The name sent shivers through the mage. The Ice Dragon had been one of the eldest, most traditional of the present Dragon Kings. After the fall of the emperor, he had come to the conclusion that only a sheet of death- giving ice blanketing the entire continent would rid the realm of the human situation. Of course, it would also rid the land of the drakes as well, but the fatalistic monarch of the Northern Wastes had considered that worth the victory.
If the Storm Dragon was following the Ice Dragon down the path of madness . . . Cabe knew of at least one other Dragon King who fell into that category already, but at least the Crystal Dragon kept his insanity to himself.
“No one will trust this Sssaleese enough,” continued Green, running down the list. “He was not born with the proper birth markings. That leaves but one real choice for any of us . . .”
“Blue.” Cabe leaned against a chair. “He maintains a peace of sorts with Penacles even though the Gryphon doesn’t actually rule there any more.” The Gryphon, whose appearance resembled that of the winged beast, had ruled Penacles until his need to discover his own past had sent him overseas to the dark empire of the Aramites. For many years he had worked to bring down the wolf raiders, as the Aramites were better known. While he was away, his second, General Toos, had ruled in his place. Now many, including the Gryphon, called the general
“His ssson, Morgisss, is also a good friend of the lionbird.”
“Will the other drakes accept his opinion?”
“I think that I will be able to convince them of that.”
The harp music had ceased. Cabe flinched when he realized that, but then silently reprimanded himself for thinking the worst of his daughter. She was intelligent, whatever her infatuation with the exotic and unquestionably handsome heir. “Then . . . then I will agree to such terms, my lord. It’ll have to take place after the visits to Talak and Penacles, however. I wish there was a way to avoid those meetings, but as you pointed out, if we get acknowledgment from two of the major human kingdoms in the east, it will make the path to the throne that much easier. I hope. Gwendolyn is in Talak now, helping to prepare things.”
The Dragon King nodded. Within the false helm, the thin, lipless mouth stretched into a toothy smile. “Understand that my fellows truly have no choice; the idea of a new emperor is repellent to some after two decades of complete independence, but they also recognize the need. My race isss faltering;
Cabe smoothed his robe, trying to think of a delicate way to say what needed to be said. He could find no way but the simple truth. “There are many who think that a reunited drake race is the last thing we need. There are some who say that now that humans have the strength, it’s time to deal with your kind once and for all.”
“I am certain that Melicard of Talak isss one of them.”
“One but hardly the worst. The Dragon Kings, again your company excepted, my lord, have rarely endeared themselves to mankind. A new emperor is to some simply a resurrecting of old evils.”
For a time there was only silence, as both drake lord and sorcerer considered what they were attempting. Then, the Green Dragon said, “I never expected it to be simple, but I know it must be done. So do you, Cabe Bedlam.”
“I-” The warlock’s agreement was cut short by the sight of a figure lurking just within the room beyond the balcony. Cabe abandoned his position and stalked over to the entrance. The Dragon King watched but did not question.
“What is it, Grath?”
Out onto the balcony emerged a drake, but one different in so many ways from the forest lord. Whereas the Green Dragon wore the form of a hellish knight of emerald hue, this one more resembled a human. Shorter than Cabe by two or three inches, Grath had sharp, almost elfin features on a human face. His hair was short and dark green, his skin gold with touches of emerald. The young drake smiled nervously, revealing teeth slightly more pointed than that of a human. Like his elder brother, Kyl, Grath caught the eye of many women, both drake and human, but unlike the heir to the drake throne, the younger offspring of the unlamented Dragon Emperor seemed not to notice. Grath spent most of his time in the libraries. If . . .
Cabe had always considered it a blessing that Grath had turned out the way he had. With him to counsel his elder brother, the possibility of Kyl doing something rash was greatly lessened. Not eliminated, but at least lessened.
The drake looked nervously at his guardian, then glanced at the Dragon King. “I . . . heard . . . that my lord Green was here! I just wanted to . . .”
Cabe rescued the faltering Grath. “You want to ask him some more questions, of course.” The young drake nodded in silent gratitude. For the most part, Grath shadowed his brother, but given an opportunity to talk with the Green Dragon about drake history, he suddenly became a personality. Cabe could never have believed that a drake could be shy, but that appeared to be the case. “Something strikes me, though. Shouldn’t you be taking lessons with Master Traske?”
Grath almost looked guilty. “Master Traske cancelled classes but a few minutes ago, Lord Bedlam. I swear that by the Dragon of the Depths!”
“I hope he’s not ill.” This was not the first time of late that Benjin Traske had abruptly cancelled a session. Granted the human tutor’s duties were now limited since most of his charges were nearly of adult age, but the cancellations were coming with much regularity these days. Traske was a huge man in both girth and height, and almost twice as old as Cabe appeared. The scholar had a touch of magic around him, but evidently not enough to slow the aging process. If he was not well . . .
Grath quickly smothered his guardian’s concerns for Benjin Traske’s health by replying, “No, sssir. He seemed healthy . . .”
Cabe dismissed the matter, deciding that he would speak with the man when he had the opportunity to do so. “If His Majesty has time when we are finished-”
“I would be pleasssed to ssspeak with you, my lord Grath,” interrupted the Dragon King. He treated the other drake with deference, almost as if it were Grath, not Kyl, who was about to ascend the throne. Cabe and Gwen, while they, too, respected the younger drake’s royal lineage, tried to treat Grath as a young man, not a symbol. Both mages felt it was important to give the dragon heirs some notion of normal behavior. It had been too often the case in the past that kings had been raised with no concept of themselves as real individuals. They were trained to be a power, a living incarnation. While that was necessary to a point, it also meant that they tended to lack the ability to understand the lives of those they ruled.
Whether humans had ever raised drakes before the Green Dragon’s suggestion roughly two decades earlier, the warlock could not say. Cabe had no idea whether he and his wife had been correct in their decision to accept the Dragon King’s challenge; they could only hope that some good would come of the years the drake children had spent growing up here.
Grath brightened at the drake lord’s response.
“But first I must speak with your brother.”
That brought a brief darkness to Grath’s visage, but he almost immediately recovered. Bowing, he asked, “Shall I go seek him out for you, Uncle?”
The term was strictly one of respect, as was the Dragon King habit of calling one another “brother.” Since the various clans rarely mixed, the Green Dragon was no more Grath’s uncle than he was Cabe’s. However, in the eyes of the dragon prince, it was obvious that he thought of the visiting monarch as approaching as close to the blood tie as was possible. The lord of the Dagora Forest represented everything that Grath had grown up believing in, yet, because of his secondary position, would never be unless something happened to Kyl.
All knew that the younger drake would sacrifice his own life before he would allow
“That would not be proper,” returned the Dragon King. “As he will be my lord, it is fitting that I go to him.”
