“I know,” Syla said, though she was surprised he’d been able to sense her using her magic from that far away.
“You know?” Vorik regarded her curiously. “She told you?”
Wait, were they talking about different things?
“Told me what?” Syla asked.
“I believe your dragon is pregnant.”
2
Pregnant?Agrevlari was the one to respond first to Vorik’s comment.
Syla merely gazed at him, her jaw descending.
You don’t think so?Vorik asked his ally.A dragon craving eggshells and bones is common with pregnancy. They need the nutrients in them to form their own shells to protect the embryos, right? And doesn’t Wreylith seem a touch… moody?
A dragon has many moods, and Wreylith has always been intriguingly tempestuous.From his perch on the wheelhouse, Agrevlari looked in the direction Wreylith had flown, though she’d disappeared from view over Harvest Island.
Vorik hoped Wreylith didn’t run into any trouble over there. The last he’d heard, Freedom Faction dragons had been fighting against stormer-allied dragons, vying over the only Kingdom island without a barrier to protect it. At least for the time being. Vorik glanced at Syla’s aunt sitting with her book beside the magical components that Syla had stolen from his camp. He smiled at the memory of her temerity. She hadn’t admitted it to him, but, more than once, he had wondered if she’dlethim kidnap her so that she would learn where the components wereand could retrieve them. That almosthadn’t worked since Jhiton had extracted the location of the Bogberry Island shielder when he’d questioned her, but she’d still come out on top. It was almost as if Syla had designed it that way from the beginning, knowing she could lure Jhiton and other stormers to their demise when her aunt had flooded the mine.
Oh, Vorik doubted it had been that premeditated, but Syla had proven herself capable of outmaneuvering him enough times that he wouldn’t want to cross her. Vorik lamented that his brother had. Jhiton had been too obsessed with obtaining the Kingdom islands, and he’d paid the ultimate price. Many of their people had.
Vorik shook his head, wondering what the chiefs and whoever would be promoted to lead the Sixteen Talons in Jhiton’s absence would decide to do. If they were wise, after losing so many fighters in the mine—not to mention all the dragons that had been killed by the weapons platform—they would send a party to negotiate a peace treaty with the Garden Kingdom. But with Chieftess Shi and other leaders with strong voices—strongly bellicose voices—remaining, his people might not make the wise choice. Unfortunately.
“I didn’t think…” Syla said, finally recovering from Vorik’s statement. “I mean, I thought Wreylith was older. Past the age of having babies. Er, laying eggs. She’s said she’s lived many centuries. She knew my great-greatgrandmother.”
“Dragons are long-lived.” Vorik spread his arms, not having further details, probably because he was bonded to a male dragon rather than a female. Had he been like Lieutenant Yarvorin, who kept getting left out of missions because the fecund—and promiscuous—female dragon he rode wasalwaystaking time off to lay eggs and care for her young, Vorik might have learned more on the topic. Agrevlari’s contribution to thecreation of offspring was rather brief and limited. “This wouldn’t be their typical breeding time of year, but…”
“The cactus flowers,” Syla said.
Fel grimaced and looked away from Aunt Tibby, though she was immersed in her book and didn’t appear interested in the conversation.
Ah, the cactus flowers,Agrevlari rumbled into Vorik’s mind.
“The cactus flowers,” Vorik agreed, a flush creeping into him as he remembered Syla with her dress hiked up against that rock formation, and him… doing the hiking. And other things. “Erm.”
He looked away, aware of numerous crew watching them from within hearing range. Didn’t that major and captain have a fleet to command?
As if Vorik’s look had summoned him, the major stepped forward. “Are you all right, Your Majesty? We heard the cannons. You and your dragon were spotted, I take it.”
“And fired upon, yes.” Syla gazed toward the point on the end of the island. With her small fleet sailing inexorably toward it, it would be visible to the ships in the harbor before long. “I have a feeling our vessels might receive the same welcome home.”
“We could fire back.” Instead of looking at the cannons mounted along the railing, the major pointed to the weapons platform. “Effectively.”
“Wreylith is effective too, but I stopped her from attacking. I don’twantto attack our own ships.” An aggrieved expression crossed Syla’s face. “I need to take back the throne, but we’re going to have to find a way other than sailing directly into the harbor, disembarking, and walking up to the castle.”
“I could have told youthatwouldn’t work earlier,” Fel said. “Whoever is behind this—was it Lord Fograth from the beginning, or did your cousin Relvin or another scheme it up?—has had days to plan. Maybe weeks if they started before you left.”
“Before I left to try to take back Harvest Island. And save Bogberry Island.” Syla looked in exasperation at Vorik, and he braced himself to be blamed for the attacks. His peoplehadbeen behind them, after all. But what Syla said was, “I’m affronted that they were staging a coup whilewewere defending the kingdom.”
“That does seem rude,” Vorik offered, not sure how much he should advise or suggest when he was, as the officers kept pointing out, nothing more than a prisoner from an untrusted people.
“Very.” Syla turned toward the major. “Do you think Fograth would think to have put ships in the Lyvoran Freight Harbor?” She waved toward another section of Castle Island.
“Maybe, maybe not, but there are always two military ships stationed there to guard the cargo that’s loaded, especially now that we’re deep in harvest season. Though, the last I heard, the delivery of potatoes and grains to the southern islands has been paused because of the stormer threat. The harbor may be packed full of cargo vessels waiting for an opportunity to depart.”
“It’s always busy this time of year. There may be a way for us to slip in, barely noticed. From there, we could go overland and sneak into the castle and… figure out a way to get the throne back.” Syla looked at Vorik again.
