“And in your surveilling...has he seen you yet?”
Danhy hesitates and then nods, her wild umber mane rippling over her shoulders. “Yes.” She glances to Cyphus. “When I took Cyphus with me. We let him see us to test him, and he fled, clearly frightened.”
Tage leans back in his chair, his hands relaxed over the wooded arms, very much reminding me of a king taking measure of his domain. “Did I instruct you to reveal yourselves?”
Danhy ducks her gaze, suddenly inordinately interested with the food on her plate.
Cyphus speaks up. “It was my idea.”
Tage looks at him coolly. “It seems you have a lot of ideas lately. Maybe you should run these ideas by me before acting.”
It might be worded as a polite suggestion, but it is not.
A ruddy hue comes over Cyphus’s face, but he offers no excuse, merely holds Tage’s gaze with a defiant set to his square jaw.
After a moment, Tage returns his attention to Danhy, clearly dismissing Cyphus.
A small smile plays about my lips, enjoying any byplay in which Cyphus is censured.
Cyphus’s eyes harden as he catches sight of my almost smile and his mouth pulls tight, whitening at the corners.
My lips quickly flatten.
“You don’t think it’s a ruse,” Tage says, “that he could be one of the skelm planted to trick us into taking him in?” He glances around the expansive cavern, and it dawns on me what a coup they have in this place. Well-concealed and situated and large enough for them to move around fully manifested in their dragon forms if they choose, it’s perfect. Tage’s pride could grow by many members, and it would still have ample room for all.
“He’s young,” Danhy offers. “He hasn’t been very successful hunting independently. He’s an onyx, but he hasn’t fully come into his own yet. He’s weak. Starving. I don’t think any member of the skelm would go to such lengths to try to trap us.” Her lips twist in scorn. “They’re such a gluttonous lot, not in any way about self-deprivation to reach a goal.” She pauses a long beat, and then offers with surprising compassion, “We need to make a move. He needs our help. He won’t survive much longer alone.” I suppose she has plenty of compassion when it’s for a dragon.
“You want to grow our numbers,” Cyphus reminds, evidently not cowed into silence. “He could be useful to our pride...eventually, when he reaches his full potential. Another onyx like us. Three onyxes would go a long way to increase our forces.”
Danhy seconds that with, “You two are the strongest of us. It would be an advantage to add a third to our ranks.”
Cyphus preens a bit at her recognition of his strength, grunting in acknowledgment where he sits eating, his thick jaw moving, reminding me a of a cow working its cud. He no doubt enjoys being pronounced one of the strongest of the pride.
Tage doesn’t react to the praise, sits stoically with Danhy’s words for several long moments.
“Shall we establish contact with him?” Cyphus asks, a touch of impatience in his voice. Clearly, he wants to take charge of the assignment but requires his alpha’s consent.
“The two of you go, approach him.” He nods at Danhy and Viggo. “Bring him some food but be careful. Don’t box yourselves in anywhere with him. Make certain you have a clear path of escape.”
“What about me?” Cyphus frowns, clearly disliking being excluded.
“You think he could be...bait for a trap?” Danhy frowns.
“I know better than to make any assumptions. Never underestimate the skelm. This is just a preliminary conversation. Get to know him. Find out where he comes from...if he would be a good fit for us. Donotbring him back with you. Not yet.”
“What about me?” Cyphus demands like a petulant child. “Why canInot go?”
Tage doesn’t even glance at Cyphus as he tears off a hunk of bread and sweeps it around the juices on his plate. “Another onyx might intimidate him.”
Cyphus’s lips compress as though fighting against a rebuttal.
Viggo and Danhy hurriedly finish eating and leave, eager to carry out their assignment and establish contact with this new dragon.
I finish eating and then start gathering the dishes, accepting that the task falls to me tonight without help from Viggo.
Tage’s voice cuts across the table. “Cyphus can handle the cleanup. You come with me.”
“Me? I’m to clean up?”
