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Smoky sprang into action. “Menolly, will you please bring Luke, Amber, and Venus here? Bring all their clothes, too.”
Relieved to be dismissed and given the chance to get out of what was an all-too-tense situation, I headed toward my lair. So Shade’s father was a torturer. Or rather… well… what would you call him? Shaking the whole mess from my mind for the time being, I scurried down the steps. Amber, Luke, and Venus were talking, and I motioned to them.
“The dragons are here. Bring all of your things with you.” I felt rather sorry for them. They had all been transplanted from Earthside to Otherworld, having to learn a whole new style of living, and now they were on their way to the Dragon Reaches. Only the gods knew what would be facing them there.
“Listen to me,” I said. “Dragons are presumptuous. They’re pompous, belligerent, arrogant, and obnoxious. One alone, hard enough to handle, even if you’re on his good side. Get a bunch of them together? Walk softly. Be polite. And for the sake of the gods, don’t make waves. Smoky’s mother is taking you in, and we rely on her goodwill. Don’t fuck it up. Got it? Oh, and be careful.”
Venus laughed. He sauntered over to me. The werepuma clapped me on the back. “Oh, Menolly. Don’t give us a second thought. We will survive and pull through this. And before long, my guess is that a new Queen will command us. And I have my suspicions as to who it will be.”
“Care to enlighten me?” I flashed him a crooked smile.
“Not at the moment, sweet-fangs. Not at the moment.”
And then, after an awkward good-bye to Amber and Luke, Amber gathered up her daughter, Jolina, and we headed upstairs.
The Wing Liege was standing at attention, straight shouldered, with knee-length hair the same color as Vishana’s. His eyes were the color of steel. He was dressed in a long, shimmering tunic the color of clouds against the water. A knotwork pattern bordered the hem, black lines weaving in on themselves along the edge of the material. Beneath the tunic, which was belted with a black leather belt and a silver buckle, he wore a pair of black pants and black leather boots. At his waist, a scabbard, worked in white leather, held what appeared to be a hefty short sword.
He crossed his arms across his chest as he stared at Luke and the others. “You will accompany us to the Dragon Reaches. Lady Vishana has agreed to house you in her apartments but this must be done quietly and no one else in the Dragon Realms must know. If word were to reach certain ears, there might be trouble. You will obey our commands, and you will make no decisions without consulting either Lady Vishana or myself.” He darted a glance at Venus. “That goes for you, too, you wily old shaman.”
Venus winked at him. “Understood.”
Vishana turned to Lash. “I give you an order. What you have just witnessed and heard here tonight, you will seal in silence. Never to speak of it. Do you understand me?” The threat was implied.
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.
But Lash just reached out and laid light fingers on my arm. “No fears. I will not harm her. I admit, when I arrived today, it was with the mind that their union was wrong and should be severed, but I would never have hurt your sister in order to come between them. And after seeing my brother with her, it’s obvious that he’s dedicated to her, that he will uphold his duty.”
I frowned. It was obvious to me that Shade loved Delilah. She wasn’t just a duty call. But whatever the case, it was enough that Lash was willing to let it be. She didn’t have to like Delilah; she just had to avoid hurting her.
“So what are your plans? Are you staying for a while?” I was trying to find some common ground, to make her comfortable so that she’d be more comfortable with Delilah.
