Embers (Scales 'N' Spells 4)

And one who was still unnerved and clearly uneasy being here.

“Yes,” Gunter started, clearing his throat. “Not quite what most people expect when they think dragon,” he finished awkwardly, clearing his throat again. Nikki’s stare made Gunter feel like he was being analyzed from every single angle. Not a comfortable sensation. “Let’s go.”

He managed to get Nikki to hold his hand instead of his arm as they crossed the grassy field to the dragons. It certainly made navigating the madness easier. They slipped between the guards to find Alric holding an exhausted Cameron while he spoke to Baldewin, Ravi, and Sora.

“Hoheit, we searched the bunker and found only three mages alive,” Baldewin was reporting. “We’ve got about a dozen corpses, so drained of magic they died of it. But the survivors we might be able to save yet. They’re in poor shape but strong enough to make it back to Burkhard if we hurry.”

Alric nodded, his expression growing dark. Gunter’s heart skipped at the thought of so many mages losing their lives while in Jaeggi hands.

“Start rounding up volunteers without riders to take them to Burkhard. I want a protection detail with them. Leave immediately. We’ll follow shortly,” Alric commanded.

Ravi sighed heavily, leaning against Sora. He looked exhausted to his very core. He was also wearing a pair of pants about five sizes too big for him. Where the devil were the dragon’s clothes? Gunter decided he didn’t really want to know. This was Ravi.

Alric turned his attention to Ravi. “I’ve got dragons looking, but any sign of the ones who took you?”

“It was that guy, Thomas. And, no, I’ve not seen any sign of him.” Ravi shifted his weight, eyes falling on Nikki, who still clung to Gunter, half hiding behind his body. “Where’s Thomas?”

Nikki flinched at just the mention of the man’s name. The slender mage moved out from behind Gunter a little more and shrugged. “There’s a back road. Odds are he used it, him and the others, to escape. You’re not going to find them. The vans are warded against seeking spells.”

Gunter bit back a curse. So close. After all this time, they’d gotten so close to finally destroying the Jaeggi. But the anger started to fade the second his eyes dropped down to Nikki, who was closely watching everyone. It wasn’t a total loss. They’d recovered Ravi. They’d saved Nikki and a few other mages just like him.

But that still left the problem of what to do with the new mage. It wasn’t like he could go through the rest of his life with a mage-growth on his body.

“Umm…Hoheit? Ravi?” Gunter’s nervous voice rose above the gathering. “A moment, if I may?” When Alric looked to him, he motioned to the mage who had moved to partially hide behind him again.

Ravi pressed a kiss to Sora’s jaw and then jogged over, fighting the pants trying to fall down. “Hoheit, everyone, this is Nikki. They helped break me out of the Jaeggi cell and created the first explosion that distracted the Jaeggi.”

Interesting. Twice now, Ravi had used they or them when referencing Nikki. Gunter glanced back down at the mage still holding onto him. Perhaps non-binary? Genderqueer? He’d use neutral pronouns for now and clarify later.

“Wow! You did that?” Cameron asked. He straightened, as if finding new energy at the mention of a destructive spell.

“That was amazing!” Tori added as he came to stand next to Baldewin.

“No! You’re not practicing that at the castle,” Alric said quickly and then turned his attention to Nikki. “Thank you for saving Ravi. We are in your debt.”

Nikki gave a small wave, a crooked smile sneaking out. “No problem. I think. I kind of slammed together some sunlight, griffon feathers, and diesel fuel.”

Gunter’s heart leapt into his throat. “Oh my word!” If Nikki had added too much griffon feathers to that combination, they could have blown the entire compound off the map. There would have been no rescue effort. Everyone would have been destroyed.

“I’d like Nikki to come back to Burkhard Castle for a while. Just until they can figure out what they want to do next,” Ravi continued.

“Of course. Nikki, you are very welcome at Burkhard.” Cameron took a step toward Nikki, and the mage actually backed up, putting themself further behind Gunter. Cameron’s eyes darted to Ravi in panicked question, demanding to know what he’d done to scare Nikki.

Mages scary, Ravi mouthed. Cameron still looked confused, but he nodded and retreated into Alric’s arms.

“We would be honored to have you at Burkhard for as long as you wish,” Alric added smoothly.

Nikki relaxed a little, their fingers digging a tiny bit less into Gunter’s arm. “Can I ride with you, Ravi?”

“I would very much like to carry my mate,” Ravi admitted, tilting his head toward Sora.

Nikki nodded, cheeks flushing. “Oh. Yeah. Of course. Makes sense.”