The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume III: Volume III

looked naked, devoid of the heavy rings he and his wife habitually wore.
    A sudden image splashed in front of Katie’s vision. Balthazaan should wear a silver ring of entwined strands on his left hand. His wife wore an identical one—the hereditary betrothal bands of their family. One of those two rings had been left in Marilell’s crib. The baby had almost choked to death on a ring normally worn by this lord.
    Her father might have prompted the attempted kidnapping of her baby, but this man executed the orders—or tried to.
    She flashed the information to Quinnault. He reeled under the impact. How do we prove it? Quinnault asked her. Anger stained his cheeks red.
    I don’t know that we can. Balthazaan will side with anyone who opposes you. He will claim our accusations are merely persecution because of his opposition to your politics, Katie thought.
    I thought your father tamed him.
    My father has his own agenda. Who knows what thoughts and innuendos he planted in that man’s mind. We only asked him to keep the lords out of the way while Nimbulan and his friends rescued a few of the books. Now he’s disappeared again.
    “Balthazaan.” Quinnault gathered himself to speak. “Without the dragons, we cannot fight rogue magic. Do you wish to return to the days of civil war when Battlemages led warlords into battle after battle for no reason other than to prove their superiority over another Battlemage?”
    Balthazaan reared back as if he’d been slapped.
    “By your own argument, King Quinnault, the books must be burned. They contain knowledge of rogue magic. Once they are destroyed, no one will know how to work any magic but that given us by dragons.” The Senior Magician dragged himself to his feet. He kept his eyes on the torch Rollett still held out of his reach.
    “Master Aaddler,” Katie called aloud. “If other lands with Battlemages who use solitary magic attack us, overtly or covertly, how will we know how to counter them unless we have access to the same knowledge they possess?”
    “That cannot happen!” Scarface screamed. His scar whitened, and he scrunched up his eyes, making an ugly mask of his face. “There will be no more rogue magic. I cannot allow any more rogue magic!” Scarface raised his hands to the skies and brought forth a huge ball of witchfire. As suddenly as the flames appeared, he launched them into the middle of the mound of books. They exploded in flame.
    Wind-drift and Whitehands lunged for him, knocking him back to the pavement once more. The two magicians slammed their fists into Scarface’s jaw alternately, repeatedly.
    “How dare you!” they screamed.
    “How dare you destroy our heritage?” Tears streamed down Wind-drift’s face. “I tried to make you see reason. I tried, but you would not listen,” he sobbed.
    A dozen hands, led by Rollett and Powwell, rushed to douse the flames with water or blankets. The heat of fire in the tower drove them back before they could get close enough to extinguish more than a few sparks.
    Katie hid her face against her husband’s chest. She bit her fist to keep from crying out. Quinnault held her tightly. His jaw trembled atop her head with suppressed emotions.
    Cheers as well as gasps of dismay rose from the throats of all but a few gathered around the courtyard. The common people who watched from the fringes added their voices to the others.
    Allow these few books and shadows of books to burn. Your helpers have saved many more of them. A masculine voice Katie did not recognize came into her mind.
    Who? She looked up to see if a new dragon had joined Shayla and her consorts who hovered above the fire.
    None of them responded.
    “I can no longer trust you, Master Aaddler,” Quinnault said quietly. “While you remain Senior Magician of the Commune, I cannot trust any member of the Commune, except these two brave souls. You are all forbidden the Council chamber until another, more moderate man leads you.”
    “And so the alien queen will be your sole adviser,” Scarface sneered.
    “I value the advice of my beloved wife. But I also value the wisdom of a magician. I value the balance in my government provided by magicians, lords, and myself. You would upset that balance in your quest for total control of myself and the lords. Master Rollett and Master Lyman will be my chief advisers, with assistance from Masters Wind-drift and Whitehands.”
    “Rollett is no master! Only I can confirm a journeyman worthy of master