Embers (Scales 'N' Spells 4)

“As you wish, Hoheit.”

Nikki watched the almost feral smile spread across Alric’s mouth while gold flashed through his deep blue eyes. “We will finally defeat the Jaeggi and bring an end to this war after five hundred years.”

Nikki just prayed they got to keep their dragon when all was said and done.

Gunter paused just past the threshold of the War Room, his stomach clenching around the remains of the dinner he’d picked at. Too much had been on his mind—both preparations and worries.

Nikki had barely spoken throughout the meal. They’d just huddled close, one hand resting lightly on Gunter’s thigh as if they expected him to fly away at any moment.

It had been on the tip of his tongue to tell Nikki not to worry, but that was foolish. Of course they would worry. Gunter couldn’t stop himself from worrying.

The worry grew worse now that he was in this room again. After the death of Alric’s father, they’d planned a final assault to end the war on the Jaeggi in this room.

More than five hundred years later, they were back to plan another final assault to end a war they’d thought long since buried and dead. He thought he’d be feeling more excitement and relief that they were all racing toward a conclusion to their troubles with the Jaeggi.

But all he felt was fear and dread. The last battle this size with the Jaeggi had resulted in the death of so many dragons and mages. The Burkhard fire dragons were so few now. The wind dragon numbers even smaller. The ranks of mages were the worst of all. How many people he regarded as family and friends were going to be lost in this battle?

His people finally had a chance to crawl back from the threat of extinction. If this battle went poorly for them, dragons could be lost from the world permanently.

Or maybe just fire dragons.

A large hand closed over his shoulder, and Gunter twisted around to see Dimitri standing beside him, a look of grim understanding in his eyes while one corner of his lips tilted up in a half smile. “They won’t win. We won’t let them,” Dimitri said in a low voice. “You have a new mate to return home to.”

“But can it be done without losing the rest of my family?”

Dimitri gave a little shrug that struck Gunter as so very Russian. “We will all be fighting to protect your family. We’re not leaving this in the hands of any old gods.”

Gunter wasn’t entirely sure that made him feel better, but he appreciated Dimitri’s effort. He forced a smile onto his lips and Dimitri grinned before slapping him on the back and walking to where Rodrigo stood talking with the other kings around the table.

At the very least, the mood seemed more hopeful than the last time all the dragon kings had been gathered in this room. The buzz of excitement was almost electric in the air, and Gunter could swear he felt the long-dead dragon kings and warriors who’d met in this room before watching over them.

He crossed to the table and chose an empty seat next to Dieter, who had a new legal pad and pair of pens set in front of him. Lisette sat across the table from him in Cameron’s customary seat. The consort was already stretched thin, darting between working with Cassie and North on the message for Lina’s parents, to meeting with the other mages to make preparations for both attack and eventual hospital duties, to working with the other dragons in drumming up yet more room to house the influx of dragons and mages inevitably arriving from Brazil and the Sodalicium.

One good thing was Nikki deciding to stick close to Cameron every step of the way. His mage was dug in and dedicated to protecting their new clan. Gunter couldn’t possibly be prouder.

Looking down the table, his gaze landed on the giant flat screen TV that had been brought into the room. Not only did they have the kings and their chief bodyguards in attendance, but they’d also conferenced in more dragons from the Ice, Earth, and Metal Clans. It also looked like there was a collection of mages gathered in front of a monitor from the Sodalicium.

“After so many years, it’s a little hard to believe there are still so many of us,” Dieter murmured.

“You know, love,” Lisette drawled from across the table, “after we deal with this dustup with the Jaeggi, we should look into going on an extended vacation. It would be an excellent chance to spend some time with the Sodalicium, swap spells, fly with some other dragons over new scenery.”

“Catch up on five centuries of gossip,” Dieter teased.

Lisette sniffed lightly, but her smile never wavered. “That is going to take a few months. You’ll need to warn Alric the clan will be in his hands and to stay out of trouble.”