The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume III: Volume III

more.” Quinnault chuckled again. He lengthened his stride as if he couldn’t get out of the stuffy chamber fast enough. Katie nearly ran to keep up with him, never letting go of his hand, especially now that it warmed under her touch.
    New buildings, many still shrouded in scaffolding, seemed to sprout like stalks of new wheat on every island comprising Coronnan City.
    Two years ago, before Katie came to Coronnan as his bride, he had been lord of these islands. His stark defensive tower was now an extensive palace and administrative center. Simple farmhouses and vegetable crops had given way to dwellings and workshops for craftsmen thrown up almost overnight, elegant townhouses for politicians, and temples—dozens and dozens of little temples to serve the growing populace of the new capital of Coronnan.
    This city represented her husband’s dream of peace for Coronnan and an important place for this country within the world marketplace.
    But he’d never planned to be king. She had been raised for her role as a member of a royal family that had ruled a galactic empire for many generations.
    Quinnault nodded casually to the city dwellers as he passed them on his way to the nearest bridge. “Time was, I could name them all and their children. Now I know only one out of ten,” he muttered.
    Katie squeezed his hand in reassurance. “You know more of them than my grandfather ever tried to learn of his immediate household. It’s important for us to maintain contact with the people we govern.”
    Quinnault smiled at her with that special half quirk of his mouth. Her pulse quickened in wonder and awe at her love for him.
    They crossed the bridge in the market square. Vendors closing up their booths before the commencement of the holy day and late customers alike stopped to bow or curtsey to the royal couple. Children ran about caring little for the dignity of those who followed the king and queen at a discreet distance.
    A flicker of movement in Katie’s peripheral vision caught her attention. Just another bystander, propping himself up against the corner of a building. But not just any bystander. She nodded slightly to him and suppressed another smile. Liam Francis, her youngest brother, come to check on her—though they both knew he should not be on planet.
    Her father should not be here either, but he was always a law unto himself.
    A tiny bit of Katie’s homesickness dissolved. She did miss her family. She almost gestured for Liam Francis to join her. At the last instant she dropped her hand. He blew her a kiss and melted into the crowd, one more slim young man among many—though he stood almost a head shorter than most.
    One of the ladies rushed to the queen’s side and shooed the children away.
    “Let them play,” Katie said, catching an unsteady toddler trying to follow his older siblings. She cuddled the child close for a moment. “We should have brought Marilell. She needs to get out of the palace more and breathe fresh air.”
    “We took her on the picnic. She’s had enough fresh air for one day and needs a nap.” Quinnault brushed a stray curl off Katie’s face with his long fingers. “You need a break from constant mothering. We need time together before our next child comes. Any sign of making me a father again?”
    Katie shook her head regretfully.
    The courtiers stepped back one pace, giving them a small illusion of privacy. The guards who hovered around the edges paused as well, surveying the marketplace with restless, wary eyes.
    Liam Francis popped up on the other side of the thoroughfare, then vanished again. Her homesickness came back to Katie with a sickening jolt.
    Quinnault squeezed her hand this time, as if he sensed her loneliness among this bustling crowd.
    She sighed. As long as she had her husband and daughter she had a family. But the only time she and Quinnault were ever truly alone together was in bed. And she wasn’t certain the servants didn’t listen then, too.
    Oh, how she longed to snag Liam Francis and sit quietly by the fire with a mug of mulled wine while catching up on the latest gossip from home.
    The parade of people followed Quinnault and Katie as they crossed a dozen islands between the palace and the mainland. As they stepped up on the last bridge, Katie paused a moment to look back. Their entourage had grown to include a number of curiosity seekers. Some nibbled food and sipped ale from the numerous markets along the route. Musicians played lively tunes in