To my sorrow, no. We have learned that the most honorable humans can have their tongue loosened by threats to them or to those they love, and I must protect my Nest as you would protect your family.
Allow another spell to control what he could and could not say? Never. His mind was his own. It was bad enough having the one binding spell in place.
I can sense your discomfort with the idea, so I will say no more.
“You will not try to persuade me that it is only a small thing?”He had not meant to say that, but the words would not be held back.
Of course not. Only you can decide whether giving up your free will on whether or not to speak is an acceptable price.
At least the dragon understood his concerns. Even so, every instinct raged against the idea. “If I agree to this, will it truly bring me back safely?”
No. I would give you tools that could help you, nothing more.
No false promises, but no rescue, either. The disappointment made him realize how badly he longed to survive this mission, to return to Elizabeth, to meet his child.
If Lord Liverpool at the War Office knew how to use bindings, he would have bound Darcy long ago not to speak of his mission. It would be a tool they used on every spy and agent, and without asking permission. But this dragon, ancient, powerful, with the ability to tear him to shreds with its sharp talons or to roast him alive with its fiery breath, was offering him a choice.
A choice to live to see his child.
“Yes, I will accept the binding,” he blurted out before he could think better of it.
You do not seem certain. Perhaps you might wish to consider it or to speak with your mate first.This dragon cared more for his opinion than all the fine gentlemen in the government who lectured others on their duty.
“I am as certain as I can be about a spell which affects my mind.” And suddenly it was true.
The dragon inclined his head.Then everything you learn from me in this conversation henceforth will be under binding.
“I agree.”
His skin tingled, not painfully, more like the mildest of repulsion, and then it faded away. He felt no different. Had something truly changed?
Here is the gift I have for you. The dragon held out his foreleg as if holding something in it, but there was nothing there.You cannot see it, but you will be able to feel it. Take it.
Feeling foolish, Darcy reached out for empty air, and his fingers touched metal. He grasped it, the invisible Artifact, and ran it through his fingers. It seemed to be a pendant, a chain with an attached oval of metal. He could see his fingers clearly through it, with none of the blurred edges characteristic of an illusion of invisibility. It made no sound as he poured it from one hand to the other, no clinking or clattering. “What is it?”
It is invisible, silent, without smell or taste. If you put a drop of your blood in the center of the pendant, you will take on those same properties for a day and a night. No one will see you, smell you, or hear you, not even your breathing. Nor can your magic be sensed. Only by touch can you be found.
Darcy’s jaw dropped. “This can truly do all that?” It was the stuff of ancient stories.
We use them regularly. I have placed limitations on this one, though. It will work only for you, and only one time. I set it so it will have no effect on British soil, nor upon the sea. It is for your protection, and nothing else. Should you try to use it to harm another person or dragon, it will shatter in your hands and lose all effect.
Darcy stared at his seemingly empty hands. With this, he could walk out of Napoleon’s palace without pursuit. This could easily make the difference between life and death, imprisonment or freedom. “I give you my word of honor I will not misuse it. This is truly a marvel. I have never heard of such a thing.”
The dragon sighed.We keep them secret, even from our companions. We created these amulets for our safety, but many humans would see the potential for misuse. They would use it to spy or steal or kill with no one the wiser. If your leaders knew they existed, they would want them for their soldiers and spies, and they would demand them from us, whether or not we were willing. We would be complicit in the crimes they committed with our magic.
It was true. One of these amulets would allow anyone to walk up and kill Napoleon, or the prime minister, or King George. They would give ultimate power, and the government would not rest until they possessed them. “Yet you use them regularly. Why would a dragon need to hide when you can already change into any form?”
We hide from the Wicked King. Although we live in the mortal world, there are times we must return to Faerie: to breed and for the hatching of eggs. These amulets protect us from discovery.
From the High King, who could force them back into slavery. No wonder they had created these Artifacts, but the Eldest was right. These were too potent for humankind to be trusted with. For once, Darcy was grateful for the binding that would force him to keep this secret.
Chapter 9
To Elizabeth’s relief, theEldest had pronounced that Darcy should not travel until the following day and turned them over to Rowan’s care. Elizabeth and Darcy followed the young dragon through a long corridor and out a different exit from the Nest, this one leading to a lonely moor, broken only by a few grazing sheep and a crumbling shepherd’s hut.
The dragon gestured to the shepherd’s hut. “We have prepared the Companions’ House for you.”
Oh, dear. It did not bode well if the dragons felt that this tiny shelter was suitable accommodation for their companions. Would the roof even be intact? Perhaps she should insist on something better. Even a rustic cottage would be an improvement.
