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thought numbly. I wish to go back to the mountains, to search and try to find... We never found his body. I am hoping we were mistaken and that he might still live.
    I will take you , Bhrava Saruth said brightly.
    You will? She expected him to try to make a deal with her—after all, she had been thinking of making a deal with him.
    Of course. You are my only high priestess so far. My only worshipper in this new era. A mournful emotion not unlike a keening sound filled her head. I must start again, but demands on my godliness are few right now. I can take you wherever you wish.
    Bet you didn’t know you were his worshipper already , Jaxi thought.
    Ssh. If he’s willing to give us a ride, I’ll kneel in a temple and light a candle.
    Jaxi snorted. He may expect more than that, given the gifts that his past followers gave him. You better make sure Ridge is truly gone before draping your naked self across a dragon’s lap .
    Sardelle’s cheeks warmed, and she did her best to push away the memories Bhrava Saruth had shared. Jaxi was right, though, in that she should make sure certain expectations weren’t set up.
    Unless you want expectations, Jaxi said. Dragons are reputed to be magnificent lovers.
    That’s what the romance novels from that time say?
    Absolutely. And a romance novel wouldn’t lead you astray.
    Oh, certainly not. One does wonder how such arrogant creatures—that’s the adjective you always use, Jaxi—could be magnificent lovers.
    Magic.
    What exactly do you expect from a high priestess, Bhrava Saruth? Sardelle found herself curious, even if she had no intention of applying for the job.
    I need an intermediary. So many humans flee from a dragon. I need someone to tell them that I won’t destroy their villages or slay them. I am benevolent. And magnificent!
    You would think his magnificence would be self-evident, Jaxi said.
    Your sword is very mouthy , Bhrava Saruth observed.
    Sardelle snorted, not surprised he heard everything Jaxi said. Phelistoth had proven himself capable of reading her thoughts, even when she had her mental barriers up, and Morishtomaric had also pried.
    I could melt her, and we could find you a different soulblade , the dragon offered. A respectful one who agrees with your wisdom.
    Jaxi fumed silently, the pommel of her blade heating enough that Sardelle felt it through her clothes. It seemed to smoke in the humid air next to the fountain. Jaxi did not say anything, however, perhaps feeling constrained now that she knew her words weren’t as secret as she thought.
    I’m fond of her, Bhrava Saruth. Jaxi challenges me and makes me laugh. I would be bored by someone who agreed with everything I said. You don’t expect your followers to agree with everything you say, do you?
    So long as they love me, they may say whatever they wish. But the most adoring and least mouthy ones get my attention first.
    I’ll keep that in mind.
    But I will always make time for my high priestess. When do you wish to leave for the journey to the mountains?
    Sardelle closed her eyes in relief. She didn’t know why Bhrava Saruth had bothered seeking her out—surely, he could have found a “priestess” out in the Ice Blades or perhaps among the clansmen who still lived in small communities up north—but to know that she could leave soon to search for Ridge... She didn’t even know how to express her gratitude.
    He looked like he enjoyed tongues. Jaxi must have gotten over her silent fuming.
    Not quite what I had in mind.
    That’s good. Do you realize he could be your distant ancestor? If he was as fecund as that vision suggested, half of the Referatu sorcerers who lived in our time could have been his descendants.
    If so, he could be your ancestor too.
    I’ll point that fact out to him the next time he threatens to melt me.
    Bhrava Saruth? Sardelle heard someone coming, so she hurried to finish the dialogue. I need to gather a few things, and I can be ready to go in the morning. She was tempted to say