The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume I: Volume I

bruise from collapsing onto the ground.
    (Reality changes from eyeblink to eyeblink. What you see is real until you disprove it with new perceptions.)
    “Where is this place you showed me? Not in Coronnan. The mountain shapes were wrong. Too jagged and bare of trees.” Yaakke inspected the rest of his body for damage, glad that he hadn’t ceased breathing because he thought he fell into a pool and drowned.
    (Your quest ends in a place that appeared to you in the dragon-dream. The jackdaw will guide you.)
    “Do I still have a quest? I left Jaylor without an explanation. I disobeyed you. Will anyone trust me after that?”
    (Seek Shayla with your heart as well as your mind. She will trust your heart.)
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    (Shayla’s life depends upon you. Without Shayla the Nimbus of Dragons will die.)
    “I need to talk to Jaylor first. He’ll help me understand . . .” His voice trailed off. Yaakke wasn’t certain what he needed to understand. His bizarre trip through the void followed by a dragon-dream seemed to have scrambled his insides as well as his thoughts.
    (You may discuss this with me.) The dragon sounded sad or upset that Yaakke sought advice from another.
    “You’re just a dragon. You wouldn’t understand.”
    Uncomfortable silence stretched between them.
    (If only I could tell you.)
    Was that a dragon thought? Yaakke wondered if he truly caught a glimmer of hurt and resignation in the droop of the dragon’s muzzle and half-closed eyes. He shook his head, trying to clear it of confusion so he could be sure.
    More silence.
    (Jaylor’s hiding place is on your way.)
    “On my way where? Is Shayla hurt like King Darville? Can she fly?”
    Yaakke twisted his neck to peer at the dragon. Gone! The dragon was gone, disappeared.
    “I know you are nearly invisible, but this is too much.” Silence except for the distant call of a jackdaw. Yaakke staggered to his feet and blundered toward the cave entrance that had shadowed the dragon. With outstretched hands he examined the lair entrance. Nothing.
    “Is this whole thing a dragon-dream?” No one answered but Corby. “ S’murgh it , I could still be in the capital for all I know.”

    Jaylor squinted through his telescope one last time. The other Master Magicians had deserted him for the warmth of their beds hours ago. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting in the sky tonight. But Jaylor needed the practice. And he needed some time alone.
    A year ago, when he’d begun his journeyman’s quest, all he’d wanted was to “Go see an invisible dragon” and earn the right to be a Master Magician. He had no idea, then, precisely what master status entailed. Now he knew.
    Master Magicians charted the stars, tabulated the paths of celestial bodies, and searched for anomalies and omens. Closer to the mundane population, magicians used their powers to minister to the sick, communicate with distant outposts, test the soil, and advise the people about proper nutrients and crop rotation and efficient breeding of stock. The secret knowledge entrusted to them by the Stargods provided them with guides. They experimented with tools and inventions, striving for improvements in production. They kept records and wrote chronicles. In better times, magicians advised the rich and powerful about diplomacy, economics, and alliances.
    Those responsibilities were child’s play compared to Jaylor’s duties as Senior Magician. Endless lists of supplies, maintenance and observation schedules, keeping track of every member of the diminished Commune, and placing the magicians where their talents could be maximized and their limitations augmented by others. And a constant monitoring of the defensive war being waged at the pass near Sambol. How many magicians dared he post there without raising superstitious fear among the troops, generals, and Council? The number had to be enough to counteract King Simeon’s indiscriminate use of battle magic. Where did they get the power to wage war? Everyone knew there were no ley lines in SeLenicca to fuel magic.
    These late hours on the roof seemed to be the only time Jaylor had alone, to think, to plan, to worry. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone to bed at the same time as Brevelan.
    His wife and son were always sound asleep when he crawled beneath the covers and still asleep when he rose before dawn to his morning duties.
    He checked the position of the wanderer he had been monitoring for