They passed the time until Zallra woke and told them to get some sleep. She would stand watch ‘til morning. Now that they were nearing more populated lands, they would have to be more wary.
Lilly curled up immediately, and Luc sought his own bedroll, set apart from hers around the fire, as they had been from the beginning of this journey. It would be a bit complicated, not to mention taking a bit of time, to change the sleeping arrangements now, and he didn’t want to presume. He felt things for her. He had been scared out of his wits when he saw her floundering—as he had believed at the time—out in that deep water.
He just wasn’t sure if she wanted him to stake some kind of public claim. He still wasn’t confident there could be any sort of future for them. He didn’t want to presume that she was thinking about spending more time with him once this journey was over.
There was no question they were great together…physically…but there were a lot of things to work out before he would make a public claim. For one, he had to be sure of her thoughts on the matter. They hadn’t spoken much about feelings and the future, even though they’d had good camaraderie as they sat watch by the fire.
He liked being with her. Just talking or sitting quietly…and especially making love. He’d never had a partner who satisfied him so thoroughly and made him yearn for more. Maybe it was just that she was human, but he didn’t think so. He had a feeling this was a phenomenon unique to Lilly alone.
At some point, he’d have to work up the courage to broach the subject of her feelings. He knew he was damned for wanting something lasting with her. He was condemning himself to certain sorrow down the line when he would—most probably—outlive her by centuries. Then again, he could die tomorrow if it came to war. He revised his thinking as he rolled up in his furs to sleep. Nothing was truly certain in life. Maybe he should just enjoy what they had today and let tomorrow take care of itself.
Now, if he could just figure out what Lilly wanted. But that could wait until morning. Sleep called to him, and he answered, falling into a deep sleep haunted by dreams of the pleasure he’d found in Lilly’s embrace.
*
The next day, they landed in the courtyard of an upscale inn, causing quite a stir among those on the ground. Since there was no real way to hide Shilayla’s presence without splitting up, they had decided to just let the townsfolk look their fill. Speed was much more important now than secrecy, and perhaps, it was better that the people of Alric’s domain knew their King was seeking alliances with the fair folk and their snow dragon companions.
Zallra hung back, as they had discussed before landing. Lilly handled the initial discussion with the landlord, asking him for a large stall in the barn for the black dragon. He seemed surprised, but then, some sort of knowledge dawned on his face as he led the way into the barn where guests could stable their horses for the night. It was clean and had a stack of fresh hay just inside the door, as well as a lot more in the loft. Lilly was impressed by the setup.
Zallra moved into the barn, walking delicately on her taloned feet. As soon as she was out of public view, she shifted form to that of her human side. The innkeeper didn’t seem all that surprised, but he was clearly respectful as they spoke quietly off to one side. Lilly stood nearby but couldn’t hear what passed, and Luc was still outside with Shilayla. They were guarding the barn’s entrance, though not in an obvious way.
After a few minutes, Zallra morphed back into her dragon form and curled up on a fresh stack of hay. She had already told Luc and Lilly her plan, which seemed to be moving along to her satisfaction. Zallra would stay in the barn until it was dark enough to make her way across to the inn without being seen. In the interim, Lilly and Luc would be shown to their accommodation. Shilayla would sleep in the courtyard, for she was too large for the barn, and Luc would bunk down in the common room with the other men, as was typical for travelers in this part of the world. Lilly would be given a private room, which she would share with Zallra.
In the morning, Zallra would sneak out and resume her dragon form, and none but the Jinn innkeeper would be the wiser.
The innkeeper gave them a short tour of his establishment. He showed Lilly to the private bed chamber that would be hers for the night and directed them both to the small bathing chambers at the end of one wing of the building, where they could wash up. By the time they’d cleaned up from their journey, night had fallen, and it was definitely time to eat. Lilly was looking forward to a hot meal she didn’t have to cook over a campfire.
“This is our private dining room,” the innkeeper told Lilly and Luc as he ushered them into a small room that was barely big enough for the large table at its center. Zallra was already there, waiting for them, as was a veritable feast, laid out on the table.
To Lilly’s surprise, the innkeeper closed the door and sat down with them for a few minutes. He was a middle-aged man named Prothero, and Lilly had already met his wife and teenaged children who helped keep the inn going. His wife and daughters were talented cooks, and his sons helped look after the stables and did any heavy work around the place.
“Lilly is a special envoy from your King,” Zallra told the man, surprising Lilly with her candor. “Luc is sent as a representative of his people who live under the Veil to the north. And I am come from Draconia, with the knowledge of the Jinn Queen, the monarch of Draconia and the blessings of the Black Dragon Clan.”
“We are of the Wayfarer Clan, milady, but we have always had good dealings and great respect for those of Black Dragon,” Prothero assured her, then looked at Lilly. “We are also loyal subjects of the Blind King.” His gaze then turned to Luc. “And, of course, I’ve heard tales of the fair folk’s enclave to the north, but I was under the impression that your folk kept to themselves to a very high degree.”
“We do,” Luc replied easily. “But events may require us to move beyond the comfort of our Veil to help our allies and neighbors. King Alric has asked to open talks. That’s what I was sent to do.”
The landlord insisted they eat and poured wine for them as the conversation flowed. He gave them a very clear briefing on events in the land as he saw them and news he’d had from travelers. The most troubling item was the increase in mercenary sightings closer to the capital. Many folk traveling away from there brought tales of merc companies marching openly in the streets, and some of the travelers were families fleeing what they thought might be a coming war.
After the landlord left, the three companions were in a more somber mood. They ate the sumptuous meal in near silence, and when it was time to seek their beds, Luc went to bed down in the common room while the women went up to the only private room available at the inn that night.
They woke before dawn to resume their journey and left just as the sun kissed the sky to the east. The next day was much the same as the day before, except that, as they flew closer to the capital, there were more, and bigger, towns. Even a few small cities. They stayed in another Jinn inn that night, with almost the same result. Dire news of people fleeing due to troubling sightings of soldiers in the streets.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Lilly sighted Alric’s castle in the far distance. They had left in the dimness of pre-dawn so as to arrive at the castle as early as possible. The tall spires of their target stood well above the horizon. They were a very welcome sight, for they meant her quest was nearly at an end. She would be glad to see her home again, though it would likely mean never seeing Luc again. Her heart was already heavy. They had not had a moment alone since their encounter at the lake. They’d traveled together each day, but they had no real time to speak about their private thoughts. Perhaps, they never would.