The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume III: Volume III

him and with more grace.
    Amaranth let out a squeak of distress and jerked away from Jack’s grasp.
    “Sorry, Amaranth.” He petted the bruised and stunted spiral horn bud on the baby dragon’s forehead. “This will all be over soon.”
    The dragonet nuzzled Jack’s side, keeping his sensitive forehead lowered and out of reach. He radiated bewilderment, excitement, and just a touch of fear. Jack cuddled Amaranth a little closer.
    Emotional distraction kept him from adding any other reassurance. He needed to be on the road following Katrina. Jaylor had confidence in Margit’s ability to take care of Katrina. Jack didn’t trust anyone but himself where Katrina’s well-being was concerned.
    Amaranth almost purred under his caresses. Magical power flooded Jack’s being. The dragonet opened his mind to Jack. Vivid images of the dragonet’s daily hunt and swim in the Bay with his brothers filled Jack’s head.
    For a moment he felt like part of the group, a member of the family. He pushed it aside; the only family he wanted now was Katrina.
    But the premature bond he had inadvertently awakened in Amaranth did not allow him to shut out the images or the emotions. Nor could he forget his preparation for the spell with Baamin, the blue-tipped dragon who had been his mentor at the old University in a previous life. He’d always have a family with the dragons.
    “Amaranth, where is Baamin, the elder blue-tipped dragon?”
    (Here, son,) a new voice replied. Soothing, confident, wise.
    Jack breathed deeply, more comfortable with himself just hearing the voice of his mentor. His father—though neither of them had known of the relationship while the old man lived in his human body.
    For Jack, just knowing that Old Baamin lived on in the dragon body gave him a sense of continuity with the past, something that had been missing most of his life. But at the moment he could not comprehend his life extending forward to new generations, not until he and Katrina found a way to overcome her fears.
    “Are you here in the lair, Baamin? Or here in my head?” Jack asked.
    (In your head, Jack. There isn’t room for me in the lair tonight.)
    “Can you check on Katrina for me? Is she safe? Is she lonely?”
    (Yes, and yes. You have time to complete your tasks and then catch up with her. She needs this time alone.)
    Jack nodded his acceptance of the dragon’s words, knowing the old man would read his emotions. Other than himself, he trusted Baamin more than anyone on Kardia Hodos. As long as Baamin watched Katrina, no one would beset her intending harm.
    (Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get on with your spell, boy,) the dragon reprimanded him, sounding very much like the master magician in charge of exuberant and inattentive apprentices.
    “Is everyone here?” Jack asked the assembly in the lair. He counted noses: at least ten master magicians and a horde of journeymen and apprentices, Shayla and the two purple dragonets, Jaylor and Brevelan near the slightly raised platform that usually held Shayla’s nest. Brevelan sat on a boulder that seemed molded to her slight frame. She held one of her newborn twins, the tiny quiet one that everyone feared might not live, a small scrap of life who held everyone’s heart and concern. Queen Mikka sat beside her on another boulder holding the other baby, a squalling, squirming bundle of aggressive humanity with an aura big enough for two. King Darville leaned over his queen inspecting the baby. A look of wistful regret passed between the king and queen. They’d lost five babes before Mikka could carry them to full term. The cat spirit within the queen’s body caused an imbalance that affected her ability to produce the long hoped-for heir.
    “After tonight, maybe you’ll have your own brood of sons and daughters,” Jack whispered.
    Shayla must have banished the other ten dragonets to keep them from interfering with the spell. Ten curious dragon babies could wreak havoc on the simplest of activities. He almost chuckled at the antics that had greeted him the first time he’d encountered the dragons in a cave hidden behind a waterfall deep within the mountains of SeLenicca.
    Jaylor came out from behind his wife with an outstretched hand, greeting Jack like an equal. He beamed proudly. Of his two sons, Jack saw no sign. Good. Amaranth’s clumsiness created enough chaos in the lair. Two rambunctious and under-cautious young boys would only add to the confusion Jack was about to