They flew back to Tanajital in silence and landed on the training grounds outside the palace. Rokshan jumped down and said, “I’m going to change for the reception. I’ll see you here at sunset, yes?”
“I don’t know if I can stand still for a reception when I’m worried about Harshod escaping,” Lamprophyre said.
“I’ll send a detachment of soldiers immediately. We’ll catch him, Lamprophyre. Now try to enjoy the evening.” Rokshan waved and trotted away toward the low, dirt-colored buildings where the soldiers lived.
When he was out of sight within the buildings, she took to the air and flew a couple of passes around the city. Flying calmed her, as did the lack of frightened thoughts, and she dared go downstream a ways to bathe before returning to the embassy. The air was muggy and still as if the world was holding its breath, waiting for the storm. Lamprophyre understood the weather well enough to know the storm wouldn’t reach Tanajital until nearly midnight, but she couldn’t help watching the skies and hoping she hadn’t made a mistake. An early storm would definitely ruin the reception.
She took a short nap, waking when the last rays of the sun slanted through the embassy doorway. Sleeping and her bath had relaxed her further, and she felt she could face whatever the humans might bring to bear on her.
Servants were lighting lanterns when she arrived at the park. The nearest ones glanced at her warily, but she heard nothing more fearful from them than one female thinking hope the dragon doesn’t wreck anything, big as a house, can’t possibly be graceful. It irritated Lamprophyre more because she was conscious of not being very agile on land, and she shared the servant’s worry.
Keeping her wings furled close to her side, she made her way between the canopies, which Rokshan had instructed the servants to set out well spaced apart. The smell of human food, which included green things and the biting scent of cheese, tantalized her even though a dragon couldn’t digest most of it. She stuck her head beneath a canopy and was relieved to find Akarshan there, supervising the arrangement of tiny bits of food that were surely too small a bite even for humans. “Akarshan,” she said. “It smells wonderful.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Akarshan said. “I admit this is the most unusual reception I have ever served.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
Akarshan gestured at the round metal sheets. “We do not normally display all the food at once,” he said, “but bringing it from the kitchens, it’s quite a distance. So the initial serving has been set up here, to save time.”
Lamprophyre examined the metal sheets again. “You make it look so pretty, like flowers,” she said.
“Thank you.” Akarshan twitched one of the tiny morsels into a more regular arrangement. “Do dragons drink wine? Spirits?”
“I’ve heard of those things, but no. That is, we might, but we don’t make them ourselves.”
Akarshan removed a bottle from a wooden stand and removed its top. He offered it to Lamprophyre. “Sniff this, my lady.”
Lamprophyre sniffed. She’d smelled grapes before, and this smelled slightly of grapes, but even more of woody, resinous aromas that weren’t very pleasant. She refrained from making a face, though she didn’t think Akarshan would understand the expression, and said, “It’s not very nice, is it? Is that wine?”
“It is, my lady. Alcohol is an acquired taste, and not one you should try to acquire at a public gathering. Though I imagine it would take a barrel of wine or more to get you drunk.” Akarshan poured dark red wine from the bottle into finely shaped glass cups. Lamprophyre looked at them in fascination. She was capable of making glass herself, but humans found the most intriguing shapes for it.
She heard Rokshan approaching and withdrew from beneath the canopy. Rokshan wore a white shirt that made his brown skin look darker and white trousers that came to just below his knee. Over all that, he wore a robe of some dark blue fabric that shimmered when it caught the light and was stitched all over with designs in silver thread. It reminded her once more of Flint. She’d thought of him frequently in the last few days, hadn’t she? Maybe that meant something.
“I should have a robe made that matches your colors,” Rokshan said. “It would look so dramatic.”
“I agree. Are you nervous? I’m getting nervous again.”
“Of course not. They’re just people, Lamprophyre, and they can’t hurt you.”
“Not physically. But Khadar, for example, spread all those lies about me, and that’s a kind of hurt.”
“True, but I promise you no one who comes tonight will try anything like that.” Rokshan gripped her hand briefly. “Just be straightforward and honest, and everything will be fine.”
“Her Excellency the Lady Tanura, ambassador from Sachetan,” someone shouted. Lamprophyre tensed.
“Perfect. Lady Tanura is nicer than most of the ambassadors. You’ll like her,” Rokshan said. “But let’s meet her away from the canopies, all right? Give yourself room to move.” He walked away in the direction of the unseen voice.
Lamprophyre came out from between the brightly colored canopies to a spot where the trees grew sparsely. Rokshan joined her after a few beats, bringing with him an unusually dark human wearing clothes similar to his. If Lamprophyre had still been depending on hair length to tell male from female, she would have been confused, because this female wore her black hair cut very close to her scalp. But recent observation had taught Lamprophyre that human females’ chests bulged symmetrically in two places, and though those bulges varied in size, they were always distinct from males’ flat chests. It was a more reliable indicator of sex than hair length.
This female’s very short hair showed off the curve of her skull, which Lamprophyre found intriguing and attractive. She also had a well-defined facial structure and large brown eyes that at the moment regarded Lamprophyre with as much curiosity as Lamprophyre felt.
“Lamprophyre,” Rokshan said, “may I introduce Lady Tanura of Sachetan, your counterpart.”
Lady Tanura bowed, a graceful, flowing motion Lamprophyre envied. “My lady,” she said, her voice high, like birdsong, “thank you for the invitation. I am most interested in meeting you.” She spoke with an accent unlike Rokshan’s, stretching out the vowels.
“Thank you, my lady,” Lamprophyre said, returning the bow much more awkwardly. “Sachetan is south of Gonjiri, yes?”
“It is. Far enough south that we do not abut upon dragon territory. But we would like to know your people better.” Lady Tanura nodded to Rokshan, who had vanished briefly and returned holding a glass of wine he offered to the ambassador. She sipped, and added, “I think you will find our people much less antagonistic than those of Gonjiri.”
Lamprophyre heard her think that idiot Ekanath, wasting his chance, and said, “I’m afraid the people of Gonjiri were influenced by our first unfortunate interactions and some false old stories. The ones I’ve met who overcame those fears have been very nice.”
“Sachetan does not have a tradition of wicked, terrifying dragons,” Lady Tanura said. “It’s unfortunate you can’t visit my country to see for yourself. I wonder, would your people be interested in an exchange of ambassadors?”
“An exchange?” Lamprophyre hoped she hadn’t sounded too startled. “Ah, where dragons live isn’t very hospitable to humans. So probably not. But I’m sure if you were to approach Hyaloclast, she could make that decision.” It would almost certainly be “no,” but maybe if enough humans pestered the dragon queen, she’d grow tired of it and agree to negotiations.
“Hyaloclast.”
“She’s our queen. She’s the one who sent me to Gonjiri.”
“Of course. She is also your mother?” Lady Tanura sipped her wine again.
“She is, but that doesn’t really matter when it comes to politics.”
“I see.” Lady Tanura’s thoughts remained placid, if calculating; too far away, but that’s a small thing and trade items, do dragons make things? “I understand dragons control the Parama Mountains, is that correct?”
“That’s our home, yes.”
“Have dragons found precious stones there? I’ve heard you eat stone.”
Lamprophyre glanced at Rokshan. Was that public knowledge? She couldn’t remember who knew what anymore. Though it didn’t matter, did it, because it wasn’t as if that was a dangerous secret. “We do eat stone, and we’ve found deposits of minerals you humans find valuable, yes.”
“Sachetan is famous for its garnet. We’d be interested in opening trade relations with dragons. Garnet for, well, it would depend on what you have. But I’m sure we could come to an arrangement.”
Lamprophyre wished she didn’t feel like she was teetering on the edge of a precipice, her wings frozen and unable to take her to safety. Lady Tanura’s thoughts remained calm but curious, but there was an edge to them Lamprophyre didn’t like. Hyaloclast had specifically instructed her not to enter into any agreements, but did that mean concealing those instructions as well?
“We would have to see,” she said. “At the moment, I’m just here to spread the word about dragons’ existence and learn more about human countries and customs. Hyaloclast would prefer not to interfere until we understand you better.” That sounded nice and noncommittal.
“I see,” said Lady Tanura. “How interesting.” They’re hiding something, she thought. Lamprophyre’s heart sank.
“Excuse me, Lady Tanura,” Rokshan said, “but my mother is here, and I’d like to introduce Lamprophyre to her.”
“Of course.” Lady Tanura smiled and bowed. “I look forward to speaking with you again, my lady. Perhaps in a less public situation?”
That sounded more ominous than Lady Tanura meant. Lamprophyre bowed and smiled without saying anything.
“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Rokshan said once they were away from the Sachetan ambassador.
“She thinks it’s suspicious that I won’t agree to trade,” Lamprophyre whispered. “I think I made a mistake.”
“She’s an ambassador. They’re suspicious of everything. Don’t worry about it.” Rokshan came to a halt in front of the canopies. “Bow, and let her speak first,” he murmured.
“What?” Lamprophyre said. Rokshan shook his head and bowed, so Lamprophyre did too, though she wasn’t sure whom she was bowing to. There didn’t appear to be anyone near enough to justify a bow.
Beautiful creature, someone thought. Lamprophyre tried to hold her bow a little longer, wobbled, and stood rather than fall over. A group of females approached, five of them surrounding a much smaller female whose skin was unusually fair for a Gonjirian. That female wore a multicolored robe over the same kind of white clothing Rokshan wore, and her footwear exposed her blunt, bare toes. Her hair was arranged in an elaborate display of loops and curls atop her head, giving her the appearance of a flower in full bloom. She smiled as she drew near. “Rokshan, you didn’t say she was beautiful,” she said in a soft voice Lamprophyre had to strain to hear.
“Mother, may I introduce Princess Lamprophyre, ambassador of the dragons,” Rokshan said, rising from his bow. “Lamprophyre, may I present you to her majesty Satiya, queen of Gonjiri.”
“Your majesty,” Lamprophyre said, bowing again. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Satiya said nothing, but walked closer and began to circle Lamprophyre, gazing at her steadily. “That notch seems designed for a human rider,” she said.
Lamprophyre controlled her first response, which was to give the queen an angry set-down. “It’s just coincidence,” she said instead. “Though I’m sure humans and dragons used to take advantage of it all the time.”
“Yes, the old stories. Anchala has been full of nothing else these last few months.” Satiya completed her circuit and came to a halt near Lamprophyre’s head. “Are all dragons as colorful as you?”
“More or less.”
“Well, it’s not as if you’d need to conceal yourself. I can’t imagine any creature capable of attacking you.” Satiya tilted her head like an inquisitive bird. “And you and my son are friends.”
“We are.”
“Astonishing. That a human and a dragon could have enough in common to become friends, I mean. But Rokshan has a gift for making friends, so perhaps it’s not so astonishing.”
Lamprophyre looked at Rokshan, whose cheeks reddened. “It’s our differences that make us friends, I think,” she said. “We never run out of things to talk about, or to teach each other.”
“That’s wonderful.” To Lamprophyre’s surprise, Satiya laid a hand on her forearm and drew close. “Watch out for him, will you?” she said in a voice pitched so low only Lamprophyre could hear it, and that with difficulty. “He’s still finding his place in the world, and I think you may be part of that.”
“I…all right,” Lamprophyre said in the same low voice, though she was sure hers carried farther. Satiya smiled and patted Lamprophyre’s arm.
“I’m so pleased to have met you,” she said. “I hope more dragons find their way to Tanajital. You are all very welcome here.” The queen’s thoughts echoed her words with such sincerity Lamprophyre stifled an impulse to say something sarcastic about the welcome she’d had.
She watched the queen walk away, surrounded by her attendants, and said, “She’s very nice. I can see why you get along with her.”
“Mother has always believed the best of me. I’m not sure why,” Rokshan said. “Come. Let’s see who else you can meet. My father’s not here, of course, but neither are Khadar or Tekentriya, so this might turn out to be a good event after all.”
Three of her least favorite people, not attending. “I already feel more cheerful,” she said.