The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume III: Volume III

had used to patch Shayla’s wing after Jack’s healing spell had failed followed. Though Shayla’s magically damaged wing had grown back whole and strong, the lace bandage had left its imprint permanently in the membrane.
    (Make lace for my wings?) The dragonet spread and flapped his stubby wings. (Make my wings pretty with lace?)
    Jack translated for the dragonet.
    “Your wings are beautiful as they are, Amaranth,” Katrina reassured the baby. “You don’t need lace. Though I wish I could find a dye to match you for my newest lace pattern. For now, you just need to grow big and strong like your mama, safely back in your own lair.”
    Another pout.
    “Where’s your twin brother, Amaranth? Iianthe must be lonely without you.” Jack tried to persuade the dragonet to leave.
    (Don’t want Iianthe. Want Jack.)
    Already the twins must sense the separation soon to come.
    An idea hit Jack like one of the dislodged bricks from the wall.
    A grin spread across his face and lightened his soul. Some of his problems crumbled like the wall where Amaranth perched.
    “Amaranth, there is one way you can stay and play with me forever.”
    The dragonet and Katrina cocked their heads in curiously similar gestures of acute listening. Jack’s heart swelled with possibilities and love for them both.
    He smiled fondly at them and the image they presented. Family. His family.
    “As a purple dragon, a very rare and special being, either you or Iianthe must give up your dragon form soon.”
    The dragon nodded sagely, suddenly more mature and experienced than any two-year-old had a right to be.
    “If you transform into a catlike creature, you can help me entice Rosie the cat out of Queen Mikka. Then you can stay with me forever as my familiar. As a dragon, you must make a lair of your own and live alone.”
    Perhaps, as a cat, Amaranth would lose a little of his awkwardness. Jack had never known a clumsy cat.
    “This is a really important task, Amaranth. I really need your help.”
    As long as Rosie remained joined to Rossemikka, the queen’s body would be unbalanced and she could not produce the heir that the country needed so badly for stability. The Gnuls preyed on that instability to spread their litany of fear.
    (An elegant solution to our problems, Jack,) Shayla said from a great distance.
    Jack sensed her presence, high above the city as she soared on a thermal. He knew she would not be too far away while one of her brood explored the world.
    “You agree with the plan?” he asked.
    Katrina struck an acute listening pose as well. Ever since she had bandaged Shayla’s wing with the unique lace shawl woven of Tambrin thread spun from the Tambootie trees, she had shared a rapport with the dragon.
    (How did you know that one of the two forms a redundant purple dragon may take is the flywacket?)
    “Flywacket? What’s a flywacket?”
    (A creature that has not been seen in this land in many generations of humans, but thanks to you, one will once again grace us with its wisdom and life force.)
    Somehow grace and wisdom did not fit Amaranth.
    “Flywacket, huh? If everyone agrees, we can try it tonight.”
    “So soon?” Katrina’s eyes grew wide with just a touch of panic.
    “Tonight! In the central grove on Sacred Isle. There should be enough space there for Shayla and Amaranth and everyone else.”
    He remembered with joy the day he had found his magician’s staff within one of the sacred oaks there. Performing the greatest spell of his life should take place in the same sacred grove. A few weeks ago he thought bringing the dragons home and defeating Rejiia should have been the magical achievement of a lifetime. What awaited him after this?
    “Why wait another day? Queen Mikka has been waiting three years to be rid of that cat. Tonight I perform the spell. Tomorrow we will marry. The day after we journey to SeLenicca.” He kissed Katrina soundly, wanting to linger. But the logistics of the magic pulled at his concentration. “I have to leave now, love. A spell of this magnitude requires a lot of preparation.”
    Amaranth squealed in delight. His dragon language rose shrill and piercing. Jack and Katrina both covered their ears rather than linger with another kiss.
    “Uh, Shayla, will you call your dragonet? He’s making a shambles of this wall and our eardrums.”
    A dragonlike chuckle sounded in the back of Jack’s head. A moment later Amaranth cocked his head and obediently, but clumsily, flapped his ungainly