The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume I: Volume I

Very likely he would borrow a larger viewing glass or maybe a book of spells from the library. Or possibly a book from this very room?
    Baamin shook his head, partly in dismay, partly in amazement. How had he reared a rogue magician in these very halls without noticing? All the evidence was there, in the very early manifestation of power, in the wine cups and wildly distorted spells. Maybe it was a good thing the tutors had thought young Jaylor merely inept at throwing magic. If they had realized he was a rogue at work, they would have banished him long ago.
    ’Twas Jaylor who had discovered the rogue inciting dragon murder in Lord Krej’s province. ’Twas Jaylor who had been the first of the journeymen to see a dragon. Perhaps he would learn the importance of the wolf the dragon protected, too.
    Baamin almost hoped not. He needed to know what prompted the dragon before anyone else did. He needed knowledge and information to deal with the unexpected and unexplained. He began searching through the books in earnest.

    Closer and closer they lead me. I must push them to move faster. Soon they will pass the place where I removed Darville from my path. And shall again. It is as close to Shayla as I have come on my own.
    On the first dragon hunt, blind luck led us to follow a man in dragon-thrall. The next time, the old witchwoman was tricked into showing the way. I had to kill the old crone. Then the dragon changed her lair, relaid the path. She became smart, as smart as Maman. Almost, I lost the desire to pursue. But the Tambootie gave me the will to persevere.
    My patience has been rewarded. I set everything else in place. Now, the girl will lead me. Once beyond this cliff top, nothing can keep me from my dragon.
    At last, all the years of planning, the murder of my father and older brothers, the destruction of the nimbus, and Darville’s enchantment, are coming to fruition.
    No one in the kingdom will resist me. I will no longer have to steal my Tambootie. Dragons will bring it to me.
     
    Brevelan’s path up the mountain narrowed as it curved around a steep cliffside. An ancient landslide had left a wild scree above the narrow ledge they traversed. Occasional tufts of grass clung to the thin soil, telling Brevelan the age of the slide.
    Below them, a sheer cliff dropped to a cluster of trees and a swift stream. In the rarefied air, Brevelan could see the details of the scene very clearly. She felt a moment of disorientation as she looked over the edge. The height was dizzying. Puppy whined and pressed closer to Brevelan. His body trembled against her. She reached to give him the comfort he craved.
    “What’s his problem?” Jaylor turned back from the steep path to check on his companions.
    “This place bothers him.” Brevelan crouched down to wrap her arms completely around the distressed wolf.
    “Why?”
    She sensed the man’s armor falling into place. He was nearly as wary as the wolf. There was a presence behind them again. She felt it the moment she stopped concentrating on her footing. The spotted saber cat or Old Thorm? She didn’t like the thought of either one creeping up behind them.
    “I don’t know,” Brevelan replied. She crooned a soothing tune to the wolf. They needed to continue on, put more distance between themselves and whatever matched their movements. The follower had also stopped but had not turned away.
    “Mrrow?” Mica added her own questions to the conversation. The fur on her back stood upright. Her tail swished in agitation.
    Brevelan saw Jaylor wince as the little cat dug her claws into his shoulder. He batted the offending claws lightly. In response Mica butted her head into his shoulder. Her fur smoothed a little.
    “Has Wolf ever been here before?” Jaylor peered around the ridge they were climbing. They were very high now. Shayla’s lair couldn’t be far.
    Cautiously, Brevelan looked around, without releasing her gentling hand on Puppy. Her gaze was drawn to the valley below. It seemed familiar. She looked closer.
    The height distorted her vision and balance. She knew the terrifying urge to throw herself into the warm air rising from the valley floor. She closed her eyes as she backed up, attempting to break the almost familiar need to launch into flight.
    Behind her squeezed eyelids she saw a winter storm threatening the gray sky and the crumpled body of a golden wolf at the foot of the ancient landslide. She remembered feeling panic, followed by the overwhelming