“Maybe,” Syla said, “I should?—”
“I will speak to Syla Moonmark,” Ravoran growled from ten or twelve feet away.
Captain Vonla had appeared to deter him, lifting a hand toward his chest, her other hand resting on her sword hilt. Ravoran didn’t look as furious as when Syla had last spoken to him,beforeTibby had made a new shielder, but his face also didn’t beam with happiness. Further, he was armed, a mace and a long dagger belted at his waist.
“It’sQueenSyla Moonmark,” Vonla said, “And she’s in a meeting.”
Syla was starting to like that woman.
“Not untrue,” Teyla murmured.
“She’s reading abookwith her cousin,” Ravoran said, “and Lord Fograth has taken over the throne, so she’s not the queen of anything anymore.”
Vonla raised her chin. “Sheisthe rightful heir, and she will retake the throne as soon as she’s not busy defending the Kingdom.”
Syla sighed and lifted a hand, though she would have preferred to remainin a meeting, even if the subject matter was dark. “Let him come over, please, Captain.”
As Ravoran approached, Syla cast another worried look at the volcano. Fel hadn’t fired his flare yet, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d sent Tibby and Fel off into danger.
Wreylith?Syla called telepathically.Is there any trouble?
I am being rained on, the wind is gusting, and the dark clouds keep crackling with lightning.
Is there any trouble that’s a concern to Fel and Tibby?
Some time has passed since they disappeared into a cave that is too small for me to enter. I can sense your moon-marked relative. She has not moved from her position recently.
She must be affixing the shielder to its mount then. All right, thank you for the update. If there’s any trouble… come get me, please.
I could come get you now so that you could enjoy the rain and wind.
I might prefer that to speaking with the island lord who’s glaring at me.
Syla made herself smile at Ravoran. “Greetings, Lord. You came over here with urgency. Are you in need of healing?”
“I’m in need of knowing what, by all the stars in the sky, is happening to my island?” Ravoran thrust his hand toward the cloud-smothered volcano.
Syla blinked. Wasthatwhat he’d come over here about? He thought she knew?
“I’m not sure, Ravoran, but I’ve sent a team in with the new shielder. Hopefully, once that’s in place and there’s a barrier around Harvest Island, the sky will return to normal.”
“How is abarriergoing to make those clouds go away? I saw one shoot lightning out and almostkillyou.” Ravoran sounded more irritated that the weather phenomenon existed than that she’d almost died.
“Yes, that distressed me as well. I think?—”
“WhatIthink is that you’ve been pissing off dragons left and right with that contraption, and they decided to take revenge. Onmyisland. They set that…thatinto motion, whatever it is, and now they’ve left it to escalate into who knows what. The volcano is probably going to erupt and kill us all.”
“That particular volcano has been dormant for thousands of years.” Teyla held up a book, though it had nothing to do with geology. “It shouldn’t erupt.”
“I’m sure it can easily erupt,” Ravoran said, “in a world full of dragons and magic. Dragons whom our youthful would-be queen has irritated into acting.”
“They invaded your island and killed your people and decimated your crops,” Syla said. “I didn’t thinkirritatingthem—or killing them outright—would offend you.”
“If there are repercussions for that, it offends me. And my island wouldn’t have suffered all the rest if you hadn’tstolenour shielder.”
Syla lifted a hand to make a placating gesture, but Ravoran surged backward.
“Don’t you touch me again.” He pointed at her, his eyes wide as he glowered at her moon-marked hand. “When we get back, I’m throwing my weight as an island lord behind Fograth. He’s a pompous ass and probably someone’s toady, but he’s still better than a girl who sleeps with the enemy and makes choices to saveherisland while leaving the others to suffer.”
