Page 57 of The Arrival of the Dragons

You should still be in there,Caden told him.Chione would likely tell you to let Esme take the lead, and to only interject if you must.

Valerius’ eyebrows rose.You already know her so well despite just having met.

Caden shrugged and their wings rustled.I’ve just seen her do it a bunch of times in the sticky situations that have cropped up. I figure she would advise you to do the same!

You are right.Valerius nodded and smiled.You are completely right.

Where is Chione by the way? I can’t believe she wouldn’t be in the thick of things.

She is dealing with a matter with President Goodfellow. She will join everyone at dinner.

Dinner,Caden sighed. He would not be having any and the picnic basket of food he’d snarfed down before coming here seemed a long time ago.

I wish I could cook for you upstairs. I would make you beef--

Don’t talk about beef! I want that beef! But Caden shook himself.Go on. Get in there. Do your kingly duty and then come back out to me.

You just do not wish me to speak of beef.

Damned straight.

Valerius gave him another nose-kiss, which was just awesome. Somehow he could feel that kiss on his scales as much as he could feel it on his human skin. Caden then soon lost sight of Valerius as the Black Dragon King strode inside. Caden could not risk even lowering his head to look into the throne room again to follow Valerius’ beloved body, or he really risked someone seeing his human form in the mirror so he could only listen now to what happened. Their ears twitched.

“Serai,” Esme’s voice rose up. “A very serious charge has been laid against you. Namely, that you are the one who placed the bomb in Dragon Strike Square.”

“Mistress! What?” Serai’s voice was soft and breathy like an innocent girl’s.

But what innocent girl sets a bomb that would kill people?Caden asked himself as much as Iolaire.She looks the same age as Tilly though!

Iolaire agreed and dug their claws into the plaza’s stone and earth floor.

“Should we perhaps let her down from that ring of ice?” Tez asked, sounding as if he was incredibly uncomfortable seeing a child constrained in that way.

Caden was surprised it was Esme who answered sharply, “No. I will have my answers now.”

I don’t think Esme is the type to accept any reason for betrayal, Iolaire.

Another soft hoot from his Dragon Spirit confirmed they were in agreement on this as well.

Is her coldness to Serai more proof that Esme isn’t a part of this? Or just a desire for others not to be able to interrogate Serai without her?

Iolaire found this all disturbing. It did not understand why the girl would want to harm innocents in the square. Why had her Spirit not intervened and stopped her?

Lots of Spirits help their humans kill, Caden pointed out gently. Even Valerius and Raziel have killed in their day. And would have hurt us if we hadn’t gotten away from them before they knew us, remember?

Another soft hoot and Iolaire’s head lowering acknowledged that truth though he felt Iolaire’s desire to explain away Raziel’s reaction. Territory. Protection. Not malice.

Yeah, you’re right about that,Caden said.

There was certainly a difference between the cowardly act of someone setting a bomb that would hurt people who were not attacking versus believing one had been attacked viciously and defending oneself.

“Iolaire says you are the girl it saw that placed the backpack with the bomb,” Valerius’ voice was surprisingly gentle. “Was it you?”

“N-no! How could I? I was in England when the bomb went off!” Serai cried. “Mistress, you saw me that day! How could I be in two places at once?”

Could I be wrong, Iolaire?Caden asked.Maybe she just looks like the girl. You were not with me when--

I was there. I watched. It is her,Iolaire responded.

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