Nisha nodded and looked down at her feet. “Yes. I did it for them. And now I have let them down.”
“They will understand.” Ivor was at her side. “Eventually. When they see how happy I will make you.”
“I hope so.” She touched his cheek. “I really hope so.”
“Our love will shine so bright,” he said, brushing his lips over hers, “Nothing will be able to dull it.”
Tara grunted then groaned.
“What the…?” Ivor turned around.
She’d lifted Sigrid into her arms. He was the size of a small goat and clearly heavy.
“What are you doing?” Ivor asked.
“I am taking him to Merlin’s Cave to be blessed. Devon and Cal should be there by now.”
“Isn’t he too young to be moved? He’s just hatched?”Nisha said, looking at the dragon’s sleepy eyes.
“I want him blessed on his hatch day, the same way all dragon shifters are, whether born human or dragon.”
“Okay, okay.” Ivor quickly reached for Sigrid and pulled him carefully into his arms. “But let me carry him. The steps down to the cave are steep, and you have not slept for weeks because you’ve been caring for the egg.”
“Thank you, Ivor.” Tara smiled and pushed her hair behind her shoulders. “I am tired. I will be glad to have Devon home.”
****
Merlin’s Cave was at the base of the castle wall. Nature had carved it from rock with wind and water, making it the size of a small room. Today, the lake was low and the cave floor was dry and dusty. Tara lit several squat candles on shelves etched into the stone. The air was musty and damp.
At the far end, an image of a man had been carved, any harsh edges eroded by time. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and a long cloak that pooled around his feet and held a staff. The face was softly eroded, but a beard was evident, a hooked nose, and eyes almost hidden by heavy brows.
Merlin.
Ivor, Devon, Bethany, and Cal all dipped their heads before him.
Tara set down the newly hatched dragon, who took a moment to find his footing on the ground. His shadow stretched toward Merlin, long tail, spiked spine, and arched neck.
“Our trusted guide, Merlin. Today we present before you Sigrid. The first dragon to hatch at Llanarch in nearly a century. We wish you to gift him with patience and honor and bravery and love. We hope you will support him with your magical gifts and watch over him in times of danger as well as ensure he finds his one true love.”
Everyone was silent.
Sigrid sneezed again, another little shot of smoke bursting from his snout.
Bethany giggled. “He’s so adorable.”
“Yes, he is.” Tara squatted next to him. “As is our family’s newest couple. Ivor and Nisha.” She raised her eyebrows. “Who will perform their marriage ceremony?”
“I would like to.” Cal stepped forward.
Like Ivor, he was tall and broad with overly long blond hair. Though his features were more pointed and his lips thinner. His eyes were sharp, as though he saw everything at once. On meeting Nisha, she’d felt like he’d learned her history and her future in one glance.
“I would like that, brother.” Ivor took Nisha’s hands and faced her. “For the sooner I am wed to this beautiful woman, the sooner my heart will beat easy that she is truly mine.”
“I am yours.” Nisha smiled up at him. “I can’t imagine being anyone else’s.”
Shadows danced over Ivor’s face, and his eyes burned bright, not with flames but with love. “Cal. Get on with it.”
Cal laughed, the sound echoing around the cave. “Okay, brother, I hear you. You want your woman wearing your steel band of eternity and then you want to claim her.”