Chapter 64 - Two, not Three

I sent, the thought crackling with cold anger. Both of them froze, then the smaller dragon, his scales a striking blue-black in color with dark green markings, spun around while the one on the ground slowly wobbled to her feet, golden cat's eyes blinking as she tried to focus them on me. I studied her long, sinuous, glittering form for a long moment; I knew she was just as beautiful as ever, but at the moment I was having trouble finding that beauty. I swung my gaze back to the other dragon.

Kaa'saht flinched at the voice in his head, his eyes widening as he gazed at the silvery nimbus about me and realized what it meant. Before he could stammer out a reply, I was distracted by a happy yelp, and around Pasqual's armored bulk a pair of small, gleaming shapes came bounding across the snow, heading for me until a hiss from Pasqual brought them up short. Ashadh and Dahiric began to mill about confusedly, glancing back and forth between myself and their mother.

Wait; where was--

"Kaa'saht!" I jumped, then whipped my head around to see Stefan come boiling up the trail I'd left him, eyes locked on his traitorous agent. From his jaws came a long series of hisses, clicks, and snarls, indecipherable to me, but perfectly understandable to Kaa'saht, who cringed away from Stefan's onrushing form, his eyes darting about as he frantically sought to escape. Abruptly he spread his wings--

I snarled, the nimbus flaring about me with my anger. Stefan missed his footing and plowed headfirst into the snow. Pasqual, still none-too steady from my savage destruction of her storm, lurched and very nearly fell over again. Kaa'saht, about to spring into the air, froze, blinked, then very slowly began to pull his wings back in as he stared at me with something in his eyes that might have been terror. Both Ashadh and Dahiric squawked and fell, limbs flailing. I winced at their cries, then turned back to Stefan as I fought to bring my emotions back into check.

Stefan righted himself and sat up, giving his head a vicious shake to fling the clinging snow away from his face. His eyes were glittering with rage, but then they met mine. After several long moments that rage began to subside to a calmer, more controllable fury, and at last he bowed in submission. "Yes, my Lord," he croaked, his voice harsh with emotion.

I studied him for a second, then turned back to Pasqual. I demanded.

Both Pasqual and Kaa'saht blinked, then turned to look at each other, and a sick feeling began to creep over me. At last Pasqual began to answer, in the hisses and clicks of the draconic language.

All the other dragons in the clearing started violently, stared at me as I struggled to control myself. Finally, Pasqual slowly moved to place a single talon upon her breast. A pause, then a torque similar to Stefan's flared into being about the base of her neck, its normal green color mottled with flecks of sky blue. Protection from my disruptor spell? My eyes flicked to her right for an instant to see Kaa'saht moving to follow suit.

"My Lord, I--" my mate's faltering voice cut off, and Pasqual's golden eyes slid away from mine and closed for a second, as if she were gathering her strength. Finally she looked back to me. "My Lord Hasai, our daughter is no more," she said at last.