Fire Dragon - Katharine Kerr [153]
“Sulk all you want,” Verrarc said. “I think me it be time for me to be master in my own house again.”
Raena turned on her heel and stomped out of the room. When he heard the bedroom door slam behind her, he half rose, thinking he would go calm her, but he made himself sit down. In his mind he was seeing Burra, sneering his scorn at a man who let a woman rule him. He ate a few bites more, felt as if the food would choke him, then got up and left the house. If he stayed, he would weaken, he knew, and besides, he needed to rejoin the council.
The Council of Five had many a grave matter to discuss that afternoon in the cool stone chamber of Council House. At their round table fear took the sixth seat as they argued over details of possible alliances. The prince's offer had rolled an entirely new handful of dice, as Burra remarked.
“True enough,” Frie said. “But it be a goodly roll for winning a wager. Two alliances be a fair bit stronger than one.”
“If we can trust these Westfolk,” Burra broke. “They did turn up what? yesterday, and what ken we about them?”
“The old lore tells us somewhat,” Hennis said. “You've heard the tales a hundred times, lad. Think! When our ancestors fled the Slavers, the horsemen of the west did hide them and speed them on their way. Who else would these people be, but the horsemen of the west? The old tales do limn them the same, what with their eyes like cats and strange ears.”
“I'd forgotten that.” Burra was silent for a long moment. “But could they not have turned to villainy since then? That were many a long year ago.”
“So it was.” Frie laid his enormous hands, all callused and pitted with tiny burn scars, flat on the edge of the table. “But desperate men needs must take the help they be offered.”
The wrangling went on for a long while, though they settled nothing, of course, because until the townspeople voted they were powerless. As Admi remarked in the end, however, none of them could see many citizens choosing the rakzan's proposition.
“Though I do have fears,” Admi said, “that the young men among us do see adventure and glory in his words.”
“True enough.” Hennis heaved a dramatic sigh. “Well, we'll be setting up an urn for Kral at the Deciding nonetheless. He shan't be able to accuse us of working fraud.”
“Just so.” Admi shoved his chair back and stood up. “I think me we can do more good out in the town, reassuring whom we can, than ever we'll do sitting here.”
Silently the five of them filed out of the Council House. Outside, the hot spring sunlight made Verrarc blink. He shaded his eyes with one hand, then glanced sideways at the sky to get some idea of the lateness of the day— midafternoon, about. He was just about to make some comment to Frie when he heard the sound, a flap or thwack like an enormous hand hitting a bigger drumhead.
“Ye gods!” Hennis yelped. “What be making that noise?”
The answer rose suddenly into the sky from the ruined temple. The black dragon had flown, and she was gaining height steadily with each beat of her huge wings. As they watched, she launched herself straight west, heading for the mountains rising just beyond the farmlands.
“She be going to feed, I'll wager,” Burra said.
“As good a guess as any.” Admi shuddered visibly. “May she stay gone for a good long while! Let's be about our business, lads. It be needful for us to serve our fellow citizens.”
Although most of a day had passed in Cerr Cawnen, under the green moon Time crept. As he lay in hound-shape by the beacon tree, Evandar was painfully aware of the discrepancy. What if Dalla needed him down in the city? How long by her reckoning had he been gone? He was just considering leaving his post when he heard the cries.
Deep in among the twisted trees something was hunting. A pair of them, whatever they were—cries like those of gigantic cats called back and forth. Growling under his breath, the black hound rose to his feet and waited. Closer and closer they came, and with them another set of sounds, twigs snapping, branches cracking, leaves rustling. It would be prudent, Evandar