed, nodding. “This way, if anybody ever gets their hands on this book, it will be meaningless to them.”
Sam grinned at her. “You are a remarkable woman.”
She felt a blush heat her cheeks at his praise. “Thank you,” she replied demurely, then sobered. “But the fact is, my apprentices have been keeping tabs on the comings and goings of the King’s court since we gained access to the castle. Alric and Zallra know about this, by the way. In case you were wondering.”
“Right now, any help to our King is fine by me. I wouldn’t like it if someone with malicious intent was keeping tabs on the doings of the castle, but you’re on the right side. And judging by your notes, nobody else can gain access to this information.” He nodded one, in seeming satisfaction. “You’ve done very well, Isolde. I have no cause for complaint. Especially not when your observations might be the key to helping us catch this fiend.”
She tilted her head and smiled a little. “I’m glad you see it that way. Now, as I was saying, they’re all here. The four we still have questions about. If we could somehow keep those four under close surveillance, perhaps I could force the issue with each one and see what happens.”
“The dragons will assist,” Salveer said, putting his two pennies in. “You should arrange to question them each in a place we can access so we are able to back you up if things turn violent. And if they try to run, we can help block them.”
“Thank you, my friend. I will endeavor to arrange it that way. Perhaps you and your apprentices can keep tabs on the four, and I will then find a spot to ambush them each separately and ask my questions,” Sam seemed to be thinking through the scenarios.
“You can’t interrogate them openly.” Isolde frowned. “Not without creating a diplomatic incident. These are powerful people. The King would have to listen to them if you caused insult or upset. They outrank you to a considerable degree.”
“I know.” Sam’s lips thinned to a grim line. “I will be delicate in my questioning, but I have to find a way to get to the truth.”
“It may take more than one session. And more than one questioner,” Shera advised.
“You’re right, but I can hope one of them will show their hand either during my questioning or after. I think we need to make certain they are followed and observed directly after my pointed questions. Their reactions might tell us something important,” Sam said, his gaze turning cunning.
Isolde was impressed all over again with him. He wasn’t just a big, dumb soldier. This was a General who always had strategy in mind and well-thought-out reasons for his actions. She felt privileged to be working with him, and she thought, perhaps, she could learn a thing or two from the way he went about his business. She might be a spymaster, but she was always eager to learn better ways to perform her tasks. Strategic thinking was something she’d had to work on and still found it helpful to step back and analyze her actions before taking them—which she had to admit wasn’t something she always did as a matter of course. It was one of the areas she still needed to work on.
“I will have my apprentices out in full force at the next court session. We can bring over one of the larger parts of the window that is ready and make a show of preparing for installation. It’s a good excuse to keep most of my older and more skilled apprentices, and myself, at the castle for most of the day,” Isolde said, as Sam nodded.
“You have three who can speak to us,” Salveer put in. “Perhaps you can arrange to have all three of them at the castle so that if we dragons need to get them to do something we can ask one of your apprentices directly without having to relay through you. I suspect you both will have your hands full enough already.”
“I can have them there, but please remember the youngest, Hunter, is just a child. He is a brave child, but if there is danger, we need to protect him,” Isolde cautioned.
“We will do our best to protect them all,” Salveer replied immediately.
“And we will shield Hunter and Malea with our own bodies, if need be,” Shera added.
Isolde smiled at the dragoness’s fierce tone. “What about Kurt? I thought you liked him too?” Isolde teased the dragon who was quickly becoming her best friend.
“I do, but he wouldn’t want that. He’s old enough to want to be in on any fight, and I’ve been watching him train with Mr. Everest. He has excellent fighting skills. He can take care of himself, and he’d be really mad if I thought otherwise,” Shera surprised Isolde by saying.
“I hadn’t realized you were watching their training,” Isolde said, cocking her head toward the dragon by the window.
“There’s not much else to do all day next door. I don’t want to interrupt your working schedule, so I stay over there most of the time, but it does get boring,” Shera admitted. “So, I watch over the wall sometimes.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I didn’t realize,” Isolde was immediately contrite. “We’re going to figure out a way to fix that. I’ll talk to Lilly and Luc as soon as we have a chance and see if there’s something we can do. If you want to spend your days here, we can arrange that. I don’t want you to be lonely.”
Isolde could have kicked herself. She kept forgetting that despite her size and abilities, Shera was still very young to be away from her family and home. In a way, she was a bit of an orphan, too. Isolde should have taken that into consideration long before now. Shera needed love and friendship and community, just like Isolde’s apprentices.
Sam reached out to cover Isolde’s hand on top of the table. She looked up to meet his eyes and she read understanding there. He squeezed her hand once, then let go. She understood. He was offering comfort. He was such an amazing man. Sensitive, yet fierce. He was digging his way deeper into her heart with every moment.
“We’ll put this plan into motion at tomorrow’s court session. Salveer, would you please tell everyone of our plans, including Lady Zallra and the King?” Sam asked. “I want them all to have time to prepare, just in case something unforeseen happens.”