Page 93 of Dragon Rule (Age of Fire 5)

“I wasn’t any older than you when I was leading these blighters,” AuRon said.

“I must have a dragon I can trust. I can trust you.”

“But why did you let us go to the trouble of building a bridge?” NiVom asked.

DharSii smacked his lips. “We thought a celebratory feast was in order. Given that mountain of supplies filling those canoes heading upstream toward your landing and on the other side of the bridge, we thought it would make things easier for all concerned to have a bridge in place to bring them across to our cooking fires.”

“I’ve not dined on Ghioz smoked army pork in years,” AuRon said. “I’m looking forward to sampling your supply.”

The Copper stifled a laugh. It was pleasant to see the Gray Rat bite someone else for a change.

Chapter 10

Wistala was shocked to see DharSii return to the Lava-dome in company with her brother.

She couldn’t help but see it, as they arrived during a hatch-ling viewing in the gardens atop the Imperial Rock.

The proud mother, a Skotl, and her mate, an Ankelene, predicted great things from their hatchlings—a mix of brains and brawn. Some in the Skotl clan had warned the mother against mating outside the Skotl line, but had been encouraged from afar by Nilrasha, who always spoke against division by clan in the Lavadome.

She left the hatchling viewing as soon as she decently could, bestowing a gift of cattle from the Imperial Herd to help the sharp young appetites along, and hurried over to where her brother and DharSii shared a welcoming drink from a flower-ringed fountain (Rayg had some success recently breeding flowers that blossomed in the muted light of the Lavadome—when he wasn’t working on more important matters).

“Wistala! My felicities on your new role in your brother’s tyrancy,” DharSii said.

“It’s only for a time.”

“How much time? I’ve never heard of a dragon regrowing her wings,” he said.

“I… I cannot say,” Wistala said. Her brother’s hunt for a likely candidate to become Tyr was a secret Wistala didn’t even dare think about in the solitude of her room. “I am glad to see you allowed to return. Do you visit for long?”

“Returning wingtip-to-wingtip with Tyr RuGaard helps,” DharSii said. “Though I’ll stay as briefly as possible in some discreet hole near the edge to avoid giving offense to the Imperial Line. The gardens here have changed. They’re much improved from the few ferns and mushrooms and lichen-patterning of my day. Will you show me around? I’m too exhausted to do aught but keep you company for a while.”

“I’ve always wanted to hear the story of why you’re not welcome in the Lavadome.”

“Yes, I’m not quite at the status of exile, but I see my share of quickly turned backs and exposed tailvents on the rare occasion I do visit. I fear it is a long story.”

Wistala wanted it to be a long story. She looked forward to forgetting about plots and assassins while she walked with him. “I’ve no objection to hearing it.”

“I suppose to properly tell the story, I must go back to the dark times after the fall of Silverhigh.

“Dragons scattered. Some, the very young and the very fit, went as far away from their enemies as they could, into the great east or the islands beyond. They made themselves useful to the men there, and when dragon-hunters on swift Rocs came looking for them, they were hidden deep in temples or palace grottos. The grateful dragons did favors in return for this, so legends grew up about how lucky it was to have a dragon in your house. But they hid apart so long they grew estranged, and with no hatchlings they dwindled and died.

“The most indolent and lazy of the dragons sought refuge with a young wizard named Anklemere, who promised them the protection of his magic.

“This is just personal opinion, you must know, but I believe he began to breed dragons. The Wyrr were bred for hardiness and health, meant to travel long distances in carrying messages, and have a mild temperment so that they would not cause trouble. The Ankelenes were selected for their brains. I’m not sure what Anklemere had in mind for them. Of course the Skotl were bred for size and fighting strength.”

“So they’re different dragons from what we were before Anklemere?” Wistala asked.

“You have a scientific mind. How can you determine speciation? For example, with horses.”

“Mating is the easiest rule of claw. If, for example, a horse and a donkey mate, they produce a sterile mule. Other animals, when mixed, can’t produce offspring at all, for example a dog and a cat.”

“However, if you mate with an Ankelene—”

“I don’t think it’s likely I’ll mate anytime soon.”

“In theory—”

“Our hatchlings would be able to produce more hatchlings, so of course we’re still the same species.”

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