Light Dragons 03 - Sparks Fly

petulance.
    I leaned in closer. “I’ll let you eat it off me.”
    “The sept of the light dragons wishes to join the weyr,” Baltic said, leaping to his feet and striding across the hall of the newly restored Dauva to where the long oval table sat in the center of the room. “You will accept us now so that I may go devote myself to my mate.”
    “Subtle,” I told him, getting up.
    “Do you agree to abide by the laws set in place by the weyr?” Gabriel asked Baltic.
    “If I must.”
    Aisling covered her mouth as she giggled again. Cyrene made a disgusted noise and stomped over to the row of chairs along the paneled wall, plopping down next to Pavel. “I don’t suppose you’d like to come to the Riviera with me?”
    Pavel, with a panicked look, immediately rose and took up a position behind Baltic.
    Cyrene looked at Maura and Savian, who were present as guests of the weyr.
    “He’s taken,” Maura said, putting her hand on Savian’s thigh.
    “I’m not, but my heart will always belong to my beloved Ysolde,” a disembodied voice said.
    Cyrene rolled her eyes and slumped back, pulling out her cell phone.
    “You must abide by the rules, as you well know, having once been a wyvern in the weyr,” Gabriel said, his lips once again twitching a little. May was suddenly possessed with a coughing attack that didn’t fool anyone. “I believe we can dispense with the rest of the formalities due to the candidate’s previous experience as a wyvern. How say you all?”
    “The Green Dragons welcome the new sept into the weyr,” Drake said promptly.
    I tucked my arm through Baltic’s and leaned into him, so happy I could have burst into song.
    “Despite the misunderstandings of the past, the Blue Dragons are happy to welcome the light dragons, as well,” said Bastian, with a genial smile toward us.
    Kostya, who sat with his arms crossed, was in the middle of a glaring battle with Baltic, but after a few minutes of pointed silence, he snapped, “The black dragons will recognize the light sept. Grudgingly. So long as they stay out of Russia.”
    “Oh, get over yourself already,” I told Kostya. “You can’t ask Baltic to be your second one day, and then be snotty to him the next. Let bygones be bygones. I have, for heaven’s sake. You don’t see me ripping your head off over the fact that you killed Baltic, do you? No, you do not, because I have enough common sense to know that what’s in the past is in the past, and we’ve all changed since then. Well, most of us have. And those that haven’t just need to pull their heads out of their butts and get with the program.”
    “Amen, sister,” Aisling said, applauding.
    “Hear, hear,” May said at the same time.
    Kostya stiffened up, but other than muttering some things about mates who didn’t know their places, stayed silent.
    “I never thought the day would come that the silver dragons would have cause to agree with the others and extend a welcome to Baltic and his sept, but we have only ever wanted peace, and for that reason, we agree to allow the light dragons to join the weyr.”
    Everyone looked at the empty chair to the right of Drake.
    “Still no word of Jian?” I asked the room in general.
    “No,” Drake said, frowning slightly. “He did not respond to the summons for the sárkány , nor did any red dragons contact the weyr with an explanation.”
    “Taking that into consideration, the weyr now recognizes the sept of the light dragons, with Baltic as wyvern, and Ysolde de Bouchier as his mate. Welcome to the weyr.”
    “Thank you, all,” I said, sniffling just a little as Aisling and May applauded again. “This means so much to me. I can’t wait to tell Brom that he’s officially a dragon, even if he isn’t physically one.”
    “I believe this concludes all weyr business,” Gabriel said, rising.
    “Excellent. We’ll just set up this table as a dining table, and then we can eat.”
    “Not just yet.”
    I looked at Baltic in surprise. “What other business do we have?”
    He gestured at Kostya. “It is his business.”
    We all turned to Kostya.
    “You have something more to say?” Gabriel asked.
    Kostya took a deep breath, shot Baltic a look that literally set him on fire, then said through obviously clenched teeth, “Be it known to all that the black dragons hereby gift Dragonwood to Ysolde de Bouchier. As of this moment, it is hers, and hers alone.”
    I stared in stunned surprise at him for a few seconds, joy filling