The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume III: Volume III

create.
    Jack did not envy the four apprentices assigned to sit with the boys this night. They needed four adults to handle the two boys. Four apprentices or Brevelan.
    With one arm draped around Amaranth’s neck—to keep him from falling into the campfire ignited for the humans’ benefit, Jack nearly stumbled again with an awesome sense of having done this before. And failed.
    No. He forced himself to remember that this time he had the backing of the full Commune of Magicians. He had a purple dragon to give him extra magic that he normally could not gather. Never again would he be as alone or lonely as he had been before he met Katrina.
    He’d needed Katrina and her Tambrin lace to truly heal Shayla’s wing. Tonight he needed Katrina by his side to anchor him, give him reasons for succeeding.
    “Your Grace, time to convince your pesky cat to find a new body.” Jack bowed to Queen Mikka. “Is everyone ready?”
    “Will it hurt?” Mikka asked.
    “Perhaps. I don’t know, Your Grace.” Jack shrugged his shoulders.
    “Very well. Let us proceed.” Mikka stood up and handed the bawling baby back to Brevelan. As she turned to face Jack, she presented a regal calm. Her multicolored hair, like a brindled brown cat’s fur, flowed smoothly about her shoulders. As tall as Brevelan was short, she radiated authority and determination as well as acceptance of tonight’s procedures—complete with risks.
    Precisely the queen Darville needed to help him govern the fractious lords who sat on the Council of Provinces. The couple ruled by the grace of the dragons. But the lords no longer respected the dragons.
    Jack sensed the other magicians arranging themselves around Amaranth in a circle. Shayla nudged Iianthe, the second purple-tipped dragonet to join them. Iianthe held back. He’d always been shy around Jack.
    That other time Jack had used a purple dragon to give him extra magic to heal Shayla’s wing, Amaranth had willingly joined him. The spell had awakened their unique rapport before the dragonet was mature enough to understand or control it. Iianthe had hidden rather than participate in something new.
    “We need symmetry with the original spell that bound the queen and her cat into the same body,” Jack announced. He tapped several of the master magicians on the shoulder and indicated they should leave. “That means eight men working around a center point. Your Grace, if you will take the center with Amaranth.” He beckoned the queen over. Jaylor followed her.
    Four years ago, Jaylor had been the center of the spell. The Rovers had agreed to straighten out his warped magic. Their massive working had involved an eight-pointed star, dance, music, and fire. Mikka and her cat had been on the sidelines then, along with Brevelan and Darville. As the Rovers unraveled Jaylor’s talent and then bound it back into his body, the cat had crawled into her mistress’ lap and the two had been caught in the spillover of magic.
    Jack couldn’t let that happen again. Carefully, he positioned two journeymen in front of Brevelan and the babies. Then he beckoned Darville to stand behind them as well. “I want a full bubble of armor around the nonparticipants the entire time,” he whispered to the journeymen as he returned to his core of magicians.
    Quietly he chalked the important points and junctions of an eight-pointed star on the ground. “We’ll need a second fire over there, to balance this one. I don’t want the fire in the middle. That will destroy the balance.”
    Amaranth obliged by igniting the pile of reserve firewood. It blazed merrily and the dragon bounced back to Jack’s side.
    The spell was taking shape.
    “Where’s Zolltarn? He needs to be here.” Jack looked around, blinking slightly as he roused from his deep concentration and memories.
    “He did not respond to our summons.” Jaylor shrugged.
    The Rover Chieftain obeyed his own rules—rules he made up as he went along.
    “He designed the original spell,” Jack half protested.
    “He’s your grandfather, boy,” Old Lyman half sneered. “The blood tie is complete.” The elder librarian hobbled about the cave with the aid of his staff. Jack was glad he’d kept the old man out of the spell.
    Three years ago the Rover spell had put too much strain on Baamin’s heart and hastened his death. Jack did not want to be responsible for that happening with Lyman.
    Old hurts. He needed to put them aside and make new memories. With