Page 28 of Killian
“Jurdann was a quiet man who often told me about his discomfort in being Magus Superus,” Egidius stated. “But he grew as a leader and did not deserve his fate.”
Before anyone could respond to the Arch Wizard, Wullem—the son of the Leolinnia cook, Hilanore—walked in. Wullem was blond like his mother, and while he had not been granted much power at birth, it made no difference to anyone in the castle. Eager to aid his people, Kaedan had supplied a spell and the magick to allow Wullem to summon his familiar, Leopold. The pair were often studying ancient tomes with T’Eirick.
“Oh, Wullem, what is it?” Saura asked.
“Sorry to bother you,” Wullem said, ducking his head slightly. “A party has arrived at the castle gates. The guards wish for the Reverent Knights to attend them if you are willing.”
Drystan and Conley were already on their feet. “Do you know why we are needed?”
“There are Fate-chosen among them, though they are not races familiar to our Council,” Wullem replied.
Grabbing Drystan’s hand, Conley raced to the door. “I could use some excitement and good news this day. I hope they are here for a respectable purpose.”
After Wullem departed with the fallen knights, Saura rose and rested her palms on Egidius’s shoulders. “Would you plan the pyre?” she asked the Arch Wizard softly. “He was closest to you. I know this is not easy, but the honor should be yours.”
“My letter to Magus Superus Egann offering my services has already been sent,” Egidius said, swiping a tear from his cheek, then patting Saura’s fingers. “I thank you for your comfort.”
“Get up, get up,” Saura demanded. “I need a hug.”
It was not only Egidius who stood; everyone left their chairs to embrace each other.
“My Masse refuses to take a seat alongside me,” Kolsten said. “He insists Fate intended him to be my consort. But I cannot leave him home any longer when I travel here.”
“Are you asking me if he can roam the castle while we meet?” Kaedan asked. “You should know by now what my answer would be. Masse has the full run of our home whenever he wishes. That goes for anyone that wants to accompany any leader on our mornings here.”
“I hate being sad,” Chander snarled. “I hate the loss of any sense of safety. This is not the life we wished for our people.”
“Let us watch how much we speak ill of dragons though,” Saura said. “We detest those who have preyed upon us, but we do not hate dragonkind. We cannot. They have gifted us with Drystan and Conley, and we should not forget that our dear, dear Killian has a dragon mate.”
“We stole those bodies, Saura,” Killian responded. “It is not a gift if we take it against their wishes. As for my mate, we can hardly call him that, can we? A century gone. One hundred years without a single missive. He has no use for druids.”
“The world is in turmoil,” Saura argued. “You know not why he keeps his silence. Pray do not harden your heart to him without granting him a chance to explain. Yes, decades have passed. But you are both immortal. In all these years, we have heard of dragon Kings. We know Kestle, Ethelin, Varius, Stenet, and Draconis to be foes. Mardas, Tremblay, and Starn appear to be neutral. Yet all we have heard of D’Vaire are whispers of curses. The missive we sent to his King somehow bounced back to Kaedan’s hand. It was most unusual, and we cannot explain it. I scry for them, and the water turns black. Nothing else but darkness. Killian, I worry for them.”
It was not the first time Saura had told Killian about her findings, and he was doing his best to follow her advice, but it was not always easy. He yearned for a relationship like those of the others in the room who were mated. But all he had was emptiness. Thankfully, the doors to the castle swung open before Killian could be backed into promising that he would keep himself from growing irritated by the century lost to him and Dravyn.
Drystan and Conley stood with a group of seven men. Five of them had pointed ears, marking them as elves. They were not all the same tribe. Two were blond with lavender at the ends of their hair, a pair had lovely skin the color of a summer sky, and the last had raven locks with vivid red painting the bottom few inches. The two men who were not elves were brown eyed, and Killian recognized them as shifters, though he could not determine their beasts.
The Reverent Knights quickly filled in their guests on the names and titles of the Council people in attendance.
“Thank you for this audience,” one of the shifters said. “I am Archon Aristos Centaurus, leader of the centaurs. On my left, holding my hand, is the love of my life, Chieftain Kalthekor of the Valzadari tribe. The custom of elves is not to touch strangers.They do not seek to insult by bypassing any handshake; it is forbidden by their traditions.”
“Have no fear,” Baxter replied. “My mate and I are of a similar culture and do not touch others.”
“Thank you for your understanding,” Chieftain Kalthekor responded with a smile. He was the taller of the two blue elves, and his hair glittered with gorgeous beads. His clothing was pure embroidered finery in deep shades of azure and purple. “This is my cousin, Evlithar, and his other half, Cadlyr. He was born into a warring tribe, and we will not speak their name.”
“I must introduce my brother, Strategos Timotheus Centaurus,” Archon Aristos said. “He will not allow me to travel anywhere alone.”
The raven-haired elf lifted a brow at the others, then rolled his blue eyes. “I guess I shall introduce myself. I am Chieftain Lorcan of the Acwellan tribe, and this is my mate, Chieftain-mate Talfryn of the Acwellan.”
Chieftain-mate Talfryn grinned, and mischief twinkled in his lavender gaze. Like the Valzadari elves, he wore a long tunic and loose pants. His hair was heavily embellished with dark beads, but his clothing was the exact shade of his irises. “We are connected to the Valzadari by blood. Cadlyr is my older brother.”
“Please have a seat,” Saura said, ushering their guests into empty chairs.
“What can we do for you?” Chander asked.
Chieftain Lorcan cocked his head as he studied Chander. “You brought us here.”
“Excuse me?” Chander replied.
