“Queen Dara has been keeping me busy.”
“Of course. Good. You’re back to being her student.”
“For now, anyway.”
Heath looked up at her, rain dripping into his eyes and down his face. Lightning flashed, and Tamri felt an answering jolt in her belly.
A great deal remained unsaid between her and Heath. Tamri didn’t even know whether he still had feelings for her. She had rebuffed him at every turn because of Khrillin’s Watermight Oath, and now that it was broken she didn’t know how—or if—she should tell Heath how she felt about him. Partly because she wasn’t sure how she felt.
Well, she cared about him. That was obvious. But she didn’t have the faintest idea what was next.
Laini nudged Tamri hard with her snout, pushing her out from beneath her Watermight umbrella. The rain hitting her face and soaking her hair brought her to her senses. They couldn’t just stand here staring awkwardly at each other all day.
She joined Heath by the reed shelter, spreading the umbrella thinner to cover them both. Laini shot the dragon equivalent of a grin at her. Tamri pretended not to see it.
“Are we okay to fly tomorrow?”
“I don’t like this weather,” Heath said, “but the dragons are as rested as they’ll ever be.”
Over by the trough, the gray dragon with violet wings continued hassling Boru for his meal. Boru finally lost patience and snarled loud enough to compete with the thunder. The smaller dragon snarled right back.
“That gray and purple one, Althor, has been acting odd lately,” Heath said. “A few of the others too.”
“Odd how?”
“They’re more aggressive than normal,” Heath said. “It may just be the weather and the strange surroundings.”
“It’s a good thing we’re getting out of here then,” Tamri said, trying to keep her tone light. The weather again. She didn’t like this.
Heath frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. He hated putting the dragons in danger or asking too much of them except in the direst circumstances. The dragons were his calling, as he’d once told her, and he was fiercely protective of them. He’d risked his favorite Boru to pull Tamri out of danger back on Thunderbird Island. He had to feel something for her still.
Lightning and thunder crashed together, lighting up the rain-drenched garden. The dragons shuffled uneasily. Tamri wished she could hurry the storm along.
“It’ll clear up by morning,” Heath said, as if sensing her thoughts. “I know you’re worried about your grandmother. Boru and Laini will get us there as quickly as possible.”
“Thanks for coming with me.”
Heath rolled his shoulders. “I need to find out what Khrillin knows about the Lightning for King Siv anyway.”
“Right. Of course.” Tamri had been the one to inform King Khrillin of the existence of a fourth magical substance, and his scouts, Pel and Gyra, had witnessed the Lightning in action on Thunderbird Island. “You have a mission.”
“I do,” Heath said. “I also need to determine whether we can continue purchasing Watermight from Pendark. This trip has thrown off our schedule. The Whirlpool back in Vertigon must be almost empty by now.”
“Is that where King Siv took the other dragons?” Tamri asked. “Maybe with Watermight from the Brach vent?”
“I’m not supposed to say,” Heath said. “It’s best if Khrillin doesn’t find out.”
Tamri blinked. “You don’t think I’m still reporting to Khrillin, do you?”
Lightning flashed, and a boom of thunder overpowered every other sound.
“No,” Heath said.
Had he hesitated? Tamri wasn’t sure. Trust was a fragile thing between them. It had been broken and restored and broken again. Tamri doubted that could happen many more times before they ran out of chances.
A snort like ripping cloth came from the dragon shelter. A dragon with dark-red scales and scarlet feathers had emerged to glare at Tamri through the curtain of rain. He ruffled his wings like an irritated chicken and growled as if the storm were all Tamri’s fault. She sighed. Rook had never forgiven her for trying to steal his Watermight stash in Pendark. She couldn’t expect him to trust her.
But Heath was another matter. He knew she’d had no choice but to spy for Khrillin. Tamri refused to let him hold it against her.
She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “Heath, you can’t—”
A loud squawk interrupted her. The violet-winged dragon pestering Boru for his meal had finally gone too far. Boru hauled the deer carcass away with a ferocious twist. The violet dragon growled viciously, slavering as if he’d gone rabid. He snapped his jaws and scratched at the mud, not backing down.
“What’s the matter with you, Althor?” Heath muttered. “Step back, Tamri. I’d better see—”
Boru roared, forcing the smaller dragon to retreat a few paces. Althor’s eyes rolled wildly, and he shrieked, a sound of pure rage that made Tamri’s skin crawl. Other dragons shuffled out of the reed shelter, stirred up by the confrontation. Rook squawked accusingly at Tamri. Laini cooed nervously over by the flowerbeds. The crashing thunder added to the cacophony.
Althor must know he didn’t stand a chance against Boru in a fair fight. He thrashed his head, looking for another target for his fury. Lightning flashed, glinting off his cruel teeth. He gathered his thick haunches beneath him.
Tamri gasped. “He’s going to—”
Abruptly, Heath shoved Tamri to the side. She slid to her knees in the mud, too shocked to catch her balance.
The next instant, Althor charged. Violet feathers swirled and mud splashed as he streaked through the spot Tamri had occupied a second ago. Heading for Laini.
Tamri gave a wordless shout.
Althor lunged for Laini’s throat. She twisted just in time, making him miss by inches. Althor gnashed his teeth in fury and attacked again, snapping at her sea-green wings, clawing at her scaled hide. Laini writhed, desperately trying to fend off the attacks.
Heath rushed toward the pair, brandishing his Fire cudgel and shouting commands. The dragons were so caught up in their fight they barely noticed him. He couldn’t force the huge lizards to do anything. Tails swung, and wings churned. Heath fell back a step to avoid being knocked over.
Tamri scrambled to her feet, casting about for a way to help. Laini was the smallest Cindral dragon, and it was all she could do to keep Althor’s jaws from her throat. She tried to take flight, but Althor caught her leg and pulled back down into the mud.
Tamri started forward.
“Don’t even think about it, Tamri,” Heath shouted.
“She needs help!”
“Not from us.”
Tamri scowled at him, but he was right. They couldn’t interfere or they’d be crushed like water beetles. The dragons fought on, twisting and churning, making the ground shake. The storm was directly above them now. Lightning and thunder collided, adding to the confusion.
Two other dragon riders, Taklin and Reya, rushed into the garden. They took in the commotion and immediately went to calm the other dragons—no easy task. The huge beasts stamped and shuffled, tossing up gravel and dirty rainwater. A few took flight, risking the storm to evade the chaos in the garden.