Myr stepped out from the meager protection of the entrance into the fading light, and Aralorn followed his lead. Something about Myr appeared to catch the dragon’s interest: It stopped and whipped its long, swanlike neck straight, shooting the elegant head forward. Brilliant, gem-like eyes glittered green, then gold. Without warning, it opened its mouth and spat flame at Myr with an aim so exact that Aralorn wasn’t even singed although she stood near enough to Myr to reach out and touch him.
Myr, being immune to magic, was untouched (although the same could not be said about his clothes). The hand that held his sword was steady, though his grip was tighter than it needed to be. He was no coward, this King of Reth. Aralorn smiled in grim approval.
The dragon drew its head back, and said, in Rethian that Aralorn felt as much as heard, “Dragon-blessed, this is far from your court. Why do you disturb me here?”
Myr, clothed in little more than the tattered remnants of cloth and leather, somehow managed to look as regal and dignified as the dragon did. “My apologies if we are troubling you. Our quarrel is not with you.”
The dragon made an amused sound. “I hardly thought that it was, princeling.”
“King,” said Aralorn, deciding that the contempt that the dragon was exhibiting could get dangerous.
“What?” said the dragon, its tone softening in a manner designed to send chills up weaker spines.
“He is King of Reth and no princeling.” Aralorn kept her voice even and met the dragon’s look.
It turned back to Myr, and said in an amused tone, “Apologies, lord King. It seems I have given offense.”
Myr inclined his head. “Accepted, dragon. I believe we owe you thanks for driving away the Uriah, sent by my enemy.”
The dragon raised its head with a hiss, and its eyes acquired crimson tones. “Your enemy is the ae’Magi?”
“Yes,” answered Myr with a wariness Aralorn shared.
The dragon stood silently, obviously thinking, then it said, “The debt dragonkind owes your blood is old and weak, even by dragon standards. Long and long ago, a human saved an egg that held a queen, a feat for which we were most grateful, as we were few even then. For this he and his blood were blessed that magic hold no terrors for them. For this deed of the past, I would have left you and your party alone.
“Several hundred years ago, after the manner of my kind, I chose a cave to sleep—waiting for the coming of my mate. I chose a cave deep under the ae’Magi’s castle, where I was unlikely to be discovered. Dragons are magical in a way that no other creature is. We live and breathe magic, and without it, we cannot exist.
“I was awakened by savage pain that drove me out of my cave and into the Northlands. The ae’Magi is twisting magic, binding it to him until there will be nothing left but that which is twisted and dark with the souls of the dead. The castle of the ae’Magi has protections that I cannot cross, and the power that he has over magic is such that if I were to attack him, it is possible that he could control me. That is a risk I cannot take. Except for the egg that lies hidden from all, I am the last of my kind. If I die, there will be no more dragons.” It stretched its wings restlessly.
“King,” it said finally, “your sword is new, but the hilt is older than your kingdom, and token of our pledge to your line. If ever I can aid you, without directly confronting the ae’Magi, plunge the sword into the soil, run your hands over the ruby eyes of the dragon on the hilt, and say my name.”
Aralorn heard nothing but the rushing of the wind as the dragon spoke its name for Myr. Then, in the deepening light of the evening, it reared back on its hind legs and fanned its wings, changing its color to an orange-gold that gave off its own light. Soundlessly, it took flight, disappearing long before it should have been out of sight.
“Beautiful, isn’t he?” Wolf’s familiar hoarse voice emanated from somewhere behind and between Aralorn and Myr. It comforted Aralorn that Myr jumped, too.
The herbs that Wolf brought back did work better. Once he got the spell just as he wanted it, he began working it without the props until he could direct it effortlessly. When he could drop the ensorcelled rocks in any pattern he chose, he spoke to Myr over dinner.
“I have what I need to face the ae’Magi. I will leave tomorrow for his castle.”
“You aren’t going alone,” said Myr. “This is my battle as well. He killed my parents to further his plans. You will need someone at your back.”
Wolf shook his head. “You are too valuable to your people to risk yourself in such a way. If you are killed, then there is no one to rule Reth. If I am killed, your immunity to magic may be the only weapon left against the ae’Magi.”
“Wolf’s right,” agreed Aralorn, “but so is Myr. Wolf, the ae’Magi is not the only thing that you will have to face. He has quite an assortment of pets in the Uriah. They will tire you out before you even reach the ae’Magi.”
Wolf frowned at her. “I know how to avoid most of the monsters. The ae’Magi will see that none of them kill me. Even if he wants me dead, he wants to kill me himself. If there is someone else with me that I have to worry about and guard, they will be more of a liability than an asset. I’ll leave at first light.” He turned on one heel and walked away, leaving the remnants of his dinner behind—without giving anyone a chance to argue further.
Aralorn finished her roll thoughtfully. If he thought she’d give up so easily, he hadn’t been paying attention.
That night, as Aralorn half dozed on the library couch—she couldn’t sleep without the risk of missing Wolf—she heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice speaking from somewhere nearby.
“I’m worried,” the stranger said. “There are too many things that can go wrong with what they’re planning. I wish that they’d paid attention.”
“I did what I could.” Aralorn recognized the voice of the Old Man. He sounded a little petulant.
“It is up to them.” The woman’s soft voice soothed agreeably. “She’s healed him enough that he might be able to carry it off. Can’t you give them a clearer hint, though?”
“No. It isn’t our concern. As long as he leaves you alone, I don’t care what the ae’Magi does.” There was something off about his voice; he sounded more like a child than an adult.
“Of course you do, dear heart.” The woman might have been shaking a finger at him from the tone of her voice. “Who was it that brought that young wolf to shelter here? Who gathered all of the people to hide from the human Archmage’s wrath? It wasn’t I.”
“I’ve interfered too much.” The old shapeshifter’s voice sounded completely rational for the moment. “My time is past. I should have died with you, Lys. It is not right to be a ghost and not be dead. If I tell them what to do, it might cause more harm than good. I fear that I have let you talk me into too much.” There was a pause, then he said in a resigned tone, “Ah well, once more, then. She’s listening, isn’t she?”
“You know me too well, love,” she said. “Yes.”
The Old Man’s next words were so close to Aralorn’s ear that she could feel his breath. “Then daughter of my brother’s line, you must go with him to the ae’Magi’s castle and take what is yours with you.” Aralorn felt a hand on her cheek, then she heard the rush of air that signaled the shapeshifter’s exit.
Once they’d left her, she sat up and waved on the lights. “Hearing voices now?” she said. “It is sad to say, Aralorn, but you have definitely lost whatever touch of sanity you once had. That bodes well for the coming adventure though—only an insane person would go to the ae’Magi’s castle three times. Once was enough, twice was too many, but my little voices tell me that I’m going to make it three.”
She shook her head in mock disgust. Knowing that she wasn’t going to get any more sleep, she got up, strapped on her knives, and began stretching. By the time she had warmed up, she knew how she was going to arrange to accompany Wolf.