Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III

movement whatsoever. She could see, blink, swallow, and breathe, but nothing more. The witch remembered the stories her mother and father had told her about her mother’s imprisonment by her grandfather. Azran had left her sealed in amber for . . . what? One? Two centuries? At least Gwendolyn Bedlam had not entirely known what was happening around her. The few minutes that Valea had been helpless were already driving her close to the edge.

Concern for her family was what kept her going. She knew that Toma had no intention of letting any of the Bedlams live. Kyl and even Grath might believe otherwise, but she knew too much about the history of the renegade to think he would do otherwise. The Bedlams would always be a threat to him.

There was a quiet knock on the door. Faras, who stood nearest to the door, unbolted and opened it.

Aurim stepped through. Valea’s spirits rose, then sank. Behind Aurim came Ursa, but behind her followed Toma, the renegade once more clad in the form of the tutor.

“You see,” said the duke after the door had been closed. “As I promised, my lord, here are your friend and your sissster, both unharmed.”

“Why did you bring them here?”

With no warning, Traske melted into Toma. The transformation continued to both fascinate and horrify Valea. “If anyone saw them after I had bespelled them, they would have realized something was amiss. I could not simply make them forget. As I said earlier, Your Majesty, things must now be resolved with ssswiftness.” Toma looked properly upset, an expression Valea knew was as false as his words. “Thisss is hardly the way I wanted it. I would have preferred your transition to the throne to be peaceful. If you like, I will sssurrender myself to the Bedlams and take their brand of justice. If you think it will benefit your ascension, that isss.”

Accept his offer! Valea wanted to shout. It was not that she believed that Toma would follow through on his promise, but rather that she wanted Kyl to understand the dark creature with whom he was dealing.

Kyl, however, shook his head. “No, I know what will happen. Jussst . . . jussst ussse care.”

“That I will, my brother. I have promisssed that from the beginning, have I not, Grath?”

The younger drake looked at the heir. “That he has, Kyl. Toma has only worked to serve you for all the time I have known him.”

“Now that I have the opportunity to prove myself to you persssonally, I dare not fail to live up to your ssstandards.”

Kyl stepped away from the others and out of Valea’s view. “What will you do with them?”

Indicating the emperor-to-be with his hands, the draconian knight returned, “As I sssaid earlier, it isss my hope to capture them all and, once that is accomplished, place the entire family under a more subtle, more thorough forgetfulness spell. Already, the children-and, regrettably, sister Ursa-are mine. As Benjin Traske, I should be able to approach both Lord and Lady Bedlam and take them without warning.”

“And kill them? I’d imagine that you hate them dearly.”

Again, Toma looked properly subdued. “My hatred hasss dwindled away over the years here, Your Majesty. I’ve seen them doing both good and ill. Now, I hold no grudges. I cannot say that I have come to love them; I simply understand them better. If they can be convinced to leave me be, then I shall leave them be.”

“And if they won’t?”

“I would rather not think about that unlessss it becomesss necessary to do so.”

“There is no time to discuss this further,” Grath interjected. “We must deal with Lord and Lady Bedlam asss soon as possible.”

“There is a piece of news that I have not informed either of you about yet.” As Toma spoke, he began to shift once again to the scholarly shape of Benjin Traske. This time, Valea clearly saw that the belt blade, the only item true to both Toma and Traske, glowed. She was fairly certain that it was what allowed the renegade to so well retain the form of the tutor. Drakes generally had two shapes. The first was the dragon form that they were born with, the latter was most often the reptilian knight, such as how Duke Toma looked when he was not being Traske. While the renegade was, by her parents’ own admissions, more versatile, there were still limitations. The enchanted knife was apparently a way around those limitations.

“And that news is?” asked Kyl. His tone was so matter-of-fact, so calm now, that Valea wanted to scream. He was, in her opinion, worse than the rest of them, for Kyl, as heir to the emperor’s throne, should have been strong enough to withstand Toma’s ploys. Instead, he had accepted every word as easily as a sheep would have accepted a handful of grass. It made the imprisoned witch furious, which only served to fuel her frustration.

“The master warlock is not in the Manor nor is he on the Manor grounds. He has gone to speak to Lord Green. It seems that the monarch of Irillian will be here in only two, at most, three days.”

Valea, unable at the moment to think of any drake save dear Ssarekai as trustworthy-and Ssarekai might be dead, although no one had told her so-did not see the visit as any buffer against the renegade’s plans. Toma knew the Dragon Kings well. They would be easier to fool than her mother or father.

“Ssso sssoon? I’m not ready for him!” Kyl stepped back into her field of vision. The veneer of confidence had been stripped from his face. He was openly nervous.

“You will be. Grath and I shall see to it that Blue himself will become one of your most ardent supporters by interview’s end.”

“Have we failed you so far, Kyl?” asked Grath, almost mimicking Duke Toma.

“You know that you have not, Grath, however-”

“Much of what I did, what suggestions I made, originated from Toma, Kyl. He has guided you more than anyone else, both as Benjin Traske and as himself.”

Traske/Toma moved toward the door. “We will have time to talk later. For now, I mussst locate and deal with the Lady of the Amber before her mate returns home.” He bowed. “With your permission?”

“You may-” Kyl began, but then he glanced at Grath. “One moment. You should take Grath with you, perhapsss. The better to occupy Lady Gwendolyn’s attention while you prepare to take her. What do you sssay?”

Valea saw the merit in the heir’s plan, which made her hate him all the more. Grath found it of interest, also.

“An interesssting notion,” returned the renegade, his smile more open. He was no doubt pleased by this sign of Kyl’s cooperation in this foul venture.

If I only had a few seconds of freedom! She had already planned and replanned how she would have dealt with the drakes. As to whether or not her ideas would have succeeded, Valea did not care. Trapped, the mental images of Toma and the others, especially Kyl, at her mercy was the only thing she had to keep up her hopes.

“Interesting,” Traske/Toma continued. “But unnecessary. I have thingsss worked out, Your Majesty. Besidesss, your safety isss as great a concern. The humans tried to assassinate you once; they may try again. Grath’sss place should always be by your side.”

“Surely I am sssecure here.”

The false scholar indicated himself. “Where I can enter, who can sssay what others might have followed?”

Kyl quieted instantly.

Traske/Toma bowed again. “Once more, with your permission, I shall now leave.” His eyes darted from Kyl to Valea. The glance was only brief, but the hatred she felt in that look would have been enough to make her stumble away had the spell not prevented her from doing so. “Before thisss day isss done, Your Majesty, I promise you that the Manor will be secure.” He returned his gaze to the heir. “Then, your future may begin in earnessst.”

XIX

Cabe left the caverns of the Green Dragon feeling drained and still more confused. He did not know how to behave toward the Dragon King and was aware that he might possibly never resolve that problem. Eventually the