“You must listen to me,” Angus persisted, afraid if he didn’t get the words out, Eletea would leave. “Please. My visions are true seeing. Cavet and Danne plotted together. Danne told him Mitha had a friend who wished to form a shifter bond with him. Both dragons assumed the dark magic would empower them, but what they didn’t realize is it opens a conduit for the mage to drain their magic.”
A high, shrieking moan rose from Eletea, followed by a blast of fire that singed the small hairs lining Angus’s nose. The dragon collapsed into a heap, tears turning to gemstones as they scattered about her.
Arianrhod walked to Angus and reached out with a hand. After a brief hesitation, she laid it on Eletea’s scaled hide. “’Tis sorry I am,” she crooned. “He doesna deserve you.”
The dragon’s head snapped up. “If your next words will be about me finding someone else to love, I don’t want to hear them.” Smoky snot flowed from her nose and she shook it to the ground as she shifted her wounded eyes to Angus. “I want to dismiss what you told me, chalk it up to misinterpretation, yet I heard truth in your words.”
Thanks be to the gods.
Angus was grateful beyond reckoning he didn’t have to launch a convoluted explanation of how his vision states tapped into reality. Far better for the dragon to accept his words, painful though they had to be. Maybe he wouldn’t have to tell her the part about Cavet planning to spread vicious lies about her among her kin.
“What will ye do?” Arianrhod asked the dragon the same question she’d asked him in the time shaft.
“Do you have any idea who the other human mage was?” Eletea asked Angus. When he shook his head, she went on, “Pity. Too bad Danne’s dead. He never could keep secrets for long, and I could’ve trapped him into telling me.”
“Why bother?” Arianrhod narrowed her eyes. “Ye might be better served to move on.”
“I wish to remain in the Highlands, which means Cavet must leave.”
Angus opened his mouth to tell her the Highlands were a big place, but shut it when he realized dragons covered far more real estate than humans. He turned to Arianrhod. “It would be useful to know who the other woman is—”
“Woman!” Eletea screeched. “Another mixed-sex dragon shifter pair! What heresy. We must find out who it is. I’ll kill her too.”
“I have a feeling I can find out.” Angus spoke slowly, thinking of information he’d stolen from the Morrigan.
“How?” Eletea all but pounced on him with both forelegs. “If the dark mages wish to drain dragons of their power, I need to let the Council know. I never cared for Malik or Preki, but the Council must sever their bonding—”
Arianrhod held up a hand. “Stop. Else we’ll be at cross purposes. As I see it, we have three problems.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “One, Cavet. Two, the unknown woman who wishes to become a dragon shifter. Three, the plot to siphon off dragon magic to strengthen the dark mage dragon shifters.”
Eletea straightened from her slump. “I’ll take care of that last one. I’ll tell the Council and let them test all the dragon shifter pairs.”
“While ye’re at it,” Arianrhod said, “Rhukon knows where Lachlan is, but wouldn’t tell me. My guess is Lachlan and his dragon met with foul play.”
“They can’t be dead,” Eletea protested. “They’re immortal.”
“Aye, but they can be ensorcelled. ’Tisn’t so different from death.”
Angus felt proud of how Eletea had rallied, despite what must be crushing disappointment and a broken heart. “We’ll take care of sorting out who Mitha’s friend is.”
Eletea’s eyes whirled faster. “Maybe I can do that too. I’ll return to Cavet, pretend I know nothing, and give him many opportunities to make a mistake.” She lowered her voice. “He isn’t very smart. I’ve known that ever since I joined him, but…” Her voice trailed off, and she dropped her gaze, looking embarrassed
“Are there dragons you trust on the Council?” Angus asked.
“Certainly.”
“Well then,” he continued, “you might tell them about Cavet and set up reinforcements in the Highlands if you plan to spy on him.”
“I can do that,” Eletea said. “Do you know why the mages want to fill themselves with dragon power?”
Angus shook his head. “It might be as simple as wanting power for its own sake, though. Often that’s the case.”
“I like the idea of Eletea bringing other dragons with her to the Highlands.” Arianrhod spoke up. “If we get verra lucky, they’ll dispatch Cavet and the one who wants to bond with him—if we doona locate her first.”
“Thank you. I’ll do my part to bring Cavet to justice. Those wiser than me will work to weed out whatever is poisoning the dragon shifter bond.” Eletea stretched a foreleg toward Angus, and he grasped one of her talons. She did the same with Arianrhod. “I’ll be on my way.” She swept a wingtip to the side. “You’re both welcome in Fire Mountain so long as I live. Let no dragon say otherwise.”
Angus tilted his head and watched her disappear from view. “She’s got spirit.”
“Aye that she does. ’Tis time for us to get going too.”