Sora regarded her seriously. “I’m facilitating the meetings with the Air Sensors. Getting all these Wielders to cooperate is helping, even if I’m not committing troops just yet.”
Selivia exchanged glances with Latch, unsure how much to push right now. Her sister was responsible for a lot of people, and she had to balance her allegiances carefully. Like their brother, Siv, Sora couldn’t do whatever she wanted. But Selivia was responsible for people now too. The best way to protect all of them was to end the usage of the Lightning once and for all.
Just then, a young lady’s maid hurried up to their group. She wore her pale-blond hair long, and her rosy cheeks matched the pink fabric of her dress.
“Queen Sora,” she said, dropping into a deep curtsy. “We’ve just had word from the northwest gate. Lady Vine Silltine has arrived!”
“Thank you, Kollia,” Sora said. “Is anyone with her?”
“She’s travelling with a whole group of Far Plainsfolk! They brought wagons full of textiles and caged animals from the plains. The messenger said he’s never seen anything like it.”
Finally. Selivia grabbed Latch’s hand and squeezed it tight. Their work could finally begin.
“See our guests to comfortable chambers,” Sora told the maid. “They’ll want to wash and rest up after their journey. I’ll greet them when they’re ready.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Kollia dropped into another curtsy then darted off through the crowd.
“That maid looks familiar,” Selivia said, momentarily distracted.
“Her twin sister, Kay, studies at the Wielder School in Vertigon,” Sora said. “Kol worked as a lady’s maid for Lady Hilva until recently.” She glanced around at the merrymakers and lowered her voice. “Hilva placed the girl in my service and told her to spy on me. I had the truth from her within a few weeks, and now she passes information back to Hilva on my behalf.”
“Hilva?” Selivia pictured the mousy woman with the watery blue eyes who’d accompanied the far more robust Lady Forielle. “Afraid-of-her-own-eyelashes Hilva?”
“She’s more ambitious than she appears.” Sora glanced at her husband, who was listening closely while keeping the twins from wandering away, and lowered her voice further still. “Sel, our situation here isn’t as secure as it looks either. Hilva’s not the only noble who has tried to plant spies in the palace. Several noble houses believe they have a better claim to the throne than I do.”
“I didn’t know it was so bad.” Selivia frowned at the dancing nobles with their bright party clothes and flowery hairdos. Suddenly it seemed more significant that she and Sora were only half Truren and both their husbands came from foreign lands. “Would anyone try to hurt you?”
“Not if I can help it,” Kel muttered, his hand going to the sword belted at his hip.
“Don’t worry about me,” Sora said. “I have my own spies, so I should have a little warning if anyone wants to start something. But I absolutely cannot be seen siding with foreigners or advocating war right now. It would give them the perfect excuse to move against me.”
Selivia glanced at Latch then at little Lok and Teo, who were toddling in circles around their parents. The twins had inherited Kel’s dark Vertigonian hair and didn’t look much like Trurens at all. “We’d better meet with the Air Sensors and finish our work as soon as possible, then.”
“Agreed. I’ll do everything in my power to help you.” Sora picked up one of her sons and removed the flower he’d been trying to eat from his mouth. Then she looked at Selivia, her expression deadly serious. “But the peace must hold.”
4
Tamri and Rook glided on a warm spring wind. After two additional weeks of forced rest, she’d finally been allowed out on patrol. The weather was bright and clear, and a fresh breeze rolled off the sea. Most importantly, there wasn’t a storm cloud in sight. It couldn’t be more different from the day of their last excursion.
Tamri suspected Dara had only let her resume flying because of the good weather. No one had heard so much as a whisper from the Lightning dragon since that day with Melloch, and they needed every Wielder left in Starry Cove to take their turn on patrol. Queen Rochelle had called another group of her Waterworker-soldiers back to Sharoth, where she was encouraging the refugees who’d sought shelter in the city to return to their towns. All those people crammed together made Sharoth too much of a target, but the refugees refused to leave unless they had protectors.
The departure of the Waterworker group had increased Tamri’s workload at headquarters. She kept track of spy reports, updated the maps hanging on the dining room walls, and took extra guard shifts at the Watermight vent. She still found time to drink tea with Gramma Teall and sneak away to visit Heath and the dragons.
As much as Tamri liked being at Starry Cove, it was good to fly again. She glanced to her right and smiled. Heath had swapped shifts with another dragon rider so he could join her on patrol. He rode Boru, the huge jewel-blue leader of the Cindral dragons, as if he’d been born there. He sat lightly behind the dragon’s shoulders, his white shirt billowing in the wind, and moved easily with the churn of Boru’s wings and the bobbing of his neck. Heath caught her eye and grinned back.
They had stopped at the farthest point of their patrol for a picnic lunch and lingered on the rocks overlooking the glittering sea. With the wind in her face, the dragons snoozing beside them, and Heath kissing her with his hands in her hair, the day had been very close to perfect.
Heath would be leaving soon to travel to Cindral Forest. He needed to check on the dragons recovering from injuries there, including Tamri’s friend Laini. The little sea-green dragon had carried her fearlessly into battle when the Lightning dragon attacked Sharoth, and she almost hadn’t survived the encounter. Tamri was glad Heath would get to see Laini, but she would miss his gruff voice and gentle hands while he was away from Starry Cove.
She scanned the island beneath them—called Channel Isle due to a waterway winding between its tall humps of barnacle-covered stone. There was no sign of thunderbirds. Tamri kept expecting the creatures to barrel out of the clear blue sky, carrying messages from their mistress. She held a ration of Watermight in her veins to protect herself from the birds, and the icy power would probably keep the Lightning dragon from speaking to her too. She tried not to feel disappointed about that.
Rook soared beyond Channel Isle and started across another expanse of crystal-blue sea. A few fishing boats dotted the water, and the fishermen stared up at the two dragons, clutching their nets and poles as if unsure whether they’d need to protect themselves. Rook squawked a joyous greeting, probably scaring away all the fish.
As they neared the next island, Heath waved his Fire cudgel to catch Tamri’s attention. The weapon’s golden light didn’t shine as brightly as usual on such a fine day, but Tamri knew the patterns the dragon riders used to communicate well enough.
Slow, Heath signaled. Look down.
They were coming up on Caraway Island, the same place where she’d seen the thunderbird eating a sea gorlion. More greenery shaded the landscape than before. It was truly spring. Back in Pendark, the warmer weather would make the canals start to stink, but out here, the sea overwhelmed every other smell.