Dragon Rule - E. E. Knight [95]
The Copper took one last look at the Audience Chamber, full of banners won in victories. He’d been at many of those battles. He’d miss the clucks and squawks of griffaran over him.
“Why did you join me?” he asked AuRon as they returned to the plaza atop the Imperial Rock to take off.
AuRon blinked. “It’s one way out of your crossbreeding of human and dragon society. I now have an excellent excuse never to return.”
“What about your mate?”
AuRon shifted his feet, as though trying to decide what to say. “She has a tooth for this sort of life. It’s not for me. She thinks of the Alliance as her home, not my island.”
“It looks like your island will have to do for me. And Nilrasha, though she’ll have to make the journey on foot. If you’ll have us, that is.”
“You may find it quiet, after the Lavadome.”
“I should very much like a little quiet. Let’s get a mouthful before we take off. I want to get to my mate’s cave before the news of this reaches her.”
Chapter 18
To the Copper, AuRon was entirely too cheerful about leaving the Lavadome.
NiVom, with his gargoyle escort, relished watching him fly into ignominity, flapping along with the artificial joint doing its job—just.
They took the swiftest exit they could, the south door, even if it meant a longer flight north to Nilrasha’s eyrie.
The lands they flew over, the rough terrain south of Ghioz, made for poor eating. Nothing but thorn and cactus and foul mudholes. Game was scarce and the journey slow until they reached the Horsedowns.
Men here were scarce, tribal, and what there were more or less worshiped the dragons. They happily let the dragons eat horses and ponies.
Their escort fed themselves on wild horses, and allowed the exiles only their scraps. AuSurath proved his loyalty to the Lavadome by only giving them what dragons usually considered offal.
While AuRon was too proud to ask his son for more, Wistala was under no such obligation to go. “You expect us to fly on gristle and hooves, nephew?” Wistala asked.
“The loss of a few pounds will do you good,” AuSurath replied.
Finally Shadowcatch, irritable because of all the flying, ambled over and picked up a horse half and glared at their escort, daring them to do anything about it. The Copper ate a few bits as a polite thank-you, but had no appetite. Even the juicy horse tasted like ash.
Nilrasha’s eyrie no longer looked picturesque and cozy. If anything, it seemed horribly remote and lonely. Anything could happen to his mate here, far from witnesses.
She had a visitor, although it wasn’t one of her favorites. Old Ibidio, mother to Halaflora and Imfamnia and Ayafeeia, leader of the Firemaids. The old battle-ax never thought the Copper and Nilrasha were worthy to dwell in Imperial Rock, let alone preside over it.
Nilrasha looked worried and haggard. Entertaining Ibidio for who knows how long had taken its toll. Did she know?
“My love, you arrive with quite a procession. I don’t think my refuge will hold them all,” Nilrasha said.
NiVom had the flying escort circle the eyrie. Wistala and AuRon landed. Shadowcatch put his bulk on a precarious grip at the landing ledge. He closed off Nilrasha’s cavern like a door.
“What brings you this far north, Ibidio?” the Copper asked.
She rattled her griff. “I hoped to get some truth at last.”
“I suspect you wanted to see the look on my mate’s face when she heard the news.”
“What news, my love?” Nilrasha said, clearly nervous.
“I’m no longer Tyr. The twins will rule the Lavadome. NiVom and his mate will take charge of the Upper World for them.”
The rims of her eyes and nostrils went white. “What’s to become of us?”
“Exile, I’m afraid,” the Copper said.
Ibidio thumped her tail. “I came to see to this personally. Nilrasha, you have one chance to save your mate from disgraceful exile.”
“Now, just one moment, Ibidio,” NiVom said.
“Shut up, NiVom, or I’ll see to it that the twins choose another dragon to oversee affairs in the Upper World.” Ibidio turned back to Nilrasha.