Page 200 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

“You’re going to need Tori for that,” Cameron interjected. “At least talk to him about how best to approach them.” The young mage frowned and shook his head. “I’d hate for him to need to return after he escaped what sounds like a hellish life.”

“Yes, we’ll schedule another meeting with Tori and get his input. I would prefer him to be there for the meeting, but in no way would he be forced to return to his clan if he didn’t want to go. The man has been through enough. I wouldn’t dare subject him to returning even for one hour if he didn’t want to.”

“Thank you, Hoheit,” Baldewin said, some of the tension that tightly clasped his heart starting to ease. If Baldewin had his way, Tori wouldn’t set foot anywhere near his old clan ever again. His preference was for Tori to stay in the castle for a long time. At least until the Jaeggi problem was taken care of.

“Very good. Baldewin and Ravi, please see that an official dispatch goes out to our entire clan explaining the increased restrictions on dragons leaving the castle alone. Mages must still be accompanied by at least two dragons outside the castle walls. I will reach out to Tori and set up a time to discuss how best to approach his clan,” Alric said, closing the meeting.

Baldewin nodded, anxious to find Tori and check on him. He wanted to know what Tori thought of Lisette and how he was adjusting to the castle. If he was spending time with Ha Na, there was no doubt in his mind that Tori had met quite a few other dragons and mages by now.

“Don’t forget about the other thing,” Cameron loudly whispered to his mate.

“The other thing?” Alric’s brows met over his nose for a moment before his eyes widened. “Oh yes! The other thing.” Their king smiled a bit stiffly as he turned his attention to the other council members gathered around the table. “I do have some other interesting news. King Rodrigo is on his way to Germany with at least five of his retainers.”

The room exploded in noise from Gunter, Ravi, Dieter, and even Lisette. Baldewin could only sit with his mouth open as he looked at his childhood friend. A devilish smirk tilted up one corner of Alric’s mouth as he met Baldewin’s surprised gaze. When they were young, Alric had loved to shock people and catch them off guard. As the king, it was something he didn’t get to do too often now. Oddly, Baldewin found it reassuring to see this little hint of the old Alric still causing mischief.

“How long have you known?” Dieter demanded, his voice trembling in indignation. The old advisor had clearly been sure there was nothing happening in Alric’s life that he didn’t know about.

“Rodrigo boldly announced he was coming to Burkhard about twenty minutes before we joined here,” Alric said, and the old dragon deflated a little.

“I’m confused. Why is this a big deal?” Cameron asked, looking across the table at Gunter.

“First off, no member of the Ice Clan has been in Fire Clan territory since the war, and that was more than five hundred years ago,” Gunter said. “Second, it is always a bit dangerous for any king to come into another king’s territory. Dragons have long been territorial, which is part of the reason the Ice Clan is on the other side of the world. With so much space separating us, there’s little chance of dragons from separate clans running across each other by accident while stretching their wings.”

“Before the Great War, the various clans suffered endless minor skirmishes because of territory disputes,” Dieter added.

“We’re not worried about Rodrigo and his clan trying to usurp my territory or crown,” Alric said calmly.

“I’d like to see him try,” Cameron growled.

Alric placed a hand on Cameron’s arm and smiled. “Not going to happen. Rodrigo and his clan are happy in Brazil. They have no interest in our mountains.”

“Why now?” Dieter demanded.

Alric snorted. “Why now? Because the Burkhard Clan just laid its hands on the fourth mage located in five centuries and potentially located an entire clan of mages hidden far to the north.” Alric shook his head. “Rodrigo is done waiting around. Their mages and seeking spells are turning up nothing. As king, he can no longer wait. In all honesty, I’m surprised he didn’t fly into our courtyard when we located Cameron.”

“That’s true,” Dieter admitted. “Do you know when he is due to arrive?”

“Not officially. He has agreed to take at least a couple of days to make the trek to Germany and give me warning before he crosses into the country. That will give us ample time to make sure that rooms are prepared for our guests. We will need to have a special welcome banquet and all the usual festivities that go with honoring the king of another clan.”

Lisette barked out a laugh. “Do you even remember what those ‘usual festivities’ are?”

Alric flashed her a wide grin. “No, I do not. I was barely more than an infant the last time they happened. That’s why I’m relying on you, Dieter, and Gunter to dig out all the old journals to uncover what we need to do to properly greet our guests. Rodrigo and his retainers are here on grim business, but we will show them proper Burkhard hospitality. The relationship between our two clans has been strained for too long. I want that to end with this trip.”

“As you wish, Hoheit,” Dieter said with a bow of his head.

“Is it safe to announce the exciting news to the rest of the castle?” Baldewin asked, but his eyes were trained on a very quiet Ravi, who was staring down at his lap.

“Assuming that Ravi hasn’t texted it to the entire castle yet,” Alric said.

Ravi looked up with a gasp. “I haven’t told anyone yet!” he cried. He held up the phone from where it had been in his lap, showing a long text filled with exclamation points and what might possibly be snowflakes. “See! I haven’t sent it yet. I was just preparing it.”

Cameron squinted at the screen and laughed. “It’s to my sister. You won’t need to announce it. Ravi tells my sister, and the entire castle will know in less than twenty minutes.”

Alric groaned. “Ravi, delete the text. Don’t send it. Dieter will send out an official announcement to everyone so they have the correct information and their questions answered. This isn’t gossip.”

“Of course, Hoheit,” Ravi mumbled. He held his phone out so Alric could clearly see him delete the unsent text.

“I think that’s enough excitement for one day. Everyone, please see to preparations for what we’ve discussed.”