“What?” exploded Maldeev, leaping from the chair. ‘That will drive her away! Why didn’t you just suggest in the strongest terms that she take a rider?”

  “You think like a human, Maldeev,” said Jahet. “I’ve made that suggestion for years, with no result. Khisanth would continue riderless as long as we allowed it because she believes it’s in her best interest to do so. Always remember, Maldeev, self-interest is a black dragon’s only motivation.” Jahet looked pointedly into the highlord’s steel-colored eyes. “No matter what they may claim.”

  Jahet flicked her long red tongue unconsciously. “Also remember, no one but Takhisis can truly force a black dragon to do anything. Khisanth will do our bidding only when she realizes that the best course for her future-her only future, considering the upcoming war-is with the Black Wing. She wants nothing more than to stay, but she’s got to believe that the only way she can is to take a rider.”

  The black dragon blinked slowly in the face of the flush-cheeked highlord and lowered herself to rest comfortably on the floor. An irritating, cloying, fresh scent wafted to her large nostrils, threatening to make her sneeze. She would have to do something about that smell before leaving.

  “I know Khisanth,” continued Jahet, ignoring her itchy nostrils for the moment. “If I were her, I’d be furiously tear shy;ing apart my lair in rage, making Dimitras’s pitiful life even more unbearable.” Jahet let her tongue dart between two talons to retrieve an overlooked shred of raw meat. “Khi shy;santh doesn’t indulge in shows of rage like other black drag shy;ons, but I know her passions run as hot. She has an obsession for the wing. I’m confident that her decision will be to our liking.”

  Maldeev seemed somewhat mollified, the flush having left his cheeks. Still he paced, slapping a fist to his hand. “She must take a rider! We will not be allowed the luxury of reduc shy;ing our forces by even one cavalryman, sending a bare shy;backed dragon into battle in the upcoming war!” He glowered up at Jahet. “Why does she refuse to see that?”

  Jahet drew up her wings in an odd shrug. “She sees only that her solo performance during drills far exceeds that of the other dragons who bear riders. She’s right”- Jahet nodded her head slightly to the side -“with the obvious exception of me.” She waited for the highlord’s inevitable compliment to her superior skills.

  “I don’t ride you during daily drills,” muttered the highlord. Jahet’s glower went unnoticed by Maldeev. “Just think how Khisanth would be with a rider between her wings,” he said almost wistfully.

  His mood abruptly turned dark again. “I don’t need this frustration now, Jahet,” Maldeev said. He was already made painfully aware of his low ranking among wing comman shy;ders. The commander of the Black Wing was still awaiting his first shipment of draconians. Highlord Ariakas had begun to fill his ranks at least three years before with the creatures, who were reputedly so evil and indestructible they made ogres seem weak. Maldeev knew he was the last of the highlords to be issued the vicious creatures, the result of cor shy;rupted good dragon eggs.

  Even behind Toede, that contemptible hobgoblin excuse for a highlord….

  And then there were the rumors new recruits brought of knights amassing numbers in a stronghold not far to the north. Maldeev’s dragons ran routine scouting flights. They reported seeing a refurbished castle near the town of Lamesh, but Khoal, Dnestr, and Neetra had said the troop numbers were too small to consider a threat. Still, the very presence of stiff-necked knights in the region was yet another burr in Maldeev’s side.

  The highlord’s eyes narrowed to slits as he angrily spun the chair back to face the fire and plopped into it sulkily. “Tell Khisanth-” he spat over his shoulder, then amended in a sarcastic tone, remembering Jahef s advice about drag shy;ons “-suggest to her highness that she’s got one day to decide that taking a rider is ‘in her best interests.’ “

  “Or what?”

  Maldeev’s voice took on a razor-sharp edge as he stared into the fire. “I’m relying on you to see that it doesn’t come to that, because that would be in your best interests. See that you don’t disappoint either of us, dear Jahet.”

  Nodding calmly at the implied threat in the highlord’s dis shy;missal, Jahet said nothing. She stood and waddled toward the open wall. Though silent, the dragon would have the last word before departing for her lair.

  Turning to stare right into Maldeev’s eyes, Jahet relieved herself on the highlord’s beloved fresh rushes.

  Chapter 15

  Khisanth popped through her side of the crevasse and reverted to dragon form just in time to see the other dragons returning from the drill field. Khoal, Dnestr, and Neetra all stopped first at the livestock pens to fill their bellies.

  Khisanth sighed. Another chance to snoop and pry was gone.

  “We’re gathering in the conference chamber shortly to dis shy;cuss important business, Khisanth,” Khoal called over his wing. Though he couldn’t see inside her lair because of the spell she had placed on the archway, Khoal’s dragon senses obviously told him she was present.

  “But we aren’t scheduled for-“

  “Be there!” he barked. Never patient, and now famished, the ancient dragon didn’t allow further conversation. Swing shy;ing his tail around, Khoal snatched several bawling calves from the holding pen, dragged them into his lair, and magi shy;cally darkened his doorway.

  Khisanth’s talk with Jahet had left her in no mood for con shy;frontation with the other dragons, but the lowest ranking dragon could ill afford to be openly insubordinate now. At least until she decided whether she would comply with the highlord’s ultimatum or leave the wing.

  Khisanth hated everything about these pointless meetings of Khoal’s. She corrected her thought inwardly; the point was to give the ancient dragon the opportunity to lord his rank, since Jahet did not attend. Ostensibly Khoal called them to make plans for the improvement of the wing, which would then be submitted to the lead dragon for her review and approval. However, the sessions always dissolved into petty squabbles over perceived slights during drill, violations of protocol, or complaints about the quality of livestock Dimitras brought them. In Khisanth’s memory, nothing construc shy;tive had ever evolved from one of Khoal’s power sessions. Jahet had never received one suggestion.

  Khisanth had ways of making the meetings more tolerable. According to protocol established by Khoal, the dragons were to enter the chamber for a meeting in reverse order of rank, to signify each dragon’s value to the wing. As lowest ranking dragon, Khisanth’s time was not considered as valu shy;able as the others, thus she could be kept waiting. However, Khisanth always made it a point to linger in her lair until the assigned time passed. Unable to enter until she did, either Neetra or Dnestr, impatient young toadies both, would inevitably lose control and shriek for Khisanth to hurry up, shattering the air of pomp and circumstance Khoal strove to impart on his tedious meetings.

  Neetra had the honors this day. “Damn your wings, Khi shy;santh, for holding up the meeting again!” the young male snarled from the archway into his lair. “I wager you’ll be late for the war.”

  Khisanth stepped at last into the enormous central cham shy;ber. “I’m sorry if I kept you waiting, Neetra,” she said in a sugared voice. “I was feasting and must have lost track of time.” The black dragon settled her bulk into a lazy circle at her assigned place, opposite from where Khoal would sit. “And I’ve so been looking forward to today’s meeting.” Hastily filing into the room, Neetra and Dnestr could detect no expression of sarcasm in Khisanth’s placid face. Deliber shy;ately ignoring her, they took their places in the circle, each on a side of Khoal. They sat as straight as eager dogs, watching for their second-in-command to arrive.

  As usual, Khoal did not disappoint. Head held regally, his gaze directed to some mystical point above theirs, the ancient dragon took long, exaggerated strides into the chamber. He wore his usual embroidered ceremonial cape, which softly scraped the floor. In his claw he carried a gem-encrusted staff from his own personal hoard. Reaching his appointed spot, Khoal tossed the cape back over his wings and settled onto a large, straw-stuffed mat reserved for his use. He set the staff on the floor before him, careful to ensure that the largest gem, a ruby with no less than thirty distinct facets, faced up to catch the light.

  Using a simple cantrip, Khoal produced a flame from his pointer talon and held it to an incense burner that had been placed by his mat before the meeting. Smoke rose from the brazier and quickly filled the room with the musty scent of stagnant water, an odor favored by black dragons.

  “The one hundred twenty-seventh meeting of the dragons of the Black Wing will now commence,” he intoned. “In the interest of time,” continued Khoal in his best formal voice, “we will proceed straight to the day’s business: scouting assignments.”

  Khisanth was happy to hear him shorten the meeting, but more than a little surprised that they were skipping the usual prayer to Takhisis. “Why the emergency meeting, Khoal?”

  “Silence, Khisanth!” he barked. “You have spoken out of turn.”

  Khisanth could hardly keep from rolling her eyes. She set shy;tled for slumped posture and an indolent expression. Accord shy;ing to Khoal’s rigid protocol, dragons had to wait until those ranked above them had spoken at least once, unless directed

  with a question.

  Khoal took note of her sloppy pose with a disapproving eye. “To answer your insolent question, this isn’t an emer shy;gency meeting, just an unscheduled one. It’s my opinion, as second-in-command, that we must reevaluate tonight’s reconnaissance schedule. There’ll be a full moon that will aid anyone observing us from the ground.” The ancient dragon’s eyes took on a more than usually malicious glint. “You’d know all of that, if you hadn’t left drill early.”

  Khisanth suffered Khoal’s jab in silence, mainly because she knew her indifference would infuriate him. She also knew that his bad temper had started long before she’d joined the wing. Like Pteros, Khoal had fought very briefly as a young dragon in the Third Dragon War before the Sleep. To hear Khoal talk about his role in the war, which he did con shy;stantly, the ancient dragon had once single-handedly fought Huma to a standstill for days until reinforcements arrived. Jahet had told her that, from the moment Maldeev had selected the young female as his soul mate over Khoal, the elder male made it no secret that he felt the position was rightly his due to age and experience.

  Before Khisanth had arrived, when Jahet and Khoal had been the only two dragons in the wing, Highlord Maldeev had suggested that Khoal spend his time in the search for a rider worthy of his talents. Otherwise, Maldeev had implied, the riderless Khoal would find the number two position sim shy;ilarly filled. Khoal had secretly sneered at the suggestion, and particularly at the threat. Though he was never overtly con shy;tentious to Jahet, he’d subtly continued his campaign to out shy;shine and ultimately oust the other dragon.

  Until the sunny day Khisanth landed in the courtyard.

  The young female dragon with the strange necklace, an impressive number of battle scars, and an impenetrable aura had been undeniably threatening to Khoal from the start. Khoal had always considered his enormous bulk a significant advantage. In addition to intimidating opponents, even other dragons, his size allowed him to crush foes quickly. But from the first time Khoal saw Khisanth’s dexterity, on ground and in flight, the elder dragon knew his cumbersome weight might actually be a disadvantage against her.

  That very night, Khisanth’s first in the wing, Khoal had made major steps toward a union with a rider to secure his position. Conventional wisdom said that the best dragon and rider union existed between opposing sexes, but there were no female officers to choose from in the Black Wing. Khoal knew that he could not wait, or hope to influence Maldeev to dispense with Jahet. He chose Maldeev’s second-in-com shy;mand, the human general named Wakar, as much in need of a mount to maintain his ranking as Khoal needed a rider. Theirs became a merger of convenience more than comple shy;menting skills, as was Maldeev’s and Jahet’s. Khoal felt to this day that his union with Wakar was the best he could hope for, as long as Jahet was alive.

  “The new flight schedule is as follows,” Khoal said now, his tone imperious. “I will fly north and personally monitor the Solamnic outpost that interests our highlord. Dnestr will fly west, in a sweep from Alek-Khan to Ak-Baral. Neetra will cover the east by air, from Ogreshield to Sprawl.” He looked at the fifth-ranked dragon under knobby brow bones. “Khisanth, you will fly south, to Delphon.”

  “Why south?” Khisanth demanded. “I usually fly east by northeast-I know the route by heart.”

  “Perhaps you know it too well,” remarked Khoal with raised brows. Khisanth compressed her lips tightly. “How shy;ever, that isn’t the reason I want you to fly south. It has come to my ears that the forces of Good are gathering in or near Delphon. Even you must realize that’s far too close to Shalimsha for the security of the wing.”

  “Besides,” Neetra cut in eagerly, “your eyes are-“

  Khoal waved a claw, and Neetra’s words were cut off by a silence spell. Khisanth was stunned by the display. The drag shy;ons protected their belongings magically, but they refrained from casting spells on each other, since the potential for dis shy;aster was profound.

  “I’ll suffer no more lapses in protocol!” snapped Khoal, his red eyes boring into the obviously embarrassed young male.

  “You’ll endure the same, Khisanth, if you speak out of turn again.”

  Khoal clenched and unclenched his claws. “I’m sure what Neetra was trying to say is that your eyes are keener than all of ours and would be able to determine the nature of the activity from a greater, safer distance.” Khisanth was strug shy;gling to believe Khoal had complimented her, when his veined eyelids raised and he spitefully added, “Unless you don’t think you’re capable of completing such an important mission.”

  Dnestr and Neetra snickered. They always did whenever Khoal put Khisanth in her place. She gave the obsequious pair a glare that wiped the sneers from their scaly black faces.

  Khisanth’s evaluating eye settled on the other female. Dnestr was ranked third because she was slightly smarter and more even tempered than Neetra. Her greed certainly rivaled his, frequently overriding her common sense, partic shy;ularly when it came to Khoal. Dnestr seemed genuinely to look up to the elder dragon, which confounded Khisanth.

  “You should be glad for the assignment, Khisanth,” purred the third-ranked dragon now. “Delphon is so near, you’ll be asleep in your lair before midnight.”

  “That will be all, Dnestr!” the ancient black snapped. Returning his haughty gaze to the dragon across from him, Khoal said, “Well?”

  Caught in the midst of a yawn, Khisanth touched a claw to her chest and feigned an innocent look. “Oh, is it my turn to speak? I can never keep the rules straight-that’s your strength, isn’t it Khoal? Since mine is flying faster than any other dragon, I’m sure that, as Neetra so graciously sug shy;gested, I’ll have no trouble completing the assignment to Delphon.”

  The angry bile Khisanth saw catch in Khoal’s throat made suffering the dragon’s insults worthwhile. Eyes narrowed to furious red slits, Khoal extinguished the brazier and snatched up his ruby staff. Stomping into his lair, he sealed off the archway with a spell. Awarding Khisanth petty glares of their own, Dnestr, then Neetra, scurried after.

  Khisanth’s eyes followed their departure, but her mind was elsewhere. There was something very odd about this meeting. First, no prayer to their patron god; that had never happened before. Khisanth was also at a loss to explain Khoal’s wordless retreat. It was very unlike him to miss the opportunity to put her in her place. In a strange sort of way, her comeuppance was conspicuous by its absence.

  Did Khoal know that Maldeev was trying to force her into a union that would jeopardize his own ranking? Was he being nice to her, in his own backhanded manner, as insur shy;ance against the time when she would outrank him? Suspi shy;cion grew in Khisanth’s gut, but she had no real clue to the motive behind Khoal’s behavior.

  Khisanth was only further confused after she returned to the lair late in the night from her flight to Delphon. She’d seen few signs of life in the ruins of the fortress there. In fact, there had been so little to see that she’d spent more time devising ways to dodge Maldeev’s ultimatum than actually spying. The dragon intended to report her lack of findings directly to Khoal, but he didn’t appear to have returned from his own recon flight to the north. Dnestr and Neetra’s lairs were similarly dark. A negative report could certainly wait until the morning. With a shrug of her shoulders, the black dragon retired early for the night.

  A river? The young, freckle-faced sentry peered closely at the dark ribbon snaking toward him from the north. Unlike a river, this thing had two distinct ends and was a bit spotty in the middle. It was no river of cold mountain water. This was a stream of humanity. An army on the march. The flashes of silver he’d thought were moonlight on rushing water came from polished weapons of steel.

  The sentry’s pulse quickened. Perhaps it was a newly raised company of mercenaries coming to join the Black Wing. But that made little sense-why would they march at night? Could they be the draconians everyone knew the

  highlord was expecting? They would be coming on foot from Neraka to the north. So why hadn’t he been told to look for them? The boy scowled. With no instructions, Sergeant Bild had thrown him up into the north guard tower tonight for the first time. How could he be expected to do his job if no one told him anything?

  The young sentry glanced over his shoulder at the alarm bell suspended from a wooden tower in the courtyard. That bell was to alert the garrison in the event of an emergency. Was this an emergency? How could he be sure? The sentry looked back out onto the plain. That black, snaky shape sure looked like an army.