That thought brought on a sadness that she could not shake, though she did her best. She would be home today, barring any unforeseen problems. She should be happy.
Each wingbeat brought her closer to home and farther from Luc. Or so it felt.
She’d known this would happen. She should have been better prepared for it. Still, it hurt more than she had expected.
Luc saw the spires of Valdis Maj with both elation and sorrow. He was glad they were nearing their destination without any more delay, but he had felt Lilly’s subtle withdrawal over the days since their union at the lake with a heavy heart. He’d known heartbreak would follow getting involved with a human, but he hadn’t thought it would be so soon.
Perhaps, she wasn’t as committed to him as he was to her. It was crazy. They’d only known each other a short time, but already, he felt the beginnings of a bond that could be as strong as steel, given half a chance.
Once the capital city was in sight, it seemed like they were upon it in no time. Zallra had gone ahead, into the city on her own, to make first contact with her Jinn network. She would appear at the castle gate in the evening, if all went to plan, leaving Lilly, Luc and Shilayla to meet with King Alric first, laying the groundwork for Zallra’s involvement.
The white dragon landed on the battlements, causing a stir among the guards. Lilly jumped down first, having already removed the hat and the scarf that had covered her face so the guardsmen could see who she was. A few of them relaxed marginally when they recognized her, but none lowered their guard completely, Luc noted. They eyed the snow dragon with varying degrees of awe and respect, but no real fear, he was also glad to see.
When Luc climbed down off of Shilayla’s back, he did so much more slowly than Lilly had, moving carefully and keeping his hands clear of his weapons. His caution was well placed as the Captain of the Guard himself came over to see what the commotion was.
“That is Jimnel,” she whispered to Luc before she moved away. “Captain of my King’s Guard.”
“Lilly!” Guard Captain Jimnel exclaimed when he saw her. A stern glance was followed by a broad smile as he moved closer. “I see you were successful in your quest, as I knew you would be. Welcome home.”
Luc could see the genuine welcome in the man’s expression, as well as his respect and admiration for Lilly. A little spike of jealousy rose in the back of his mind, which he pushed down with an iron will. These were Lilly’s people. Of course, she would have friends—maybe even past lovers—among them. Luc had to remember his role here and his place in her life. Which was nowhere, he thought morosely. As it probably should be.
Grim determination to be civil and get on with his duty filled him. He was a stranger in a foreign land. He had much to lose here if he put a toe wrong, not just for himself or his people, but potentially for all the lands. He had to be professional and cautious, and not let his misplaced feelings of jealousy ruin everything. Lilly wasn’t his. He had no right to feel this way. Even if they had been able to have some kind of permanent relationship, he would have to learn to respect her integrity a lot more than he apparently did.
That was a sobering thought, and it made Luc’s spine stiffen. He was behaving like a child with a favorite toy he did not want to share. So much for being the Scout Captain with a seat on the Council. He might as well go back to the nursery.
Disgusted with himself, Luc turned back to watch the exchange between Lilly and her friend. Luc reminded himself that he would do well to keep his mind on the business at hand. Distraction could only hurt his mission, not help.
“My thanks, Captain.” She shared a hand clasp with the older man, knowing she was grinning and unable to stop the bubbling happiness that threatened to overtake her at having succeeded at what had seemed at first to be an impossible task. “May I present Scout Captain Lucassian of the fair folk and his dragon partner, Lady Shilayla?” She turned proudly to her traveling companions and made the introductions. Shilayla bowed her head in greeting as she folded her wings and settled on the wall. Luc strode closer to greet the Guard Captain with a respectful nod.
Lilly saw how the two men sized each other up. It was a common thing among warriors she had seen many times before. What she had never seen was Captain Jimnel’s immediate and obvious acceptance and respect for an unknown warrior. But she saw it now. Of that, there was no doubt as the Guard Captain offered his hand in a friendly greeting of equals.
“Will your dragon friend be all right up here?” Jimnel asked. “I’m afraid the passage down is not wide enough for her.”
Luc gave Shilayla a glance, and Lilly could hear her response.
“I will fly down into the courtyard when you call. In the meantime, I will enjoy these soldiers’ admiring glances,” Shilayla said into their minds.
“She will rest here for a while then fly down into the courtyard, if that is acceptable. She is my partner and should meet the King, as she represents the dragons of our enclave on this mission,” Luc replied politely. Jimnel nodded and started walking.
The humor in the dragon’s tone had been unmistakable, and Lilly had to stifle a chuckle as she looked back at Shilayla, already preening as the posted guards watched in awe. Jimnel moved toward the stair leading downward with Luc at his side. Lilly followed, accepting the nods of greeting and the congratulations of the other guards on her way down to the courtyard.
Excitement filled the air as the castle woke up around them. They’d arrived in the early morning light by design so any enemies who might be watching would have a hard time discerning the white dragon against a bright sky. But there was no hiding Shilayla’s shiny scales as they spiraled down toward the battlements. The Guard had seen them clearly—also as Luc and Shilayla had intended—and word was spreading throughout the castle of their arrival.
Lilly was not surprised to see that many of the castle folk and soldiers had gathered in courtyard, craning their necks upward to catch a glimpse of the dragon on the heights. Luc and Lilly would greet the Blind King inside the castle, but Lilly knew watchers at the windows would be relaying everything that happened outside to him, as it happened. She had often fulfilled that role herself, in fact.
When they reached ground level, the men paused at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her. Lilly rejoined them, having listened with one ear to their conversation as they preceded her down the narrow flights of stairs. She was glad to give her friend Jimnel a chance to take Luc’s measure. She knew Luc would be kept busy with the King for many hours to come. It was better that the Guard Captain get to know him now, while they had a moment, so he could better protect against outside dangers rather than worry about the stranger within the castle.
Luc seemed well aware of the crowd that had gathered to gawk at him but appeared to pay them no mind as he continued his conversation with Captain Jimnel. They talked in general about traveling conditions they had faced, and the very real danger they had encountered. Lilly knew Jimnel would require a full report from her before long, but she was glad Luc had alerted him at the first opportunity. There were enemies out there—perhaps within the city itself—that must be guarded against.
“Your emissary almost didn’t make it to my people at all, through no fault of her own,” Luc explained in a low voice as Jimnel listened. “We have reason to believe a common enemy sought to prevent her from reaching us, just as they have interfered with our path here at every possible turn. Of course, riding a-dragonback helped foil their plans for the most part, but we still encountered more resistance and obstruction than I expected, including getting blown far off course by some kind of magical maelstrom.”