The Bedlams were quiet but sympathetic, understanding all too well the sensation the queen was experiencing.

"Enough of that!" The slim woman looked at her two old friends. "I am glad you happened along, because I have need to talk to you. Melicard has agreed to the ceremony taking place soon after the formal reception but has not set a specific day and time. Do you have any suggestions?"

Cabe looked at his wife, who smiled back at him. Turning her gaze back to the queen, the Lady Bedlam replied, "We were just discussing that very subject before we heard the soldiers!"

"And what did you decide?"

The warlock could not resist. "My wife the royal counselor thought that the day after tomorrow would be best. It would allow a day of calm for all of us after the excitement of tonight's reception."

Erini could not hold back her smile. "The royal counselor may be correct. I was thinking along the same lines. What time of day would the royal counselor suggest?"

"To be fair," began Gwendolyn, giving Cabe a piercing but playful stare, "I think the royal counselor's husband should contribute on that matter."

"And what do you say, royal counselor's husband?"

Unschooled in the eccentricities of proper royal behavior, Cabe had no idea what time of day would be appropriate for such a solemn ceremony. Thinking of his own preference, he hesitantly answered, "In the morning?"

Erini considered this for quite some time. Cabe hoped that he had not erred in some way. Better to face an angry Dragon King than try to muddle his way through the idiosyncrasies of the monarchy.

"Yes, the morning might work. I have always thought that there was something captivating about the first few hours of the day, something touching the soul."

The warlock relaxed.

"I will take your suggestions to my husband. If he finds them agreeable, then they will be presented to Lord Kyl and Lord Green." The queen hugged them both. "Thank you, both of you. I always know that I can depend upon your sage advice."

"We're glad to help in any way we can," Cabe returned. Gwen echoed his sentiments. Erini was a good friend.

"The day after tomorrow," repeated the slim monarch. "In the morning. Early, so that the wonder of a new day will touch us all . . . those of us who can appreciate morning, that is."

"How fare the preparations for the reception this evening?" asked the Lady Bedlam, changing the subject.

"Everything is moving swimmingly. I have been planning for this day since it was first suggested some time back. The food will be ready. The ballroom is being prepared even as we speak. All the arrangements are proceeding exactly as I hoped." Some of the queen's high spirits faded. "Now, if only the guests could be so obliging. Not everyone thinks that peace with drakes is a good thing."

Drakes eating and drinking alongside the cream of Talak's leadership. Cabe tried to hide his own anxiety from Erini. It was one thing to have a private supper between the two rulers, but the reception invited so many new and unpredictable elements into the situation.

"I'm sure that they'll-"

"Erini! Are you all right?" called a frantic voice.

They turned to see the king come rushing across the lawn. Behind him and having difficulty keeping pace with the distraught monarch were Baron Vergoth and Melicard's personal guard.

"It is all right, Melicard! I-" The queen had no chance to say more, for the tall form of her husband suddenly enveloped her.

"I just spoke with the guards protecting Lynnette! Curse those drakes! I'll have the whole bunch of them slaughtered, with that snake who would sit on the throne beheaded before the entire city!"

"Melicard!" Erini's eyes were wide with fear, but fear for her husband and her people, not for herself. "You will do no such thing! Think what that would mean! The rest of the Dragon Kings would see no choice but to fall upon Talak with their full combined might!"

"I do not care!"

"But it was a mistake! The drake did nothing! He was lost and happened to wander too near. The sentries saw him and mistook his presence for a threat, but he was only trying to find his way back to the others. If anyone was in danger, it was him! Just ask Cabe or Gwendolyn."

Melicard turned his unsettling gaze toward Cabe, who was forced to steel himself when the unseeing, elfwood orb fixed on him. "What is she saying?"

"The truth," the warlock responded. He did not allow the king any time to argue. "It was a servitor drake. They're more inclined to work than a.s.sa.s.sinate. This one was scared out of his wits. Your guards did their duty," he added, not wanting to sound too recriminating, "but in this case they had nothing to fear."

"Where is this . . . lizard?"

"Darkhorse led him back to the others. Both my wife and I will vouch for the drake, Melicard."

"As will I, husband." The queen forced the hesitant ruler to look at her again. "It was nothing. Perhaps the guards still worry because they are not used to even the presence of a drake in the city, but they were wrong if they told you that I was attacked."

The king stilled, but the tension had by no means left him. Why did this have to happen now? wondered Cabe.

Baron Vergoth dared speak. "Shall we locate this drake, my lord? Question him ourselves?"

Melicard stared at his bride. Erini gave him a look of defiance. "No, Baron. Not this time. It seems we were mistaken."

The aristocrat looked rather disappointed, but he nodded.

"Thank you," whispered Erini. She hugged her husband, then gave him a light kiss. "And thank you for your concern."

"I would give up all of Talak if it meant your safety."

"Let's hope it will never come to that, then, shall we? I think the people deserve better."

With some effort, the king turned to the Bedlams. "I thank you two for your a.s.sistance in this matter. I also apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you."

The sorcerer would have liked to have said something concerning the fact that the one who had suffered the most inconvenience was the drake Osseuss, but such a bald statement would not have sat well with the king. Instead, he replied, "I hope that this doesn't make Kyl more reluctant."

Beside him, Gwen gasped. For once, he had thought of the ramifications before she had.

Melicard, too, saw the possible consequences. "I will have a most sincere message relayed to the Lord Kyl. You also might inform him of my regrets, should you see him before the messenger does."

"As you wish." Cabe was too relieved about Melicard's acquiescence to point out that he was hardly at the beck and call of Talak's master. "I'm glad that everything is back to normal."

"Nothing will be back to normal until those drakes are gone," the lord of the mountain kingdom snapped. "Even after that happens, I doubt if we will ever be able to relax! For the sake of my family and my people, I hope that I am wrong, but the history of the drakes, at least during my lifetime, has been fraught with nothing but troubles."

"Hopefully," interjected the Lady Bedlam, "this visit will alter that."

"Yes . . ." Melicard squeezed his wife hard, but his eyes never left the mages. "I hope it will, but you would all be wise to remember what I said earlier: if I find any proof, any at all, of a threat to either my family or my kingdom, I will take the drakes, no matter what the cost, and execute each and every one of them . . . beginning, I think, with Lord Kyl." Melicard released Erini and began to turn toward Baron Vergoth and the guardsmen. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a reception to prepare for."

The king, trailed by his men, stalked away, leaving in his wake three silent, thoughtful figures.

VIII.

THROUGHOUT THE DAY and into the evening, various folk in the kingdom of Talak were greeted with an unsettling sight. Before them they would suddenly find the dread legend known as Darkhorse. The demon steed appeared in the alleys of the dankest parts of the city, the open fields of the surrounding countryside, and even among the silent ancestors of the king laid to rest in the royal necropolis. Those who stayed around long enough to observe the shadowy form might have noticed how the glittering, blue eyes of Darkhorse took in everything, as if the legendary creature was seeking something. Yet, whatever it was, Darkhorse did not appear to find it. Through the day and into the evening the shadow steed searched, reluctantly foregoing his quest only when light finally gave in to darkness.

There was, after all, a reception he had been requested to attend.

IF THINGS ARE going so well, then why does it seem as if everyone in the room is about to burst from tension?

Cabe sipped his drink and watched the proceedings. Kyl, flanked by Erini and Melicard, was being introduced to various members of the kingdom's aristocracy and civilian leadership. The king knew the importance of maintaining a balance between the two groups. In Talak, the divisions between the aristocracy and the upper-cla.s.s merchants were less strict than they were in some kingdoms. Living under the continual shadow of the Dragon Emperors had a way of drawing people together. That, however, did not mean that the two groups did not constantly attempt to gain some advantage over one another.

Kyl was not a lone drake among humans, however. Next to the monarchs were both Grath and the Green Dragon. Grath followed every introduction with avid interest, while the Dragon King kept a wary eye on everyone. Farther back, an honor guard consisting of a dozen drake warriors, Faras and Ssgayn first and foremost among them, stood at attention, willing to take on the entire palace if need be. While outnumbered by the Talakian guardsmen, Cabe had no doubt that the drakes, if given the opportunity, would be able to wreak great carnage in defense of their lords.

As a sorcerer of renown, Cabe had not needed to dress for this occasion, but Gwendolyn had insisted on it. Therefore, the mage now wore a dark, dignified outfit akin to those once worn in the courts of Mito Pica. Cabe considered himself a survivor of that kingdom, his foster father having raised him in the wooded lands surrounding the city. The outfit consisted of dark blue pants and coat and a high-collared shirt of gray. Black, shin-length boots completed the conservative suit. In truth, the suit would have been considered conservative even in Mito Pica, for the sorcerer had decided to forego the more decorative aspects of his former kingdom's tastes. Even doing that, however, did not make the suit anything a proper mage should wear.

The Lady Bedlam, however, was by no means so reserved. She was clad in a dazzling gown of emerald and pink that had many of the elite of Talak looking a bit on the shabby side. Cabe could not think of another woman in the ballroom who was more beautiful, more resplendent, than his wife, an opinion he suspected was shared by many of the male merchants and aristocrats, for some of them seemed almost as attentive to her as they were to either their monarchs or the drake heir.

Yes, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, but now and then Cabe would catch a frown or a surrept.i.tious glare among those gathered. Just enough to keep him tense.

The last of the introductions were made. After a short conversation with the king and queen, Kyl turned to Lord Green and said something. The Dragon King shook his head, but Kyl was adamant. At last, the Green Dragon nodded.

Kyl signaled to Grath, and the two began to walk unprotected among the Talakians.

"I don't know whether he's amazingly brave or simply majestically foolhardy," said Gwendolyn as she rejoined Cabe. "We had best keep a careful eye on him."

"He does wield power of his own."

"Yes, but this is Talak."

His wife had a point. If ever there was a place where the people would be prepared against dragon tricks, it was the mountain kingdom. "What's he hoping to accomplish by doing this?"

She took a sip from her goblet. "That only Kyl and maybe Grath know. Kyl says that he wants the people to really know him, to understand that he should not be feared the way his father was."

"The Talakians don't fear him as much as they hate him." It was a sweeping statement, even Cabe would have been willing to admit that, but it held more than a grain of truth. The most evident hate was that of the older soldiers and aristocrats, the ones who could still recall the days before the last Dragon Emperor's death. Baron Vergoth could be numbered among those, although he was much more expert at hiding that hatred than many of his contemporaries. The warlock did not care for the way the baron's eyes followed the dragon heir. Had looks truly been able to kill, Kyl would have been dead now, a blade in his throat. Vergoth, fortunately, was too loyal to his king.

"Where is Darkhorse?" the Lady Bedlam asked suddenly.

"I don't know." Cabe could sense his presence somewhere in Talak, but could not fix on one location. Still, it seemed as if the eternal was suddenly making his way to- There were shrieks from just beyond the king and queen. Both human and draconian sentries readied their weapons, prepared for the worst. Kyl, speaking softly to an elegant if somewhat plain-faced countess, turned slowly toward the direction of the cries.

The shadow steed had finally made an appearance.

That there was not more panic was due to the earlier presence of mind of the queen. Erini had very carefully warned her subjects of the coming of the legendary creature. Most of those gathered here had long been aware of her peculiar friendship with the creature from the Void, and while many of them were aghast at such a relationship, it was well-known that Darkhorse had saved the lives of both the king and queen.

Still, one could not blame anyone for becoming startled at the abrupt materialization of a huge, ebony stallion. Two women fainted and several more guests, both male and female, looked ready to join them. Darkhorse, as usual, ignored the effect his arrival had had. He trotted across the marble floor, his hooves making no sound and leaving no marks. When he finally stood before Melicard and Erini, the eternal dipped his head in both greeting and respect.

"My greetings to Your Majesties," he rumbled.

His respectful att.i.tude toward their monarchs helped settle in part the nerves of the other guests. A few even eyed the eternal with satisfaction. The warlock sipped his drink again, thinking they see Darkhorse as an ally of Talak, a weapon to use against the drakes. He glanced at Kyl, who also seemed quite pleased that Darkhorse had come to the reception. The emperor-to-be was quietly studying the reactions of the Talakians. Grath whispered something in his ear that made Kyl smile and nod his head. Is this what you wanted, then, Kyl? To make Talak feel that it has nothing to fear from the new Dragon Emperor because they've got allies such as Darkhorse to aid them if need be?

If that was the case, then Kyl was even more devious than Cabe had imagined.

Things slowly returned to something resembling normal. It was almost humorous to watch some of the guests constantly look from the dragon heir to the eternal and then back again. This was likely the most unusual reception any of the Talakians had ever attended. It would make for tales to tell. As the warlock continued to observe, he saw that with Darkhorse's presence now an accepted thing, people were beginning to approach Kyl. The handsome drake was less of a shock compared to the eternal. Now he was simply exotic. True, his teeth were a bit sharp and he spoke with the characteristic sibilance of his kind, but the rest of his appearance made him worthy of any royal court.

He had already charmed most of the women he had talked to, but this time Kyl was careful not to aggravate the men who were with them. For the most part, the young drake was in his element and whenever it seemed he might falter, Grath was there to whisper in his ear or even add a rare word of his own to the conversation.

Yet, Cabe still did not feel confident about the night. Perhaps it was simply because this was Talak, hated enemy of the drakes. . . .

You share my fears, then? came a voice in his head.

He knew that it was Darkhorse, but it still gave him a start. Gwendolyn looked at him, but Cabe only smiled and made a comment about the wine. If Darkhorse desired to talk to him alone, then he would respect the shadow steed's wishes . . . to a point. There was little the sorcerer hid from his wife.

You may tell her what you wish when I am through. I certainly have nothing to hide from the Lady of the Amber, remarked the great stallion. Darkhorse was one of the few who still called Gwendolyn by that t.i.tle, but he was careful not to use it in her presence. For roughly two centuries, she had been kept sealed in a prison of amber, the legacy of Cabe's mad father, Azran. The Lady of the Amber was almost as great a legend as Darkhorse himself, but few knew that Gwendolyn Bedlam was the same woman.

What do you want?

Several yards away, Darkhorse continued to speak with Erini. It was astounding the way he could hold two conversations at the same time without ever becoming confused. I have found something of interest . . . or perhaps I should say that I found nothing and find that of interest!

Cabe held back a sigh, hoping against hope that this was not to be one of the eternal's murky explanations. There were times when the shadow steed could leave him more befuddled than informed. What exactly are you talking about?

There is no trace, no sign, of the sort of sorcery such as what was used to bait the traps that almost snared me and did capture you!

That did not surprise Cabe, and thus should not have surprised Darkhorse. I haven't noticed anything and I doubt that there is anything to notice. Melicard knows better, Darkhorse! He wants peace, too. The days of genocide are over. Cabe hoped they were. You should have told me that you were looking for some sign of guilt. I could have told you that Melicard is innocent. Erini could have told you that!

To the naked eye, there was still no hint that the eternal was doing anything other than conversing with the queen. Yet, in the sorcerer's mind, the shadow steed practically roared with impatience. But that is what I mean! Of course you cannot sense any trace, but neither can I! Me! I should be able to find some trace; no one knows the Vraad . . . or especially Shade . . . as well as I, yet I find absolutely no evidence here!

It was to be one of the stallion's murky explanations. And that means?

Someone else is responsible.

As worldly as the eternal was, he somehow still retained a childlike att.i.tude in many things. Cabe hmmphed, but fortunately Gwen did not notice. There are others who despise or fear the drakes. Zuu, for example.

No, it was not Zuu. I have been there.

Cabe still had no idea as to how Darkhorse could be so certain about his findings, but he knew better than to argue that point. Well, there can't be too many remnants of Shade's legacy, can there?

I do not know. With that, the eternal broke the link.

So that's what he's been doing, the warlock mused. Using his invitation to make a thorough check of this place. Cabe was glad that Darkhorse had found nothing in Talak. It would have crippled the possibilities for peace if Melicard was discovered returning to his old ways. Not only that, but it would probably have also meant the end of his marriage to Erini. That bothered him almost as much as the threat of a return to war.

Cabe despised the intrigues of government. Sorcery was so much simpler, so much more straightforward, in comparison.

"What do you suppose is happening there?"

Gwen's question concerned a young n.o.ble who was speaking with Grath. They appeared to be having a somewhat heated discussion, at least where the human was concerned. While what Grath was saying was not audible, the drake's demeanor indicated reason and calm. Yet, each word seemed to incense the n.o.ble.

Stepping between his brother and the human, Kyl muttered something to the Talakian.

The n.o.ble replied.