I did not try to land a killing blow, though it almost cost me my life. Dobsaurin attempted to compel Val—King Eireth’s daughter—to strike a killing blow against me when I was down and dazed. He thought to use her to circumvent the law. Like the coward he was.
Do not speak ill of the dead! Shaygor stood straight, expanding his wings to their fullest. My son was not a coward. No dragon in my family is a coward.
The golds and the black dragon who had yet to speak shifted over to stand next to him, leaving Zav’s mom and the lilac dragon—his sister?—standing alone and facing us.
“Maybe you shouldn’t aggravate them,” I whispered.
Had Sindari been here, he also would have offered that advice.
Step aside, Zavryd, his mother said firmly. However it happened, the half-elf has slain a dragon. We will uphold the law.
No. This is not the right thing, Queen Zynesshara.
I guessed he wasn’t allowed to call her Mom.
The law is the law. One dragon cannot decide to change it.
Shale stirred behind me as Zav’s tail shifted to encircle me, as if he could pull me close and protect me. I appreciated the gesture, but I’d already screwed things up for him and didn’t want to be the source of a rift between him and his family.
Do not turn this into a battle, my son. Not over something so minor as this. Already, tensions are high among dragon-kind. You know this. Do not be the spark that ignites the wildfire.
I stepped around the tip of Zav’s tail, touching it gently in case… in case I didn’t see him again. “I’ll go. I don’t want to spark anything.”
No! Zav boomed, and an image flashed into my mind of me running down into the forest while he dealt with his family. It had a touch of a compulsion to it, and I knew it was what he wanted, not a reflection of my own wishes. You were not at fault, he added, almost growling the telepathic words. I will not let them take you.
His mother paused, her eyes narrowed as she regarded us. Ugh, was she going to guess that we had feelings for each other? Everyone was quick to assume that—or at least that I was Zav’s mate—but she hadn’t suggested it. Yet.
She helped me in battle, as she has assisted me several times now, Zav stated to all the dragons. I will not return this favor by handing her over to the court.
I grimaced. He’d done more favors for me than I had for him. He didn’t owe me anything. It wasn’t that I wanted to stand in that court, but I didn’t want to screw up his life.
She is loyal to me, Zav said.
When had he decided that? The other day, he hadn’t trusted me fully. But I wouldn’t dispute him. When it came to dragons, he was the one I would least be willing to cross.
I will not allow any of you to take her, Zav added.
You cannot stop us, Shaygor said, bolstered by the allies standing close to him.
They were an intimidating sight. As powerful as Zav was, he hadn’t been winning his battle against them.
I do not have to because I will cite an even older law, from the time of the first dragons. Zav’s serpentine neck rose, lifting his head to his greatest height. I claim Tlavar’vareous for this female.
He did what? That was the first word that hadn’t automatically translated into my mind.
Zavryd, no, his sister warned, jerking her head up and speaking for the first time.
His mother’s eyes narrowed even more, their violet light glowing brighter. Do not be emotional, my son.
One of the golds spoke in a sneering tone, You, of all dragons, know that neither elves nor humans feel loyalty to us. All the lesser beings resent us for our power and have plotted for ages to see us gone.
This is not true, Zav said. Many are loyal to dragons. To some dragons.
The gold dragon hissed at him.
I claim Tlavar’vareous for this female, Val Thorvald, Zav repeated. If you strike at her, it will be a challenge to me, and you will have to fight me in open battle. Where you die. Within the confines of this ancient ritual is the last place a dragon may kill another dragon without repercussion. In a duel, one on one. Zav looked Shaygor and each of his allies in the eyes. Will any of you challenge me in this manner? Shaygorthian was not brave enough to face me without his kin here to hold me down.
Several of the dragons growled and glared, but nobody challenged him, at least not this night.
If she is your female, then you are responsible for her actions and will be legally responsible for her punishments, Shaygor pointed out.
Er, his female? What had just happened?
I will be responsible for her future actions, yes, Zav agreed. But I cannot be held responsible for what she did before I claimed her. And you may not now punish or kill her since she is under my protection. Only if I die can you take action against her.
I didn’t like this talk of claiming and being his female, but the way the enemy dragons were shifting their weight, ruffling their wings, and fuming made me realize he’d found some loophole in their laws.
Do not make this mistake again, his mother warned him, her words soft in my mind, her eyes on Zav. Do not risk ruining your reputation—losing your life—for some female from a lesser species. Do you not remember the elf princess?
Of course I do. But it is my mistake to make again if it is one. Zav looked down at me, and I feared he saw horror in my eyes rather than gratitude.
I am disappointed. His mother’s voice grew louder again, the words for all, perhaps, instead of only Zav and me. Tlavar’vareous is a personal matter and is your right to claim as a dragon lord of noble standing. This inquisition shall end, and Shaygorthian will not remove your female from your side, but if she commits any further crimes, you will be responsible for them. If she earns punishment, you will take it.
I understand.
The others were still growling and fuming, as if Zav had gotten away with something. Or I had.
I rubbed my face, terrified that this would be as bad as if they’d killed me. Oh, I didn’t want to die, but every time I accepted an assignment to assassinate a magical being, wouldn’t I be breaking one of their laws? This was insane.
Finish it then, his mother said. Make it official.
The sister was swinging her head on her long neck, reminding me more of a pendulum than a head shake, but I could tell it was a sign of disagreement.
Zav shifted his tail again, sliding it around my waist as a wing came down to rest on my shoulders. The air glowed golden around him and tendrils of power formed, visible to my eyes as well as my senses. They curled around me and flowed into me, imparting euphoric energy that made me want to run sprints around the mountain. I felt power such as I’d never known, the magic of a dragon coursing through my veins. Zav’s eyes glowed as he looked down at me, the magic flowing between us. The intimacy of the shared moment was both alien and scary yet familiar and appealing, and I found myself stepping close to him, resting my body against his leg, leaning my forehead into him as his wing covered my back.
What are you doing? I whispered in my mind.
Marking you so other dragons will know you’re mine and under my protection.
I almost pointed out that I was my own person, and there was no way I would acknowledge that he had any claim over me, but with the mother and the others looking on—and maybe listening to my thoughts—I kept my mental mouth shut. Later, I could object.
The magic faded, the golden light gradually disappearing, but I tingled in the aftermath of the magic, even more than I usually did from standing next to him. If being marked meant I was going to tingle for the rest of my life, that might be problematic. It felt good, but it would be distracting.
Zav lowered his wing and faced his mother. I realized I’d been rubbing my cheek against his leg and flushed with embarrassment. Tingling apparently made a girl forget her surroundings—and the creepers watching on.
It is done, his mother said, sounding very reluctant. The look she gave me was not friendly. Her next words, I suspected, were only for me. It is now your duty to serve him and obey him. If you betray him or cause the family to be disgraced, I will personally bite off your head, the laws be damned.
I managed to clamp down on the sarcastic retort that wanted to come out—Sindari would have been proud.
My son, do not return home until you’ve apprehended those dark elves. And the rest of the criminals you’ve been so casual about finding. The next time you appear in the Dragon Justice Court, I need for you to be victorious and the champion of all those who were wronged. You know what’s at stake if we don’t maintain our majority status.
I know. I will, my queen. Zav bowed his head.
The portal formed in the air again. One by one, the dragons flew through it until Zav and I were alone on the mountainside.
27
Zav shifted into his human form, and I now stood looking at his face rather than a meaty dragon forelimb. A breeze stirred the hem of his robe and riffled through his short black hair. His grave face was impossible to read.
“We have to talk,” I said.
“I thought those would be the first words out of your mouth.”
“That was a ruse, right? To get them off both our asses? Because your mom thinks I’m going to serve and obey you now, and we both know that’s not happening.”
Zav’s violet eyes glowed faintly in the dark night. “It was not a ruse—if it had been, it would not have worked. I claimed you in front of many witnesses, and you are magically marked now. Other dragons and the more powerful of the lesser beings will recognize it. It may give you some protection. It may make you more likely to be targeted for manipulation and plots against me and my family. I admit I haven’t fully considered all of the ramifications yet. It was…” He spread a hand, palm toward the sky. “All I could think of to keep them from taking you.”
“I do appreciate that, but Zav.” I couldn’t keep the anguish out of my tone, the upset snarl of emotion out of my tight throat. “I don’t want you to get in trouble now for things I do. You know what my job is and why I do it.”
He stepped forward, chest brushing mine and lifting an arm to offer a hug. A part of me wanted to step back, to demand he figure out a way to undo this before it got us both in trouble—more trouble—but my body had other thoughts in mind. I found myself leaning into him, accepting the hug and returning it, resting my face against his shoulder. He had very likely just saved my life, at great risk to his own. I wasn’t sure why he’d done it when I’d given him grief the whole time I’d known him, but I owed him something now. There was no way I would serve and obey him—gag—but I didn’t want him to regret putting himself at risk to keep me alive.