Page 47 of Dragon Fire

“What do you make of all this?” Seth asked Gowan, frowning.

“I think we’ve all been playing a part in something we didn’t even understand. If, indeed, the pirate fleet was created with this one goal in mind, the situation is much more serious than we all thought,” Gowan answered, still on his feet. Genlitha was on her way back. He would need to gather his packs and a few supplies before they took off again for the mainland.

“You’ll have to go straight to the king with this,” Seth said contemplatively. “I mean, you should stop at the Lair to resupply, but don’t let them keep you there.”

“If they try, then I’ll have to suspect they are part of this conspiracy.” Even as he said the words, Gowan felt the same stunned disbelief the fey had when the wizard suggested there was a traitor in their midst. It seemed inconceivable that knights and dragons would collude with the pirates, but Gowan again felt like they didn’t know the whole story of what was going on. Perhaps the king had better intelligence from his spy network. Gowan hoped it was so.

Seth looked grim. “I must stay here to care for the sea dragon, Lady Shara. Nobody here has treated dragons before, though if all goes well, I can leave the rest of her care to the healers here in a day or two, with a bit of instruction.”

“I will stay also,”Hrardorr said, surprising Gowan.“If the pirates come back for more, I can defend the island along with the sea dragons, if they will continue to help. Who knows what other dangerous things reside in the wizard’s library?”

“An excellent point,” Gowan admitted with a respectful nod. “We can’t assume they won’t try again, now that they’ve succeeded once.”

“Plus, there is a massive trove of diamond blades in the wreckage that still needs harvesting. I plan to bring a substantial number of them back to Draconia for processing as part payment for our services. Livia wants to have a lot more dragon surgical kits made up, which is a noble endeavor—especially if we’re going into all out war.”

“Then, you and Seth will stay here with Livia for now. I assume Xanderanth and Leo will stay with you?” Gowan asked.

“It would be best for now,” Seth agreed. “I’d hate to send them back to the Southern Lair to face the music all alone.”

“And it would take a herd of wild horses to drag Leo away from Lizbet right now,”Hrardorr snorted, sending little circles of smoke rising toward the stone arches of the hall, high above.

“Really?” Gowan couldn’t imagine sensible Leo becoming that attached to a female so quickly—even one of the beautiful fair folk.

“There is something odd about the attraction,”Hrardorr went on.“There is a sound when they interact. Something above your hearing, and almost outside of mine too, but there is a vibration of…something. Some sort of connection there. I hear it between Xander and Shara too. It makes me wonder if…”He trailed off, but Gowan thought he knew what the dragon was driving at.

“If maybe the Mother of All has taken an interest in creating a few more dragons with your special abilities, Sir Hrardorr?” Gowan challenged.

Hrardorr’s head jerked upward in surprise, and then, his mouth dropped open. He closed it again in short order, but his expression still seemed a bit stunned.

“It is something to consider, to be sure,”Hrardorr said at length.

“For now, let me help you prepare for your journey,” Seth said, gathering up some fruit, bread and cheese from the buffet table into a bundle. “Go get your packs from your room. I’ll make up a satchel of provisions.”

“And this…” came a new voice from the massive doorway. Lilith, one of the dual Captains of Gryffid’s Guard, entered, carrying a sealed scroll. “Gryffid wants you to deliver this into the hands of the king. It is his assessment of everything we know so far. He also asked if your king would station a dragon on the island in a permanent post. I believe he requested young Xanderanth.” Lillith smiled slyly when she said it, which meant she was probably speculating about Xander and Leo as much as they had been.

“I will deliver it gladly, Captain,” Gowan said formally, accepting the scroll and placing it carefully in the inner pocket of his jerkin. He would not lose it easily from that most secure spot.

The next hour was filled with comings and goings. Livia had gone to the beach to see her father off. She came back to the keep in a solemn mood, tears gathered in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. Seth wanted to comfort her, but he was kept busy helping prepare Gowan for departure.

He didn’t begrudge Gowan the five minutes he spent holding Livia close. She needed comforting, and Gowan was leaving. He wouldn’t be able to cuddle her for a while—and with the uncertainty surrounding them, maybe not ever again. They had to grab what moments they could, while they could.

Genlitha arrived back at the keep and spoke with Gryffid directly about what she had observed that morning and the day before. The wizard asked pointed questions but seemed to acknowledge her responses with increasing grimness. Finally, he stood back and spoke to the small assembly. His captains were there, along with several of the fey officers and a few of the gryphons, including General Falthith. They were all gathered in the courtyard.

“I blame myself for thinking my magic inviolable. It has been so long since I’ve been threatened by someone, or something, that was even close to my magical equal that I became over-confident in my protections.”

Captain Lilith stepped forward. “Sir, we were sequestered in the fog for so long, we did not realize all the potential threats either. This is not all on you, Master. I’m sorry to say, we have failed you.”

Gryffid put one hand on her shoulder in a fatherly gesture. “No, my dear, you cannot take the blame for this. Magic was the weapon used, and I am the one who should have answered it.” He moved back, took a deep breath and seemed to shake himself. “What’s done is done, and I have learned a hard lesson. Now, we must move forward with renewed intensity. I will be reinforcing the spells on our island for the next week, at least. I will also be scrying to see if I can locate our enemy and my stolen property.”

“We will send out spies into every land,” one of the fey officers said, stepping forward. He had to be the spymaster, though Seth had not realized it until now. “We will find the lost book and bring it back home.”

“Before it is used, hopefully,” Gryffid put in, his expression dark.

Seth saw Gowan off, then returned to the great hall, where a large group was gathering. It was made up of leaders from every part of Gryffid’s island. Fey warriors were there in force, but also leaders from other disciplines. Bards, troubadours, smiths and innkeepers, which surprised Seth until he realized that all contributed something to the war effort. The bards, most interestingly, were revealed to be working close with—or in many cases, actually were—spies.

Seth spent the rest of the day in the great hall, meeting with those very interesting fair folk. Gryffid left shortly after the meeting got underway to search his library again and reinforce the spells that protected it. He was the one who wanted Seth and Hrardorr to contribute what they knew about the pirate fleet from the battle of Dragonscove and the interrogation of the prisoners taken during that action. Gryffid thought perhaps that they could draw parallels and contrasts between the two battles, since they had been present for both.

Seth realized the value of Gryffid’s suggestion not long into the discussion. The prisoners from Dragonscove told a far different story than those from the more recent battle. The men aboard the ships that had attacked Dragonscove all said their captains were after plunder. A few even admitted to seeking slaves and pretty girls to kidnap.

---