Wizard's Daughter (Sherbrooke Brides 10)

Bifrost blinked his very long eyelashes, his head down again so both of them could better see the amazing length and thickness. "On precious occasions, a golden shell cracks open and a dragon rolls out, all tiny and wet, its wings plas­tered against its body. It grows quickly, hopefully in both its brain and in its body, and is then offered tasks to perform."

"Rather like Hercules in earth mythology?" Rosalind asked.

Bifrost said, "I don't know of any Hercules, all I know is that if the Dragon of the Sallas Pond is successful, he changes—both his status in the Pale and his abilities. He is able to impress his will and wishes sufficiently upon all the wizards and witches who dwell in the fortress of Blood Rock to prevent them from butchering every creature here in the Pale. I will tell you, he once controlled them easily, but now their depravity makes them stronger, more conniving. Now they occasionally try to do him harm though they pre­tend to worship him, to admire him. They should be thrown into the river and sucked down by the demons who rule the underrealm. My mate once tangled with an underrealm de­mon and survived." Bifrost paused a moment, then looked at Nicholas. "You wonder what creature or being is above a god. There must be something, I suppose, else how do the Dragons of the Sallas Pond know what tasks to perform? Who judges them? I shall contemplate this mystery in those moments when I am not mourning the loss of my mate.

"Now Clandus is offended and has doubtless flown back to his cliff to huddle next to a fire in his mother's cave, his wings spread, naturally, to protect his fire from the flying creatures. It will be interesting to see what Taranis does after Clandus whines in his ear about how loathsome you and the mistress are. Taranis hates sulking, and that is what Clandus is doing right at this moment."

"I hope that a father dragon disciplines the son by smiting him hard with his tail," Nicholas said.

The red Lasis bowed his head in agreement, his thick lashes fluttering. They heard his deep voice, amused now. "It seems like only yesterday that Taranis and I wagered about your coming and what would happen. But again, my mate's death seems such a short time ago as well.

"I have waited for you, my lord, and you, mistress. It is a strange thing to see you. mistress, as a woman and not the small girl whose face Sarimund placed in my mind. As for you, my lord, you are yourself and yet also the boy.

"And there is Epona, a witch who is vicious to her soul, though I do not know if she has a soul; probably not. She kills cleanly, no madness for gore in her. There is not a wiz­ard in Blood Rock who isn't afraid of her, or, at the same time, who doesn't admire her immensely. She is very dan­gerous, my lord. I pray you will not forget that."

Rosalind said, "But she wanted Sarimund."

"That is so."

"Because he is so beautiful?" Rosalind asked. "That is so as well."

"What is your wager with Taranis?" Rosalind asked.

"Taranis wagered you wouldn't come, mistress, that the passage of time had distorted what should happen, but you are here. You are very powerful, both of you. I wagered you woul

d come, that you would save Prince Egan, that my lord would indeed pay his debt to you, for both your lines are powerful."

Rosalind asked, "What was your prize if you won the wa­ger with Taranis?"

"Taranis swore to intercede for me with the wizard Be-lenus. He is more powerful than he should be, Belenus is. with his big white teeth. The fiend cursed me to shepherd about the occasional magician who found his way to the Pale. He laughed, said since my mate was dead I had more than enough time to see that the few straggling humans who wander into the Pale do not end up Tiber victuals."

"What did you do to bring down Belenus's curse?' Nicholas asked.

"He did not come to my mate's interment. My grief was great, and so was my anger. I sent an army of black snails to invade his living quarters on Blood Rock. They naturally found their way into his bed to sleep with him at night. Be­lenus cursed me for it. And so I have protected the pathetic magicians who have come here for a very long time now, surely a millennium. Perhaps.

"At last you have come, both of you. Mistress, I watched you save his lordship by breaking off a yellow Sillow branch and striking Clandus with it. My lovely eyelashes thickened with the excitement of witnessing what you did so naturally, without a human's infernal questioning or doubts. I was con­vinced at that point that you were the two predicted to come to the Pale, even more so when his lordship reattached the branch to the yellow Sillow tree. I have seen that done only once in my life. By Epona. Ah, but withal, I must make cer­tain you are indeed what you say you are." He stopped and suddenly opened his mouth and sang to the three blood moons in a beautiful baritone:

I dream of beauty and sightless night

I dream of strength and fevered might

I dream I'm not alone again

But I know of his death and her grievous sin.

Without hesitation, Rosalind sang back to him, joyously, her beautiful voice filling the silent Pale night:

I was small and I was weak He left me broken, without a name But I lived and now I seek What to do to end the game.

"Ah," said Bifrost, "it is time for you to ride Taranis, the Dragon of the Sallas Pond, to the fortress on Blood Rock."

He fluttered his eyelashes at them again, then simply faded into the cave wall.

Rosalind called out, "No! Wait, come back here. Where is Sarimund?"

There was only silence. The red Lasis was gone.

They stood inside the cave opening, looking out beyond the river in the distance, at the far end of a vast flat plain to Mount Olyvan, and at its peak the dark brooding fortress of Blood Rock that speared up toward the moons.