Rafe’s eyebrows lifted. He had a mobile, expressive face. “That — that would be interesting. Yes, why not?”
Her dragon was practically dancing with excitement. Sunniva fought to keep her face calm.
“If you’re flying again you’re going up alone.” Marcus bit the last piece of apple off and tossed the core neatly into a low patch of scrub.
“I think I’ll cope.” Rafe darted a quick glance between Marcus and Sunniva. “Not that this isn’t pleasant, but Marcus still has a chunk of Dreki tech sitting on his jawbone?”
It brought Sunniva back down from her dragon’s thoughts of flying. “I can’t take it out. I don’t know how.”
“Have you deactivated it?”
“Not exactly.” Sunniva explained what she’d done. “The meeting is tomorrow. I can try and talk to the Kervilli.” The thought of it filled her with dread, but at least the matriarch had seemed to have more sympathy for humans than Giels. “I could give them the opal and the matrix, before I go.” It felt better than leaving them with Giels.
“Why do you have to leave?” Marcus was eating again, some bread and cheese from the crawler. Sunniva felt a sudden worry that she’d been starving him accidentally.
“I don’t think Giels would let me stay. He wants the network, but otherwise I’m useless.”
Marcus swallowed his mouthful. “You’re not useless. And why don’t you take the aerie?”
Take the aerie. Sunniva stared at him.
“I can’t,” she said.
Marcus’ eyes were steady on hers. “I recently attended a fairly terrible dinner party establishing that you are about as qualified as your brother and infinitely preferable.”
It was a dizzying thought. And it couldn’t be right. But the matriarch had disapproved of both of them, and yet Giels still thought he was entitled to rule.
Her head ached. She put up one hand to rub it.
“I can’t,” she said again, but she knew it sounded weak.
You can. Her dragon radiated confidence.
What do you mean? You know we can’t.
“Is it your dragon?” Marcus studied her, but it felt as though it came from genuine concern, not the way Giels hunted for defects to expose. “What is the problem with her? She’s amazing.”
I am, her dragon thought smugly.
“She hasn’t risen.” Sunniva knew she sounded exasperated. They both looked blank.
Sunniva pushed her hair back. “It’s a tradition. An old one. Back from when Dreki stayed in dragon form until they matured. Your dragon signals interest in another dragon, they crow before flying, and they fly as a pair. After that they could shift, and females get their horn buds. It used to be a mating flight as well, but now that we don’t spend so much time in dragon form that isn’t really relevant. It meant a permanent alliance then as well, but few Dreki end up with their first mate nowadays.”
Rafe nodded slowly. “And you can shift before then.”
“Well, yes.” Sunniva raised her bracelet slightly. “Dreki can work matrices from childhood.”
“So things have changed.”
Sunniva felt suddenly exhausted. “Not that much.”
Rafe chewed on his lower lip, obviously thinking of more arguments.
Marcus interposed. “Your network is also important.” He brought the map over and spread it out on a low flat rock. “Why don’t we work together?”
“This is what you’re doing?” Rafe pulled the map around to get a better view. “What is it?”
Sunniva let Marcus tell him, and went over to get herself some water. She felt tired and jittery, and her head ached. She stared out back across the mountains that were becoming familiar to her. Two more days, and she would never see them again. And that would be the least of her losses.