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.”

  “That’s right,” Luc thought aloud, remembering Lilly’s burgeoning skills that they had been trying to tame on their way from his land to Alric’s. They’d let those lessons slack off the past few days, but they’d had a lot on their agendas. “I probably need to get her started on those exercises again, now that things have settled down a bit.”

  “I believe that would be wise,” Shilayla agreed. “She is still mostly untrained and in danger of overextending her power should it rise to aid someone in need. It would be criminal to lose her to something that could be avoided with just a bit more training.”

  “You’re right. I’ll talk to her about it first thing tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? Why not tonight?” Shilayla asked, her head craning around to look at him.

  “She went off with Jimnel to file reports. I get the feeling she’s behind on her work for the Guard and I don’t want to interfere with that. We didn’t get a chance to make plans to meet up later, and I’m not sure if she’ll come to me after what Det was saying so very loudly. I think he ran her off.”

  Shilayla shook her head slowly. “Your brother needs to learn to mind his own business. I know he means well, but he’s wrong in this case, and Gren will be mentioning that to him shortly.”

  “Gren agrees with you?” Luc was surprised.

  “Not all of us dislike humans,” she answered primly and then fell silent on the subject.

  Luc didn’t see Lilly again that night, but early the next morning, he found her deep in preparations for the celebration Alric had called for that afternoon. In fact, Det and Lilly were in conference with Jimnel, working together to plan a display of dragons over the city. They had gathered in the side garden, where the dragons could more easily be part of the conversation. In fact, it was Shilayla who had alerted Luc to Lilly’s whereabouts.

  He joined them and spent the next hour helping plan a spectacle with the dragons for the city to enjoy. Their aerial display was to be part of a hastily-planned celebration. Alric had declared a holiday to celebrate their near-bloodless victory at the border, the annexation of the wasteland to the north, the new relationship with the Jinn, the declaration of peace with the Alchemists, and especially Alric’s recovery and engagement to Lady Zallra. Indeed, there was much to celebrate, and he wanted to mark this momentous time with a party in which the whole city could participate.

  Several units of the Guard were making their way back to the capital from the border and would arrive within a few hours. Messengers had been sent to give them warning that their final march through the streets of the capital would likely become a victory parade. Those same messengers had returned to the castle with the news that a delegation of Jinn mercenary captains, along with some of their men, were accompanying the troopers. They, apparently, wanted to confer with their new King.

  Alric had sent back the message that he would be happy to speak with them, but it would have to wait until after the celebration. He invited the commanders to the feast in the great hall that would follow the afternoon festivities and offered them lodging for their men in the Guard barracks, while their leaders were given the honor of guest rooms within the castle itself. Jimnel reported that, when he’d raised questions about the safety of that plan with Alric, he’d been assured by Lady Zallra that the Jinn fighters were under her authority as a black dragon of the Clan that leads all Jinn. They would not break faith with her by double-crossing Alric. He was going to be part of the family, so to speak, and Jinn did not make war with their own.

  The dragons planned a demonstration of skilled flying with their heartmates aboard, and without, for after the parade. Already, word was spreading throughout the city about the plans for the afternoon and evening, and people were staking out good viewing spots to watch everything.

  There was a parade field that had only been used for training since Alric’s blindness, at the back of the castle, near where the garrison was quartered. Now that the King could participate in visual spectacles, it would be put to use once more, as it had been in the old days. In fact, Alric and Zallra would receive the returning troopers there, watching from the viewing stand as they made the final steps on their journey home. The King would speak words of welcome and praise before dismissing the troops to their rest.

  Then, the dragons would assemble in the field and use it as their base for the display. They would launch from there to fly circuits around the city so everyone could see them at some point. The best viewing spot for that would be from rooftops, and the castle’s towers and walls would be crammed with those who lived and worked in the castle who wanted to see the dragons in action. All around the city, people would be looking up from rooftops and any open spaces, to watch.

  Then, later that night, Alric had authorized a feast. The main party would be in the castle, of course, but he had also authorized deliveries of food and wine from the castle cellars to parks throughout the city where the citizens of Valdis would gather to have their own parties. Alric had sent people to hire mistrels for the night, making sure that every park had music. He’d also paid several reputable tavern-owners to cater what couldn’t be sent from the castle at such short notice so that everyone would be sure to have food and drink to join in the celebration.

  The planning went on until just before lunch, which was going to be a hurried affair for most people today as they prepared for the party to come. Luc caught Lilly’s hand as the meeting broke up and tugged her off to a side path into the kitchen garden where they could talk privately for a few minutes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “I missed you last night,” Luc said, keeping his voice low and intimate.

  He was gratified when he heard her breath catch at his candor. He was through being subtle and cautious. He was fed up with tiptoeing around the potential problems between them. He’d decided last night that he was going to bring things to a head and see what happened. If they could not get beyond their differences, then so be it. However, if they brought it all out into the open and were still able to be together, then so much the better. Either way, he wanted to know. He was through waiting.

  “I missed you, too,” Lilly admitted, moving closer so that their thighs brushed against each other.

  “I want to be with you, Lilly, and I don’t care what Det or anybody else thinks,” he told her, laying some of his thoughts out for her to gauge her reaction. He put his arms around her and brought her closer into his embrace.

  “I want to be with you, too. However long this can last. I want it. I want you.” She reached up and kissed him, and further discussion was delayed indefinitely.

  Heart soaring in his chest with the success of his declaration, Luc felt sure he could take things even further, given half a chance. Plans were already forming in the back of his mind for how to advance his suit. Because one thing was clear in his mind—he wanted Lilly with him, beside him, in his life, for as long as he could possibly manage.

  Their kissing in the garden was interrupted by a shining white-scaled head looking over the top of the tall bushes at them. Shilayla spoke quietly in their minds, amusement filling her tone.

  “Nice as this is for you, there will soon be a squadron of children running through here, seeking herbs for the cooks. You didn’t plan this out very well, my heartmate. The kitchen garden is no place for a tryst on a feast day.”

  Shilayla’s head shook from side to side as Luc broke the kiss and looked up at his heartmate. His heart was light with her teasing and the headiness of Lilly’s kisses.

  “Thank you, my friend, for saving my lady from embarrassment,” he said, smiling up at her. Then, he looked back down and took Lilly by the hand, escorting her through the garden and into the castle. “I suspect we both need to wolf down some lunch and then get on with the work ahead to make this celebration a success.”

  “We owe it to Alric. He’s got a lot to celebrate,” she replied, smiling back as they walked briskly down the hall.

  Luc brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers. “As do we, my dearest Lilly.”

  Her gaze met his, and time stood still until they were jostled by swiftly moving people heading for the great hall. They laughed and started walking again, joining the flow to get through the serving line. The luncheon had been set up buffet-style today, to spare the servants who were busy preparing the feast for tonight. Nobody complained, and the atmostphere was already growing festive.

  Luc and Lilly parted after lunch. She had work to do, helping the garrison prepare for the return of the troops, and Luc had to prepare with Shilayla for the aerial display. Practicing precision flying was something he was used to, but he didn’t often fly with the Enclave Guard. Luc and Shilayla’s usual place was with the Scouts. They’d have to discuss with the others where they wanted he and Shilayla to fly.

  Less than an hour later, Lilly heard the first reports of troopers arriving on the outskirts of the city. The streets they would travel were lined with revelers waving little pennants and cheering for the returning heroes. It would take them some time to reach the castle, but the clock was ticking, and final preparations were being rushed to completion.

  The parade was a joyous thing. The troopers clearly hadn’t expected such a boistrous reception and basked in the cheering of the crowds gathered all along the route to the castle garrison. Most of those troopers were on foot, but the mercenaries were all riding fine-looking horses decked out in colorful Jinn-style tack. They added an air of mystery to the proceedings and set the stage for the dragon display that would follow.

  When the dragons started flying out over the city, they truly were a sight to behold. Rows of gleaming white-scaled dragons shining in the sun as they flew in precision formations, gliding and soaring over the entire cityscape. Lilly held her breath as she recognized some of the dragons she knew. Gren and Det were at the head of most of the formations, the clear leaders. Shilayla did some solo trick flying, both with and without Luc on her back, and Lilly was truly amazed at the dragon’s dexterity. No wonder she’d been able to navigate that whirlwind they’d been caught in. She was truly gifted in the air.

  Lilly realized, seeing them all fly, that if she and Luc had been with many of the other dragons, they might well have not survived the whirlwind. It became clear that each dragon had its own abilities and limitations. They weren’t all exactly alike, even if they were all white. Some had longer or shorter wings. Some had bulkier or sleeker muscles. They were individuals, just like everyone else, and Shilayla was remarkable among them.

  Of course, Lilly might just think that because she had developed a deep affection for the dragon as they’d traveled together. Lilly had come to think of Shilayla as a friend. A sister warrior, of sorts. While Lilly wasn’t sure if the dragon reciprocated Lilly’s respect and regard, she realized it didn’t really matter. Lilly would never forget her dragon friend. Just as she’d never forget the dragon’s heartmate.

  Watching them wheel around the sky together, Lilly realized the stark reality. She was deeply in love with Luc. No matter what happened, she would always love him. He hadn’t just stolen a little piece of her heart. No, he’d taken the whole darn thing while she wasn’t paying attention, and she couldn’t really find any objection.

  He was a good man. The best, in fact. The bravest, most attractive man she had ever known. She couldn’t really blame herself for falling head over heels for him and couldn’t work up the energy, at the moment, to worry about it. The future, she had finally decided, could take care of itself.

  The dragons only stopped flying when the light began to fail. They could still fly in the dark, of course, but the people below couldn’t really see them, so the show was over. As night fell, the parties began in earnest all over the city as food and drink were served and music began playing in just about every green space all over town, courtesy of the King.

  Inside the castle, the merriment was palpable. The courtiers were dressed in their finest and made a colorful spectacle all their own in the great hall. Lilly was off duty, by express orders of the King, and she wore one of the few dresses she owned. She was, of course, still armed, though nobody would be able to readily see where she was keeping her blades under the long skirts and within the tight bodice.

  Alric had invited everyone who had participated in recent events to the party. The dragons were being offered a feast of their own, out on the parade field, and their heartmates were mostly in the castle, where all the common rooms on the ground floor had been opened wide and prepared for guests. People wandered through them, finding food and drink laid out on tables everywhere—different rooms catering to different tastes. The courtiers kept mostly to the great hall, but Lilly wandered through the castle, never having seen the place so filled with life and joy. She marvelled at the change a few days had made.

  Alric and Zallra held court from the dais in the great hall, sitting side by side. It was the first time in memory that Alric had eaten with the court, and the feast that was served to the high table was sumptuous, indeed. The cooks had made all of Alric’s favorite dishes, and he was basking in their thoughtfulness as he shared the feast with his betrothed.