"Sorry." I moved to sit beside him on his bed. "We are all worried." I got up and started pacing, taking over from where Alar had left off. "I hate this. I hate not knowing what's happening."
"You're starting to sound like me," Alar said with a wry smile.
"Elurion help us all," Codric muttered. "One of you is bad enough."
"Okay, back to our topic," I said. "Before I drive myself crazy. What else do we know about these dragons?"
"Just the names and the pattern of their riders' deaths," Codric said. "We need more information about the dragons themselves. When they hatched, who were their first riders, and any unusual behaviors they displayed."
"We need to get back to the archives." Morek crossed his legs at the ankles. "But after Odinah caught us, we can't go back there. At least not officially."
"What about asking the dragons directly?" Alar suggested. "Kailin can talk to any of them."
"And say what?" I asked. "'Hey, Vyrassin, why do you keep killing your riders? Just asking for a friend.'"
"Obviously not like that," Alar replied. "But she could ask general questions like who were the first hatchlings, how did they grow up without adult dragons to emulate, and whether they are different in any way from those who hatched later."
"That's actually not a bad idea," I admitted. "If she can be subtle about it. I don't know how much control she has over her telepathic communication with dragons."
13
KAILIN
"When dragons speak, the wise listen not just to the words, but also to the silences between them."
—From 'Observations', by Archivist Rotamus Valeese
The walk to the terrace was far too short, but it was still long enough for my mind to race through possibilities, each worse than the last.
Would Nyxath test me? Threaten me? Try to bind my emerging powers somehow? Did she know about my strange dream?
The terrace doors loomed before me, heavy wood reinforced with iron. Beyond them, I could sense Nyxath's presence, powerful and impossible to ignore. She had gotten there before me, which had already put me at a disadvantage. I should have been there first, waiting for her.
I took a breath, squared my shoulders, and pushed the doors open.
The terrace stretched along the mountainside, large enough to accommodate a couple of dragons, but only one occupied it now. Nyxath was even more magnificent up close than she'd appeared at the ceremony. Her scales were the deep blue of mountain lakes, shot through with veins of silver that caught the light like stars. She was massive, almost Onyx's size, and her royal bearing was unmistakable. Even without knowing that she was the queen of the dragons, I would have known she was no ordinary dragonia.
I bowed respectfully. "Good evening, Your Majesty."
Was that the right way to greet her? I hadn't bothered with protocol when I'd communicated with her in my prophetic dream about Podana, but I'd had a good excuse for forgoing it under those circumstances.
She chuffed, a sound that I had learned to associate with a dragon's chuckle."Call me Nyxath, Kailin. That's what everyone does."
The warmth in her mental tone was surprising, and the panic that had been choking me eased.
Not knowing how to respond, I dipped my head again.
"Come closer,"she said."Do not fear. I mean you no harm."
I walked forward on unsteady legs, stopping what I hoped was a respectful distance away. Up close, I could see the intelligence in her multifaceted eyes, ancient and knowing.
I gathered my courage and met her impossible eyes. "Why did you summon me? We could have communicated from any distance."
"You are direct. I like it."She lowered her great head until our eyes were level. "I enjoy talking face to face with people and dragons alike, despite communicating mind to mind. I am fascinated by all the human facial expressions that we dragonsdo not possess. There is so much to learn from just observing people's faces."
I nodded. "I feel the same way, about humans, that is. Facial expressions and body language tell a more complete story than words alone can convey."
"Smart girl. Saphir is very fond of you and has great hopes for you and your friends."
