Page 23 of The Arrival of the Dragons

And yet, you were just imagining carrying her yourself, so I am confused,Valerius said as he caught an image from Raziel’s mind showing just that.

His Spirit looked affronted and its wings shifted. But Valerius was not fooled by Raziel’s grumpiness. He wasn’t sure how he felt about someone riding on their back as if they were a beast of burden, but Tilly and the children looked to be having a marvelous time on Iolaire and he couldn’t help but be affected by that in a positive way.

Tezcacoatl looked up at Tilly and the other two, before giving them a sweeping bow. “Forgive me, my lady. You are quite right. Iolaire has said nothing to me. Yet.”

Valerius narrowed his eyes.And he never will.

“I’m not a lady,” Tilly said in a very lady-like, noble voice.

“Maybe I am,” the other girl giggled by her side.

“Maccauley!” Tilly rolled her eyes, but her voice was scandalized.

The boy rocked back and forth, laughing at them both. He wiped his eyes of laughing tears.

“And who might you be, noble sir?” Tezcacoatl asked.

“I’m Tobey! This is Tilly and that’s Maccauley, if you didn’t guess already,” Tobey answered eagerly, charmed by Tezcacoatl already.

Valerius tried not to sigh. That was the problem with Tezcacoatl. Everyonelikedhim. Even if he was slightlylightin his thought processes.

Power to the people, indeed! Does he not know how stupid people are?Valerius growled.

“King Valerius knows who I am,” Tilly said archly.

Valerius stiffened. For a moment, he thought she would give away everything, but then he remembered the dinner! That had been on the news. If they pretended not to know one another entirely, that would seem strange.

“Oh, yeah, dinner.” Tobey though looked slightly disbelieving. “You talked about thatallday. Are you going to tell King Valerius the same thing so he can confirm it?”

“It did occur, young man,” Valerius said with a smile at Tilly. “We had quite a good dinner and a wonderful talk.”

“Mom is a good cook. So is Dad. Next time you come, Dad will have to cook,” she said brightly.

“You think that he’s coming to dinner again? Oh, God!” Tobey let his head fall back and groaned.

“You are taking meals with your people, Valerius? That is a good sign!” Tezcacoatl punched his shoulder.

“It took a bomb threat to do it,” Tobey said helpfully.

“A--abomb?” Tezcacoatl frowned.

“It is a long story,” Valerius told him. “I look forward to a second dinner, Tilly. Without the bomb scare.”

“Yeah, me too!” She nodded eagerly.

“I can’t believe he really came to dinner. And he seems to… like you,” Tobey said weakly.

“Why did you think she was lying? It was on the news,” Maccauley pointed out.

“Yeah, but…” Tobey said and frowned. “Should we be bowing to him?”

“Not in the least.” Valerius waved an arm through the air. “You stay where you are. Iolaire will be taking you all home. Tilly, you must tell Iolaire where you and your friends live.” He said that with extra intensity. Caden, undoubtedly, knew where her friends lived, but he must not seem to.

“You are going to have Iolaire leave so soon?” Tezcacoatl cried. “But we have barely begun to know one another and--”

“Tezcacoatl--”

“Tez! We do not have to be so formal here now that the press and your enforcers are gone,” Tezcacoatl sniffed.

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