Even with the Dragon?
If you cannot talk sense into her, yes. Understand that it is not an issue for me should she die here, and there are not a few families who would take great pleasure in the attempt to accomplish that.His voice was dry.
They’d probably die first.
Yes, but they would consider the glory of their deaths to be a boon to their family lines; it would be an honorable death.
Do you have Terrano?
Yes. The answer was curt.I am uncertain, however, that I will have him for long.
What?
Hurry. Against my better judgment, I am attempting to preserve his life.
17
Fear for Terrano eclipsed intelligent precautions, and Kaylin picked up the pace, sprinting down the hall. She had never been good with geography, and the building was like a maze to her inexperienced eye, but she had good ears, and she could follow the sound of Barrani voices as if they were money.
She tried, once, to tell Bellusdeo to go back to their room, and decided she’d rather face hostile, armed Barrani. Bellusdeo was a Dragon; she could take care of herself. And could probably take care of most of them, if it came to that. They were no longer in the safe space of the Hallionne, but that meant nothing was restraining Bellusdeo.
And even as she thought it, she felt uneasy. This was the heart of Barrani territory in the west. It had existed through three different wars. She slowed enough that Bellusdeo careened into her, which did nothing for the ability of either of them to remain on two feet.
Only the Dragon cursed. Kaylin got to her feet as a distant roar raised the stakes.
Kaylin.
I’m coming. I was hoping to leave the Dragon behind.She picked herself up and sprinted the rest of the way.
* * *
The Barrani were prepared for Dragons.
Unfortunately, a Dragon wasn’t what they were facing, although the creature that towered above them in the courtyard certainly had the right form. He was the first silver dragon Kaylin had ever seen, and his wings—both of which were raised—were longer from end to end than even Bellusdeo’s. His scales were not the same shape as any other dragon with whom Kaylin was familiar, but anyone could have been forgiven for making the assumption. His eyes, however, were all wrong; they were Hallionne eyes. Terrano eyes.
Familiar eyes.
Without thought, Kaylin pushed past the spears and shields of the second rank of Barrani guards; past the swords and shields of the first rank. Lirienne was not a human lord, or at least not a member of the human caste court. When he joined a fight, he led from the front.
And he was, as he had said, attempting to preserve Terrano. Terrano even looked as if he required the aid.
“Cut that outright now!” she shouted.
The silver, shimmering dragon’s jaws snapped shut as his head swiveled toward her.
“What do you think you’redoing?”
I...am saving you.
“You arenotsavingme! I’m not in danger here!”
“I think that’s vastly overstating the case,” the gold Dragon said. To Lirienne’s credit, the nearest Barrani did not immediately reverse the direction of their weapons and attempt to skewer her. And given the color of their eyes, that wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Kaylin tried—very hard—to remember how little her life was going to be worth if something happened to Bellusdeo. Yes, it wasn’t her fault. No, she wasn’t stupid enough to drag Bellusdeo to the West March intentionally. Regardless, she was the one who was going to be ash.
Even as she shouted, the shimmering serpent form began to dwindle.
“How did you even get here?” she demanded.
The dragon did not immediately answer her question; instead he became a much smaller, and much less solid-looking creature. Her familiar.
