The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume I: Volume I

volume he needed. But it was an ancient tome, too fragile to leave the stasis spell placed on it for more than a few moments.
    “Books are off limits on quest, my boy. You must continue alone.” The old man looked more sad than querulous. “Befriend the dragon. Do whatever it asks. The dragon is our only hope. You must find a way to secure the border in your sector. I will work on the other points that have been breached.”
    The border breached at other points as well? What did one say in the face of such a tragedy? Without the magic border, Coronnan would be open to attack from foreign armies as well as outlandish cultures. Chaos—or growth—would soon result. The people of Coronnan weren’t ready for either.
    “There is other news as well,” Baamin continued. “Two ambassadors are on their way to Coronnan. The kingdom of Rossemeyer seeks to marry their princess to our prince. Refusal will be considered a declaration of war. Their enemy, SeLenicca, claims any alliance with Rossemeyer will require retribution from them.”
    “ Stargods! How long before I can expect raiders on the border?” Both SeLenicca and Rossemeyer claimed the mountains southwest of here. No one controlled the passes and hidden valleys, except possibly the Rovers. Sudden blizzards sprang up at all times of the year. Armies from either country could cross the pass in two days—weather permitting—and simply walk across the dissolving border.
    “By the dark of the next moon both armies will wish to remind us of our trade-treaty obligations. If the dragons would give me enough magic, I could summon a storm to detain the ambassadors and delay a decision. I fear you are on your own. You must seal the border and discover why the dragon protects the wolf before then.”
    “If you had enough magic? What is happening, sir?” Jaylor forced himself to maintain the spell. The questions raised occupied too much of his concentration.
    “The rogue in disguise is perverting my spells. I can’t maintain this summons much longer.”
    He wasn’t doing much to hold it together as it was.
    “Are you certain the man is a foreign rogue, sir?” Silly question. The Commune had too much control over their members for one to step outside the bounds of University training. Masters of dragon magic could combine and thereby increase their powers to overcome any individual magician. All of the rogues who couldn’t or wouldn’t gather dragon magic had sought more agreeable locations three hundred years ago, when the Commune established the border.
    “A rogue of great power, Jaylor. I know not his origins. He or his accomplice stalks you even now, since you are so close to the last breeding female dragon.”
    “I don’t think the one who stalks me is from some other country.” Jaylor allowed an image of the one-eyed derelict to form on the glass. The image shifted and changed to a red-haired man in his prime, broad shouldered, lean of hip. He dared not risk giving the image a name or full details of his face. That could summon him into the spell, allow him to eavesdrop or, worse yet, interrupt the communication.
    But the vivid color of his hair should give his identity away.
    “Then his magic is of a nature totally alien to us. I know not its source, nor its potential.” The image wavered. “Even now he pulls this spell away from me. I dare work no magic at all, for it just makes him stronger and me weaker.” The sound of his voice faded. “Be careful, Jaylor. Be careful.”
    The spell dissolved from both ends.
     
    Darville stirred. As usual, he was curled up on the hearth. From there he could open one eye and observe all of the hut, as well as the door. Not much passed his notice.
    His body would not settle. The usual comfortable positions pulled his muscles wrong, twisted his bones. He stretched out, resting his head on his paws.
    Something was wrong. He could sense it, feel it, taste it. He couldn’t see as much in this position, but he felt better. Brevelan was fully in his sight. That was important.
    He smelled disquiet in her. Something to do with the man. The man he now knew must be protected along with Brevelan. The dragon had told him so.
    Perhaps he should be out there with the man. Then he could keep both his people under his eye. He yawned and stretched up to a sitting position. One hind foot twitched. He bent his head so he could scratch his ears. He didn’t really itch. It was just something to do while he puzzled out his next