“Black is your sigil but let it not be the color of your hearts. Black like the moonless night where secrets may be spoken and shared. Black like the starless sky in which wisdom may be found. Black like the sacred scales of those who come to bring enlightenment. When you see the black beast transform, you will begin the path of true wisdom. Take heed and do not waste the opportunity on old thoughts and old ways. Take only that which serves from what you have learned before and move into the future with clear hearts and minds. Follow the ones who come from the sky to walk on land with you, for the black beast will be your guide. Beware her fire and embrace her will.”
Silence met his words while everybody thought about what he’d said. Finally, Zallra broke the quiet with a chuckle.
“Your prophetess was quite the woman,” she mused. “If I interpret that correctly, I am the sign, but I am not a person of science. However, there are those in my Clan who could easily fulfill the rest of your prophecy. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, several of them have been to your city in the past and studied among your towers. If the black tower is in need of help getting back on track, I can simply put out the word among my clansmen, and I suspect they will fly here as soon as possible. We black dragons are no longer in hiding. Our own prophecies have come to fruition, and our time to be visible in the world is at hand.”
“Thank you, milady,” Zenarth replied with grave courtesy. “To be honest, we’ve been a bit lost as a school since Osmian’s rise to power. He really had no interest in teaching the younger acolytes, and he wasn’t one to share his knowledge easily.”
“A fitting epitaph, I think,” Dieffenbacher said, reminding them why they had gathered here. “Osmian was never an easy colleague,” he went on, turning toward the funeral pyre. “He had great knowledge, but he used it badly. We all need to mark this day and remember not to let greed for power or imagined slights rule our thinking. We are people of science. We must calculate our actions, and as the first Grand High stated so many centuries ago: First, do no harm. Osmian clearly forgot or discarded that wisdom in his search for power and status.”
Dieffenbacher stepped back and allowed another of the Tower Council to speak a few words. The rest echoed what Dieffenbacher said, somewhat less eloquently, but the sentiment was clear. They had not liked Osmian and what he had done as Grand High. Things were going to change. That was the theme throughout the short ceremony. Finally, Dieffenbacher motioned to the King, asking if he’d like to say a few words, and Alric stepped forward.
“I will never know for certain if Osmian truly was my half-brother, or not. What is clear, is that he believed it, and his belief caused him to act in a way I find hard to forgive. All those years of sightlessness taught me hard lessons. Among them is the need to do what you can with what you have. I might’ve had a brother, and I would have been glad of him, but Osmian apparently wanted something quite different.”
Alric stepped back, and to everyone’s surprise, it was Zallra who stepped forward next. “I stand witness, and my flame will make certain he can never come back by magical means.”
With that, she transformed into her dragon shape. She spread her wings slowly, clearly urging the two-legged contingent back out of the blast zone. Then, two other dragons joined her—Shilayla and Grennulf—and as they breathed their fire, Osmian’s body on its pyre went up in dragon flame.
*
The trip home was uneventful, except that Alric was like a boy, wanting to stop and see every last thing in their path. When they landed at the castle in Valdis Maj, news spread quickly of the King’s recovery and his proposal to Lady Zallra. Planning for a state wedding began in earnest among the castle staff. Lilly saw little of Alric after they got back, but she was busy with her own tasks. Alric no longer needed the close watch of his most faithful retainers, and with Zallra at his side, he had a bodyguard better than almost any the Castle Guard could offer.
What Lilly hadn’t expected—though she realized she should have—was Detlif’s hostility once they were back in Valdis Maj. Rather than cause problems between the brothers, Lilly decided to give them time to work things out between them. Though it hurt, she had responsibilities now that she was back in her own city, and if Luc wanted to continue their relationship, he would have to make his feelings known. She was trying hard not to expect anything. He hadn’t made any declarations, and they were from two very different worlds. She had enjoyed being with him, but she had no idea if such a relationship could last longer than it already had.
Especially with his big brother glowering at them all the time.
Lilly thought she understood Det’s animosity, somewhat. She’d heard about his ill-fated love affair, and, of course, his son Petr still suffered from the loss of his mother. It was that relationship that made Lilly think that anything between herself and Luc could not last long. Besides all that, the fair folk were thought to be immortal. At the very least, they lived much longer than regular people. Lilly hated to think about Luc staying young and handsome while she aged and eventually died, fading away before his eyes. No. That would never do.
But she couldn’t help wishing that they could have had just a little more time together. Each moment they had together was precious, and their little fling had already lasted longer than she’d expected. She shouldn’t be greedy, she knew, but a small part of her couldn’t help but wish for the impossible.
Det was giving Luc a headache. Again. Ever since his liaison with the human witch had gone awry, Det was down on all women. Particularly human women. His brother had given him grief even before Luc had left on his mission with Lilly, and now, it was even worse. They’d had an argument after they returned to Alric’s castle that put Luc in a foul mood.
He didn’t want to be reminded about the problems that came from getting involved with humans. He didn’t want to think about the future. Not right now. All he really wanted to do was just enjoy being with Lilly for as long as it lasted, but Det had stuck his big nose—and even bigger opinions—in where it didn’t belong and called Luc to task.
The brothers had separated with anger between them, and Luc had sought out Shilayla on the battlements of the castle. He needed to talk to his heartmate after Det’s warnings and dire predictions. Shilayla always had a way of helping Luc figure out the important things in life. Perhaps she could help with this.
“Det says I’m going to get my heart trampled on and shredded if I persist in my involvement with Lilly,” he told his heartmate as he sat on the wall near the top of the castle with her.
“Do you really think she is the type of woman to do that to you?” Shilayla asked gently.
“Of course not,” Luc answered at once. “Det says they can’t help it. Humans, he means. He says they hurt us by their very nature.”
Shilayla sighed, and smoke rings rose into the air above them, to be carried away on the gentle breeze gracing the city that night. “Your brother has reason for his feelings, but his conclusions about women, and about humans, might be a little off because of his experiences. I have not known many humans in my time, as you know, but I’ve been talking a lot with Lady Zallra. She is half-human and has lived her whole life in the human world. She has told me much about it and about the lands where she has traveled and lived. I surmise from all she has said that humans come in all shapes, sizes and intentions. I don’t think Det is right that their nature is to hurt those of us who live so much longer than them and hold magic within our beings. And you forget—Lilly has magic of her own, even if it’s new and she hasn’t used it very often.”