“It is a thing of power, imbued with a spell of cleansing that took great time and skill to weave. The Blind King has learned much in his years of study.” Elira admired the object that had grown into something Lilly never would have suspected.

  “Is it safe?” the Lady wanted to know.

  Elira nodded, never taking her eyes or fingers from around the magical object that glowed softly, almost welcomingly, on the table in front of her. “There are magical signatures and signs each of us use that cannot be forged. This is a piece of pure magic meant for good. I believe it would be harmless to unleash fully, if that is your wish, Lady.”

  The Lady looked around at the rest of the Council she led with a question clear in her eyes. “That is one vote in favor. What say you all?”

  “I put my trust in Elira’s assessment. I vote with her.” Tolmir was the first to answer as he sat back in his carved wooden chair.

  The younger woman seated farthest down the table on the Lady’s left nodded. “Elira is our most skilled in magic, though I can also see from here that this bit of human magic is benign. It can do us no harm. I say we see what the Blind King has taken so much trouble to send us.”

  The older warrior seated next to Luc spoke for the first time. “I trust in the mage’s and healer’s judgment. Our safeguards have always been sufficient against human magic.”

  The Lady raised an eyebrow at this comment but didn’t say anything, looking instead to Luc for his opinion.

  “I vote with my brother,” he said shortly, sitting back in his seat. Lilly looked between the two warriors and noted the similarities. It shouldn’t have been surprising that they were brothers, but the revelation did catch her off guard.

  “And you, Dela?” The Lady looked to the last woman seated on her left, a motherly-looking female who was rounder than the angular mage and seemed older than the young healer seated on either side of her.

  “I suggest caution, but I also believe we should see what King Alric has sent.”

  “Then, it is unanimous.” The Lady finalized the actions of the Council. “Proceed cautiously, Elira, at your discretion.”

  The sorceress touched something on the object, and it began to spin. Colors swirled around the room, along with a low-pitched hum that built into something louder as the spell picked up speed and grew larger. It was an ethereal thing of light and energy. Lilly felt it tingle as the cords of translucent color whipped outward, through her body, to the very edges of the room and beyond. It moved into the Veil, seeking out points of energy, meeting, colliding and harmonizing as the tone of the spell resonated with the more organic tones of the Veil itself.

  A few moments after it had been unleashed, the object on the table stopped its spinning dance and came to rest, now devoid of the energy it had once held. Lilly let go the breath she’d held while the finely wrought spell ran its course. She wondered what it had done and how she’d carried such an artifact for so long without having any idea what kind of power it contained.

  “Well?” The Lady voiced the question running through Lilly’s mind, as well.

  All eyes turned to the women who sat to the left of the grand lady. Elira looked stunned, but it was the motherly woman whose eyes rolled back in her head as she went rigid in her chair.

  “Danger,” she whispered in a voice so cold, it nearly froze the blood in Lilly’s veins. “War, betrayal, attack and subterfuge. It comes.”

  Lilly was in no doubt now as to the motherly woman’s role on the Council. She was a seer. Lilly had been witness to more than one of her liege lord’s strange fits of waking vision. While he was less apt to speak aloud during his visions, Lilly recognized the tense stance of the woman’s spine, the rigidity of her muscles and the sudden release as she slumped back into her chair, loosed from the grips of the powerful sight.

  Elira, the mage, looked scandalized. “Lady!” She was breathing harshly as her eyes widened in shock. “King Alric knew what we were too blind to see. We owe him a great debt.”

  “In what way, sister?”

  “Something was blocking us and is now removed. I did not see it until it was removed. Someone interfered with our magic.”

  “Is that even possible?” Tolmir asked. “What sort of being has magic greater than ours?”

  “There are some, my friend,” the Lady said with narrowed eyes. A frown line appeared in the center of her otherwise perfect brow. “Dela, are you well?”

  The matronly woman sat up straighter as her breathing returned more or less to normal. “Well, enough, Lady. What Elira says is true. Something blocked my vision until now. How I did not see this before, I do not know, but the Blind King’s spell seems to have cleared the air. I’ll check with my students and colleagues the moment I leave here to see what we can learn, but there is danger. Great danger.”

  “And thanks to the enemy magic that blinded us to it,” Elira added, “it is closer than I like. We owe a great deal to King Alric for his gift.”

  “Maybe he knows more about this threat than we can learn in a short time. We’ll need to consult with him.” The Lady turned back to Lilly, and she couldn’t have hoped for a better opening.

  “That is my mission, Lady.” Lilly stepped to the center of the horseshoe, once again. “King Alric would like to open discussions about a possible alliance between our peoples. He believes the same enemy who blinded him is now responsible for the turmoil—or that which is coming—in your lands.”

  “An alliance?” Luc’s brother looked intrigued. He had that same way of lifting one pale eyebrow as Luc, communicating so much with a single small motion. It was obvious now to her that they were closely related.

  “As in ancient days,” the Lady said. “Our peoples were once allied. It was that alliance that helped create the Citadel in the first place. Dragons from all over this world, as well as human Kings, Queens, Wizards and all the enclaves of our folk worked with other magical and non-magical beings to defeat evil during the time of the wizard wars.”

  “My liege believes that time may soon come again if we do not do our best to stop it,” Lilly said into the silence of the hall.

  “Surely not!” Tolmir objected, his angular face frowning in worry.

  “If the Citadel is breached…” the Lady let her words trail off. The Council probably knew better than anyone else what it would mean if the fabled prison of ice fell to the enemy.

  “What do our dragon partners say?” the young healer on the left spoke up, seeking the white dragon heads that bobbed into view behind the seated fair folk.

  Lilly was surprised to see many more dragons than she’d expected in the hall. They’d reclined behind the tables but had apparently been listening throughout the meeting.

  A delicate female with creased scales rose behind the Lady. She was as beautiful in her way as her partner was. She had a petite head with dainty features, curved lines from feminine nostrils to eye ridges. She was the epitome of dragon femininity, yet she looked to be as ancient, ageless and wise as her partner.

  “We are as troubled as you are by these developments,” the dragon said to everyone, speaking in their minds. “Alric seems a good King, judging by the prosperity of his people. We think you should at least talk to him.”

  Lilly bowed low to the dragon as she finished her speech and her large head loomed nearer. “Thank you, my lady. I will return to my liege with the good news.”

  “You heard her?” Dela asked from the side, her tone incredulous.

  Lilly nodded, surprised by the shock she read on all the faces around her—including the dragons—except, of course, for Shilayla.

  “Lilly heard me from the beginning.” Shilayla seemed to glow with pleasure at dispensing the news.

  “Why didn’t you tell us, Shilayla?” the elder female dragon asked in a kind, but curious tone.

  Shilayla ducked her head, her posture more like a child than Lilly had ever seen it. “I like Lilly. I wanted to keep her to myself for a while longer.”

  “Did you?” The elder dragon blinked at the youngster, her almost musical voice speculative in all their minds, but she said nothing further.

  “Well then,” the Lady reclaimed everyone’s attention, “it seems settled. As soon as you recover sufficiently from your journey here, you will bring our compliments to your King. To speed the process, I believe we should send our own emissary back with you to the Blind King’s Court.”

  “I suggest Luc and Shilayla undertake the journey. They are full members of this Council and able to speak on our behalf,” Tolmir said in his hearty voice. “They are also the youngest members of our group and, your pardon for saying so, the most easily replaced in their duties as scouts. Plus, their scouting missions have made them more familiar with the lands beyond our Veil than any of us, who have not been outside in decades.”

  “Good points all,” the Lady acknowledged. “Will you take on this test, Shilayla? Luc?”

  The young dragon nodded her massive head eagerly, her companion less so, but he also agreed. His gaze focused on Lilly, making her feel uncomfortable. They’d be traveling companions now, which was something she had not anticipated.

  The blond warrior was much too attractive for her peace of mind, and she wasn’t sure how traveling with only a dragon as chaperone would work. Would Lilly be expected to ride on the dragon’s back with Luc? Was that even possible? Or would she have to somehow follow behind on her own?

  She’d have to work out the details with Luc and his dragon partner in private. It was enough to know that the objectives of her mission were accomplished. She’d delivered the warning, the gift, and had opened alliance talks between the fair folk and her King. Even more than they’d hoped, one of the dragons and warriors would be returning with her, speeding the process along even more quickly.

  “It will take some time to assess what we can from the mages. Thank you for opening our eyes. We will recall you when we are ready to send a message back to your King. For now, you will be our guest and are welcome to move about unguarded.”

  “Thank you, Lady.” Lilly bowed her head, not taking her eyes from the leader of the Council. She’d clearly been dismissed, but in a kind way. She was glad to see the fair folk were taking her words seriously enough to move this quickly.

  Lilly was impressed. She’d feared the long-lived fair folk would be slow to act but was gratified to feel the urgency in the air. Her mission was coming to fruition in a way she wouldn’t have believed just a day ago as she lay freezing to death in the snow. She’d all but given up on finding a way beneath the protective Veil. She’d expected the journey to be hard, but she hadn’t counted on her new and confounding healing ability interfering with her plans to such an extent.

  The so-called gift had prompted her to give nearly all her energy to an injured youngster, leaving precious little for the most arduous leg of her journey through seemingly endless snowfields and a blizzard, only to find no discernable way under the magical Veil that shrouded and protected the fair folk’s realm.

  Lilly backed away from the Council with respectful steps until she’d reached the door to the hall. Once outside, she wasn’t sure just where she should go, so she sat down on a low wall that led up to the doorway. Flowers were planted just behind it that gave off a subtle, lovely fragrance. Lilly bent to sniff the aroma that tickled her memory when she heard the approach of a small being of some sort behind her.

  Two-legged, but slight of stature, Lilly could tell from the light tread and rhythmic beat of its steps. She turned her head to the side to take a look and encountered wide blue eyes set in a small, angular face.

  “Hello there.” Lilly smiled at the young boy.

  “Hello, milady.”

  The youngster was polite and a bit shy, walking hesitantly, with an even paler complexion than that of the other fair folk she’d seen. Her new healing talent tingled to life, much to her dismay. The boy was ill, and her gift was pushing her to help him, though for the life of her, she didn’t know where to start. There wasn’t anything obviously wrong with him. No blood, no broken bones, no swollen joints. So, where to start? And how did she go about it? She couldn’t just walk up to him and get him in a headlock while her rogue talent had its way with them both.

  It had been easier the last times she’d been forced to use her healing gift. There’d been a crisis—a serious and obvious injury—and the talent had simply taken her over. This time was different, and she didn’t know what to do. For the moment, the healing power rising inside her was manageable. It wasn’t driving her into blind action as it had before. It was alerting her, but not pushing her. Perhaps, this was a turning point of some kind.

  Or perhaps, her gift was as confused as she was about what afflicted the boy.

  “My name is Lilly. What’s yours?”

  “Petr,” came the mumbled reply.

  “Well, Master Petr, will you sit with me a while?” She patted the low wall next to her and was gratified when the youngster stepped closer. He didn’t sit, though. He was hesitant as a newborn foal.

  “Your hair is pretty.” The boy charmed her with his innocent compliment. “I’ve never seen hair so dark before.”

  Lilly realized this youngster probably didn’t have contact with a lot of humans. Her hair was dark brown. Hardly remarkable. But among these blonde-headed giants, her brown hair and dark eyes were very different from the norm.

  “That’s because I’m human. My people come with many different shades of hair, from darkest black to pale like your people.”

  “They say my mother was human.” The boy shrugged as if his words meant little, but the toe scuffing in the dirt and the way he cast down his eyes made Lilly’s heart ache. “The other boys say that’s why I’m small and weak.”

  Lilly went to one knee, so she was on his level and cupped Petr’s cheek with one hand. His pale skin was cool and dry, his clothing neat and tidy, so unlike most of the young boys she’d tutored in her father’s fighting school.

  “You’re not weak, Petr. You have the heart of a lion and the cunning of a fox. I can tell.”

  The boy looked up, meeting her eyes with shy hesitance. “Are you my mother?”

  Lilly’s heart ached for the youngling. How could she answer that? He looked so hopeful. She hated to crush his dreams. But the truth was the truth.

  “No, sweetheart. I have never birthed a child. I’m sorry.”

  Petr shrugged, his frail little shoulders slumping. “I just figured since they let you in… They don’t let many humans under the Veil. You’re the first one I’ve ever met, so I thought maybe…”

  Lilly wanted to cry for the little boy who’d never known his mother.

  “Petr, are you waylaying our guest?” Luc’s voice broke into her thoughts. She hadn’t even heard him approach. Lilly stood to face him and was confounded by not one, but two warriors who’d managed to sneak up on her—Luc and his brother.

  The brother had a grim set to his lips as he gazed from her to Petr and Lilly stepped in front of the boy instinctively to protect him from the man’s disdain. Two sets of blond eyebrows rose nearly in unison at her actions as both warriors watched her with varying degrees of interest.

  “Petr, come here.” Luc’s brother issued the command, and the boy went at once to the older man. Lilly was surprised when a gentle hand drew the child to his side with familiar affection. It was Lilly’s turn to be intrigued. “I hope my son has not been monopolizing you, milady.”

  “Petr is your son?” Lilly cringed inwardly as she blurted the first thing in her mind…again. It was becoming a very bad habit around these people.

  Luc smiled and ruffled Petr’s hair. “My brother is a lucky man indeed, to have such a smart child. Isn’t that true, Det?”

  The warrior squeezed the boy’s shoulders as his lips formed into a rusty smile. “You are right, little brother. Petr and Gren are the two brightest parts of my life.”

  As if cued, two dragons made their presence known behind the warriors. Shilayla stood behind Luc, and Lilly assumed Gren was the big brute behind Luc’s brother.

  “Since you can hear us, I will make the introductions.” A booming voice echoed through Lilly’s mind as the male dragon’s head loomed over the men, and big, faceted eyes fixed on her. “I am Grennulf, and my heartmate is Detlif, Captain of the Guard and older brother to Captain of the Scouts, Lucassian, who rescued you. Petr is first-born son of Detlif, heir to the House of Adain.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you.” Lilly included Detlif and Petr in her greeting, looking from the dragon to the man and boy, wondering about their name and how they were related to the leader of the Council. Putting that thought aside for the moment, she could see the resemblance between all three males as they stood together. There was no doubt in her mind that Petr would grow into as handsome a specimen as his father and uncle given a few years and some weapons training.

  “And you, Lilly Deverelsdoter. Lady Alemenia, who is Lady Adain’s heartmate, knew your father as a young man. Even then, he was a gifted warrior. Mena told me of his prowess with staff and sword. It’s an honor to meet a warrior of his line.”

  “My father told me he’d met a dragon once, but he did not know the dragon’s name.”

  “Mena was on duty, but she watched Deverel’s training hall from the battlements and was impressed by your father’s work. Apparently, there weren’t many entertainments for our kind in the Blind King’s realm.” Grennulf’s dry tone communicated exactly what he thought of that oversight.

  “My father would be honored to know it, and I’ll pass on your compliments when next I see him.” Lilly bowed her head, holding eye contact with the creature in a sign of respect. The dragon nodded back and lifted his head away, settling back behind the men.

  “Petr, Nana is expecting you,” Det said to his son.

  Petr left his father’s side and walked to Lilly, looking up at her with wide eyes. “I have to go now. Will I see you later?”

  Luc bent down to speak near Petr’s ear. “Don’t worry. Lilly will be staying with us for a while, so you’ll see her again.”