Itwas. Once Marci’s eyes adjusted to the blinding light, she could see that Amelia’s balcony was identical to the one that jutted off the Heartstriker throne room one floor up. Even with heavy curtains covering the actual entrance, the half-moon jut of flat stone extending from the mountain’s side was still big enough for a full-sized dragon to land on comfortably, and the view of the feathered dragons flying over the sun-drenched desert below was absolutely spectacular. For Marci, though, the real treat was the banquet table that had been set up at the balcony’s center, its white-clothed expanse laden with enough food and alcohol to feed a small army.
Just looking at the beautifully arranged platters of French pastries and sandwiches protected from the sun by giant, invitingly shady umbrellas was enough to make Marci’s mouth water. She’d technically had breakfast already, but even at Heartstriker Mountain’s mortal clinic, hospital food was hospital food. It certainly didn’t hold a candle to the five-star-hotel-worthy spread in front of her. She was about to ask Amelia if it was all for them when she realized she and Amelia weren’t the only ones out here.
Beside the shaded banquet table, lounging on a folding beach chair with a frosty cocktail dangling from her fingers, was another dragon. She was wearing a white sun hat and huge movie-star-incognito-style sunglasses that covered half her face, not that it mattered. The ice-blond hair fluttering in the breeze gave her away instantly, as did the disdainful set of her porcelain lips when she turned to see who had joined her.
“Really, Planeswalker,” Svena said, her voice disgusted. “Thisis the ‘important human’ you left me to fetch? Julius’s hireling?”
The icy words stole all the warmth from the sunshine, and Marci instinctively darted behind Amelia for cover. “What’sshedoing here?”
“I know, right?” Amelia said, laughing. “The entitled snake just showed up and demanded a drink. Didn’t even apologize for her sister crashing aplaneinto myface.”
“Why should I apologize for things I was forced to do without my knowledge?” Svena asked, pausing to finish her drink. “Rest assured, Heartstriker. Had I been in command of myself, you would have hadmuchworse to deal with than mere aircraft.”
“Oh,please,” Amelia said, grabbing her own lounge chair from the stack by the door. “I think we all saw who the bigger dragon was that day.”
“You were quite the bloated hippo,” Svena replied as Amelia shook her chair out and plopped down beside her, waiting for the precise moment the other dragon got comfortable before holding out her empty glass. “Refill me.”
Amelia sighed and got back up, grabbing a pitcher of very alcoholic-smelling lemonade from the banquet table. She was pouring the contents into Svena’s cup when Marci finally found her voice again.
“Wait,” she said, looking from dragon to dragon. “You guys are justhanging out? I thought you were, like, mortal enemies or something.”
“We are,” Svena said as she carefully accepted her now very full glass. “But just because I dream of the day when the Planeswalker’s feathered head is mounted on my wall doesn’t mean we can’t be civil.”
“Relax, Marci,” Amelia said, pouring herself a drink as well before grabbing a chair for Marci. “It’s like I told you on the beach, what was it, three days ago?” She shook her head in amazement. “I can’t believe it’s only been that long. Anyway, like I said, Svena and I have always been good enemies. Sure, we’ve fought hundreds of times and our clans have been at war since before I was born, but it’s not exactly easy to find someone who can carry their half of a discussion about high-level dragon magic.” She grinned at Svena. “Sometimes, you just have to suck it up and deal with a lot of snobby snow-queen drama if you want to have a decent conversation.”
“And catching Amelia sober enough to actuallyhavea conversation is so rare, I’ve learned to jump on the chance whenever I find it,” Svena added, giving the Planeswalker a cutting look as Amelia downed her entire cup of spiked lemonade in one swig.
“What can I say?” Amelia said as she poured herself another. “Being at home makes me drink.”
“Everything makes you drink,” Svena said in disgust. “Look at you. It’s not even midmorning, and you’re already going strong.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I should attack right now on principle.”
Amelia shook her head. “Nice bluff, but I’m not buying. Even you’re not self-important enough to challenge a superior opponent while you’re preggers.”
“You’repregnant?” Marci cried, staring at Svena, who did not look pregnant at all. “But I thought the whole mating flight thing was just a ploy.”
“It was,” Svena admitted. “But what kind of dragon would I be if I couldn’t turn my sister’s plots to my own advantage? And Ian wasquitepersistent. I’ve never been so delightfully pursued.”
She finished with a suggestive purr that left nothing to the imagination, causing Amelia to choke on her drink. “Could you not?” she said, wiping her mouth. “That’s my little brother you’re talking about.”
“Like you care,” Svena said with a snort. “You didn’t even know which one Ian was until I pointed him out. But I suppose I can’t blame you. If my mothers had littered like yours, I wouldn’t have time to learn all my siblings, either.”
“Starting the Broodmare jokes early, I see,” Amelia said with a roll of her eyes. “Really, Svena, you’re not even trying. But—serious talk for a moment here—whydidyou go through with it? I mean, this is Ian-with-an-I we’re talking about. He’s not exactly the catch of the clan.”
Svena smiled innocently. “Would you believe I was swept away in the moment?”
“Not for a second,” Amelia said. “As much as I hate to contribute to your already over-inflated ego, we both know you could have any dragon in the world. Why settle for an I?”
“I didnotsettle,” Svena said fiercely. “And before you even suggest it, I didn’t do it for Estella, either.” She looked down at her drink. “I’ve become surprisingly…fond of Ian over our time together. He has all the famous Heartstriker charm and ambition with none of your family’s other annoying habits. There was also the matter of timing. It’s not every night one of the three dragon seers dies. The moment I woke up from Estella’s control and felt her loss, I knew I would never get a chance like this again, and Ian was right there.” She shrugged. “The choice was obvious.”
“I forgot this was happening just after Estella died,” Amelia said, a grin spreading over her face. “You clever snowflake.”
Svena preened at the praise. Marci, however, was completely lost. “What does your sister’s death have to do with a mating flight?”
The White Witch pursed her lips, clearly trying to decide if a chance to brag about her brilliance was worth replying to a mortal. But her pride in her schemes must have won over her haughtiness, because a few seconds later, she answered.
“I saw a unique opportunity,” she said, turning in her chair so she could face Marci properly. “There are always three, andonlythree, dragon seers alive in the world at any given time. Whenever one dies, another is born as soon as possible to preserve the balance. When I felt my sister turn to ash, I knew her replacement would be born in the very next dragon clutch, so I decided then and there to make sure the next clutch of eggs born into this world was mine.”
“In other words, she bred herself a seer,” Amelia said, raising her glass to her rival. “Gotta hand it to you, princess, those are some eyes on the prize. So when are you laying? Tomorrow?”
