The Silent Dragon: Children of The Dragon Nimbus #1 by Irene Radford

Author:Irene Radford [Radford, Irene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DAW
Published: 2013-02-19T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 29

KING DARVILLE TOYED with aligning the parchment sheets on the black glass in front of him. He pointedly ignored the cup of beta arrack beside him. He’d fortified himself with strong liquor before coming to this meeting.

Sunlight caught and danced prisms from the magnificent stained glass window above the ceremonial table. The Coraurlia in the center of the table reflected the colors around the circular room. The crown, the table, and the window were the most precious objects in all of Kardia Hodos; the glass could only be forged by dragon fire. No other flame blazed hot enough to burn out the impurities in the sand. Every man-made attempt at making glass resulted in cloudy shards so brittle it proved useless.

Of late the dragons gave their assistance reluctantly. And then only in the presence of a trusted magician.

The men seated around the table made a point of resisting the presence of any magician in Coronnan. If any of them knew that Darville’s son and heir possessed a magnificent magical talent, they ignored it. They found the stability of a confirmed male heir preferable to confronting and examining their fears.

If they knew the truth about what Glenndon had found in the archives, they’d . . . he didn’t know how they’d react. Not well, to say the least. The children had found more than he’d expected, exactly what he needed. Did he dare use it?

He had to in order to bring disparate loyalties together.

“My lords,” he opened the meeting of the Council of Provinces. “I have sent Prince Glenndon and Master Lucjemm into the archives.” He nodded to the two young men who sat back from the table on stools. They faced each other over a portable table with inkwells, spare quills, and other instruments necessary to a scribe.

No need to tell the lords that the Princess Royale had accompanied them. They wouldn’t understand that she was more important to him than just a daughter. He expected she watched and listened from her spyhole behind him—with or without her ladies.

“What were they searching for?” Lord Jemmarc asked casually. He leaned back, hands relaxed on the padded arms of his chair. His family crest, worked in fine needlepoint, looked brighter and newer against the time-darkened wood of his chair. He’d inherited his title and honors from Lord Krej less than twenty years before. Rather than perpetuate Krej’s disgrace, Jemmarc had chosen a new crest, depicting mountains and waves rather than mountains and an impregnable castle.

Jemmarc seemed more relaxed than Darville had seen him since he’d dismissed his wife. Perhaps his sister’s stepdaughter had come to court to succeed Lady Lucinda. What was the girl’s name? Darville was surprised Lord Jemmarc had not yet approached his king for permission to marry her.

“I sent our scribes in search of the Council proceedings from the time of the Leaving. I wanted to know for certain what had actually transpired in these chambers on the day the magicians took themselves into exile.” Darville tapped the stack of loose pages before him.

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