Fireclaws - Search for the Golden (30 page)

“Lebahn told me that Verledn was just a figurehead; the real power being his ‘mistress,’ whoever that is.”

“We have some ideas,” the enchanter said absently and dropped the subject.

“So what’s my next assignment, Rosa?”

“Oh, there’s no hurry about that, Ryliss. I think it would be good if you stuck around for a few months this time. I’m hoping Alex’s parents will show up for one of their visits and perhaps can tell us something about this new ability of yours. You haven’t been able to recreate it so far, have you?”

“No, I’m back to changing into a standard Jag’uri. Perhaps it only occurs when I’m under extreme stress.”

The old elf shrugged. “And the scales?”

“The same…fine ones running from the nape of my neck down my back to my tailbone, but at least they don’t seem to be spreading.”

Rosa smiled and gave me a gentle side hug. “We’ll get to the bottom of this; in the meantime, you still have Donatello detail!”

“At least he isn’t afraid of Dawn and Dusk anymore.”

“Afraid?” Rosa chuckled. “The little bacon addict…they are spoiling him rotten. They won’t let him out of their sight; they’ve even begged off most of their handmaiden duties so that one of them is always close by to guard him. Personally, I think him living at Sky Raven is a splendid thing. Being raised among humans will make him less standoffish when he is an adult; it’s certainly been good for the twins.”

“Someday, when he’s older, we will have to go back to Anorthosite Hold to visit; the library there is amazing.”

I saw Rosa’s eyes light up in anticipation as she stretched and got to her feet. “Well, I’ve enjoyed the chat, my dear research assistant, but I think it’s time we got down from this uncomfortable tree. Besides, I hear Nia’s stomach growling again.”

I followed them down and grabbed some food of my own. Walking around with my plate, I wandered over to where we had left Somnus and Kaima. A young groom in gray and red wizard robes was standing on a rock alongside the mare, brushing her vigorously with a curry comb. The way the big horse was arching her neck, she was apparently enjoying the attention immensely. Coming around to where I could see his face, I was startled to see it wasn’t a he at all!

“Andea?” I blurted out, dropping my plate. I hadn’t seen the seer since the battle, not for lack of trying, but she seemed to spend most of her time at Xarparion rather than Sky Raven. And she never seemed to be around when I called on her. She jumped down off the rock and guiltily dropped the currycomb to face me. Her eyes were still opaque but from the manner in which she moved, it almost seemed as if she could see me. She was surprised, however, when I took her into my arms for a hug. She was stiff at first but then she seemed to melt, and I could feel warm tears running down my shoulder.

“Ryliss…you don’t hate me?”

“What? How could I ever hate you?” I asked, still holding her, my face in her hair.

“You know…the way things turned out. I am so sorry about Naurakka!”

“Andi, it wasn’t your fault and I would never hold that against you…now, let me look at you.” I said, holding her at arm’s length. She stood back and smiled, attempting to wipe the tears from her face with her fingers. “You look beautiful! The food at Xarparion is doing wonders for you; you’re losing the hollow, gaunt appearance.” I watched as her eyes tracked me as I moved back and forth. “Andi, can you see me?”

“Yes…well, sort of. My real eyes were too far gone for Alera to do anything, but Rosa made me this bracelet.” The young girl held it up shyly for me to see. “It’s magic, and it mimics the mage vision that King Alex has. Not as good, of course, I can’t see colors or through walls or anything, but it’s almost like having my own sight back!”

“So was Rosa able to determine if seers are mages or not?”

“Ahuh. She says we are mages, after all; just very different and low-powered compared to normal mages. I would never have enough magic to cast a fireball, for example. In fact, it takes all the magic I create naturally just to power my bracelet.”

“So what does that mean? You’re not going to be a seer anymore?”

“Oh, no, I can only wear the bracelet for twelve hours a day or so or I get a bad headache. When I take it off, my seer powers come back right away. I actually kind of like it. When I wear it at school, I don’t have to worry about my visions interrupting my studies. Besides, it’s like my visions store up when I have it on, so I’m getting more of them at night now. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.”

“And how are Kerrik and Daffi getting along?”

“Really good! Kerrik is enrolled in classes, even though he’s like the oldest first-year student ever. It helps that King Alex comes to Xarparion and has lunch with him some days, being known as a friend of the King cuts down on the hazing and ridicule about his age. I am very grateful that you brought us here, Ryliss.”

“And Daffi?”

“There’s a big, beautiful laurel tree in the formal gardens at Xarparion. Headmaster Hons said it was hers to use for as long as she wanted.”

“But I thought her heart was set on finding one in this quiet forest.”

Andi tilted her head, grinning. “That was the ‘old Daffi,’” she chuckled, “the ‘new’ Daffi has decided she likes being around people too much. The Headmaster even has her teaching some classes. I’ve got her for Understanding Magical Creatures 101, and it’s a lot of fun; the other students adore her too.”

“So how is it going to school now?”

“Ryliss, I love it here. As you can see by the robe, they put me in with the healers. I’m making new friends and learning things I never imagined,” she gushed happily.

“Is horse grooming one of them?” I snickered, nodding at Kaima.

“Naw, I already knew how to do that, if you remember. It’s just something I really enjoy and it’s good exercise. Wyeth told me I can work on these two anytime I want.”

“Oh, it’s Wyeth now, is it? Not Wizard Parker?” I teased.

Andi nodded a little and grinned mischievously. “He’s someone special, Ryliss. But I’m pretty sure you’ll come to realize that on or about your second or third date.”

“Second or third date?” I whispered almost to myself.

“Hey, you didn’t hear it from me,” she cackled and, picking up the currycomb, she jumped up on the rock and went briskly back to work.

I was halfway back to the food table when I heard a familiar whirl of wings, and a warm silky presence wrapped itself around my neck and sighed contentedly. Donatello had put on a few pounds since that first day, most of it bacon fat I was sure, but he still wasn’t heavy by any means. With my arms under the bulk of his body for support, he relaxed even more and was soon snoring quietly as I walked along. The poor little guy was worn out from all the activity.

“So that’s where he got off to,” Dawn whispered, coming up alongside me.

“I don’t think you have to whisper. He’s pretty out of it.”

“Yeah, well, you would know best, Mommy!” she snickered.

“Better a mommy than a cradle robber,” I shot back, grinning evilly. The dragon girl blushed profusely and dropped back a few paces.

Eventually, I found Alex, Maya, Rosa, and Nia all loitering near the food table looking concerned. “What’s going on? Did we run out of strudel or something?” I asked.

Maya looked up with worry in her emerald eyes. “No, today is the day Belle wants to show off the horsemanship skills that the boys have been teaching her. It’s just…well, I’m her mother and I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

Staff began moving people aside in the large field area, creating an open space and looking diligently for gopher or marmot holes in the dirt. Finding none, they bowed and gave the all-clear sign to the Royals.

Almost immediately, Wyeth appeared, moving through the small crowd of onlookers, leading a beautiful, small, long-haired pony that looked familiar. Belle marched alongside in a new riding outfit, looking adorably cute. The pony had a tiny leather saddle and seemed to be going out of its way to appear as docile as possible.

With practiced ease, the fire wizard reached down and lifted the little girl up onto the saddle, handing her the reins with a low bow and a flourish. Belle was beaming brightly, and she turned slightly in the saddle to look back proudly at her parents.

Alex had his arm tightly around his wife, and Maya seemed preoccupied with using hand signals to try and move Alera up and as close to the action as possible. The beautiful healer was wearing her usual robes, but at least her hair was down but still elegantly arranged for the social occasion.

With a cluck–cluck sound and a slight amount of heel, the horse and rider took off at a brisk walk doing a full revolution around the impromptu paddock area. The onlookers applauded politely, and Belle seemed to be having a great time. Next, she urged her steed up to a trot, and the crowd oohed and awed appropriately. Alex and Maya appeared to be holding their breath throughout the entire affair as both horse and rider moved fluidly through the course.

After another revolution, Belle grinned and waved at her instructor and her parents as she urged the pony into a full cantor, almost a gallop. The crowd’s murmuring of admiration at their Princess’ skill grew even louder.

Suddenly, I felt Donatello shift positions and saw his serpent head come up and focus on the subject of the entire ruckus. Belle had just finished the cantor lap and booted her steed into a full gallop when the dragon slid off me, taking wing with a teapot-like hiss. For a second, I lost track of him, but then a flash of gold wing caught my eye and I saw him cruising nearby at ground level. There was a bloodcurdling scream as he darted under Alera’s robes…and never came out! But suddenly the healer was astride a medium-sized zebra that immediately tore off in hot pursuit of Belle and her pony.

I wasn’t even sure if Alera knew how to ride a horse; at the moment it didn’t appear so, the way she was flopping around on the back of her steed, barely holding on. Belle’s pony, for her part, could see the approaching disaster coming and increased her speed. None of that seemed to matter to the stricken parents as they watched helplessly as the grand race unfolded in front of their eyes. The equines thundered around the improvised race course, throwing up divots with wild abandon.

Belle seemed to be fully up to the challenge and was having the time of her life. Her face was flushed with excitement, and her long silver curls flared out behind her. Finally, at the end of the third lap, Wyeth threw caution to the wind and dodged bravely out into the fray to direct the black pony to the sidelines. Deftly snatching Belle off the back of the mount as it passed by, he delivered her to her parents’ thankful waiting arms a few steps later.

Alera wasn’t quite so lucky. Donatello, noting the hurried exit of the competition, decided that he had won the race and another victory lap was in order! Still screaming shrilly, Alera had no reins or saddle to utilize and so was entirely at the mercy of the precocious little beast. Finally, he pulled up short in the middle of the track and with a self-satisfied hiss, changed back into his dragon form. He snorted as if to say we were all no fun. A few seconds later, something else caught his eye and he flew off, with Dawn and Dusk, still in human form, chasing frantically after him on foot.

When her mount disappeared, Alera was dumped unceremoniously onto her trim posterior in the dirt. I watched as she boiled up off the ground in an uncharacteristically fighting-mad mood and stormed back to the general area where we were all standing. Her heated gaze flowed like molten lava over the assembled group until she located me.

“You!” she thundered and stabbed a pointy finger in my direction. “Your dragon!...I…well!…you need to teach him some manners!” But they say deeds speak louder than words, and she marched over to a startled Darroth and relieved him of his fresh tankard of dwarven ale. Tilting it back, she let the entire contents slide down her throat, much to the delight of the crowd who were cheering her on, prompting her by stomping their feet and hooting loudly.

When the last drop had passed her lips, she brought the tankard down and handed it to the astonished master smith. She wiped her chin on her sleeve and, with both a sheepish grin and an impressive burp, plowed through the shocked crowd and disappeared, still in a huff.

Oh yeah…things were about to get interesting at Sky Raven!

Ryliss

Late one night a few weeks after the picnic at Dashern Lake, I sat silently in my quarters pondering the next entry I would make in my report about the past few months. Rosa seemed to think it was necessary, both for the archives of Sky Raven and for my personal healing process, as well.

The glow orb that I wrote by was failing miserably and starting to cast dark shadows across my desk, making it difficult to concentrate on my writing. I didn’t even have Donatello to blame for my mind’s wanderings. The young dragon was becoming increasingly comfortable with life here at Sky Raven; of course, the bacon might have something to do with that.

When he had first been given over to my charge, he wanted to be near me at all times, even sleeping in an old burlap shoulder bag hung from the banister of my bed at night. But recently, he had been spreading himself around more and more and was becoming quite the dragon-about-town. Sometimes he spent the night with Dawn and Dusk, sometimes Princess Belle. Strangely enough, he and Alera had patched up their differences and more often than not, he could be found in her quarters. It was like he had found a true kindred spirit in the healer.

I had asked Dawn about his behavior, and she shook her head in wonder. “I don’t know what to tell you Ryliss, Dusk and I can barely remember ourselves at that age. All I can recall was being hungry all the time, running purely on instinct to hunt and eat. We probably didn’t become self-aware until we were at least five. But Donatello is different; he’s curious, he plans, he knows who he likes and who he doesn’t. I think he’ll be talking soon.” I smiled to myself thinking about the mischievous little future king.

My reverie was interrupted by a light tapping on my door. Why would anyone be stopping by so late? Opening it revealed Maya standing there in her full suit of armor, her helm under her arm.

“My Queen!” I stuttered, immediately going to one knee. “Are we attacked?”

“No, Sister,” she said pulling me easily to my feet with her free hand. “I saw your light on and I wondered why you were still awake?”

“Just completing the chronicles of my latest disaster, I’m afraid,” I said ruefully, backing up into the room to allow her entry. She closed the door behind her quietly and walked over to my table, glancing at my writings, then she looked up at me.

“Ryliss, I am deeply sorry for the loss of Naurakka. But never, ever think that you or your mission was anything but a shining triumph. All of Sky Raven is in awe of what you accomplished.”

“I don’t see…” Maya silenced me with a regal look. Placing her helm on the floor next to my table, she pushed back her silver curls and held up fingers of her gauntleted hand.

“One, you brought us Andea, an amazing new resource, a seer! Two, you rescued the future king of the dragons! Three, you saved the lives of Dusk and Dawn, who are not only my daughters but are also two of Sky Raven’s strongest defenders. Four, you stopped the Wizard Verledn who was probably the great evil’s next rising star to replace the Lifebane! All told, not a bad few month’s work.”

“I had a lot of help, my Queen.”

“Of course you did, as did Alex and I fighting the Duke.” She sighed expressively, collecting her thoughts. “Life is not like one of those adventure books that my husband still likes to read. You know, where the lone hero rides out to face certain death for the sake of honor. No, Ryliss, the more imposing hero is one who can encourage those around her to become greater than the sum of their individual efforts.”

“Like the warrior queens of old that our sonnets portray? Our warriors each worth twenty or more of any foe, with their only wish being to die gloriously at her feet?”

Maya smiled bashfully. “Well, perhaps; but I was thinking a bit more of leading by example and a little less star-struck sacrifice. But you have the concept. At any rate, your contributions have been gratefully noted, dear sister.”

I turned away so she couldn’t see the blush forming on my cheeks and tried to change the subject. “You still haven’t told me why you are out and about so late?”

The Queen growled slightly, a look of frustration and annoyance crossing her beautiful face. “It’s Alex; he’s been acting strange these past few days.”

“How so?”

“He seems preoccupied and evasive, and he hardly touched his dinner this evening. He claims he was going to spend time with Darroth this evening, but they aren’t at the forge, the dwarf bar, or Darroth’s quarters.”

“Did you ask Nia, Winya, or Rosa? They always seem to know what is going on with the King,” I chuckled.

“Well, that’s the suspicious part. Nia clammed up, looked excessively guilty, and disappeared when I asked. Rosa says that all she’s getting from him is measurements and grocery lists. And my dear, sweet Winya claims that there are certain things that ‘good swords’ just will not do, and spying on my husband is one of those things. Funny, she’s never passed up the chance to ogle him otherwise! He’s definitely up to something, and I aim to find out what it is!”

“My Queen, all anyone has to do is watch Alex when you walk into the room. His face lights up and you can almost feel the sense of bliss streaming off him. I’m sure whatever secrecy the King is employing is totally harmless.”

“I know it’s not another woman and I’m being foolish, but I need to get this cleared up or the Jag’uri in me will never let it rest. Please, Ryliss, come with me?”

“Of course, but I thought you didn’t know where he is?”

“Win says she won’t spy on his thoughts for me, but I don’t think she will disobey a direct order to tell me his location.” Maya paused for a few moments, and then whispered, “She says he’s in the dragon grotto where Dawn and Dusk took their long sleep.”

“I thought the twins abandoned that site to find a new one? They said something about it not being up to respectable dragon standards…now that everyone knows about it.”

“They did, and as far as I know, there isn’t any good reason for anyone to be up there!” Maya’s eyes flashed dangerously.

Hurriedly grabbing a coat, I followed her out the door, and a couple minutes later we reached the main courtyard.

“It will take too long to walk,” the Queen grumbled, putting her helm back on. “Ryliss, would you mind?”

I shook my head but still nearly gasped as Maya’s wings extended and, wrapping an arm around me, she launched us into the night air. It was a little strange to actually be flying as a dark elf for a change, but still exhilarating none-the-less. The Queen was on a mission, so there was very little time for sightseeing as we landed lightly on the steps outside the passageway to the cave. She retracted her owl wings and we continued forward, finally reaching the door. Gently she placed her helmeted head against the wooden bound portal.

“I hear voices,” Maya whispered. “Are you ready? It’s time to make our entrance to this little elicit soirée!”

I nodded. The Queen whipped the door open and we charged through. The first thing I noticed was walking into a wall of amazing food smells, and the scene before us was not what either of us expected. A very surprised Alex was standing near a new wood stove chopping vegetables; numerous pots and pans were simmering or boiling merrily on its surface. Nia was flittering back and forth, either stirring the pots or occasionally dipping into some spice bowls and seasonings.

In the middle of the room seated around a small table sat Wyeth, Jaython, and the old shaman/fire wizard Mingt, huge plates of steaming food in front of them. They had forks halfway to their mouths but froze in confusion when we made our grand entrance. Farther back in the room, at another table playing cards were Darroth, Hons, Higs, Kerrik, and even Qleyse. The dwarf had apparently hauled up a keg of ale that was being generously tapped by the card players as the mugs were being tilted frequently. The card players, too, went stock still in shock at our appearance.

“It’s a cave of men!” Maya exclaimed flabbergasted, ripping off her helm.

“A man cave!” I agreed, equally puzzled at the concept.

“Maya?” Alex said, dropping his cooking utensils in a bowl and rushing over. “What are you doing here?”

“No, Alex, what are you doing here?” she challenged, looking him directly in the eyes.

“Ummm, cooking?” he ventured sheepishly. “Are you two hungry?”

“Count me in!” I piped up, my mouth watering from the delectable odors.

Maya shot me a look that said I wasn’t helping the situation at all, and then reoriented on her husband. “What is this all about?”

The King wiped his hands on a towel he had draped over his robed shoulder and tilted his head with a shy smile. “Well, it’s all Nia’s fault, really…”

“Hey!” the pixie protested from across the room. Alex continued, “We were talking about the old days back at the Enchanter Hall, all the food we cooked, and how much fun we had doing it…and we decided we missed it. So we thought we would find a place where we could make food occasionally when we felt like it.”

“And what exactly is wrong with the keep’s kitchen?” the Queen asked archly.

“Well, nothing exactly…except for the kitchen staff who are always trying to help, or making suggestions, or cleaning up after us. It almost feels like I am intruding in their territory.”

“Ahuh. That still doesn’t explain all of this and the boys being here.”

“Well, to do it right, I needed Hons to cut through the rock for better ventilation, and of course Darroth volunteered to build the stove and the furniture. Then I needed Qleyse to order the food and well…one thing led to another…”

By this time, I had grabbed a warm plate and cut myself an enormous slice of chicken pie loaded with peas and carrots, dressing with gravy, then added several fresh-baked honey biscuits that Nia served expertly. Squeezing in gratefully between a grinning Jaython and Wyeth, I dug in. This was really good! But I still kept an ear on the Royals’ conversation.

“So when were you going to tell me about all this, Magic Boy?” Maya, finally mollified, purred and leaned into him.

“Well, tonight was just a trial run. We were going to have a real party next week with everyone invited. But I kind of thought you and I might have our own party here some night before that,” he said, enveloping his wife in his arms and kissing her softly, and again, and again…

I fought down another unseemly blush and decided I had done enough eavesdropping. I grinned at Wyeth and was about to start some meaningless small talk when the door crashed open.

“A-hah!” Rosa bellowed, storming into the room. “Alex, you finally let your guard down, and I caught you! Now…where’s my plate?”

I snickered and my eyes returned to my own food just in time to catch Wyeth snitching a sweet bun from my plate. A three-inch Jag’uri claw pinned the purloined pastry to the tabletop, and a raised eyebrow blithely informed the handsome fire wizard not to get between a Jag’uri and the object of her desire.

It was good to be home.

THE END