She swallowed. "My lord, I do not know. Ahnkar took them away, I know not where."
I began to rise to my feet, my eyes locked on hers, but Dithra's voice whiplashed out, stopping me. "Hasai, you speak with my voice in this. She does not lie. Not to me." She turned. "Pasqual, this one is not a murderer. A killer, yes, for that is how we made him. But no murderer."
Stefan broke in, obviously trying to change the subject. "My Lady, if Ahnkar was getting what he wanted, then why the attacks?"
"Impatience."
Dithra looked at me, and smiled sadly. "Dear Hasai, we have many faults, but impatience is not one of them. What I suspect is that Ahnkar fears that you will take my side in a debate that has lasted for many years. My hope is to eventually come to terms with the humans. To coexist with them. Ahnkar and Ksstha, however, wish war. Ahnkar wants subjugation, Ksstha dreams of genocide. Both would be more than willing to use you and your offspring as the means to achieve those goals."
"Yes, my Lady," Stefan interjected "but Ahnkar is far too cautious to jeopardize his gains by attempting to abduct lord Hasai. In his eyes, he is already winning. No, there is a third party involved. Someone who suspects or knows of Ahnkar's success, and attempts to either block it or seize it for their own purposes."
"Ksstha."
"He would seem to be the most likely suspect, my Lady."
I listened silently, wondering if this was how it felt to be a scrap of meat, fought over by a pack of starving wolves. I noticed that I was gazing at Pasqual again as she stood against the wall, looking miserable and trying her best to be forgotten by the rest of us.
I didn't know what to do with her. I still felt something towards her, and by her own admission she was the mother of my children. Pasqual was a typical dragon youth; obedient and trusting of her elders. Was it her fault that Ahnkar had stuffed her head with lies? I grimaced, then hung my head. Let it go for now. "So. What do we do about it?"
There was a long pause, then Dithra sighed. "These are serious charges to be brought against any dragon. To be leveled against two members of the council. . . ." She sighed again, then looked at me, quickly becoming alarmed at the decision she saw growing in my face. "No, Hasai! No. It will be difficult, but nothing more than that. We have Pasqual to use against Ahnkar, and her word will be more than enough to remove him. Ksstha, however, has only to face our deductions. They will not be enough to warrant his removal, but his-- illness-- is well-known. The added suspicion will damage him badly."
"And my children, Dithra? What about my children?"
"Once Ahnkar is deposed, I and the other remaining council members will direct him to return that which is rightfully yours. Stripped of his status, he will have no choice but to obey."
I looked at her. "You make it sound so simple."
"That is because it is simple." Dithra smiled. "But what about afterwards, dear Hasai? When you have your children back? What will you do then?"
I let my gaze drop to the floor, then I closed my eyes, my stomach churning. Trapped. By a manipulating bastard and his unwitting pawn, with the only way out the abandoning of two innocent lives to an uncaring fate; which I could never do. Check, and mate. Damn, lady, but you're good. . . . "My duty," I sighed "just as I have always done." I looked at Pasqual. "And you?"
"They are my children as well, my lord. I will be there."
I studied her for a moment, wondering if we could ever regain what we'd had on that tiny island in the Caribbean. . . . "So." A strange, bittersweet emotion touched me as I slowly turned back to Dithra. "Congratulations, my Lady; you have won. I ask only for time to put my human affairs in order."
"Granted." She smiled warmly, then, ignoring the shocked looks of both Stefan and Pasqual gracefully knelt at my feet and took my hand in hers. "But it is not my victory, dear Hasai. It belongs to all of us, and most especially it belongs to you." Her smile faded as she gripped my hand more tightly. "You will not regret your decision. This I swear."
I gave her a sad smile, then gently returned her grip. She held my hand for a moment more, her thoughts turned inwards, then she straightened. "Stefan, I will take Pasqual back with me this very evening. Wait until this time tomorrow, then follow with Hasai." She smiled at me again. "It is then that I will present him with his children."
Stefan silently bowed. Dithra then looked to Pasqual and gestured. Pasqual gave a bow of her own and left, with Dithra close behind.
"My Lady."
She turned.
"You put much confidence in the traditions of your council. Very well. But before you leave, know this. In the course of his instruction, Stefan informed me that our kind have other traditions as well. Traditions that we share with the humans. Traditions older even than those of your council. Traditions such as the Blood Feud."
Dithra froze for a moment, face paling slightly. "We have not known such a thing in over seven thousand years."
"Then I pray that you succeed in your mission, my Lady. For if you fail, rest assured that you will know it again."
A large, deeply tanned hand landed on my shoulder, and Colonel Spencer peered at the shifting images playing across the control console's video readouts. "How's it look, Sarge?"
I smiled. "Damn, this is great." I looked up at the field-grade; up into a face like a slab of leather topped with a crewcut of battleship grey, from which gazed a pair of strangely gentle blue eyes. "Sure wish we'd had this baby back in Europe, sir. Your people have done a good job."
He smiled back, then straightened. "Glad to hear it. I'll pass that along to them. So, do you think you'll recommend sign-off?"
"If the rest of the results look like this, I'd be hard-put not to. Is FEMA is going to buy any of these critters from you?"
He turned up his hands. "They'd like to, but these craft aren't what anyone would call cheap. I suspect they'll be hard-put to come up with the funds. Congress isn't doing any of us any favors, these days."
"Ain't it the truth." I sobered, then dropped my voice. "How are you doing, Colonel?"
His smile grew wry, and a trace of sadness entered his eyes. "Not too badly. Civilian life isn't the end of the world that most of us think it is, sergeant, and the pay is a damn sight better. Sometimes, though . . ." he paused, searching for words ". . . sometimes I think I miss you guys." He looked at me. "Word has it that you're thinking of retiring yourself. May I ask why?"
"I suspect for some of the same reasons as yourself, Colonel. No more windmills, and too many assholes." I sighed. "Why is it that all the honest-to-God officers seem to fade away like the morning mist, while the jackasses just go on forever?"
Spencer chuckled. "If that was a complement, I thank you." He looked at me questioningly. "And what are you going to do with yourself after you get out?"
I stared at my instruments for a moment, then smiled wryly. "I think I can say that I have a fairly long-term commitment waiting for me."
He nodded, then patted my shoulder. "Well, if it falls through, give me a call. There's a place for you on my engineering staff if you want it."
"Thanks, Colonel. That means a lot."
I knew the shit was going to hit the fan the moment my eyes scanned the room. Stefan, from the way he began to quietly hiss to himself, realized it as well.
Our pace slowed as we entered, taking it all in:
Dithra, neck drooping, coiled facing the members of the council rather than seated among them.
Seven elders now. Many new faces. Of the remaining originals two were missing, leaving only Ksstha, and. . . .
. . . .And Ahnkar, in Dithra's rightful place.
I knew what had happened in that room.
Damn, but I knew exactly what had happened in that room.
Somewhere in the back of my head Al Stewart was playing again, but this time the song was Roads to Moscow.
A metallic gleam near the opposite wall caught my eye. I looked, and for the first time saw Pasqual in her true form.
She was . . . like me. Long and sinuous, her serpentine form showing her Lung heritage. Golden cat's eyes gazed at me apprehensively from a slim armored head the blue-silver-grey of polished gunsteel, the spines that protected her powerful neck and back glittering as she turned to face me. A tangled mane of steely strands jangled faintly. Huge silver-grey wings shifted uneasily across her back, the tip of her wickedly spined tail lashing with agitation as I stared at her.
She was beautiful.
"You may study your mate another time, whelp. For now, however, you will attend me."
I felt a wave of loathing sweep through me as I turned to meet Ahnkar's eyes. He coiled there in the center of the gutted council, his head held arrogantly high as he stared back. At his side Ksstha crouched silently; his gaze looking right through me, lost in dreams of bloody revenge. I glanced at Dithra, studied how her silent form radiated shock and despair.
"The elder you know as Dithra is of no further consequence." Purred Ahnkar in a voice that made my flame surge within me. "The council has found her wanting, and she has been deposed. They then insisted that I take her position as Eldest until a more suitable candidate is found."
"And of course that search will take a very, very long time, will it not?" I snapped back sarcastically. "Is that the reason you felt it necessary to stock the council with your cronies, Ahnkar? And what of those two members I see missing? Could it be I just might find them floating face-down in some swamp somewhere?"
Ahnkar apparently had enough of a code of honor left to actually look shocked at my insinuation. "Certainly not! I will admit that they were pressured into leaving the council, yes. But violence? Dragons do not kill dragons." His jaws twisted bitterly. "We leave that to the humans."
Rage exploded within me at this flagrant hypocrisy, and it was all I could do to keep myself from leaping for his throat. "Noble words, Ahnkar." I snarled. "Noble words, for the one who murdered my mate and children."