Accounting for Drakes (Stand Alone Tales #21)

Chapter Four

Y orath had his pilots shadow her as her drake flew in a familiar path. He got the message from his beast, and he grinned. He sighed. “Make a portal. They are heading home.”

“Your Majesty?”

“Take us home, pilot.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The pilot set coordinates and opened a portal.

The dainty drake would be home in a few days. It would allow him time to prepare.

* * * *

A bil was enjoying the journey and the small portal jumps. They stopped now and then to consume more minerals on asteroids that were floating past. The world the drake was taking them toward was bright and filled with cities, but one, in particular, caught her attention. A huge building festooned with lights and a runway of sorts was gleaming in the darkness.

The drake followed the path and banked, landing on her claws as her wings slowly folded. She shook her body and looked at the crowd that had formed.

She huffed and looked toward the doorway. Abil wondered what she was looking for and sent the offer of more travel and adventure.

The drake mentioned rest and recovery before more adventures.

“It has been interesting waiting for you, Abil.” The voice rang out, and Abil looked through the drake’s eyes.

Yorath was wearing formal robes made of heavy embroidery and was stalking toward her. His crown gleamed in the reflected light, and she remembered who he was.

The drake bowed low.

“Don’t you dare bow to me.”

Abil snapped up and straightened. Her tail lashed idly.

“So, my mate has finally arrived, and the wardrobe prepared for her won’t fit currently.”

She cocked her head.

“I need you in a biped form, Abil.”

She huffed and crouched, wagging her tail. She liked this form. No one mocked this form. It made raiders turn and run.

He grinned. “You like your drake?”

She nodded.

“But you are behind the eyes right now.”

She nodded.

“Why won’t you come out?”

She frowned and cocked her head.

She exhaled, and the word floated out in common. Why?

He stared and blinked. “Why? Why do I want you out?”

She nodded and sat back.

“You are my mate. I thought we covered that.”

She cocked her head and looked at him, blinking slowly. She shook her head.

“Change to biped, and I will explain it to you. I promise.” He caressed her jaw.

She fidgeted her claws and huffed.

“Come on, little one. Let me show you a whole new world and give you jewels and tributes to add to your gorgeous glory. Let me give you a link again, and you can take whatever you need from me.”

She swallowed and angled her head to press to his. He stroked the spot between her eyes, and then light swelled, and she was standing in front of him. She smiled and then fell. Her legs hadn’t held her in a while.

He offered her his hands, and she took them, standing up and shaking her hair to cover her.

She looked at the length and blinked. “Oh. I have been out there a while.”

“Two years. I got regular notices of your progress, or I would have come to get you. Did you have fun?”

She smiled. “We did.”

“Would you like something to wear?”

Abil nodded. “Yes, please.”

He took his outer robe off and wrapped it around her. She blinked and put her arms into the sleeves, and then he picked her up and began the walk to the building.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and fell asleep.

She heard soft movements around her and woke up when dawn tickled her lids. Yorath spoke. “You sleep hard, but then, you have been travelling for two years. Is this the first time you rested?”

She sat up and blinked. “Yes. It is. Where am I?”

“My imperial chambers. Those ladies there are drawing you a bath and getting ready to tend you.”

She glanced at the ladies in question, and one of them looked at her and gave her a slow wink.

Abil stared and held the sheet to her chest. “Oh. Yes, that would be a good idea.”

He looked between her and the woman who was suddenly busy hanging a gown. “Are you well?”

“I am. Very well. Hungry, I suppose. I have eaten nothing but asteroids recently.” She shrugged.

The familiar-eyed woman came toward her with a robe. “This way, Your Highness. We will send for a meal while you bathe.”

Abil put her arms in the sleeves, and the strange woman helped her stand. She glanced at Yorath at his desk, and he was fully scowling. She sent happy laughter to him through a small tendril of a link.

He smiled, and the strange maid helped her over to the area that was hidden by a pulled-out screen. The moment they were behind it, Abil threw her arms around her guardian and smiled brightly.

“You are looking well, Your Highness.” Her guardian slid the robe off her shoulders and hung it up nearby before helping her into the deep pool in the floor.

Yorath was bustling around on the other side of the room, and then, it was quiet. Her guardian cleaned her back and then set her back for a shoulder massage. She asked, “Ladies, please go to the kitchen and arrange some food and some tea for our lady.”

The other two women nodded and left.

The guardian peeped around the divider, and then, she came back. “You are all grown up, Abil.”

“Nanny! I can’t believe you are here.”

“I told you I would dance at your wedding. That is scheduled a few days from now, so I should have enough time.”

“Wait. I am getting married? When?”

Nanny rubbed her shoulders. “In three days to Yorath. He’s been planning this event since he got home.”

“Do mates get married? If we are drakes, why do we have wings?”

Nanny laughed. “We are drakes, but a dragon got in a few thousand years ago. It built in the automatic wings, so most of us use them for energy collection so we can fly right away. It is easier than simple propulsion for new drakes.”

“What about old drakes? What about Yorath? I just realized he flies without wings.”

Nanny gathered her hair and helped her wash it. By the time the ladies had come back with the tea, Abil was sitting on a stool, wrapped in a warm robe, with Nanny pulling a comb through her hair until it gleamed.

Yorath returned and smiled. “Care to share your snacks?”

Nanny moved a table from the side and continued working on her hair. One of the other women brought a chair for the emperor.

Nanny brushed the hair until it was smooth, and then, she twisted jewelled pins into it.

Nanny poured the tea and set the tray of snacks close to the edge of the table. “Please excuse me.”

She bowed, and Abil didn’t want her to go, but it was Yorath who said, “Remain, Nanitha. I was expecting to see you sooner. I never thought you would make your way into my household.”

Nanny paused. “How long have you known?”

“Since you winked at my mate, she lit up, and joy spilled through her. I haven’t felt anything like it.”

Abil wrinkled her nose. “I am sorry, Nanny. I was just happy to recognize you. You look different.”

Nanny sighed and flicked her fingers, and a chair flew over to her. Her clothes turned into court daywear, and she had a seat.

Abil gasped. “Can you teach me to do that?”

Nanny looked to Yorath. “I believe your mate would like to do that, but if you still don’t know how to make your own clothing in six months, I will show you.”

Yorath nodded. “Thank you. For now, we have created a wonderful array of clothing for you. If Lady Nanitha is willing, I would appreciate her assisting you when I can’t be at your side.”

Nanitha smiled. “I would be delighted to be there for her.”

Abil nodded. “Again.”

Yorath passed around the teacups, and they all sat and sipped. “So, Nanitha the Devourer, how did you happen to find young Abil?”

Nanny rubbed her brows. “I was... travelling. Going from world to world and eating volcanoes because my beast thinks they are a spicy treat. I was between worlds when I saw the asteroids shedding all kinds of rock, the small ship was in the path, and I tried to get in between. It worked for a while but destroyed my wings, but I was able to protect the rear of the shuttle as it dropped to the surface.”

She sighed and looked at the tea. “The adults were dead on impact, but I could smell a tiny one in the vessel. I couldn’t shift, and my drake is better at healing than I am, so I carefully pried open the loading hatch and found this little one in a small padded enclosure, wailing for her parents. I chuffed to her, and she stood up, taking my claws in her little hands. And from there, we created shelter, and I scavenged rations from the shuttle as needed. When she was stable and feeding herself, I was able to hunt. It got easier from there. By the time she was four, she was hunting with me, and when she was six, she had her first kill.”

Abil smiled. “It was a fish.”

“It was still a kill, precious.”

Abil said, “Why did you have that strange walk when I was little?”

Nanny paused. “Oh, I was definitely injured when the ship came down. Spinal injuries. They took a long time to heal.”

Yorath blinked. “You could have called him.”

“He wanted a stationary mate. I wanted to see the stars before he locked me up. Three hundred years didn’t seem like much in the grand scheme of things.”

Abil caught on. “Yorath knows you.”

“Oh, yes. Well, he knows my would-be mate. I am content to fly from world to world.” Nanny smiled. “There are many blended-blood mates that would have suited him as well. I wasn’t exactly the most desirable of mates, as he pointed out frequently.”

Yorath blinked. “What?”

“Oh, yes, Zenim said he could do better but was stuck with a backwater drake with no sense of the worlds.”

“Zenim? I thought your mate was Arken.”

Nanny took in a deep breath. “Arken was always very kind to me, but he wasn’t the one who claimed me.”

“Shit. I need to make a call.”

Nanny smiled. “If you called Zenim, I can rip his throat out now. I am quite a large drake. I can fly without wings now. Zenim used to catch them and hold me by them to keep me from going faster than he was. I needed to create a form with no wings with enough surface area to catch sufficient light and propel me through the stars.”

Yorath nodded, got to his feet, kissed Abil’s cheek, and walked toward the com station in the corner of the room.

He spoke rapidly, and Abil asked, “What is he saying?”

“He is telling Arken to get his ass here and not care what Zenim says.”

Abil asked, “Are they related?”

“Arken is Zenim’s older brother. Zenim wanted a mate, and Arken was content with offerings, so when I arrived with my parents, he was kind to me. And then I shifted, and he was still kind to me. Zenim got possessive and mean, so I left.”

Abil looked at the tense marks around her mouth. “He got more than mean.”

“He was violent. He held me down and tried to force a bond. It didn’t take, and as soon as he was off me, I ran. And then, I took to the sky and didn’t come down until I found that storm.”

Abil saw flickers of the pain her guardian had felt. “Oh, no, Nanny.”

“Yes, well, you were a welcome distraction through a horrible circumstance. I am sorry that your education suffered.”

“It was my social exposure that took the worst hit. My speech is spotty.”

“It seems fine to me.”

“Yorath linked that part of his mind to mine, including the language and protocol portion.” She smiled. “He is giving me a very slow download of what to expect.”

Nanny smiled. “That is good. Slow is good.”

Abil looked at her and sent a link to her mind. She felt heat and pain and embarrassment.

Nanny looked up. “You were always interested in learning, little one. I am sorry it was such dark subject matter.”

“So, you really—we really live for hundreds of years?”

“Yes. If you are in your other form, time passes slowly for you and rapidly for the worlds around you. It is amazing to mourn a decade when you thought you were just stopping to let your wings repair.”

Yorath came back and looked worried. “Arken and Zenim will be here for the festivities.”

Nanny smiled. “You might want to propose, Yorath. She doesn’t know she’s getting married yet.”

Yorath paused. “Mbrak mentioned that she would not assume, but I am thankful her beast brought her here. You don’t seem worried about the two I mentioned.”

Nanny laughed. “I had to take a shuttle in so that I would not disturb your gravitational systems. I was not joking when I said I ate my way through the stars. I am huge. Zenim will not be able to bully me again, but I will haul him outside of your gravitational system before I kill him.”

“You would kill another drake?”

“If he tries to hurt me again... absolutely. I taught Abil to defend herself when cornered, and I do not expect her to react in any other way.”

“Drakes don’t kill each other.”

“And yet, out of the five percent of female drake deaths, mate murders are the cause. It is always the biped form that does the killing, and the beast goes mad.”

Yorath frowned. “He attacked you?”

“Twice. I didn’t run out of maidenly sensibilities; I ran wounded and desperate. I sought the stars, and they gave me comfort.” She sighed. “I will return to my quarters in the city.”

Abil jumped to her feet. “Stay.” She reached out and clutched Nanny’s hands.

“I am staying until your wedding, little one. I will return here if the palace sends an invitation. Don’t worry about Yorath. He doesn’t move fast, but he moves in the right direction.”

Abil looked at her and smiled as she understood. “Got it.”

Nanny hugged her, and the familiar scent wrapped around her. “Have fun, and make this world your own, little one.”

Abil chuckled. “Three hundred forty-seven thousand.”

“That’s my girl. Don’t worry. I will be here if you need me.”

Yorath blinked. “What is that number?”

“The amount of people within the city and castle.” Abil smiled. “They will be part of my collection, and I will protect them.”

Nanny kissed her forehead. “Good girl.”

Yorath asked, “You showed her how to do that?”

“She was born to be a collector, auditing and counting all things around her.” Nanny stroked her cheeks. “She knows what is hers at a glance.”

Abil looked toward Yorath and blushed. That was the problem. She knew.

He met her gaze and smiled slowly.

“Well, now that I have thrown that out there, I will be on my way. Like I said, I will only return when invited. It is a lovely hotel. Lots of amenities. I can get a foot rub any time, day or night.”

Abil nodded. “It will be nice to know you are here.”

“I am glad. Now, Yorath needs to speak to you. Listen with everything in you.”

Nanny touched her once more and left.

Abil turned to Yorath. “Um, hello. Nanny raised me.”

“I gathered. She did a good job. How long were you with her?”

“Eight years? Ten years? There was a lot before I was found and brought to Mbrak’s station.”

“But you made it, and she got you through.”

“She did.”

She blinked as Yorath went to one knee in front of her. “I might not have used my own language, but I have hoped for you, felt joy with you, and looked forward to you since I met you. Your mind is meshing with mine, and I feel the amazing potential you have within you and wish to help you find it. You have it in you to be a bright and blazing star, and I want to be at your side when you become all you can.”

She stared. There was nothing to answer.

He smiled. “Will you marry me and be my empress and my companion, and my drake will fly with yours whenever you need to fly?”

Abil cocked her head and found the question. “Um, yes?”

He grinned and kissed her while on his knee between her thighs. She held his head and felt something on her hand, but she broke off and said, “You dumped jewels for me.”

He stroked her cheek. “You needed them, and they helped. We often dress our females in precious metals and other stones. It gives you a burst of power if you need it.”

“It did. It helped me open my first portal.”

He nodded. “That was the purpose. It still took you two years to come to me.”

She smiled. “There was so much to see, and my beast wasn’t in a hurry. She said you had to clear out your quarters, but I don’t know what that meant.”

He smiled. “I did that before we spent time in the simulation. That is when I knew you were the one for me.”

Abil sighed. “I wish you had told me. I thought I hurt you in the simulation.”

“Mbrak extended our time and notified the other staff afterward. I was stunned by withdrawing from you, not from being with you. I have missed you.”

She blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I missed you, too. The stars were empty without you.”

He lifted his head to hers and kissed her again, stroking his tongue along hers. When it looped around, she blinked and had to wait. She was tongue-tied.

He pulled his head back and smiled. “Three days to the wedding.”

She laughed. “How long were you watching for me?”

“Eighteen months. When you didn’t show up, I set up a reward system for sightings. You scared the hell out of those raiders, though.”

She giggled. “Yeah. That was when I learned to breathe fire. It was fun. It used a lot of biomass, though, so I had to go out and eat right away. Their ship was too fast.”

He lifted her in his arms and spun her around while laughing. “They sent me the image of you snapping at them. They were definitely scared.”

She leaned against his chest and smiled. “A fun few days.”

He started laughing again.