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Lash nodded. “I do, Lady. I’m not even sure what I have seen.”
Camille stepped forward, curtseying to her mother-in-law. “Lady Vishana, I have a favor to ask of you.”
Vishana smiled, and her hair trailed out to touch Camille’s hand. “Yes, my dear? What do you need?”
Camille turned to me, then hung her head. “The war in Otherworld. Our friends are being slaughtered. Our father was killed. Can you help?”
The dragon’s smile slipped away and she let out a soft murmur. “I am truly sorrowed to hear this. Your family is our family. And we owe you much in return for what my former husband put you through. The Wing Liege and I will take this up in Council. I promise you, we will give it our full attention. Meanwhile…” She turned to Smoky. “There is another dragon in the area. You should be aware of this.”
At Smoky’s quizzical look, the Wing Liege chuckled. “She is a Blue… and should you meet her, be aware she is soil-bound for now—a punishment I’ve enacted on her. Keep your eyes open, in case you are to meet her. She goes by the name of Shimmer.”
“Is she dangerous?” Smoky frowned.
“No, but foolish at times. And headstrong. She is working off a debt, let us say.” And with that, he clicked his heels and nodded.
Vishana motioned to the guard. “Take the male Were. I will carry the woman and girl. Liege, if you would—the Shaman.” As the dragons moved into position, Amber, Luke, and Venus cautiously approached them. Vishana gently wrapped her hair around Amber and Jolina. The Wing Liege did the same to Venus, and the guard to Luke. Vishana raised one hand, palm facing out.
“Until next we meet. My son, take care of your family. Camille, take care of my son. Lash—do not be so quick to judge those not of your kind.” And then, in a flicker of light, the dragons shimmered slowly, growing brighter and brighter, and then—like lights being extinguished by the flick of a switch—vanished.
The room seemed empty. Lash had faded to the far wall, and now she eyed me cautiously. I could see the concern and—to some degree—ready hostility in her face.
While the others broke out in discussion, I segued my way over to her and leaned against the wall. “You seemed a little overwhelmed. I must admit, I don’t know much about the dragon hierarchy, but Vishana and the Wing Liege could intimidate anyone.”
Lash let out a snort. “That’s an understatement. Even in the Netherworld, the Silver Dragons hold sway over those of us with dragon blood. And in the Southlands, in the Dragon Reaches of fire and heat, the red and golden dragons still bow to the silvers. They are the imperial dragons, the most powerful. It has always been so, and so it will always be. It is tradition.”
Her voice fell on the last word softly, and by the soft glow in her eyes, I realized that Lash was dedicated to tradition and routine. She would accept her place and bow to Vishana because, in her mind, it was the correct thing to do.
“My sister loves Shade, you know. Passionately, fervently… with all her heart. She is dedicated to him, and he is to her. I hope you can accept this, because the Autumn Lord has brought them together and I doubt if anybody—sister or not—can separate them.” I wasn’t much for subtlety, but I had to make certain that Delilah was safe.
>As Smoky’s mother settled back into the recliner, Lash looked up from her position on the floor. Vishana gazed down at her.
“We don’t often meet our shadowy kin, be they half- or full-blood. I knew that one of Camille’s sisters was engaged to half-blood black dragon. I assume you”—here she nodded at Shade—“are the gentleman in question?”
Shade laughed. “If gentleman be the correct word to describe me.” He gave her a short, but respectful, bow. “Lady Vishana, be welcome. May I present my sister, Lash? She is visiting with us for a while. She came—”
“I assume she came to get to know her future sister-in-law? For if I were your mother, I would send in a spy to scope out who was going to be marrying my son.” She flashed a brilliant grin at both dragons. “In fact, I did this, although Iampaatar did not know.”
Smoky started to protest but Vishana held up her hand. “Quiet. It is long past and you do not need to know all my secrets.” She turned to Lash. “As for you, girl. Stand. I am not the Empress, and while I am above your station, I am not one who demands supplication.”
And with those words, I began to get a clearer picture of the hierarchy of the dragon world. Camille didn’t talk much about it, and Smoky seldom mentioned his home, not surprising given what his father had done to Camille. But Vishana, she was elegance embodied in form, and now I saw that while she definitely was dragon through and through, she was also gracious.
Lash stood, smoothing the front of her gown. She hesitantly raised her head to look at Vishana. “Thank you.”
“Are you clutchmates with your brother?”
Lash shook her head. “No, I was in the second clutch. We are part Stradolan, so the clutches were small.”
Vishana nodded. “The shadow walkers are the only species who can interbreed with black dragons, so yes, I know of your other heritage. Which side holds more sway with you?”
Delilah shifted, and her gaze latched on to the interaction. I realized that she knew very little about her lover’s heritage. Dragons were cagey, even with their mates. Had she known anything we were hearing now, Camille and I would have already been privy to the information.
Lash swallowed, glancing at Shade. He nodded for her to answer.
“Unlike my brother, who followed more in the footsteps of our mother, I identify with the shadow walker part of myself. I work with my father. I’ve trained with him since I was little.”
Delilah glanced at Shade, then interrupted. “What does your father do?”
Lash tilted her head. “Hasn’t my brother told you? Our father is a judge. He sits on the Jury of the Damned.”
