Prince of Spies

Epilogue

As it turned out, a small contingent of Jinn were on hand just inside the circle of trees to greet their brethren. Magda had insisted on accompanying Roland and Lana to meet with Nico and Riki. Roland brought his own men with him as well, so there were a couple of dragons and knights along with the Jinn, guarding their king and queen from a respectful distance.

They made camp for the day, the soldiers among them guarding while the family caught up with all the news. Roland was troubled by Nico and Riki’s accounts of Lucan’s transformation and his ability to direct the skiths. He was also astounded by the idea that his younger brother was not only married, but also now King-Consort of the Jinn Brotherhood.

They crossed the lake after dark and arrived in the Northern Lair a few hours before dawn. As expected, the arrival of so many black dragons raised eyebrows all over the Lair. The dragons of the Lair saw the blacks’ arrival as a sign of great hope, trumpeting their joy to the sky and setting up quite a stir.

Roland was glad to leave the arrangements for housing all the visitors to Sir Hal, Sir Jures and the Lady Candis, leaders of the Northern Lair, while he sought a bedchamber for himself and Lana. But a surprise awaited him when Hal found a moment of privacy. The knight handed Roland a letter, his eyes grave.

“This came from the witch Loralie, for you, my liege. It arrived last night, though how she knew you’d be here today, I have no idea.”

Roland accepted the letter, his eyes narrowed. “She is a witch, after all.”

“I’ll be standing by if you need me, sire.” Hal nodded once and moved off.

Roland stole a moment away from his family to read the letter. He didn’t want to ruin their arrival home with this just yet. First he would read it and see what the letter contained. Only then would he decide what was to be done. Still, he knew, coming from Loralie, it couldn’t be good news.

Roland sat on the edge of Tilden and Rue’s wallow. As the elder dragons of the Northern Lair, they were highly ranked and sat on the Dragon Council. Roland had known and respected them both all his life. They watched, silently supporting him as he read the letter.

The contents of it weighed heavy on his mind, but he didn’t want to ruin Lana’s reunion with her twin just yet. First, he had to sort through what Loralie’s letter might truly mean. He didn’t trust the North Witch. Not at all.

“Have you ever heard of the Wizard Skir?” Roland asked the dragons.

Tilden reared back and smoke issued from his throat to drift toward the vents in the ceiling. Roland could clearly see his agitation.

“That name is not spoken among dragonkind, sire. He is cursed for all time for his evil.” Rue spoke calmly, but her voice was adamant in Roland’s mind.

“Loralie claims he is imprisoned in a place called the Citadel and it is this place Lucan means to go, to free him.”

Both dragons reared back at this news, clearly upset. “This cannot be allowed!” Tilden thundered, anger and fear mixed in his tone along with grim determination.

Roland watched the dragons’ reactions carefully, weighing their response against Loralie’s words and whatever she wished to accomplish by her missive. He didn’t trust her, but the true fear he witnessed in two of the oldest and most respected dragons in his land was not to be discounted.

“Why? What did Skir do to earn eternal imprisonment from his peers? Few of the wizards had any high moral standards if the old tales are to be believed. Why single out this one to lock away forever in ice?”

Cold silence met his question until finally Rue stepped forward, her jeweled eyes grim, her voice in Roland’s mind laced with seething anger and incomprehensible distress.

“The Wizard Skir is the one who created the skiths. To destroy all dragons.”


About the Author

Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.