Prince of Spies - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,76

through the dark night over the northern border of Skithdron, Nico was glad to talk with them all and make friends.

Because all the skiths in the area had been herded to attack the Jinn, they crossed into the Northlands with relative ease. Only a few soldiers’ watchtowers had to be skirted or otherwise avoided, and all in all, Nico was surprised by how easily their escape from Skithdron had been accomplished. Still, they weren’t home yet. They had to traverse the cold northlands, heading for Draconia.

Nico decided their best bet was to make for the Northern Lair. It hadn’t been too long since Salomar’s defeat, so the area near the Lair should have been relatively free of obstruction. There were those diamond-tipped weapons to be wary of, though. Salomar might be gone, but his armies of brigands survived for the most part. Nico knew it was only a matter of time before a warlord or two rose to replace Salomar.

As night turned slowly toward day, Nico sighted the shining waters of Crystal Lake. They would be able to sleep the day away in a secret cove he knew there. Silently, he signaled to the contingent of dragons, altering their course slightly toward the lake. They followed his lead smoothly, having learned through the long night how to fly in formation as he had them rotate positions every half hour. It was the way he drilled young dragons and knights and it worked well with these black dragons too.

Riki, too, was flying better with each stroke of her wings. They stopped from time to time to rest, but she was keeping up, new as she was to flying. He felt pride in her, though Nico knew his bride was going to be very sore when they finally stopped for the day.

Still, it couldn’t be helped. Every step closer to Draconia was a step closer to safety and he had to take them as quickly as possible. Too much was at stake. Riki’s safety was paramount, but there were other considerations as well. Nico had learned much on this odyssey about the threat they all faced. Roland needed to know these things and word needed to spread to all possible allies. The safety of all lands was at stake.

“What’s that?” Riki asked in the silence of his mind. She was still getting used to her enhanced dragon vision, and had asked him several times what they were looking at from above as they passed over.

“Crystal Lake. We’ll stop there for the day to rest.”

“How close are we to the border with Draconia?”

“Not far now. Can you see where the rocks give way to trees just on the other side of the lake?” The first gray streaks of dawn were on the horizon, lighting it well for dragon sight.

“I can see some big brown blurs and some big green blurs, but that’s about it.”

He chuckled, sending a stream of smoke out behind them. “Well, you can trust me on this, the border is not far ahead, on the other side of the lake.”

“Then why stop on this side? Don’t you want to be in Draconia before we rest?”

“I’d love that, but it’s not possible for several reasons. First, the lake is much wider than it looks from here. It will take hours to traverse and we would be vulnerable to She Who Lives in the Lake should we try to cross it during the hours of daylight.”

“She Who Lives in the Lake? What’s in there? Some kind of monster?”

“Not a monster, exactly, but it’s better to cross under cover of darkness to avoid her notice. Also, the Draconian side of the lake is wild and mostly uninhabited. I wouldn’t trust Lucan not to have sent soldiers or skiths—or both—to harry us there. I also know a place on this side, which is well protected enough that we can sleep the day away in relative ease. We’ll stop here for the day, fish, eat, wash up and sleep, then cross the lake tonight, under cover of darkness.”

“And then what? I mean, where are we heading for after that?”

“Then we make for the Northern Lair. It’s not far past the lake. We should be able to land there before dawn. And won’t they be surprised to see us? Your sister roused them when she brought a wild Northern Ice Dragon home with her, but you’re bringing five black dragons. I think you’ve got her beat.” Nico chuckled, sending smoke out behind him, and Riki joined