Glancing around, I inspected the other knights. Most of them had the same design etched into their armor. I let a low growl rumble in my throat to show my satisfaction. “Oh, and I approve of the scales etched into your armor. Serve me well, and perhaps someday I’ll have Daggin make you armor from my shed scales.”

  A bright smile bloomed on his face, and I noted jealous glares on the faces of the other knights. That was good. A touch of greed made minions more relatable… and easier to predict.

  With the beach secured and having issued my commands, Cami climbed once again up onto my back. I found that despite my initial resistance to having a human ride me, her negligible weight perched just behind my long neck had become something of a reassurance.

  “This should be fun. I have to admit a part of me hopes they came to play,” Cami said, her voice tinged with excitement. She was becoming more like a dragon every day.

  I let out a roar that shook the leaves in the distant trees before answering her with a fang-filled grin, “Let us see if they must face the storm.”

  Power rippled through my muscles as I crouched, and then with a mighty leap and a down sweep from my wings, we ascended. Spiraling into the heavens, the world below us shrank rapidly. Soon the beach was a tapestry of ant-sized figures and the vast sea stretched out into the distance, broken only by the odd whitecap and the elven vessels.

  They presented a challenge laid bare before us.

  We flew higher, the wind a tempestuous companion as we cut through it. I relished the feeling of liberty—it was pure, unadulterated freedom.

  The ships grew larger as we approached, and I could see the elves on them, manning the sails and riggings of their sleek vessels. Mages and archers alike began to assemble. It seemed they were rather well armed, but I was no mere hatchling.

  This would be fun.

  Chapter 22 - Elves

  The short flight from the coast only took us a few moments. I surged across the sky rapidly, climbing to gain altitude. It was always better to be on top, especially if it came to a fight. Honestly, I found I was interested in seeing how elves compared to humans. The Dragon Dream seemed to suggest that they had a different relationship with dragons than humans, though most of my ancestors had been on Taliea these past several thousand years. Memories related to the elves were few and far between.

  The other reason I took my time as I gain altitude was because it allowed Cami and I to cast our various buffs. A part of me was eager to fight the elves, but I supposed I should find out why they were here, first.

  There turned out to be only two ships. Since I could see a great distance from this height, I studied the activities on each deck. There, dozens of elves scrambled to line up in some kind of a formation. I sensed the flow of magic around some of them, as they apparently pulled power from the wood of their ships.

  It was fascinating; very different from most of the human magic I’d seen so far.

  Once I was several hundred feet above the lead ship, I called out. “Stop your ships. I would speak with you.”

  I expected a volley of arrows or perhaps a few spells.

  Instead, one of the elves stepped forward. “Will you swear not to attack us? We’ve had some bad fortune this trip with dragons.”

  “I can’t promise that,” I called back in reply. “I don’t know why you are here in my ocean, or what you could possibly want. I can swear that I won’t attack you without cause.”

  The elves spoke rapidly with each other and I was frustrated to see that they had some magic which kept the sound of their words from me. I said I was frustrated to see, because when I tried to listen in, all I got was the sound of waves slapping against the hull of their ships. It was a fascinating magic, but not something I was anxious to learn.

  I could admire their creativity and magical diversity. Learning human magic had grown my power significantly. That got me to wondering if I could learn elven magic—not that I had time for that, now.

  The same elf stepped forward again, which seemed to signify that their silencing magic only affected a specific area of the ship. “Let me try this another way... Do we have the honor of addressing the blue dragon Nicosandumas and Camille Westfork?”

  Cami’s voice sprang to life in my mind. “They know who we are?”

  “Apparently…” I replied. “Does it really matter? There are only two ships.”

  “I think it changes everything. It probably means they’re looking for us. We don’t know what they want.”

  I thought on her words for a moment. I trusted Cami’s judgment about humans, but these weren’t humans. Too many of the humans I met seemed to think I would act like one of them. I wouldn’t make the same mistake and assume that these elves would behave as I’d come to expect humans to behave.

  “We are they… but how is it that you know our names?” I called back.

  The elf grinned. His features were odd—or rather, they were different from the flat pink features I’d come to expect of humans. There were more angles to his face, but despite the almost sharp edges, it was still flat compared to the beautiful shape of a dragon’s head.

  “There are only so many bonded dragons in the world,” he replied. “But as a gesture of good will, I’ll reveal some information. I did come here looking for you. A year and a half ago, as the humans count time, our auguries spoke of a dragon who would shake the heavens, and I was tasked with finding out more about you.”

  Auguries? Hmmm.

  “Moreover,” he continued, “it turns out you already know my half-blood son.”

  More pieces suddenly fell into place. “And why should I not destroy your traitorous son for betraying me?”

  The elf’s expression never changed. “Is it betrayal for a son to tell a father information of value? Liam argued that you are important, and that Ileria seemed to shift around you, as ripples do in a pond.”

  A memory from the Dragon Dream popped up. It was a new one, which I’d never felt before but that must have come with the recent experience I’d had in the dream. It felt old—not as old as the dragon queen’s battle with her offspring—but relatively old compared to my dreams of Draconis.

  For just a moment, I saw three elves, standing in a line. One was balanced upon a massive water lily. The second stood upon the branches of a tree which towered above the rest in its grove. The final elf stood upon a jagged outcropping of rock which rose to the heavens out from plains of blue grass.

  As I let the landscape in this memory wash over me, I realized it was entirely foreign. But one thing was certain, the elves drew power into themselves from the water, wood, and stone, respectively. What was odd about it, was that it wasn’t the power of Ileria, but rather that of some alien place.

  My mind raced as everything around me seemed to stand still.

  Why would such a memory come to me now? I realized that I was somehow connected to the mother of dragons, but that connection seemed to be growing stronger. I almost asked the elf about it, but thought better of it.

  This was something I’d need to figure out for myself.

  “And what do you want from me?” I called down.

  “We want to be sure that you aren’t a threat to the elven way of life. Long have we lived with dragons upon our own continent. For the most part, they keep to themselves. Only a small few of our number interact with them. Every so often, though, one rises up who seeks to lord their authority over all elves.”

  He locked eyes with me as he said, “Those never last long.”

  “You would threaten me?” I growled.

  “No. Our legends say that at some point in the distant past, dragons upended our world and changed the lives of all elves. The memory of how such a thing is possible has been lost—even to my long-lived people—but a deep-rooted fear of dragons remains.”

  Cami’s anger spiked across our bond. “He’s threatening you over children’s stories?”

  Her anger influenced me.

  “What you think you know or don’t know has little to do with me. I have more than enough problems to deal with on Taliea. I have no desire to interact with elves. Turn your ships about and go home. There is nothing here for you.”

  “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but we have an elisatudae with us.”

  The word was elven. I recognized that much. The dream gave all dragons a great mastery of the languages of the lesser races. The exact meaning of the word eluded me, but I had a sense of what it meant. “Why would I fear a ‘true elf’?”

  The elf laughed. “They would like to think that is the case. The word is closer in meaning to, ‘an elf who holds true.’ They are the few amongst my people who are willing to take a minion’s oath.”

  Now he had my attention. The minions’ oath made it very difficult for them to harm me or my interests. Very difficult was not impossible, but still…

  “You and this elisatudae may come with a half dozen elves in one of your small ships… err… in your row boats… to the shore. There, I will speak with you, but don’t presume upon my generosity. If you test me, I’ll kill you, sink your ships, and feed the rest you to the fishes. You don’t appear to have enough meat on your bones to make much of a snack.”

  The elf bowed slightly, the ghost of a smile on his lips as he gestured to the other elves. They spoke in low tones, their sharp, otherworldly features set in serious lines. The ones he spoke to gave a subtle nod, then began preparing a small boat for the journey to shore. This time, they didn’t bother blocking the sound.

  One of the elves counseled their leader against putting himself in my power. But the consensus was that this was the best way to determine if I was a threat.

  Cami seemed to be restless on my back, her weight shifting in that familiar way that told me she was contemplating various courses of action.

  "Nico, I know you. What are you hoping to gain from them… just some more gold?”

  “Can one ever have too much gold?” My mental voice was filled with laughter. “Did you sense anything about them? Their entire ship was wrapped in magic.”

  I felt understanding come across the bond. “Something was different about them, that’s for certain. I couldn’t understand much of what I sensed about their magic. One thing stood out, though. It was as though they wove their very souls into their magic.”

  Hmmm… I hadn’t bothered using Soul Seer, so I hadn’t sensed that. But I trusted Cami’s insights.

  She continued, “Do you hope to learn more magic from them?”

  “Someday, perhaps… but I don’t have time for that now. At the moment, I’m trying to determine how much of a threat these elves might be.”

  Cami nodded, the connection between us a silent agreement to the unspoken pact we shared—strength and vigilance.

  As the elves readied themselves, I felt a tingle of anticipation, a pulsing echo of the strange power which I’d sensed in them as well as the tantalizing vision of the three elves that I’d seen. The power of those ancient dreams was great. I only hoped that one never broke through when I couldn’t afford to be interrupted.

  The idea of gaining elven minions intrigued me. If it would provide me answers to some of what the dream hinted at, that would be a boon in and of itself. And if, perhaps, I could gain some knowledge of their magic, that would only strengthen me.

  The elves’ leader walked to the edge of the ship while the others began to lower the smaller boat.

  Cami said, “I think it’s called a skiff and not a rowboat.”

  I snorted. “It looks like a chew toy to me, whatever they call it.”

  The elves’ leader called out to me, “My name is Namis Erlanis. I have been authorized by the elders of Elianstreda to speak for our circle. I will come with two of my guards, three of our druids, and the elisatudae. Will you now guarantee our safety while we parlay?”

  I hovered in the air, staring at him for two full minutes. The long silence didn’t seem to bother him nearly as much as it bothered humans. “This isn’t a parlay,” I finally said. “This is a dragon monarch granting you an audience, so you may make your requests.”

  His eyes narrowed, but he bowed his head a moment later. “As you say, but my question remains. If you’re taking us to the shore simply to kill us then, I’d just as soon we fought out here.”

  “I’m not a green,” I growled. “I have no need for trickery. But if it will move this along, then in my benevolence I will vouch for your safety from harm by myself or any of my minions… so long as you don’t act against us first.”

  With that, the boat slipped into the water, and the small party of elves raised a small sail. It was quickly evident though, when one of the druids stuck a staff into the water, that the wind had little to do with moving the ship forward.

  I descended in a controlled glide, powerful wings beating the air with purposeful strokes, but ensured that my shadow covered the skiff the entire time. When they entered the surf, I surged forward to land and await them. Landing on the shore, I watched with a critical eye as the boat drew closer.

  The elves were indeed slender, their movements precise and their eyes sharp. They stepped onto the sand with an elegance that was almost captivating. But having seen myself in a large mirror I found in my goddess rewarded hoard, I already knew what true elegance was.

  Sir Michael and his contingent of knights stood ready, their armor glinting in the sun as they arrayed themselves in a protective crescent around the landing party. Cassandra stood beside Sir Michael, curiosity clearly written all over her face. Amos and his sailors, however, were nowhere to be seen.

  I hoped that meant they were prepared to intercept the elven ships, if necessary.

  Namis was the first out of the skiff, his gait confident yet respectful. The so-called elisatudae was among them. As well as I could gauge such things, he was young for an elf. He definitely didn’t have the same presence or confidence that the others did, instead of gravitas, he had a youthful exuberance about him.

  When they stopped a respectful distance away, Namis dropped to one knee. "Nicosandumas, I thank you for granting my request for an audience.”

  Cami’s voice filled my head. “He seems to learn quickly.”

  I rumbled back, “Perhaps too quickly.”

  "Speak your piece," I said, my voice a deep rumble that carried the power of the skies from which I had descended. "But know that my patience is a waning tide."

  The elf nodded and his gaze settled on me, I noted a spark of something unfathomable in the depths of his eyes. "We come to you not with threats, but with respect for the power you wield and the balance you may bring. Our circle only wishes to ensure that it is balance you bring and not war.”

  Cami spoke up from my back. “The horrors have already brought war to Taliea.”

  “True,” he acknowledge, “but Taliea is not our home. We simply wish to ensure that human problems remain human problems.”

  “If the horrors win here,” Cami all but barked, “then all of Ileria is at risk. You should thank us for protecting you and ask how you might help.”

  The two of them verbally sparred, and I let Cami handle it. I was distracted because I smelled something familiar, yet foreign. I couldn’t quite place the scent. Raising my head to the sky, I drew in a deep breath and tried to find the source.

  “Great Nicosandumas, is all well? We await your decision,” Namis said.

  His voice was raised just slightly, which brought me back to the present. I’d been lost, trying to track this strange scent. It reeked of death and I was fairly certain it came from one of the elves.

  Cami voice in my head asked, “Is everything okay?”

  “I don’t think so… be ready.”

  She didn’t reply, but I sensed her determination.

  I looked closely at the elves, this time activating Soul Seer. I found that their souls looked very different from either human or dragon souls. Despite their similarity in form, they were completely different beings at their core.

  Namis’ soul appeared to be a blend of green and silver, while his two guards both had a greater amount of green in their souls. The young elf’s soul was different from the others, and I took an extra moment to examine it. Of all their souls, his had the most silver in it.

  But then, as I focused on the druids, I noticed something was wrong. The two in the front, standing next to Namis each had a brilliant and richer green soul, with streaks of silver and hues of brown and blue in it. My Soul Seer ability seemed to be developing, as the closer I looked, the more details I could see. It was the third druid who was almost hiding behind the others, however, that caught my attention.