Home > Snow Dragon (Dragon Knights #13)(6)

Snow Dragon (Dragon Knights #13)(6)
Author: Bianca D'Arc

“And thanks to the enemy magic that blinded us to it,” Elira added, “it is closer than I like. We owe a great deal to King Alric for his gift.”

“Maybe he knows more about this threat than we can learn in a short time. We’ll need to consult with him.” The Lady turned back to Lilly, and she couldn’t have hoped for a better opening.

“That is my mission, Lady.” Lilly stepped to the center of the horseshoe, once again. “King Alric would like to open discussions about a possible alliance between our peoples. He believes the same enemy who blinded him is now responsible for the turmoil—or that which is coming—in your lands.”

“An alliance?” Luc’s brother looked intrigued. He had that same way of lifting one pale eyebrow as Luc, communicating so much with a single small motion. It was obvious now to her that they were closely related.

“As in ancient days,” the Lady said. “Our peoples were once allied. It was that alliance that helped create the Citadel in the first place. Dragons from all over this world, as well as human Kings, Queens, Wizards and all the enclaves of our folk worked with other magical and non-magical beings to defeat evil during the time of the wizard wars.”

“My liege believes that time may soon come again if we do not do our best to stop it,” Lilly said into the silence of the hall.

“Surely not!” Tolmir objected, his angular face frowning in worry.

“If the Citadel is breached…” the Lady let her words trail off. The Council probably knew better than anyone else what it would mean if the fabled prison of ice fell to the enemy.

“What do our dragon partners say?” the young healer on the left spoke up, seeking the white dragon heads that bobbed into view behind the seated fair folk.

Lilly was surprised to see many more dragons than she’d expected in the hall. They’d reclined behind the tables but had apparently been listening throughout the meeting.

A delicate female with creased scales rose behind the Lady. She was as beautiful in her way as her partner was. She had a petite head with dainty features, curved lines from feminine nostrils to eye ridges. She was the epitome of dragon femininity, yet she looked to be as ancient, ageless and wise as her partner.

“We are as troubled as you are by these developments,” the dragon said to everyone, speaking in their minds. “Alric seems a good King, judging by the prosperity of his people. We think you should at least talk to him.”

Lilly bowed low to the dragon as she finished her speech and her large head loomed nearer. “Thank you, my lady. I will return to my liege with the good news.”

“You heard her?” Dela asked from the side, her tone incredulous.

Lilly nodded, surprised by the shock she read on all the faces around her—including the dragons—except, of course, for Shilayla.

“Lilly heard me from the beginning.” Shilayla seemed to glow with pleasure at dispensing the news.

“Why didn’t you tell us, Shilayla?” the elder female dragon asked in a kind, but curious tone.

Shilayla ducked her head, her posture more like a child than Lilly had ever seen it. “I like Lilly. I wanted to keep her to myself for a while longer.”

“Did you?” The elder dragon blinked at the youngster, her almost musical voice speculative in all their minds, but she said nothing further.

“Well then,” the Lady reclaimed everyone’s attention, “it seems settled. As soon as you recover sufficiently from your journey here, you will bring our compliments to your King. To speed the process, I believe we should send our own emissary back with you to the Blind King’s Court.”

“I suggest Luc and Shilayla undertake the journey. They are full members of this Council and able to speak on our behalf,” Tolmir said in his hearty voice. “They are also the youngest members of our group and, your pardon for saying so, the most easily replaced in their duties as scouts. Plus, their scouting missions have made them more familiar with the lands beyond our Veil than any of us, who have not been outside in decades.”

“Good points all,” the Lady acknowledged. “Will you take on this test, Shilayla? Luc?”

The young dragon nodded her massive head eagerly, her companion less so, but he also agreed. His gaze focused on Lilly, making her feel uncomfortable. They’d be traveling companions now, which was something she had not anticipated.

The blond warrior was much too attractive for her peace of mind, and she wasn’t sure how traveling with only a dragon as chaperone would work. Would Lilly be expected to ride on the dragon’s back with Luc? Was that even possible? Or would she have to somehow follow behind on her own?

She’d have to work out the details with Luc and his dragon partner in private. It was enough to know that the objectives of her mission were accomplished. She’d delivered the warning, the gift, and had opened alliance talks between the fair folk and her King. Even more than they’d hoped, one of the dragons and warriors would be returning with her, speeding the process along even more quickly.

“It will take some time to assess what we can from the mages. Thank you for opening our eyes. We will recall you when we are ready to send a message back to your King. For now, you will be our guest and are welcome to move about unguarded.”

“Thank you, Lady.” Lilly bowed her head, not taking her eyes from the leader of the Council. She’d clearly been dismissed, but in a kind way. She was glad to see the fair folk were taking her words seriously enough to move this quickly.

Lilly was impressed. She’d feared the long-lived fair folk would be slow to act but was gratified to feel the urgency in the air. Her mission was coming to fruition in a way she wouldn’t have believed just a day ago as she lay freezing to death in the snow. She’d all but given up on finding a way beneath the protective Veil. She’d expected the journey to be hard, but she hadn’t counted on her new and confounding healing ability interfering with her plans to such an extent.

The so-called gift had prompted her to give nearly all her energy to an injured youngster, leaving precious little for the most arduous leg of her journey through seemingly endless snowfields and a blizzard, only to find no discernable way under the magical Veil that shrouded and protected the fair folk’s realm.

Lilly backed away from the Council with respectful steps until she’d reached the door to the hall. Once outside, she wasn’t sure just where she should go, so she sat down on a low wall that led up to the doorway. Flowers were planted just behind it that gave off a subtle, lovely fragrance. Lilly bent to sniff the aroma that tickled her memory when she heard the approach of a small being of some sort behind her.

Two-legged, but slight of stature, Lilly could tell from the light tread and rhythmic beat of its steps. She turned her head to the side to take a look and encountered wide blue eyes set in a small, angular face.

“Hello there.” Lilly smiled at the young boy.

“Hello, milady.”

The youngster was polite and a bit shy, walking hesitantly, with an even paler complexion than that of the other fair folk she’d seen. Her new healing talent tingled to life, much to her dismay. The boy was ill, and her gift was pushing her to help him, though for the life of her, she didn’t know where to start. There wasn’t anything obviously wrong with him. No blood, no broken bones, no swollen joints. So, where to start? And how did she go about it? She couldn’t just walk up to him and get him in a headlock while her rogue talent had its way with them both.

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