Jahet flicked her long red tongue unconsciously. "Also remember, no one but Takhisis can truly force a black dragon to do anything. Khisanth will do our bidding only when she realizes that the best course for her future-her only future, considering the upcoming war-is with the Black Wing. She wants nothing more than to stay, but she's got to believe that the only way she can is to take a rider."
The black dragon blinked slowly in the face of the flush-cheeked highlord and lowered herself to rest comfortably on the floor. An irritating, cloying, fresh scent wafted to her large nostrils, threatening to make her sneeze. She would have to do something about that smell before leaving.
"I know Khisanth," continued Jahet, ignoring her itchy nostrils for the moment. "If I were her, I'd be furiously tear shy;ing apart my lair in rage, making Dimitras's pitiful life even more unbearable." Jahet let her tongue dart between two talons to retrieve an overlooked shred of raw meat. "Khi shy;santh doesn't indulge in shows of rage like other black drag shy;ons, but I know her passions run as hot. She has an obsession for the wing. I'm confident that her decision will be to our liking."
Maldeev seemed somewhat mollified, the flush having left his cheeks. Still he paced, slapping a fist to his hand. "She must take a rider! We will not be allowed the luxury of reduc shy;ing our forces by even one cavalryman, sending a bare shy;backed dragon into battle in the upcoming war!" He glowered up at Jahet. "Why does she refuse to see that?"
Jahet drew up her wings in an odd shrug. "She sees only that her solo performance during drills far exceeds that of the other dragons who bear riders. She's right"- Jahet nodded her head slightly to the side — "with the obvious exception of me." She waited for the highlord's inevitable compliment to her superior skills.
"I don't ride you during daily drills," muttered the high-lord. Jahet's glower went unnoticed by Maldeev. "Just think how Khisanth would be with a rider between her wings," he said almost wistfully.
His mood abruptly turned dark again. "I don't need this frustration now, Jahet," Maldeev said. He was already made painfully aware of his low ranking among wing comman shy;ders. The commander of the Black Wing was still awaiting his first shipment of draconians. Highlord Ariakas had begun to fill his ranks at least three years before with the creatures, who were reputedly so evil and indestructible they made ogres seem weak. Maldeev knew he was the last of the highlords to be issued the vicious creatures, the result of cor shy;rupted good dragon eggs.
Even behind Toede, that contemptible hobgoblin excuse for a highlord….
And then there were the rumors new recruits brought of knights amassing numbers in a stronghold not far to the north. Maldeev's dragons ran routine scouting flights. They reported seeing a refurbished castle near the town of Lamesh, but Khoal, Dnestr, and Neetra had said the troop numbers were too small to consider a threat. Still, the very presence of stiff-necked knights in the region was yet another burr in Maldeev's side.
The highlord's eyes narrowed to slits as he angrily spun the chair back to face the fire and plopped into it sulkily. "Tell Khisanth-" he spat over his shoulder, then amended in a sarcastic tone, remembering Jahef s advice about drag shy;ons "-suggest to her highness that she's got one day to decide that taking a rider is 'in her best interests.' "
"Or what?"
Maldeev's voice took on a razor-sharp edge as he stared into the fire. "I'm relying on you to see that it doesn't come to that, because that would be in your best interests. See that you don't disappoint either of us, dear Jahet."
Nodding calmly at the implied threat in the highlord's dis shy;missal, Jahet said nothing. She stood and waddled toward the open wall. Though silent, the dragon would have the last word before departing for her lair.
Turning to stare right into Maldeev's eyes, Jahet relieved herself on the highlord's beloved fresh rushes.
Chapter 15
Khisanth popped through her side of the crevasse and reverted to dragon form just in time to see the other dragons returning from the drill field. Khoal, Dnestr, and Neetra all stopped first at the livestock pens to fill their bellies.
Khisanth sighed. Another chance to snoop and pry was gone.
"We're gathering in the conference chamber shortly to dis shy;cuss important business, Khisanth," Khoal called over his wing. Though he couldn't see inside her lair because of the spell she had placed on the archway, Khoal's dragon senses obviously told him she was present.
"But we aren't scheduled for-"
"Be there!" he barked. Never patient, and now famished, the ancient dragon didn't allow further conversation. Swing shy;ing his tail around, Khoal snatched several bawling calves from the holding pen, dragged them into his lair, and magi shy;cally darkened his doorway.
Khisanth's talk with Jahet had left her in no mood for con shy;frontation with the other dragons, but the lowest ranking dragon could ill afford to be openly insubordinate now. At least until she decided whether she would comply with the highlord's ultimatum or leave the wing.
Khisanth hated everything about these pointless meetings of Khoal's. She corrected her thought inwardly; the point was to give the ancient dragon the opportunity to lord his rank, since Jahet did not attend. Ostensibly Khoal called them to make plans for the improvement of the wing, which would then be submitted to the lead dragon for her review and approval. However, the sessions always dissolved into petty squabbles over perceived slights during drill, violations of protocol, or complaints about the quality of livestock Dimi-tras brought them. In Khisanth's memory, nothing construc shy;tive had ever evolved from one of Khoal's power sessions. Jahet had never received one suggestion.
Khisanth had ways of making the meetings more tolerable. According to protocol established by Khoal, the dragons were to enter the chamber for a meeting in reverse order of rank, to signify each dragon's value to the wing. As lowest ranking dragon, Khisanth's time was not considered as valu shy;able as the others, thus she could be kept waiting. However, Khisanth always made it a point to linger in her lair until the assigned time passed. Unable to enter until she did, either Neetra or Dnestr, impatient young toadies both, would inevitably lose control and shriek for Khisanth to hurry up, shattering the air of pomp and circumstance Khoal strove to impart on his tedious meetings.
Neetra had the honors this day. "Damn your wings, Khi shy;santh, for holding up the meeting again!" the young male snarled from the archway into his lair. "I wager you'll be late for the war."
Khisanth stepped at last into the enormous central cham shy;ber. "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, Neetra," she said in a sugared voice. "I was feasting and must have lost track of time." The black dragon settled her bulk into a lazy circle at her assigned place, opposite from where Khoal would sit. "And I've so been looking forward to today's meeting." Hastily filing into the room, Neetra and Dnestr could detect no expression of sarcasm in Khisanth's placid face. Deliber shy;ately ignoring her, they took their places in the circle, each on a side of Khoal. They sat as straight as eager dogs, watching for their second-in-command to arrive.
As usual, Khoal did not disappoint. Head held regally, his gaze directed to some mystical point above theirs, the ancient dragon took long, exaggerated strides into the chamber. He wore his usual embroidered ceremonial cape, which softly scraped the floor. In his claw he carried a gem-encrusted staff from his own personal hoard. Reaching his appointed spot, Khoal tossed the cape back over his wings and settled onto a large, straw-stuffed mat reserved for his use. He set the staff on the floor before him, careful to ensure that the largest gem, a ruby with no less than thirty distinct facets, faced up to catch the light.