“Unless he raids your farms for livestock, which I assume will be frowned upon, it’s going to make it hard for him to go out and hunt for Wreylith while she’s nesting.”
“Did she ask him to do that?” Syla’s skeptical expression suggested she knew Wreylith wouldn’t ask anyone for anything.
“I believe he was going to volunteer,” Vorik said as Agrevlari demolished another wyvern statue. “He wants to be involved in caring for her and the hatchlings, I understand. Also, he’s hoping she’ll let him name the males.”
“Does he have names picked out?”
“He’s musing at this point. He askedmefor suggestions.”
“Nothing that rhymes with spectacles, I hope.”
Vorik grinned. “I don’t think he’d considerthoserhymes appropriate.”
“Wreylith wouldn’t.”
“No.”
A rumble came from one of the dragons. Or maybe both of them? Were they growling at each other with plans to fight about something?
No, their tails were still touching, so Vorik realized…
“We may want to give them some privacy.” He tapped Syla on the back and nodded toward the exit tunnel.
She set the tea mug on a workstation, then let him guide her toward the tunnel as more growls emanated from the dragons. Now, the tips of their tails wereintertwined.
“Are they…” she started, looking over her shoulder.
“Going to make this officially Wreylith’s cave now? I think so.”
“I thought they were concerned about whether Agrevlari would be able to leave the island.”
“It’s possible he won’t remember to be concerned about that until tomorrow morning. Or tomorrownight. Dragons have vast stamina, you know.”
“I seem to recall that from the desert, yes.” Syla quickened her pace.
25
After leavingthe laboratory and passing through the alcove of tombs, Syla stopped sooner than Vorik expected. Her bodyguard and most of the soldiers had escorted Jhiton and Teyla—presumablymostlyJhiton—out of the tunnels, but the two who’d been tasked with guarding the hidden door to the shielder chamber remained.
“You two can go up to the castle.” Syla tilted her thumb back toward the laboratory. “Nobody is going to come in from that direction right now.”
One of the dragons roared. Vorik could tell it had nothing to do with battle, but the soldiers’ eyes widened with concern.
“Wreylith is claiming the laboratory for her new cave,” Syla added, not mentioning Agrevlari or what was about to goonin that cave. “She won’t let anyone pass.”
“The red dragon, Your Majesty? She’s magnificent.”
“Yes, she is.”
One of the dragons roared again, and the soldiers hurried away. They might believe a dragon magnificent, but that didn’t mean they wanted a duty station that was adjacent to one’s cave.
Vorik expected Syla to follow after the men, but she paused and touched her fingers to the wall with a thoughtful expression on her face.
“When I first came here after bonding with Wreylith, she was able to fly through the shield without trouble, but we had some difficulties on Bogberry Island.”
“I remember,” Vorik said.
“Eventually, I was able to communicate with the shielder there and convey that she should be given access.”
