Kastali Dun

Talon eyed the small group he'd gathered together in his war room—his closest friends and allies. Only those he trusted above all others. Were these simpler matters, they'd have sat by the fire in the sitting room. But no, these were matters of war.

"What did our spies have to say," Verath asked, hands casually clasped behind him. Dallin and Jovari stood beside him. He'd debated including Dallin, but Verath had vouched for the young Drengr. Bedelth was across the table beside Lady Saffra. Next to her, Desaree and Jocelyn shifted uneasily. He was well aware they were unused to taking part in these meetings. At the head of the table, Byron, Lady Tamara, and Reyr stood beside him.

"The dragons honor the agreement," Byron said.

"Then...the people of Squall's End are unharmed?" Verath asked.

"It would seam so. The dragons haven't bothered the city, though they guard it like a precious jewel. No one enters or leaves."

"Surely that many dragons are unnecessary," Bedelth mused.

"Indeed, my lord," Byron said. "They trade duties. Most occupy themselves in leisure." Talon didn't miss the way his thumb casually rubbed the back of Tamara's hand. He looked away. "They mostly sun themselves in the fields around the city, taking whatever food they please, with no appreciation for the value of livestock. The fort has been mostly destroyed."

"But the people," Saffra interjected. "How long can they go on like that? Caged?"

"A city like Squall's End can withstand siege for several years," Talon explained. "I believe Lord Rhal is a competent lord. He will have had supplies set aside for times like these."

"And their water supply?" Saffra asked.

He looked at Byron and Reyr in question.

Reyr shrugged. "There are wells. Aqueducts too, that feed the city from Plymlet Lake."

Talon nodded. "There. They should be fine for—"

"Is that the same lake the dragons use?" Saffra asked. "I assume they don't drink sea water."

Talon's gaze snapped to hers and he silently huffed. He wasn't used to being interrupted, except perhaps by Claire and Reyr. His fist tightened, but he kept his voice calm and even. "Why do you ask, Lady Saffra?"

Saffra held his gaze before turning to Byron, ignoring his question entirely. It did little to calm his ire. "Well, Byron?" she asked again. "Is it?"

"I believe so, my lady," Byron said, then cleared his throat. "From what our spies tell us, they've made nests around its shores."

"And the next nearest freshwater lake?" she probed.

Talon's brows together. What did it matter—?

"Not close enough to suit them," Reyr answered. "Gretter Lake, I believe, a half day's flight." Byron nodded to confirm this.

"Then the dragons get their water from a single source," Saffra concluded.

Talon's irritation vanished. He hid his surprise as he looked at Saffra then shook his head. "You brilliant brilliant woman."

She shrugged, but a hint of a smile pulled up the corners of her lips.

Bedelth looked between them, his eyes narrowed. "Forgive me, my king, but perhaps the rest of us are missing something?"

Talon's gaze remained locked on Saffra's, silent communication rushing between them with just a single look. He knew exactly where her mind was. He cleared his throat. "Lady Saffra may have just changed the tide of this war, Bedelth."

"How so?" several Drengr voices rang out at once.

"If the dragons are drinking from a single source—"

"Poison?!" Reyr said, shaking his head. Talon clenched his jaw. That was the second interruption today. "But of course. We should have considered it sooner, my king."

"Poison? But..." Desaree's eyes went wide. It was the first time she'd spoken. "You would...you would resort to something so...so..."

"So what Lady Desaree?" He lifted a brow.

"So vile," she whispered, looking at Saffra, hoping the seer might've meant something else—that the rest of them had simply misinterpreted Saffra's questions.

Saffra's face was a mask of calm. She didn't look at Desaree as she spoke, keeping her voice low. "These are times of war. Our people need us. For too long our war council has deliberated with no obvious solution. There is no way to protect the people of Squall's End if we attempt to reclaim it."

"Saffra's right," Bedelth said. "The order was clear. We were to retreat and leave Squall's End to the dragons. In exchange, its people remain unharmed. The moment we lift a so much as a claw, the moment Kane's dragons suspect we've moved against them, they will burn the city to the ground."

Desaree's throat bobbed. Her eyes flicked to Verath's. Their gazes held, perhaps passing some silent exchange. Talon turned away. Gods, everywhere he looked were tangled webs. Desaree and Verath. Byron and Tamara. And if he wasn't mistaken, Bedelth and Saffra; he hadn't missed the way Bedelth gravitated towards her.

Claire should be here—she should be here for this.

A throat cleared. Bedelth's. "What do you propose, Lady Saffra?"

"I'm not quite sure," she mused. "Our Magoi have experience crafting many useful concoctions, but I cannot say which would be best."

"Why not something that brings instant death," Dallin offered, speaking for the first time. "They drink it, it kills them. We move in and liberate the city."

"It's not that easy," Talon mused, thinking it over. "That lake also feeds the city's aqueducts, remember. We cannot harm the people."

"Then how do you propose we poison the dragons?" Dallin asked, confused.

"It would have to be something non-lethal," he answered. "Something that won't kill them, but will allow us to move in and strike. Something like dragon's bane."

"And it's safe to assume they don't all drink from the lake at the same time," Saffra added. "Which means that whatever we use cannot be too fast-acting. Otherwise they will catch on."

Talon ran a hand through his hair and bent over the map spread across the table, studying the geography around Squall's End. The lake was there. A small body of water less than a two hour flight. He went through a list of poisons and concoctions in his mind. His knowledge of the craft was far from complete. But...he did know someone who had a vast amount of experience.

"Collier." He stood, straightening the lapels of the coat clinging to his chest. He looked around at those gathered. The poison maker was still in the dungeons. They'd intended to use him in court, but after Caterina's disappearance, they'd kept him chained and alive. A man with his...talents could prove useful. He was glad he'd trusted his instincts and not fully broken him.

"You would trust Collier with something like this?" Saffra's brow furrowed.

"Hardly, Lady Saffra." He barked a laugh at the thought. "Collier need not know what we intend. But he is well versed in poisons. Unless you know of a poison that will suit our needs? Something with delayed effects that will go unnoticed for a day or two before acting in some non-permanent way?" Saffra didn't answer. "As I said. Verath will pay him a visit later." He turned to Verath. "Keep the details to an absolute minimum."

"Of course, my king."

"And Lady Saffra?" He looked at her. "We must keep this knowledge restricted. Only those here now. You know what that means, yes?"

"None of our Magoi," she said, sighing. "You ask a great deal of me, King Talon."

"Saffra's right," Reyr mused. "Regardless of what we learn from Collier, the amount of poison required to saturate a lake the size of Plymlet..."

"Saffra will have help, I'm sure." He looked at the other ladies in the room, paying them a pointed look.

Tamara squared her shoulders. "I will do all that I can, Lady Saffra. Use me as you will."

"We will help, too," Desaree and Jocelyn chorused.

"We will need a safe location," Verath said. "If we keep this from the Magoi, it cannot very well happen out in the open. For what we require, a large space with plenty of storage to bottle everything up."

"I can think of at least one large space unbeknownst to anyone beyond those of this room," Saffra said, a fierce gleam in her eyes.

"The caverns," Talon said, reading her mind. He wasn't alone, several other voices had chorused his. Saffra nodded. "Which leaves us to work out the remainder of the plan, should we succeed here. Specifically, how we will transport that much poison across Dragonwall without notice."

"It need not be decided at this very moment, my king," Reyr mused, voice low. He placed a hand on Talon's arm. Much as Talon was reluctant to admit it, Reyr's steady presence calmed him.

"I agree with Reyr," Jovari said. He'd been mostly quiet during this meeting. "We will think on it. Short of sneaking a group of us into the north ahead of our full force, that might be our only option."

"Let us see to Collier first," Verath decided.

Reyr hadn't removed his hand. Talon sighed. "Very well, thank you. You are all dismissed."

Everyone filed out except Reyr. His Shield stayed a few minutes longer, studying him; he'd dropped his hand and stood with his arms crossed. "If this plan comes together, you know what it would mean."

"That we will finally be ready to move against Squall's End. That we will be leaving here, sooner rather than later," Talon said. Reyr nodded. "I should get word to Claire. Let her know...somehow. Our intentions..."

"Not so wise. No. A letter like that could be intercepted, Talon. We're taking great pains to keep this plan secret."

"I can't very well say nothing. What if she returns while we're up north? I'd rather not leave any of you here for something like this. And I certainly can't have her return to find us gone, even if Koldis is with her." It was rare that Kastali Dun was left to its human court—it hadn't been done since Talon's father took his Shields and went north to fight the Kalds. Talon always left at least one or two Shields. But he would feel safer having his brothers beside him for something like this.

He sighed. "What do you recommend?"

Reyr was quiet a moment. "A messenger. Me. I will go. Let us finalize our plans first," he added. When Talon didn't speak, Reyr continued. "I will go and speak with her—check on her. I can take the western road from Esterpine and rendezvous with our main force before the battle."

Talon chewed on the inside of his cheek. If anyone went to Claire, it ought to be him. And yet...

"You are our king. You are needed here."

"I want her in my arms again, Reyr."

Reyr reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "I know. Believe me. I know." With that, Reyr took his leave.

***

As if summoned by his own melancholy, a thick envelope arrived later that afternoon. He'd been so deep in thought, sitting at his desk, staring out through the fluttering curtains to the sea beyond, that when one of his tower servants set the stack of new correspondences before him, he merely thanked the man without truly realizing. He inhaled and nearly jumped from his seat. Her scent—even after traveling halfway across the kingdom—still lingered. A hint of chamomile and flower blossoms. Smells he remembered from his time in Esterpine. A fragrance that had always clung to her even before he'd known who she was. He should have put the pieces together sooner, after first smelling her. He should have recognized her for a Sprite the moment he laid eyes on her in his throne room.

He pushed the other letters away and grabbed his prize, opening the envelope. As suspected, it was a thick because she'd answered the girls's letter as well as his. He pushed the one addressed to Desaree, Jocelyn, and Saffra aside, taking his. He lifted the parchment to his nose and breathed deep. His eyes fluttered shut. He could see her behind his lids, smiling, the glitter of mischief in her expression, a sharp retort ready to spring from her lips. A chuckle rumbled in his chest and he broke the seal, unfolding the parchment.

Dear Talon,

Your letter was most welcome! Thank you. And thank you for prompting my fiends to send word. I miss you now more than ever. There will be many kisses, I promise, but not because I enjoy delaying my return. Hopefully that will do wonders for your temperamental appetite and mood. I cannot imagine the others enjoy your snappish attitude—they probably can't see past it as I can.

So much has happened, much of which I dare not reveal here. I will try to be circumspect. Firstly, the thing we suspected about me is true. My roots were confirmed in the most unique and unexpected way. I can't say the confirmation has brought me peace. If anything, it has disrupted the way of things here. I fear it won't be a good thing. But for now, I have closure and a few answers.

Secondly, and most important, I had the pleasure of making the strangest acquaintance. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I wouldn't in a million years have predicted this turn of events. I am learning things about myself and my abilities that I began to fear I wouldn't discover. It is exactly as I'd hoped when I first departed the capital. Still, I have a long way to go. On a bright note, wait until you see how well I handle a bow!

I cannot say when I will return. I am glad the others are doing well in my absence. Glad that Desaree, Jocelyn, and Saffra have taken to Lady Tamara. As for Koldis, I shall not pester him, but I would worry less if he were open with me. And on that matter, you should see the way he behaves around a certain...someone. I wish you were here to speculate about it with me. I suppose I must settle for sharing these secrets with you upon my return.

Give everyone my love, especially Reyr. I am certain he worries in my absence almost as much as you do. I shall enclose a separate letter for my ladies, and I trust you won't be nosy and read it. I plan to fill it with all sorts of pining and forlorn thoughts about you—thoughts that only us females share with each other behind closed doors. You need not know the number of times your name is mentioned. I'm serious—don't open it.

All my love,

Claire

P.s. If I find that you've opened it, I will void all kisses when I return.

He snorted and tossed the letter aside, picking up the other bit of folded parchment addressed to her friends. This one was sealed as well. He held it up, running the parchment beneath his nose, inhaling deep. She'd said those things on purpose, just to drive him mad. Just to leave him wondering what other thoughts she might have of him. After her taunting, how could he not open the other letter?

He huffed, tossing it back on the desk before he was tempted to break the seal. Instead, he picked his up, reading it several times over. She was in good spirits, at least. He could tell from her tone of writing. It did little for his curiosity; he wondered about her secretive hints.

He understood the first easily enough. The Sprites had confirmed her lineage. And if it was as she'd suspected, then she had originated from the long lost Princess Irelia. They'd deduced as much when she'd touched the broken Gate and seen the long lost princess pass through. Obtaining confirmation was indeed a form of closure.

He shook his head. To think, the blood of a royal princess passed out of this world and into hers, only to return as his mate. Things in this world had come full circle. It was...a great deal to digest. Even greater to accept.

He turned over the second thing she'd mentioned. A strange acquaintance? He was certain she didn't mean Jeanine, the young warrior he'd encountered while there. And she probably didn't mean Princess Taylynn, either. Although the Sprite princess was certainly an odd creature. No, it had to be someone else. But who?

"Reyr?"

"My king?"

"A letter from Claire, if you have a mind to read it."

Reyr didn't bother responding. Instead, not five minutes later, his footfalls sounded on the stairs leading to Talon's study before he burst into the room. "Verath questioned Collier," Rear said, out of breath. "Successfully, I might add. I was already on my way here to tell you."

"What did you find?"

"The letter—" Reyr said, ignoring Talon's question, holding out his hand, as if he were entitled to Claire's words.

A flash of possessive jealousy rushed through Talon. There and gone. He scowled at the emotion. Claire was his. Only his. He forced his dragon to calm, pushing its raw emotions down deep. Then he lifted the letter and sighed. "Tell me what Collier said and then you may read it."

Reyr eyed him a moment longer before collapsing into the chair opposite him. "There isn't a single brew or poison with the exact effects we are looking for. However, there is a possibility we might combine two separate concoctions to get what we want."

"I shouldn't have hoped for an easy solution."

"Well, it might be. We will have to test the effects once we make it. Klizite. Do you know it?"

He was silent a moment. Of course he knew it. "That's not a poison, Reyr. It's a popular stimulant—or was, before my father outlawed its use."

"Indeed. Rightfully so."

Klizite was potent. It entered the blood and gave its host a high that lasted a couple of days before wearing off. Those under the influence were known to accomplish great works of art and industry, with soaring productivity as they suddenly felt better than they could remember ever feeling. Sicknesses and diseases were forgotten, even if just briefly. Within a short period, the entire world felt obtainable. Unfortunately, like all drugs, the effects were fleeting. Those under the influence were merely pulling from themselves, overspending. Once Klizite left the body, the result was almost paralyzing. After that, it took days and even weeks to return to normal.

He leaned back in his chair. "I'm not sure getting a hoard of dragons high is going to help our cause."

"Not initially, no. But see here, Klizite—and this was something I didn't know—delays the effects of feelings, emotions, pain—"

"And poison. Of course."

Reyr grinned.

"Hmm." He fell silent. "So, we mix Klizite with something like Dragon's Bane and for a few days, our enemy will feel at its best, giving them enough time to drink their fill before the effects of the Dragon's Bane take hold."

"At which point, they will lose their ability to breathe fire along with some of their other draconic abilities." Reyr was smiling wide. "But...they will still be brutes and will still require our strength to bring them down...unless the effects are paralyzing enough. In which case, even easier."

"At the least, it would give us a significant advantage. Without immunity to flame, we can simply burn them." Dragon's Bane suppressed all abilities draconic in nature. A dragon's ability to breathe and withstand fire was first and foremost its most powerful ability.

"I'd say an advantage like that will guarantee victory."

"And our confidence that this combination of concoctions will work?"

Reyr lifted a shoulder. "Collier seemed to think it would" His eyes fell to the letter still clutched in Talon's hand.

Talon glanced down at it, unable to withhold it a moment longer. "She mentioned you, you know. Here." He handed it over, deep in thought. Saffra would need to get started immediately. The concoction would require testing, likely on one of them, since they could trust no one outside their group. A plan like this—the fewer involved the better.

"What do you think she's talking about? Who did she meet?"

"Hmm?" He looked up. "Oh. I cannot say. I was hoping you might have some ideas on that front."

They spent the remainder of the afternoon speculating and planning. Not just over some of the mysteries in Claire's letter, but over what needed to be done with the dragons. With Claire's letter and a potential solution for reclaiming the fort, he felt lighter than he had in weeks.

⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️

Happy Friday Bookdragons!

It took me a long time to come up with this solution. I even had to call my mom so that we could chat about the technicalities of it. I avoided addressing any potential solutions Talon's war council might generate because I simply couldn't think of a way for them to attack a hoard of wild dragons without risking all the people in the city of Squall's End. Thank god for mommas and brainstorming chats! 

Next week's chapter is from Desaree's POV (I think this is the first one from her POV in this book?) and it's titled "Brewing Poison" so you can imagine what that will entail. It's got some exciting moments towards the end for Desaree. I can't wait to share it!

This weekend i've started decorating my home for Christmas. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving but I decided to get an early start. When do you usually put up your decorations if you celebrate the holidays?

I'll also be watching Amazon's Wheel of Time series that came out today! I've been reading the series at a snails pace (there are 14 books and they're huge!). So i'm super excited about that.

Hope you have a great weekend and a great week!!

All my best,

Mel