“You know,” the General said, “it’s too often said that Rank One dragonmancers come to us with the sort of lack of sense that sees them not knowing whether to check their ass or scratch their watch. I’m very pleased to see that you all are not liable to be tarred with that brush.”
As all good soldiers do, when their commanding officer is waxing philosophical, the seven of us kept our traps shut.
“You two,” General Shiloh said curtly, switching her attention to Jazmyn and Ashrin, “you look tuckered out.”
“Had to make use of our Titan slots, General,” Jazmyn said. She touched at where she had taken the cut on her cheek, though the mark had healed and faded the day before thanks to her enhanced healing capabilities. As she did, I saw the Dream Dragon brand: a cloud with a dragon’s wing in front of it. I hadn’t yet learned what exactly such markings did, but I hoped I would eventually get to.
“Extensively,” Ashrin added.
The two members of the Twelve looked a little bit how I felt; like one more good night’s sleep would have them back to one hundred percent.
The General grunted in a way that suggested she too well understood what the word ‘extensively’ meant.
“All right,” she said, jerking her thumb to the side, “go and get a little R&R.”
Jazmyn and Ashrin bowed and departed. They disappeared into a circle of gathering soldiers who were being held back by stern words and looks from a ring of captains. It seemed that the victory that me and the other dragonmancers had helped win down in the bowel of Galipolas Mountain was making the regular infantrymen and women risk the wrath of their COs just to get a glimpse of us.
General Shiloh looked around at the mustering soldiery starting to ring us in. She came to stand right in front of me, with her beefy arms behind her back and her paw-like hands clasped.
I looked up into her no-nonsense face, and the General shot me a wink that was so fast and fleeting I was only eighty percent sure that I had seen it at all.
“Dragonmancer Noctis,” she said in her most officious voice, a voice that perfectly straddled the line between friend and commanding officer-cum-high ruler, “I think I speak for all of us when I give you our thanks. What you and your companion dragonmancers achieved over the past few days is nothing short of miraculous.”
A slow cheer built and rose like a wave over the command post. It sounded like a jumbo jet revving its engines.
“That being said,” General Shiloh continued, “if you ever countermand a direct order and go off like that on your own again, risking everything that the Mystocean Empire holds dear, then it will be my duty to make sure that our illustrious Lorekeepers get a hold of you and milk every drop of that revered potent seed of yours from you.”
It was a clever, well-judged speech. It struck an exemplary balance between the military top-dog who had bosses of her own to answer to, and a fellow soldier who held what another soldier had done in very high regard. The General, in only a couple of sentences, had cemented herself as one of her troops, while making sure that any spies of the Lorekeepers would have nothing derogatory to report back to their masters.
In response to this congratulatory admonishment, I bowed my head and said, “Thank you for your understanding, General.”
There was a sudden musical roar from high above us, and everyone’s heads craned abruptly upward, as if they had all been attached to a multi-stringed leash.
There was a dragon, about twenty-five feet long, five feet wide, and covered in bone-white fur. The giant creature was circling down out of the heavens on wings that glowed gold due to the sun shining through them from behind. The spectacular dragon’s long neck tapered into a pointed face, very much like that of an arctic fox. It had huge paws, rather than the usual reptilian clawed feet, though the tips of impressively lethal-looking claws glittered in the sunlight. A pair of long, ebony teeth protruded from its upper jaw and overlapped its lower lip.
It was Sonos, the Luck Dragon.
On his back was none other than the Seer of the Drako Academy, Claire.
Chapter 26
Sonos came down to land outside of the massed ring of soldiers so that both he and Claire were obscured from my vision for a few moments. The excited cheering and chattering of the crowd had died at the approach of the Seer. Now, a reverential hushed babbling broke out. The crowd of soldiers parted like the Red Sea, and Claire walked serenely though the midst of adoring, almost worshipful, troops. She smiled at those who met her mismatched blue and red eyes, causing many to blush and bow all the lower.
“Seer,” many of them murmured as she passed them.
“Seer.”
“Seer.”
Claire seemed completely and utterly unmoved by the acolyte-like respect the soldiers all showed her. It looked like she was used to it, and that any awkwardness that she might ever have felt at being treated so differently had long since passed.
The Seer strode lightly up to where me and the other five dragonmancers were standing in front of General Shiloh, her long, flawless lace dress trailing behind her.
I had still been unable to work out exactly where Claire was on the totem pole of the Imperial hierarchy, but seeing how everyone, even General Shiloh, seemed to venerate her, I figured that she was somewhat of a big deal.
“Seer,” General Shiloh greeted Claire, bowing as low as her square frame permitted.
“Hello, General Shiloh,” Claire said in her serene, tinkling voice.
Her silver hair was braided as usual but had been
