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Chalo’s deep voice could be heard as they entered, the Earth Dragon King sounding excited and trying to mask it with a more sober tone. “—and you are sure they are all still alive and well?”
“I’ll take that question.” Amaru stepped around to lean over Rodrigo’s shoulder, then blinked comically down at the screen. “What under the moon and stars is this? That’s not a mirror spell?”
Ha Na explained patiently, “No, dear, this is not a spell. It’s technology. We are using science to communicate, not magic.”
You would think Amaru had been told Santa Claus was real, the Easter Bunny would arrive tomorrow, and he could have birthday presents every day for the rest of his life. That was how excited he became. The pure, dazzling joy and anticipation on his face hit like a sucker punch to Vasily’s heart. God above, he was breathtaking when he was happy. It made Vasily want to keep him happy all the time. If only Luka could see him in this moment. It made Vasily sad he had missed it.
“Science,” Amaru breathed, absolutely giddy. “Science is capable of this? Oh dear me, I’m no longer mad about being asleep for five hundred years. Well, I can’t say that, I’m still mad, but science that can do this is a very nice consolation prize.”
Chalo seemed to be equally delighted in seeing Amaru. “Hello, are you the Sousa mage, Amaru?”
“I am indeed. You are the Earth Dragon King?”
“That I am. My name is Chalo.”
Amaru’s smile did not dim one whit. “I am absolutely delighted to speak with you. Are you willing to help dig my clan back out?”
“That was a very frank question but I do not mind it. Yes, I am. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that whatever help you need, you may have it.”
Vasily had not expected any other answer. Amaru seemed to still be taken aback by this, like he did expect some kind of an argument, but he looked too relieved to even think about arguing.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Whatever assistance I can offer you in return for your help—”
Chalo waved this away. “Mages are in trouble. Of course we will help.”
Vasily had tried to explain to Amaru more than once that mages were just too precious for dragons to ignore. It was not that Amaru had disbelieved him, but such a drastic attitude change must’ve been hard for him to wrap his head around. He still looked a little surprised at this ready agreement. Surprised, but not willing to argue, either.
“Then, thank you again. What can I tell you to make the situation easier?”
“I have seen pictures of the grotto, and I know the gist of how the interior was laid out, but what of the tunnel leading down? Is it completely collapsed?”
“That, I am not sure about. When we first discovered the tunnel, it was not very wide. We used a mixture of magic and architecture to widen the path and make it more uniform. It should have held up better than it did, so I’m not quite sure why it collapsed. I am hoping it’s just the mouth of the tunnel that did so, but I can make no promises. I am assuming an earth dragon can get a better sense of it than I can.”
They fell to discussing logistics, Rodrigo taking over the conversation to coordinate everyone coming in. Vasily just stood and listened as decisions were made. What amazed him more than anything was how readily Amaru answered every question posed to him. Despite the fact that he was very behind on technology and could barely understand some of what they referenced, he got the gist enough to answer. In his shoes, Vasily would not have fared nearly as well.
Amaru had been chosen by his entire clan to be the fail-safe if something had gone wrong. In this moment, Vasily could entirely understand why. This man was one smart cookie.
The conversation with the Earth Dragon King acted like a linchpin. Amaru hopped from one person to the next, coordinating with them, pulling in others, and then demanding of Vasily who else he needed to talk to. It was almost a scavenger game in a sense, except he wasn’t looking for things but for people.
Vasily had to wonder if this was Amaru’s normal speed or if he was just that determined to get his clan out as quickly as possible. He had a feeling it was a healthy mix of both, which meant it was just as well Amaru had two dragon mates because it would take both of them to keep up with him.
Throughout the rest of the day, he expected Luka to catch up with them, but it failed to happen. What had been a mild worry now blossomed into downright concern. Vasily had no real idea of what was going on through that pretty head of Luka’s, but he knew it could not be anything good. Luka had always been the one who’d had the most reservations about their future. Vasily was very afraid Luka had jumped to the wrong conclusions when Amaru turned to Vasily for comfort. He would love to straighten his lover out, but it meant finding him first. Luka had seemed to disappear into thin air.
