Read The Wandering Dragon (Children of the Dragon Nimbus) for Free Online Page A

his chin, shook back a few stray hairs that had escaped his queue and fixed a neutral gaze on Lukan. “Greet the trees with respect, meditate deeply, and leave the island a stronger man.” That sounded almost like a ritual leave-taking. “I wish you could stay, share a cup of ale, tell me all that has happened since I left home.”
    “This is your home now. Our family is scattered; there is nothing left at the University for either of us anymore.”
    “Mama and Da . . .”
    “Are dead. Lily is on her own journey taking seeds to where the crops were destroyed. Val is at home taking care of the little ones, along with Lady Ariiell—who is no longer insane—and Lady Graciella, who may very well fall insane before she delivers her child. Especially if her mother takes her in and berates her for . . . well, for being alive.” Lukan left before he could take his brother up on the invitation to linger and reforge their fraternal bonds.
    “You need to get your instructions from Master Marcus before you row over to Sacred Isle,” Glenndon called after him.
    “I have my instructions.” He’d made them up himself when the rest of the world had abandoned him.

    “What is taking so long?” King Lokeen screeched. He paced from window to desk, peered over Robb’s shoulder, and paced back again, hands waving wildly about.
    “Letters need careful wording, sir,” Robb replied. The man was making him nervous. Would he notice the tiny bits of magic that disguised words to make them seem ordinary but actually held another meaning? Even this tiny spell cost him dearly in strength—as if he were wading through thick mud.
    If any dragons ever flew these skies, they hadn’t come recently enough to leave behind magical energy. If the ley lines reached across the Bay and the ocean, they spread wide and didn’t come near the city. He had only his own diminished physical strength to fuel his attempt to disguise his words. And that energy seemed blocked.
    He didn’t know if King Darville would know to have a magician read the thing for him. When Robb had left Coronnan, magic and magicians were still disdained and forbidden access to the government. But the king had brought Glenndon into his household as son and heir. Surely Glenndon would smell magic in the letter and take care of it. Surely . . .
    Robb licked the pen nib to restore the ink and add his magic to it. Bad habit. Maigret would have his hide, especially when he kissed her with a black tongue. A tiny smile tugged one side of his mouth upward.
    And that brought the next phrase to mind, almost as if Maigret gave him the words.
    He bent his head closer to the page and set down words:
    Because of Lady Ariiell’s noble status, allowing her to become available to suitors at home and abroad for the purpose of marriage treaties advantageous to the realm and her family is something Your Grace should consider.
    Then his mind went blank again.
    “That’s good. That’s good. Make him understand that when I marry the lady I will be in position to grant him many favors, trade concessions, military aid, and what not,” Lokeen said, tapping the parchment and nearly sending the magic disguise skittering across the page by disturbing the words before the spell set.
    Robb slid the page out from under that tapping finger, using yet more energy to send the real words back under the written ones where they belonged. Then he had to take three long deep breaths to keep his eyes from glazing over and to return his heart to its natural rhythm.
    Thankfully the little chatelaine set a fresh goblet of cold, fresh water near his hand. She looked middle-aged, but she seemed never to have grown beyond the stature of a ten year old. He wondered if her lameness had kept her from growing. Oh, yes, he’d noticed her deformity, hard as she tried to hide it. He also recognized the cause of her lisp and wondered if a real healer with magic fueling the examination could do anything for her.
    Not