“No wonder you needed a day-long nap.” Jimny grinned.
“Yeah, well.” My eyes met Ang’s over the length of the table. “It’s amazing what you can do when someone you love is in danger.”
“Hmm,” he grunted back.
“Salvadora,” Fenwick went on, “says that you did more healing than her wing as the attack went on.”
A much easier topic. “It all came thanks to the training you helped with.”
“I never taught you to do the things Dora tells me you did.” Fenwick shook his head. “I wouldn’t have known how to. But be assured you did a good job, she’s recovering well. She’s missing some feathers, which will grow back. But aside from some gut rot, because I don’t care what that idiot stable master in Ashland said, she was fed something to dope her up, she’ll be fine in a few days. Just don’t ask her to stand. Her paws are singed and I’ve told her to keep off them.
I told her in mind-speak to do as she was told, then grinned. “She just blew a raspberry at me.”
“And Lord Aurexian chastised her for it.”
I bet that went down well.
He’s a stick in the mud at times, but he’s fun to play with when he’s worried about me.
Lord Aurexian was probably watching over her like a bodyguard or a mother hen. Perhaps a bit of both.
I looked over at Ang. “If you hadn’t come to our aid, we’d have been easy pickings.”
“I don’t know about that,” Ang said. “That manoeuvre where Dora blocked the red’s throat with her ice was rather spectacular.”
“It was lucky, and didn’t help us with the other two,” I stated. “How did you know to come to our aid?”
“Lord Aurexian.”
I nodded. “Of course. Thank you. I’d —we’dbe dead without your help.”
“It’s what family is for,” Boutros said.
“Now, Stable Master Fenwick,” Ang said. “You had news for us?”
“Yes, sir.” Fenwick shifted in his chair, and his voice shook a little. “The body that washed up this morning, Boutros identified as one of the attacking Riders. He was dressed in seafarer garb.”
“Dragon shit,” Gahunia swore. “Seafarers don’t ride dragons.”
“There’s nothing to say they couldn’t, though,” Jimny said. “We know Gultima is the only continent on the world, but there could be islands in the seas that we haven’t charted, don’t know about. The purples are from islands in the middle of Ocean Vast. Maybe they learned to catch and domesticate dragons there.”
“It’s more than that,” I said. “One of the things I saw in Rhastac was uncensored newssheets. They were reporting attacks that I know never happened. There was even a report of a seafarer base on Seven Rise Island.”
“But we know there isn’t one,” Jimny stated.
“Doesn’t matter,” Gahunia said. “It only matters that people believe that dragon shit.”
“Why though?” Jimny asked
Fenwick reached out and took his hand. “I love how you’re still so innocent.”
“Propaganda,” Boutros stated. “As long as the masses think we’re winning a war against the seafarers, or at least holding the line, they’ll support the administration, the Church.”
“And it gets worse.” Fenwick swallowed hard, unable to look at us, so he stared at the tabletop. “The body…” He shook his head, then pushed back his hair. “By the Gods, I can’t believe I’m going to say this. I know him. He’s a Tidemaster. A fully trained and appointed officer. He was a Harbour Sergeant last I knew him.”
“No.” Gahunia said. “No. That’s dragon shit. No Tidemaster would defect to the seafarers. No. It wouldn’t happen.”
“What makes you sure it’s defection?”
