Light Dragons 02 - The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons

before he could say anything, a feeble voice spoke from the floor.
    “I told you that I did not slay Ysolde. How could I slay her when I gave my life for hers?” Constantine groaned as he sat up, gingerly wiggling his jaw.
    “You what?” I asked, shaking my head. “No, you killed me. Baltic and I shared the vision. We saw you with the bloody sword, standing over my body.”
    “I found the sword,” he said wearily, getting to his feet. “Lying next to your body. I knew someone had slain you, and that I could not survive your loss.”
    “She is not your mate!” Baltic bellowed, starting toward him. Pavel was immediately at his side, as was Drake, both of them blocking him. “She’s mine! It was me who died when you killed her!”
    “I didn’t kill her!” Constantine yelled back. “Are you deaf as well as stupid?”
    “Hey!” I said, pushing Pavel aside. “I will not tolerate any name-calling!”
    Baltic shoved me right back behind him. I pinched his butt.
    “I gave my life for yours,” Constantine repeated. “I sacrificed myself for you. Just ask the First Dragon.”
    My skin prickled as I moved around to Baltic’s other side, leaning into him for comfort. “You did? That was you? The First Dragon said that someone . . . But I thought you killed me. If you didn’t, then who did?”
    “That I do not know. I found the sword next to your body, and tracks leading off, but did not see anyone.” Constantine sniffed and looked haughtily down his nose at Baltic. “I did not have time to follow. I knew that I must save you. I could do nothing more than give my life for yours.”
    To my surprise, Baltic suddenly gave a short bark of laughter. “ You could do nothing more . Do you think I have forgotten the past, Constantine? I know why you sacrificed yourself, and it had nothing to do with your professed love for my mate.”
    Constantine’s gaze shifted to Gabriel. I got the feeling he was extremely uncomfortable. “The past is where it should be—long buried. It is the present that concerns me, and the welfare of my sept.”
    Gabriel’s jaw worked, but respect for the founder of his sept clearly held his tongue silent. May moved close to him, her fingers twining through his. “Has there ever been precedence for a wyvern being resurrected?” she asked.
    “No—” Drake started to say, but Baltic interrupted.
    “He is not alive. He is a shade. Take my advice and call an exterminator.”
    Constantine’s eyes widened with indignation. He spat out something in Zilant that had Jim looking shocked.
    “Your opinion concerns me not,” Baltic told him, wrapping an arm around me. “We will go home now.”
    “I told you that we don’t have a home. Besides, Thala is still out there, doing who knows what.”
    “Thala?” Constantine asked. “Von Endres’ daughter?”
    “Yes. She resurrected Baltic, but evidently she’s been using him to bring the dragon heart together.”
    “Really,” Aisling said softly, nudging Drake. “I told you it had to be something like that. I told you that if it wasn’t Baltic killing those blue dragons, then it had to be Thala.”
    We all looked at her in surprise. “You think Thala killed the blue dragons instead of Fiat?” I asked.
    “Sure. It makes sense if she really wanted the dragon heart.” She looked around the room at the expressions of confusion and continued. “You said she was using Baltic for her own purposes, right? What’s the first thing any good plan of attack does? Divide and conquer. So she made everyone in the weyr think Baltic really is the dreadest of all wyverns.”
    “I am,” he said with a grim look at Constantine.
    “Baltic is buddies with Fiat because he gave him succor or some such thing as that, so Thala played on that fact and made it look like Baltic was working with Fiat to hurt the weyr. I bet it was Thala who was behind your kidnapping,” Aisling said, turning to Tipene. “May said it was ouroboros dragons who grabbed you guys, right? I bet she was working with Fiat’s ex–blue dragons.”
    “She didn’t have to,” I said slowly, my gaze meeting Baltic’s. He looked thoughtful.
    “Really? Why not?”
    “She had her own tribe.”
    “Oh. Well, that works just as well. She does what she can to raise havoc and mayhem in the weyr, including either killing the blue dragons, or helping Fiat kill them, and making it seem like Baltic did it. I guess that means the weyr owes you guys an apology, right,