“You have the right of it, Your Majesty. I was tasked with surveying matters from the dragon’s perspective, since others of my kind will no doubt be involved in any alliance between our two lands.”
“Then, you may explore to your heart’s content, Lady Shilayla. There are legends, even today, among the mountain folk in my realm, of the snow dragons that used to come with the snows but have not been seen in many a year. They are good tales of friendly and helpful dragons, so you should have no difficulty,” Alric told her.
“There is another dragon that came with us to meet you,” Shilayla said, surprising Lilly. She’d thought she was going to be the one to speak of Zallra, but it seemed Shilayla had other ideas.
“Another dragon?” Alric looked surprised. “Where?”
“Not here yet, sire,” Lilly told him. “She wanted to make contact with her people first.”
“A dragon has contacts here in the city?” Alric turned sightless eyes to Lilly, seated at his side. “Please explain.”
“Let me start by explaining that we got blown well off our course on the way to see you,” Lilly began. “Lady Shilayla was good enough to allow me to ride along as we made our way back here, but it appears our enemies were waiting for just such a thing, because a magical maelstrom opened up in the sky before us, and only Shilayla’s amazing acrobatic flying skills kept us in one piece. The tempest spit us out on the other side of the Dragon’s Teeth, near the northern border of Draconia, just on the northern side of the River Arundelle.”
“Surely not?” Alric looked shocked. “That is a vast distance.”
“Yes, My Liege,” Lilly agreed. “We were intercepted by dragons and knights from the Northern Lair of Draconia and invited to their home. It was a wondrous place, and when we have time, I will tell you all about how the dragons and knights live in enormous caverns carved into the side of a mountain. For now, let me just say that they were very welcoming, and another dragon flew there especially to meet us. She is a seer, My King,” Lilly said softly. “She foresaw our arrival and came to fulfill her vision of coming back with us here. It was she that guided us over the mountains and back to your domain. She is the Lady Zallra of the Jinn Brotherhood.”
Alric sat back in his chair. “The Jinn have dragons among them?”
“They do, My Liege,” Lilly replied. “From what she has shared, their presence was a secret known only among the Jinn until recently. Things have changed for the Brotherhood with the discovery of their Queen. It seems they have seen the fruition of a long-held prophecy in the revelation of the Princess Arikia, who was recently married to Prince Nico of Draconia, second eldest and spymaster to the King. Apparently, Princess Arikia is the Jinn Queen and Prince Nico, the Jinn King-Consort. As part of the fulfillment of the prophecy, thousands of Jinn have come from all over and settled outside the capital city, expanding it to twice its original size, or so Lady Zallra has told us. She was part of the honor Guard that came to Draconia with the Jinn Queen and Prince Nico. She volunteered because she had her own vision of her future and what she must do.”
“And she is in the city, meeting with other Jinn right now?” Alric asked. “I have had no reports of a dragon in the city.”
“That’s because she is more than likely not in dragon form,” Luc murmured. “King Alric, strange as it may seem, Lady Zallra is a shapeshifter, able to become a dragon or a human being in the blink of an eye. It is astounding to witness, even for me, and I’ve been around magic and mages all my life.”
“What does she look like?” Alric asked, his expression strange to Lilly’s eyes. He almost looked as if he was confirming one of his visions. She’d seen him in that state before, and this looked a bit like it. Her mind raced as Luc described Zallra.
“Where my heartmate Shilayla is as white as snow, Lady Zallra’s dragon hide is black as night. She is much smaller than Shilayla in dragon form, but no less fierce, and she is intensely magical. As a woman, she is perhaps a bit taller than average, with night-dark hair and brilliant green eyes. She is beautiful to my eyes, and after traveling with her and speaking with her at length, I believe she has an incredibly sharp mind and is a strategist of some skill,” Luc told the King.
They went on discussing Zallra and then detailing their journey at length until one of the guards tapped on the door to say that a meal had been laid in the great hall, if they wished to have lunch. Lilly knew the steward had arranged everything, and Alric’s limited court would be in attendance. Luckily, they had worn their best clothing when they set off from the inn this morning, in preparation for meeting the King. Luc would be well received with his blond good looks and fey-cast features. He was both exotic and handsome, which would fuel the courtiers’ constant desire for something or someone new to talk about.
Lilly had worn her badges of office, which should suffice to identify her to any who might not recognize her. She represented the loyal King’s guardsmen, who did his bidding in all things. Even if they did not know her name, they would recognize her function and why she was being given the honor of eating in the great hall.
Lilly knew that Alric would not be dining with them. Because of his blindness and his desire not to be seen fumbling for his peas—as he had said once in frustration to her—he would eat in private. They would likely be recalled to his presence after the meal. Before they left, Lilly warned him of Zallra’s plans to arrive at the castle later that afternoon, which brought an inexplicable smile to his face.
Bemused, Lilly left the King, Luc and Shilayla walking ahead of her.
*
They ate lunch with the court, and Luc made a sensation, as Lilly knew he would, just by his appearance. Though he spoke only to a few people seated with them at the high table, the others were clearly watching and whispering about him with avid interest.
He seemed to take it all in stride, and Shilayla had taken off for the mountains to begin her scouting mission. She had caused a stir in the city, which everyone was twittering about. The dragon and her rider were ripe fodder for gossip.
After the meal, the steward showed Luc to his room for the night. Lilly told him she would meet him in the great hall in a few hours. She had to check in with her captain and warn the guards on the gate that Zallra would be arriving in a few hours. It was their intention to be at the gate when she walked—or flew—up. They still weren’t sure which form she would take to make her first appearance.
So it was, a few hours later, when Lilly showed Luc around the inner courtyard, that they were perfectly positioned when Zallra walked up to the gate—on two feet, Lilly noted with relief—and demanded entrance. She strode forward to greet Zallra and explain her presence, officially, to the guard on duty.
Captain Jimnel just happened to be there, as Lilly and he had arranged, to meet the newcomer personally. Lilly waited while Jimnel satisfied himself regarding Zallra’s identity and intentions. To Lilly’s surprise, Zallra had come with signed and sealed documents directly from the King of Draconia, intended for King Alric. The official seal of the far-off kingdom went a long way toward establishing Zallra’s legitimacy as an emissary from Draconia. No mention was made of the Jinn to the Guard Captain, Lilly noticed.
With Jimnel’s approval, Lilly was allowed to escort Zallra and Luc through the garden gate, heading toward the private areas of the inner courtyards. She led them around to one side, through a kitchen garden full of growing herbs, and then farther on, to a more structured garden with wide paths and ornamental bushes sculpted into various shapes.