Page 70 of Dragon Fight

My focus shifted then, to the open doorway where the sounds of other small dragons could be faintly heard.

“They’re starving themselves to death and for what? It has to be a Harlstonian plot. Toss aside a perfectly good queen.” A fierce nod for me. “Declare Glimmer unfit when you just have to look at her…”

I suddenly liked Hallin a whole lot more when he looked down at my dragon. Glimmer preened under the attention and that resulted in him dropping down into a squat before her, his hand reaching out for her permission.

“How can they say she’s not fit to be Zafira’s heir?” Hallin seemed almost transfixed by my dragon, running his fingers along the soft scales under her chin, her eyes falling closed as she let out a pleased little chirrup.

This one is very perceptive, she told me with a mental sigh.Perhaps you should consider him as one of your mates?

Glimmer!I shot back, then sent a mental image of Hallin and Maggie together in the bathroom, though I admit, I censored the memory somewhat.

Apparently not, she replied.I guess you can’t take every man that will bow before us as a lover, because there will be many.

And then I saw that vision again, of the two of us climbing a tall flight of steps, a golden throne beckoning from the top and beyond that? People cheered wildly, egging us on, screaming for us to ascend—

What was that?I asked sharply, feeling like I reached out from my mind into hers, as if the psychic link between us was a physical thing.What did you just see? Did we—?

You can’t grab at visions, she snapped.They aren’t party favours to be snatched up before the other children get to them.

That metaphor gave me pause me, making me wonder where she’d pulled that from. A fledgling memory of my childhood, of a party held for my birthday with other very young children of the district, my mother walking out with a tray of treats… I blinked and then came abruptly back to the hallway of the keep.

“Glimmer is very pleased by your praise,” I told Hallin belatedly.

“I can feel that.” He hadn’t noticed my brief pause, caught as he was by my dragon’s gaze. “She’s very strong, your Glimmer. I get little indications of some dragons’ moods sometimes. It’s why they put me in with the cadets when their dragons are big enough to fly.” His voice sounded soft, drowsy almost. “But from her…”

What are you doing to him, Glimmer?I asked my dragon.

Connecting.

She sounded just as dreamy as he did, something that had Ged frowning slightly. He tried as best as he could to understand what was going on, shooting me a sidelong look right up until Hallin shook his head, the man’s face breaking into a smile, seeming a whole lot lighter as he stood up again, then faced us down.

“She’s powerful. More powerful than Zafira—”

“For fuck’s sake, don’t go around saying shit like that,” Ged hissed, looking up and down the hallway.

“Glimmer is a queen.” But once Hallin made his pronouncement we damned ourselves without a word. We weren’t surprised nor did we brush off what he said. The two of us just stared the rider down, watching the realisation come. “But you already know that.” Hallin nodded then, looking somehow satisfied despite the two of us not saying a thing. “You’ll find those lads.”

“We’ll try—” I began to say.

“You will. Find them and ensure they’re safe.” Hallin glanced down at Glimmer. “And see what you can do for those poor wee beasties in there.” He jerked his head to the mews door. “If you can makemefeel like that, you might be able to help those dragonlings.”

And with that, my focus sharpened, no longer concerned with Hallin or what he or the other riders might be saying.

Can you?I asked Glimmer.

Let’s see, she replied, nodding to the other rider and then marching past him, leaving me and Ged to trail behind.

“Ahh…”a plump man in a leather apron said as we walked in the door. “Rider Ged. And you must be—”

“Pippin and Glimmer.”

But my introduction was an anaemic one with little emotion in it as we walked in. There were young dragons of various sizes everywhere, but I was able to brush past all of them, both my dragon and I focussed on the four dragonlings clustered together in one corner.

Because they were paler than the others, the usually bright tones of their scales somehow dulled and dusty looking, their eyelids only half opened, their eyes filmy. The four of them seemed to snuggle down tighter together as we approached. But with every step I heard that humming song Glimmer often sang at important moments.

Glimmer, what do you sense?I asked.

You don’t want to know.

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