Page 25 of The Arrival of the Dragons

“Now, you should probably take Maccauley home first and then head to Tobey’s and--whoa!” Tilly cried in joy as Iolaire lifted off of the ground.

She and the other two children grabbed on as Iolaire rose up higher and higher. There were then whoops and cries of delights as Iolaire started flying towards neighborhoods in the Mid to drop off its charges. Valerius and Tezcacoatl watched them all go in silence.

Tezcacoatl put an arm around Valerius’ shoulders. “Do not be sad, Valerius. You’ll see Iolaire soon. I will insist upon it.”

Valerius rolled his eyes and shrugged off that arm. But gently. “Let us go to High Reach. You, too, have caused enough excitement this evening.”

Tezcacoatl made a mock salute. “Yes, my king!”

Valerius shook his head and took two huge steps before letting the Shift overcome him. Raziel let out a roar of delight and victory. They had sorted a disaster out without any loss of life or respect. He heard Tezcacoatl shift behind them and soon Eldoron was flying practically wingtip to wingtip beside Raziel. In the none too distant past, this would have annoyed them both, but they had gotten used to flying tandem with Iolaire recently.

Speaking of Iolaire…

Raziel turned its head to catch sight of the White Dragon flying over the west part of the Mid. Iolaire turned its head and let out a cry of greeting and then a gout of snow. Raziel returned the greeting by lighting the sky with fire. Eldoron, thankfully, did not spurt hot metal, but did make a laughing cry.

The two of them spiraled upwards until they reached the landing area right outside of his throne room. Raziel tilted its head down to indicate that Eldoron should land there first. Eldoron flapped its golden wings. The torches that framed the doors to the throne room caused those wings to look like they were on fire. Then Eldoron slowly lowered to twenty feet down before it Shifted and Tezcacoatl dropped to the ground. Raziel and Valerius followed after.

The doors to the throne room were open. As Valerius stood up, cool dew soaked grass under his feet, he saw Esme, still in her flowy blue dress, and Chione, now clothed in a bronze silk and leather dress that covered less than it revealed. Beyond them was Illarion, glowering. His green eyes glowed poisonously.

Clearly, someone is jealous.

Tezcacoatl raced to Esme, grabbing her in his arms, and spinning her around so that her blue dress floated around her.

“Oh, you bad, bad man, Tez,” Esme twittered as he set her down on her feet.

“I cannot help it! You are a vision, Esme! Everytime I see you, you are more beautiful,” Tezcacoatl said, completely unrepentant about being a bad, bad man. Then again, Esme didn’t seem to mean it either.

“Bad man? Bad man? You arescum, Tezcacoatl! You think to put some claim on Iolaire?” Illarion finished a drink and threw the cup on the ground. It clattered and bounced across the marble floor. One of his staff ran to follow it. Valerius’ jaw clenched.

Tezcacoatl though seemed completely unphased by Illarion’s sloppy anger. Instead, he spread his arms wide as one of his retainers strode up to him and put a gold and blue robe over him. Then he took a glass of wine off of the tray offered to him by one of Valerius’ servants.

“You have as muchclaimto Iolaire as I do to the sky,” Tezcacoatl laughed.

“Then what are you doing here?” Illarion snarled as he grabbed some wine himself and guzzled it down.

Chione came to Valerius to offer him a robe. He took it from her and clothed himself as the others bickered. Well, Tezcacoatl and Illarion bickered while Esme watched on.

“Is Iolaire all right?” Chione murmured.

“In fine fettle. Sorry, but I am certain that it would do it all over again.” Valerius smiled dryly at her.

“... you think to prance and preen into Iolaire’s heart.” Illarion’s face was inches from Tezcacoatl who smirked at him, only causing Illarion to grow angrier. “What do you really have to offer? Peasants and poverty?”

Illarion let out an ugly laugh. Tezcacoatl’s usually smiling face went dark, cheeks flaming, and eyes narrowing.

“You speak of poverty and peasants, but what of your territory, Illarion? You have onlyprisoners,” Tezcacoatl snarled.

They were now nose to nose. Valerius took a cup of wine and sipped it as he watched them.

“You should step in,” Chione stated softly.

“Why?” Valerius asked. “A little blood spilled might be a good idea.”

Chione looked at him with dismay. “They’ll destroy the throne room!”

“It’s stone.” He shrugged.

“Valerius! You are the host! Having your guests brawl is not hospitable,” she protested.

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