The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume I: Volume I

still sits in this Council. He ordered my paymaster to withhold funds from my troops, then when he paid them again, half the drageen owed to them, he told them the coins came from his pocket and they owed him their loyalty, when in truth the money came from my treasury. He commands armies who are more interested in fighting me than our enemies. Tell me how he has been punished for changing me into a wolf and depriving Coronnan of her best protection—the dragon nimbus.” Darville looked each lord and magician in the eye. “Tell me!”
    “Lord Krej is forced to take the witchbane,” someone whispered.
    Darville growled his disagreement in very human tones. He deliberately kept his teeth covered. Still, eleven men reared back in their chairs, anxious to put as much space between themselves and his supposed wolf temperament as possible. He caught a glimpse of a snide smile on the face of the twelfth man, Lord Krej.
    “This is why we must separate you from all contact with magic, Prince Darville.” Lord Krej’s contempt for him was clearly visible to all now. “You’ll never be allowed to wear the Coraurlia while you lack control of your beastly instincts.”
    “ ’Tis proximity to you, the cause of my ‘beastly instincts, ’ that makes me lose control, Krej.”
    “Then perhaps I should withdraw to Faciar and run the war from there with my true followers,” Krej challenged. “Many trust my proven leadership over your untried royal blood, in spite of your accusations of rogue magic, and no matter the source of their pay.” The expression on his face appeared suitably humble for the benefit of the Council.
    “You won’t escape the witchbane so easily, Krej. Nor will you divide the Council further. You will remain in Coronnan City where you can be watched. Just stay out of my way and out of my personal life.” Darville stalked to the door of the chamber.
    “A king has no personal life,” Krej called after him. “And the malevolence of your pet is the concern of the Council and of all of your citizens.”
    “Then I demand the presence of Senior Magician Baamin to root out the souce of truly malevolent magic as well as treason. Neither of which come from my cat.”
    “Impossible, Your Grace,” Jonnias half-rose from his chair. “We can’t risk magic contamination.”
    “If proximity to a magician is the source of your fears, why haven’t you banished your own magicians? Have any of you considered that possibility? Well, I have. Sergeant!” he called to Fred. “Have the magicians removed from Council. They are all barred from this chamber until further notice.”
    Twelve men-at-arms marched into the room, each carrying a vial of witchbane. Twelve magicians left in a huff, gathering their formal robes close against them, lest they be contaminated by their mundane lords. Lords shouted and raised their fists. Chairs overturned. Chaos reigned. But only Darville pounded on the table with the hilt of his dagger. “Enough!” he shouted. “This session of Council is dissolved.”
    Lord Krej continued to smile and narrow his eyes, as if he knew that Darville had fallen into a trap of his own making.

Chapter 5
     
    F rom her perch on the first spar above the deck, Rosie watched the pod of mandelphs sporting in the wake of the ship. A ray of sunshine caressed her cheek. The summer was waning toward autumn. Her eyes drooped at the loss of the sun’s heat.
    “Your Highness, would you do me the honor of returning to the deck?” Kevin-Rosse, the ambassador to Coronnan looked up to her chosen seat and swallowed nervously.
    A flicker of memory from somewhere hinted that KevinRosse was afraid of heights. Good. Perhaps he’d leave her alone. As the entire crew and entourage were supposed to. Janataea had declared Rosie’s solitude inviolate.
    Rosie turned her attention back to her current elaborate cat’s cradle where it lay nearly forgotten in her lap.
    The ambassador apparently overcame his fears and stepped up on a crate next to the mast to bring him closer to her height. Rosie edged farther out on the spar.
    “Please, Your Highness, I need to talk to you.”
    Rosie looked up and contemplated the crow’s nest. Kevin-Rosse’s gaze lurched upward in the same direction. He paled visibly and came no closer. Rosie didn’t want to talk to Kevin-Rosse. His words always left her feeling guilty and uncomfortable.
    “I’ll talk to her, you bumbling idiot!” Janataea nearly pushed Kevin-Rosse off the