It took all my willpower not to go tearing off toward the south immediately. My first thought was that something terrible had or was going to happen. Not to Mother; I couldn’t see all the massed forces of Happar, Tekeretek, and Karakan together doing anything more than annoy her. I could still be hurt, despite my size and strength, but Mother stood literally twice as tall as I did, and I had seen her casually tear chunks of molten rock out of the mountainside with her claws. No, there was no rational reason to worry for her. Instead I remembered how I’d told her about the war and that it concerned me, and I had the awful thought that she’d decided to fix that problem for me.

  Now, if that meant flying into Happar and telling them that the war was over, there wouldn’t be a problem. But Mother had an understandably draconic way of solving problems, and it hadn’t at all been tempered by her seven or so centuries of life. She’d explained to me, in no uncertain terms, that she could end the war if she so chose. But experience had taught her that any interference on her part would bring reprisals — perhaps not tomorrow, perhaps not next year, but they would come. They may not even come from Happar or Tekeretek. Worst of all, they may be aimed at me instead of her. So her solution was to make sure that no one on this island had the capacity to retaliate until I was big and strong enough that she needn’t worry.

  She wouldn’t win the war for Karakan. She’d cripple human civilization on the island for decades to come and call it a good day’s work.

  All that to say: if I were still human, I’d be sweating at the knowledge that she might be anywhere near the war.

  But I didn’t slam my way through the cellar doors and take off south at top speed. Instead I asked Avjilan, clearly if not calmly, “Where could I find her in five minutes?”

  He cast his spell, and the answer was the same. I asked where to find her in an hour, and the answer was the same. Six hours, the same. A day, the same.

  When it came back that I’d find her in the same place in three days, I started to worry for her. It felt insane to do so, but I couldn’t help it. Why would she be in the same place for three days in a row?

  “Do you think that she is all right?” Herald asked, voicing my own worry.

  I forced the concern down. She wasn’t moving around across the countryside, burning it down to barren, baked ash. She wasn’t moving from city to city, reducing them to smoldering ruins of cracked sandstone and black, runny glass. That was good, and that was all I needed to worry about. She could take care of herself. Me suddenly showing up, flying like I was trying to head off the grand opening of the gates of Hell, would only make her suspicious.

  “She has to be,” I said. “I don’t want to imagine what could cause her trouble. Avjilan, if I ask you to check tomorrow, do you think the answers will be the same?”

  “They very well may be,” he said. “I always get the most probable answer, but the farther ahead, the more uncertain that answer is.”

  “Great. Let’s do that, then. Maybe tonight, even.”

  “You’re sure you don’t want to go?” Mak asked. And of course she would. Lying to myself about how I felt was far easier than lying to her.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure. Aren’t we supposed to meet Soandel today or something?”

  “There was an invitation yesterday for a private midday meal today,” Herald confirmed. “We replied that the three of us would attend; Tam and Val are not quite comfortable with the idea yet. But if you are worried about Embers…”

  “Nah. Thanks for the concern, but we need to worry about things closer to home. We need to get a handle on the Council, and it would look odd if the two of you went on your own.”

  “If you are sure,” she said, pulling on my neck until I brought my head around close to her. Then she scratched around my stubby left horn, the way she liked to do when I was sad, or worried, or angry, or… anything, really. Not that I was complaining; it felt really good. I just wasn’t even sure if it was for my sake or her own, considering how it seemed to calm her just as much as it did me.

  A few hours later we were at the gate of Soandel’s estate, right on the cliffs in the highest part of the city. I’d flown, but Herald had been very clear that they couldn’t possibly. She may own Soandel in every way that mattered, but that made no difference, nor did the fact that this was an “informal midday meal.” We were going to see one of the most important men in the city, and we were doing so publicly — she and Mak were wearing their best, and they took a palanquin up there, arriving fresh as the flowers that were springing up everywhere and with their clothes in perfect order.

  I let her do as she pleased. Not that I agreed with the necessity. I understood her reasoning, and the respect with which the guards at the gate treated her and Mak as they stepped out of the palanquin said that she’d been right, but I still thought that arriving by dragon would have looked better. Respect was guaranteed when you had two tons of magical murder-lizard backing you up.

  Did I really weigh two tons? I wondered if it would be possible to find out — I kind of liked the idea.

  I followed the palanquin from the air then landed as it arrived at the estate. The poor bearers just about pissed themselves and took off as soon as they could.

  “Did you tip them?” I asked Mak as we watched them disappear down the street. “Pretty unprofessional to just run off like that.”

  “I’d like to be able to hire a palanquin on short notice in the future,” Mak replied. “So yes, I tipped them. Quite well, too. I love you, but normal people will still need something extra to overcome their awe.”

  I snorted. “Awe” wasn’t the word I’d use for how those poor bastards had smelled.

  The man on the gate was the same captain who’d come to our rescue on the night that we claimed Soandel. Literally to the rescue in poor Mister Onur’s case, considering the dagger in his gut. The captain was one of those people who feared me appropriately but mastered that fear and stood his ground. I quite liked him for that.

  “Lady Draka, Ladies Drakonum,” he said as his subordinates opened the gates for us. “The lord exchequer Soandel bids you most welcome. If you’ll please follow me, he and Lady Soandel are waiting in the garden.”

  The garden covered most of the estate, but the part the captain led us to was a patio between the villa and the cliff. The whole area was cool but not cold and was full of a subtle, pleasant smell that wafted off the flowering bushes surrounding it. I really would have to return here at night sometime soon, I thought, when the moon garden would be in bloom.

  In the center of the patio was a low table, bare except for a flower arrangement, and with four thick cushions arranged along one of the long sides and both short ones. As we came closer, another, smaller table became visible by the other long side, with its own flower arrangement and a multitude of cushions behind it.

  “Well, that’s considerate,” I commented, and my sisters hummed their agreement.

  The stillness was shattered as a large, middle-aged woman appeared from around the bushes closer to the house. “There you are!” she said, approaching with steps so quick that I could only barely not say that she was running. “My dear husband’s savior! And the ladies Drakonum, of course! Welcome! Welcome! Oh, I’m delighted to finally meet you!”

  Lady Soandel was what one might call comfortably round, in that she bore her weight very well. The same was true of her years; her hair was a rich, warm brown with only a few streaks of gray, and most of her wrinkles were the kind that came from smiling wide and often.

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  She was also rather tall; not quite to Herald’s level, but close enough to six feet to make her taller than most men. She was certainly taller than her husband, who followed her with a look of fond resignation on his face. He caught up with her as she stopped a few feet in front of us and joined her in a shallow bow, saying, “My ladies. Welcome. We are so glad you could join us today.”

  If it had just been Lord Soandel, I would have replied, but his wife’s presence threw me off. While I was sure that me being a dragon and Lord Soandel’s supposed savior meant that I’d be forgiven practically anything, it seemed like some kind of propriety was in order here, and I wasn’t sure how things went.

  Mak, bless her, sensed my hesitation and took a step forward, answering their bows with a deeper one of her own. “Lord and Lady Soandel,” she said. “We are honored by your invitation.”

  “Oh, the dear friends of Lady Draka are most welcome in our home,” Lady Soandel said effusively, “aren’t they, dear?”

  “Of course, my love,” her husband answered.

  I privately thought that saying that while looking at another woman with the kind of adoration he directed at Herald should be illegal, but it wasn’t like he could help it.

  After straightening back up, Lord Soandel gestured to the tables. “Please, sit! Refreshments will already be on their way, and the simpler food should arrive in a few minutes. Lady Draka, I confess we were not sure what you would prefer, but General Sarvalian mentioned in a letter that raw meat seemed to please you. Our head cook has assembled a variety of meats and fishes for you to sample. Would that be to your liking?”

  “That would please me, yes,” I said, doing my best to sound regal. It was a toss up between whether I should imitate Herald or my mother, really. And it really would please me. I’d had a nice, big meal the night before, but I had room, and “a variety” sounded like just the thing.

  The food was as good as might be expected at the home of one of the richest men in the city. There were wines and juices and cool, clear water, iced fruits to start with followed by a multitude of little dishes that didn’t really appeal to me but which the girls tucked into with gusto. And I wasn’t the least bit disappointed; I must have tried at least twenty different types of meat and seafood, all tastefully arranged in ways that would have made a master sushi chef proud.

  It really was a nice meal, as long as I ignored the fact that Lord Soandel was one of our hosts. His wife made up for it, though. She may have been loud, bombastic even, but she was also surprisingly down to earth. She had an energetic way of speaking that could have easily let her dominate the conversation, but she didn't. Instead she asked a lot of questions. Not of me; despite everything, she was clearly nervous about speaking to me directly, and she watched with a nervous fascination as I ate and only asked a few polite questions about how I found the city. But then she moved on to Herald and Mak, and her inhibitions vanished.

  She was very curious about what it was like to run an inn, and even more about what adventuring in the north was like. Tying the topics together, Mak and Herald told her about the trip to the Old Mallinean villa where we’d found the book that made our fortune, and even told of our fights with the trolls once she showed interest. Lady Soandel hung onto every word, never once showing the slightest hint of revulsion or otherwise looking down on anyone who killed monsters for a living — unlike her husband, who looked more than a little queasy when we got into the gory details.

  When the conversation lulled, Lady Soandel leaned across the table conspiratorially and stage whispered, “It’s a bit of an open secret, but my own family made their fortune in the north. My great-great-grandparents, all four on my father's mother's side, were an adventuring party together! I have their old letters and journals and everything! If you ever wish to read them, only ask; I’d love to talk about their exploits with you and to get your opinions on how much is exaggerated or just made up.”

  “That might be interesting, actually,” Herald said. “I am curious what they may have found up there.”

  “Oh, excellent! Let us write and arrange something! Now, I have enjoyed meeting you all beyond belief, but my dear husband told me before you arrived that he wants some time alone with you, and I do go on. So, I shall leave you with my gratitude, my dear hope that we will do this again soon, and my request that you bring your brother and his partner next time. Lady Draka, ladies Drakonum, I wish you a wonderful day!”

  With that she bustled off, and the silence she left behind her felt somehow out of place. Like the natural thing was for the air to be full of her enthusiasm, and without it there was a space that the four of us couldn't possibly fill.

  Finally, Mak broke the silence with a short laugh. “I quite like her!” she said.

  “As do I,” Lord Soandel said fondly. “I’ll let her know you said so. She’ll be delighted. She always worries that she's too much, but she can’t help but be herself.”

  “A lot, for sure,” Herald said. “But not too much. Like a large bath, perhaps. More than strictly necessary, but can you have too big of a bath?” Then she blushed and covered her mouth. “Mercies, do not tell her that I said that!”

  “Of course, Lady Herald,” Soandel said quickly. “Though you needn’t worry. I think she’d be amused.”

  “Still,” Herald said.

  He nodded gravely.

  “How much does she know?” I asked. “She didn’t mention Katil at all.”

  “As much as the guards do,” he answered, with a meaningful look toward the guard captain who stood out of earshot but with a clear line of sight to us. “That Katil, for reasons unknown, attacked my guest and myself. Officially, to anyone outside the household, he died defending me from an unexpected assailant, and it will stay that way until we can prove that he wasn’t being blackmailed.”

  He lied smoothly, the lord exchequer.

  “Now, please, come. Let’s take a walk along the cliffs. I find that the sea air helps with my digestion,” he continued, rising carefully from his cushion. I could see the captain move to come with us, but Soandel waved him down with a very clear stop-right-there gesture. The message was clear. It was time to speak frankly and privately.

  “Captain Nepria has beyond excellent hearing, but this should do,” Soandel said as we neared the cliffs. He spoke normally, but the sound of the surf was already getting loud. “I spoke in Lady Draka’s favor in yesterday’s session.”

  “So you’ve officially recovered from your illness?” I asked.

  Soandel sniffed. “There was little reason to keep up the pretense. It might amuse you all to know that Nahasia could barely contain his shock; we’ve been allies for weeks now, trying to slow down Lady Draka’s ‘insidious attempts to subvert the Council’. Yakamo and Parvion both took the news of you ‘saving’ me favorably, and Alster… hard to say with that man, honestly, but I doubt he saw through my deception.”

  “How did you do that, by the way?” Mak said, and I could swear that I felt her annoyance more than I heard it in her voice. “I never got the sense from you that you were anything but open and honest with us.”

  “Lady Drakonum, please don’t feel like you’ve failed in any way. Success wasn’t ever a possibility. I was a broker of deals long before I became a political man, and a reputation for absolute secrecy and never letting anything slip made me who I am today. Not even the lady justice can see through me if I don’t want her to.”

  Mak frowned at that but let the topic drop. It wasn’t like Soandel could lie to us anymore.

  “What are the current plans in the Council concerning the war?” Herald asked.

  “We will attempt to increase pressure on Tavvanar to commit troops by influencing the other League members to become more vocal in their support, and we will devote more of our gold reserves to recruiting mercenaries.”

  “And the Wolves?”

  “Pulling them back to the city to negotiate a front-line contract was a ploy to increase dissatisfaction in the countryside, and easy enough to justify with how badly our cavalry are outnumbered.” Soandel tensed as he turned a worried look at Herald. “I had assumed that you wanted me to work to reverse that? Was I mistaken?”

  “No, that is correct. If you can restore their original contract…”

  “I’m sure that should be possible,” Soandel said, the tension bleeding from his shoulders. “Beyond that, it gets detailed enough that we could be here for hours. I could add it to the report I am already compiling, if you wish, my lady.”

  “Do that. For now, let us know about any significant policy changes or upcoming votes.”

  “And any important intelligence reports or shifts at the front,” I added. “I’d prefer not to get involved directly, but I may be able to do something just by being there if things get really hairy.”

  “As you say, my lady,” Soandel said to Herald. Then he simply nodded to me.

  It was weird for someone to not think that I was the most important person here. I was used to people focusing on me, either out of fear or adoration. But as best as I could tell, to Soandel I was now just some kind of hanger-on of Herald’s, and I wasn’t sure that I liked it. I’d expected Soandel and anyone else Herald claimed to slot smoothly into some kind of hierarchy, with me at the top. Clearly that was not the case.

  We talked a little bit more about what Soandel could focus on, and what he might do to benefit us, such as investing in the Tesprils’ trade enterprises, and adding Sarina and Marvan to his payroll.

  “Easily done,” he said to the latter. “I have a few agents already; two more wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. How does four Eagles each per week sound? And I could pay them via you; it’s not unusual to use a middle-man in these circumstances.”

  “Great,” Herald said. “See to it.”

  “Of course, my lady. And that brings us naturally to the final topic I wished to touch on today.”

  “And what is that?”

  “A tangible demonstration of my gratitude for Lady Draka’s aid, of course!” he said, repeating Herald’s words from two nights before. “‘Noticeable, but which won’t raise too many eyebrows,’ was what you said. I’ve given it some thought, and I believe I’ve arrived at just the thing.”

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