“Yes, that might do very well,” Aisling said slowly, lost in thought. “Resurrecting a dragon is a good excuse, because it’s such an involved act, and it takes time to prepare, which would give you some space to figure out what Maura’s role is in the whole shebang.”
“What dragon?” Jim asked, plopping itself down on the couch next to Aisling.
“I don’t know. Does it matter?” I asked.
“Sure it does. A little itty-bitty dragon wouldn’t be much trouble. What you want is a big dragon, someone important, someone who is going to give this Maura chick some trouble. Someone like Constantine.”
I stared at Jim. “Constantine? Why him?”
The demon clicked its tongue at me. “Ash says the First Dragon wants you to restore Connie’s honor, but you don’t know how to do that, right? So you ask the man himself.”
“Resurrect Constantine?” Aisling asked.
“Sainted Mary,” I said, picturing what Baltic would have to say about that. “I don’t think resurrecting Constantine is going to be a good thing.”
“Not good at all,” May said quickly, a frown between her brows. “Gabriel is wyvern of the silver dragons. If Constantine were brought back to life, he would want the sept, and Gabriel would never give it up. It wouldn’t work out well at all, no matter how much Gabriel respects him.”
“It’s a moot point, I think,” Aisling said. “Maura can’t resurrect, can she?”
“Not rez, no. But she can bring Connie up as a shade,” Jim answered. “That’s what Summoners do.”
I thought about that for a moment. “Ghosts can’t challenge anyone for a sept, can they?”
Aisling looked thoughtful. “I can’t imagine how they could. They’re, you know, ghosts.”
I nodded. “If a ghost couldn’t try to challenge Gabriel for his sept, then that would be all right. And it would certainly help if Constantine could give me some pointers on how I go about clearing his honor of my death, but . . . but how do you go about raising a dragon’s spirit? I can’t imagine it’s an easy thing, and Maura is bound to want some help doing it if I ask her. Where would we even start?”
Jim shrugged. “You got me. Kostich’s grandkid is bound to know.”
“Hmm.” I mused on the best way to achieve two goals with one effort. “If I had Maura raise Constantine’s spirit, I could conduct a public ceremony of forgiveness, or whatever it would take to restore his honor, and also spend enough time with Maura to figure out what’s going on with her. Brilliant idea, Jim. I owe you a dinner.”
The demon looked smug. “I’m there, babe.”
We discussed the issue for another half hour, before Maata returned to inform us that our presences were desired.
As I entered the sitting room, my eyes went straight to where Baltic stood at a window with his back to the rest of the company. His body language read annoyance and impatience, but not the fury that would have boded ill for everyone.
“So? Have you guys worked everything out so that you can cancel the war and they can rejoin the weyr?” Aisling asked, going straight to Drake’s side.
“Not as such.” Drake considered me for a few seconds. “Bastian is mounting a search for Fiat. Chuan Ren’s heir appears to have disappeared. Until we can talk to both of them, we are at an impasse.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” I murmured under my breath, moving over to stand next to Baltic. He didn’t take his gaze from the window, but did put his arm around me when I leaned into him. “At least Bastian didn’t claim Baltic is behind it all.”
“Actually, it’s the opposite of that,” Gabriel said, smiling at May. She smiled back, and I thought for a second he was going to kiss her in front of everyone, but he remembered in time where he was. “Evidently Fiat came back to his prison and slaughtered a half dozen of his attendants and guards before Bastian could get to him.”
“Oh, those poor dragons. Bastian must be beside himself,” Aisling said.
“Don’t tell me that Thala was there helping him,” I said, my stomach in my feet.
“No,” Baltic answered before Drake could.
I eyed the man who filled my soul with so much joy. “How do you know that?”
Baltic said nothing.
I poked his arm. “You watched him, didn’t you? Fiat, I mean.”
“Yes,” he answered, finally turning to face me. “He sent me a message telling me he would make me suffer for my part in his downfall. While he was imprisoned, his threats did not worry me overly, but the blue wyvern has been careless in the past with Fiat, and I suspected that the next time he escaped, he would come straight for you and Brom. I was wrong.”
“And how,” May agreed.
“I love you,” I told him, standing on my toes to press a kiss to his lips regardless of the others in the room.
He wrapped his arms around me, hoisting me up so I could kiss him properly, his fire racing through us both, wrapping us in a blanket of arousal, love, need, and a sense of rightness that almost made all our troubles seem to fade into insignificance.
Almost.
“Given Fiat’s madness, and the fact that he slaughtered four blue dragons who had been tasked with guarding him, as well as Chuan Ren, we are willing to readdress the question of Baltic’s involvement with the slaughter of the sixty-seven blue dragons earlier this year.” Drake’s gaze held impersonal interest as I disengaged myself from the sweet lure of Baltic’s mouth. “For that reason, I have called a sárkány to discuss rescinding the declaration of war between the weyr and your sept.”
“Woot!” Aisling said, flinging herself on Drake. “I knew you would make it all right.”
“It is far from all right,” Kostya said as Drake gave Aisling a swift kiss. “The cessation of hostilities is contingent upon agreement of all the wyverns, and that will not be given until we have interviewed again the two survivors of the attack. In addition, an investigation will be launched regarding Baltic’s lieutenant, specifically the reason she wanted Fiat free.”
“But once that’s done, then we’ll be a part of the weyr?” I asked, sighing in relief.
“No.”
The word burst my happy fantasy world where everything turned out all right. “Why not?”
Kostya’s nostrils flared as he nodded toward Gabriel. “Evidently you have an agreement that you have not yet fulfilled.”
“What sort of an . . . oh.” Enlightenment dawned as Gabriel’s gaze locked with that of Baltic.
“The silver dragons are willing to accept, contingent, as Kostya noted, upon a further interview with the survivors, that Baltic’s involvement with the deaths of the blue dragons is circumstantial rather than actual, and for that reason I am prepared to agree to a provisional cessation of the war. However, admittance to the weyr is another subject, and we cannot condone such an act without a good-faith gesture from you.”
“The curse.” I slid a look up at Baltic. “It’s time it ends, Baltic. I’m alive, Constantine is dead, and we’re together.”
I swear he just about turned to stone. “I have no reason to lift it, mate.”
“We won’t get into the weyr if you don’t,” I pointed out.
His gaze was as stony as the rest of him. “The silver dragons were responsible for your death, and the destruction of our sept. I cannot simply forgive that.”
“But—”
“No. About this I will not yield.” He shook off my hand, and with a glower at Gabriel, left the room, a silent Pavel on his heels.
“I’m sorry. I’ll work on him,” I told Gabriel and May. “Don’t give up yet.”
“You are the only hope we have,” Gabriel told me, taking my hand and bowing over it. “Do not fail us, Ysolde.”
“I really wish people would stop telling me that,” I murmured as I hurried after Baltic. “It’s starting to give me a complex.”
Chapter Fourteen
The drive home was conducted in silence, except for a brief interchange that began with Baltic’s insistence that he would drive.