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I gave her a nod. “We will make sure of it.”
Speaking of that.The dragon queen landed far softer than I thought possible out on the balcony. I hadn’t even seen her in the skies. She must have come over the top of the castle. It was cloudier today, so she hadn’t even blocked out the sun to signal her arrival like she sometimes did.
“She has incredible hearing,” Emric offered. “She wasn’t even near us when we said that.”
Thank you, friend of Prince Keiran.
“I have a name, you know,” Emric sighed.
She seemed to smile.I know.
She brought a letter over in her talons and opened her palm to hand it to me. It was an envelope with my name on it, the seal unbroken.
It was Krew and Jorah’s response already. They must have answered within the night of getting it if we already had it back.
I broke the Wylan royal seal and opened it without delay, the room waiting for me. My breath caught.
My eyes went to John’s first, then Emric’s, and I couldn’t help the smile which slowly crossed my face as I finished reading. I didn’t know why, call it a gut instinct, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to unlock the magic alone. “Jorah and Owen leave tomorrow morning. The queen of Wylan is coming to Dra Skor.”
* * *
The restof the day we planned for Jorah and Owen’s arrival. We had only two days to figure it out. And it sounded like they would only stay for a night. Much like the night when the queen, Malachi, and Amory collected the water samples, we would visit the lakes one right after another. The queen insisted that too many of the predator shifters were out in the dead of night, but by dawn they would be going to bed. So around dawn was our best bet.
It was late, and we had more plans to make the following day. I sat out on the balcony of my room, the ring for Esta propped up on the railing in front of me just in case she flew by on a patrol. I was going to keep offering it to her until she took it, dammit.
While I waited, my mind kept going back to the visit from Jorah and Owen. I wasn’t going to go stingy on the details of Jorah’s twenty-four hours in Dra Skor. Her Iron Will gave her magic a healing element that we needed, yet I also wanted her safe. Not that she couldn’t defend herself, but after finally getting rid of my father, she didn’t deserve to be drug into more drama here. So we would do our best within the timeframe she was here, and then bring her back again at a later date if it was necessary.
This was only a trip to figure out what would happen when our magic combined and we targeted the lakes. Should we find that her magic was key, then Queen Esta would be speaking with her advisors and providing royal protection for any future trips. I only wished I had already tried standing in the lakes myself before their arrival. Yet with how efficiently they had responded combined with the ball, there just hadn’t been time.
This first trial run just needed to be successful. I severely doubted one tendril of Jorah’s magic would clear the lakes and unlock all of Dra Skor’s magic, but if we could just get one of the lakes clear, show a substantial change for all of them to see, it would help.
I heard the beating of wings above me and looked to the skies. It was so cloudy tonight, the moon not helping much, I couldn’t see a thing.
It is late,the queen mentioned as she dropped to the side of my balcony, her tail over the railing as if to give us more space. She turned her head slightly to the rail.This again?
I sat up straighter and offered as I looked at the clouds. “For someone who has an affinity for pretty things, she sure seems to be keeping her distance.”
She was quiet for so long that I finally looked her direction.
I am not sure about your culture, but in mine a male gifting a female rings specifies a certain sort of interest. It wasn’t a family heirloom, or anything was it? If so, it would signify we are... together.
“Esta, if I was giving you a ring to wear for that reason, it would be much larger.”
She seemed to almost purr her agreement and then shook her head, as if catching herself.
“This particular ring was one my ass of a father gave to one of his final eight of his own assemblage. She later chucked it back at his head.”
That only makes me want it more,she admitted.
I laughed.
I do promise to protect your queen while she is here, she offered.If that is keeping you up.
“It isn’t that.”
Then what is it?
I looked over at her. “I don’t even truly know. I was just thinking that we don’t even have to fully fix the lakes with this little trip. Even just getting one clear would give us the in for working on the rest of the lakes. Smoothen tensions, allow your advisors to see that we are here for honorable reasons.”
