But that would come later. First, he was charged with bringing her before the Council, and one didn’t keep them waiting.
Lilly had chosen the newer set of clothing that had been in her packs. A page girl from the healer’s hall had been assigned to watch over Lilly while she slept and clean her belongings. The leathers were serviceable and of higher quality than most expected of a traveling warrior. They also carried subtle ornamentation that made them look well but would not interfere with fighting.
Undoubtedly, she’d chosen the outfit to greet the Council out of respect, but her choice said a lot about her. For one thing, she didn’t seem to just be playing at being a warrior. Her weapons were of the highest quality and were both well used and well cared for. Luc had inspected the small collection of daggers, a finely wrought sword and well-strung bow himself.
She also had the distinctive glide of a warrior. She made little sound as she approached him and wasted no movement. Every step was poetry in motion—or as close as a human could get to such a thing. The sway of her hips made him want to think of how she’d move beneath him, but he had no time for such musings at the moment. Having trained all his life in the fighting arts, Luc knew the walk and stance of a warrior. Lilly had the look and the demeanor, but what business could a human female warrior have with the Council?
There was only one way to find out.
“Shall we go?” Luc opened the door to the outside and motioned her through. “The great hall is not far from here.”
“Thank you, Sir Luc.” Her words were polite as she preceded him outside.
“I am more properly addressed as Scout or Scout Captain. I will not be a knight until Shilayla has fully matured and we pass our final tests to join the Guard.”
Wide, dark eyes went from him to Shi and back again and he could almost see the questions in them. What would she ask first, he wondered.
“You mean she’s not full size yet?”
Luc bit back a laugh at the dawning look of horror that passed over the woman’s face at her blunt question. Most humans were at pains to be at their most polite around him and Shi, but Lilly’s candor was oddly refreshing.
“Please forgive my rude curiosity. I was just surprised. Lady Shilayla seems very large to me, though I’ve never met a dragon before. I assumed she was fully grown.”
The dragon’s head appeared over his shoulder as Shi walked behind them. He reached up to scratch her cheek, enjoying the warm feel of her soft facial scales under his fingers.
“I can understand your confusion. Shi is larger than most dragons her age, but she is still considered a juvenile. Soon, we’ll both be tested, and with any luck, we’ll graduate from the Scouts to the Guard.”
“Then, you’re partners?”
“We are heartmates. We are bonded closer than kin, and we will be companions for the remainder of our days.”
“That’s…beautiful.” Lilly looked back at Shilayla as they neared the great hall. “It must be comforting to know you will always be together.”
“It is my greatest honor to have Shi in my life,” he agreed as he let Lilly precede him into the hall. He looked around, glad to see the Council had already assembled. “You may address the Council from there.” He pointed her in the right direction and watched her progress for a moment before seeking his own seat on the far end of the Council table.
* * *
There was an enemy in King Alric’s court. The King had no clue who he was or what he was doing, and the enemy rejoiced in secretly in his own duplicity. To be able to fool the powerful seer was not easy, but he had done it.
He’d been slowly building his power base over many years, cultivating alliances where they would most benefit him. One such ally had provided the tokens by which the traitor’s plans remained hidden from the prying foresight of the King. The traitor had obtained amulets of power that allowed him to operate in the shadows right beneath the Blind King’s nose.
The traitor had been laying his plans and orchestrating events for years. When the time was right, he was poised to swoop in and claim the throne of Valdis for himself.
CHAPTER TWO
Lilly stood in the open space between two long tables. Vaulted ceilings rose into the darkness above with twining vine-like figures expertly carved into the woodwork of their supports. Seven Council members sat behind the tables which curved inward so they could all see her standing front and center before them. A few shimmering white dragons lounged behind, only their heads visible, from time to time, over and above the heads of the Council. Lilly felt a bit like a butterfly on a pin being studied under an enlarging glass by a collector.
“You are the first to make it into our Veil in many seasons, youngling.”
The woman’s voice captured Lilly’s attention, and when she located the speaker, seated at the center of the Council in the place of honor, she felt a jolt of recognition. This was the woman from the vision. The lady with ice woven into her hair. Lilly was struck momentarily speechless.
“I am Lady Fiora Adain, elder of this Council. I understand from our scout that you are called Lilly. What is your business here?” The woman’s face was as young as all the other fair folk, but her hair was white as the driven snow and interwoven in the complicated braids of her hairstyle were sparkling crystals that looked like ice. Only instead of ice, the ornaments in her magnificent tresses had to be crystals of precious stone, perhaps even diamonds.
Lilly bowed her head in respect, holding the woman’s eyes. “It was foreseen that I would stand before you by the Blind King. I serve him and have come as messenger with grave news for you all.”
“What business have we with the Seer’s court?” one of the men on the dais asked his fellow council members. He had a stocky build, like that of a blacksmith or miner. If he’d been human, Lilly would automatically have sized him up as a man who worked with his hands at some kind of heavy labor. She wondered idly if the same standards held true for fair folk.
The lady shrugged her elegant shoulders. “None, to my knowledge, Tolmir. None of our people have been that far south in many years.” The woman’s pale blue eyes turned back to Lilly. “You say he foresaw your visit under our Veil?”
“Aye, Lady. King Alric has always had strong vision,” Lilly answered truthfully.
“And how came you to serve at the Blind King’s court? And in what capacity?” Luc asked. Lilly had been surprised when he’d left her in the center of the floor and had taken a place clearly reserved for him at the Council table. He sat at one end of the curving U, one of three men on the Lady’s right. Shilayla sat on her haunches just behind him.
“I serve in King Alric’s Guard.” Lilly shouldn’t have been surprised when Luc’s face set in disbelieving lines, but his doubt still hurt, somehow. “I have guarded my liege for years. I have also taught in my father’s school. He is the Armsmaster of Tivol Bay and was the Old King’s Master at Arms. He still trains warriors for the Blind King’s court, though he is seldom in the capital these days.”
“A worthy line,” the Lady said in her calm way. “I once traveled to Old King Hiram’s court. Deverel was the Master at Arms. Are you his daughter?”
“That I am, Lady.”