Page 62 of A Kingdom Restored

The elders turned their yellow, orb-like eyes on Heath, and it was all he could do not to gulp like a guilty child.

“Son of the House of Dragonfriend,” one of them intoned solemnly. “For what purpose do you seek us out? We are not accustomed to being summoned by your kind, however noble the line from which you come.”

Heath dipped his head deeply. “It is not my intention to offer you disrespect, Mighty Beasts,” he said formally. “But I would be grateful if you would hear my testimony regarding the plight of my fellow power-wielders in Valoria.”

He phrased the words carefully, aware that if he told the elders that his purpose in coming was to speak to them of the power-wielders—even that hewishedto speak to them on that matter—they would sense his deception and dig deeper.

“We are aware of their plight,” said one of the elders. “We have made our feelings on the matter clear to your sovereign. We have no further interest in involving ourselves.”

Heath could see he was losing them. Already the silent elder was looking to the sky, as if ready to be done with the unsought conversation.

“Even when the power-wielders harbor dragon magic?” Heath pressed. “Your own essence, in effect?”

One of the elders flicked his tail in what might have been irritation.

“Although your magic has its origin in one of our kind, it is your line which wields it,” the dragon said. “It is not dragon magic in the way you suggest.”

Heath paused before answering, not because he didn’t have his words ready, but because of the intensity of the vision that flashed before his eyes. He hadn’t intended to activate his farsight, but Merletta’s situation was so dire, the connection between them tugged at his mind without his permission.

He could see the crowd surrounding Merletta, but not whoever was addressing her. The merman’s words were clear, however, as he pronounced a death sentence on the unflinching young trainee.

No!

It was all Heath could do not to shout the word aloud. Where was Elddreki? If he took much longer, he’d be too late.

But there was nothing Heath could do to speed the dragon up. With a supreme effort, he cut off his farsight, blinking back at the elders who were watching him suspiciously. Undoubtedly, they’d noticed his use of magic.

“You say our magic isn’t dragon magic?” Heath said, struggling to regain the thread of the conversation. “But I thought farsight was a dragon ability.”

Rekavidur remained silent and motionless beside him, but Heath could neverthelessseethe sudden tension that filled his friend. The elders stared unblinkingly at Heath, and he was suddenly absolutely confident that he had their full attention.

Which was a very good thing, because his extra vision suddenly flared back to life, to show a sight he most definitely didn’t want them to witness through their own farsight: Elddreki’s multi-colored form plummeting through the water, sending the gathered merpeople scattering.

“What is the truth hidden behind those words?” one of the elders demanded, drawing Heath back to Wyvern Islands.

“I am a power-wielder, as I believe you know,” Heath answered simply. “My magic was slow to develop in human terms. But it has now done so, and one form it takes is an extra vision which, from all I can tell, is essentially farsight.”

The elders were silent, undoubtedly able to assess the truth of his words. Heath’s connection with Merletta tugged at his mind, and although he tried to ignore it, the sheer quantity of magic in the air made it near impossible to subdue the farsight. Elddreki had her in his talons, but there was confusion all around.

“You’re using it now, aren’t you?” said one of the elders, his tone making it an accusation.

With a snap, Heath shut off the connection as best he could. He gave no answer—it was unnecessary, since they knew the truth. He could only hope their interest was in the revelation about his farsight, not its current focus.

“If you truly thought this information would change our approach toward the discord in the human community, you have substantially misjudged our attitude,” one of the elders told him. “We do, however, accept this revelation with interest. It will be the subject of further discussion.” He directed his stony gaze to Rekavidur. “As will your role in the situation, Rekavidur. It seems there is no end to the matters you have concealed from your elders. You know our ruling as to your presence here. You will not receive another warning.”

With those words, the elders took to the sky, along with the dragon who had carried the message. For a moment, Heath and Reka stood in silence. Then, in a fluid motion, Reka seized Heath in his talons and took off as well.

“I’m sorry if I got you into further trouble,” Heath called over the rushing air as they flew swiftly back toward the mainland.

“It is no matter,” Reka responded calmly. “I believe your distraction was sufficient. I see that my sire has left the water. Merletta is with him, and the rest of her kind are not subject to violent death.”

A shudder of relief went over Heath, but his thoughts remained grim.

“At least not today.”

Chapter Nineteen

Merletta stared at the dragon swimming swiftly toward her. It wasn’t Rekavidur, that much was certain. But it was familiar, nevertheless. One she’d seen on Wyvern Islands, perhaps. The full memory hit her a moment before the shocked silence erupted into screams. This was Rekavidur’s father! He’d defended her when the others tried to kill her—was it possible he was actually here to help?

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