Page 125 of Kingdom of Dance

“Idric! You will cease.”

Tanin’s voice was so awful, Zinnia shivered, even as she sagged in relief at the belated intervention. It didn’t escape her that Tanin sounded offended more than truly outraged. It supported her earlier speculation that it was their own principles the dragons valued rather than the actual effect of any breach on the humans. Either way, Idric’s blatant attack on humans was violating their laws, and she would take whatever assistance Tanin was inclined to offer.

Not that Tanin seemed moved to intervene more forcefully. Idric was still attempting to force his way through the barrier created by the two defenders, and the strain was starting to show. Princess Penny looked unnaturally pale, and Zinnia saw a drop of red glistening under Obsidian’s nose.

Idric halted abruptly, but there was no submission in his bearing as he whipped around to face Tanin. “You think I will be denied my satisfaction? You’ve already banished me—what worse can you do? If you no longer recognize me as an elder of your colony, then I no longer recognize the authority of this convocation. I would rather see Solstice burn than cede it to the humans.”

He swung his head back around to face the gathered royals, his jaws already opening. This time, Zinnia grasped his intention immediately, but she knew there was nothing she could do to defend against dragon fire. And as greatly as they might disapprove of the unsophisticated behavior, Tanin and the other elders didn’t seem willing to actually demean themselves so far as to fight Idric in order to protect the humans. Perhaps, having banished Idric from their colony, they no longer felt any responsibility for his actions. Their peace with humans had always been passive, after all. Rekavidur and Dannsair were anomalies in their friendships with humans.

All of this passed through Zinnia’s mind in an instant, along with the realization of what it meant. Because she doubted Obsidian and Princess Penny had anything like enough magic to protect against the destruction building inside Idric’s core.

But before she could do more than comprehend the death speeding toward them all, a bright shape smashed into Idric’s side. One dragon at least was willing to actively fight on the humans’ behalf.

Rekavidur was much smaller than his opponent, but his attack was unexpected enough to throw the older dragon off balance. Idric was pushed to the side, and before he could recover himself, a purple blur descended on him from above, Dannsair’s trajectory causing a roof beam to splinter.

“We should get out of here,” said Basil tensely, but no one moved. They were all mesmerized by the terrifying sight before them.

A sound like metal scraping against glass filled the room as Reka’s jaws closed around Idric’s neck, his teeth unable to pierce the scales, but his grip unyielding. The larger dragon thrashed and flailed, his tail smashing through a door near the corridor, revealing the broom cupboard beyond.

Dannsair backed up slightly, then once again slammed her body into the writhing mass that was Idric and Reka, sending them staggering against the already damaged wall and away from the humans. They smashed through the stone wall, blowing it out completely, and fell heavily onto a neat garden bed beyond.

An ominous groaning from the roof of the ballroom caused all the humans to look up, although the dragons’ eyes remained fixed disapprovingly on their brawling brethren.

“Go immediately to the Enchanters’ Guild and call every available member to the royal ballroom.” The voice belonged to Bartholomew, the elderly enchanter, but Zinnia didn’t look to see whom exactly he was giving instructions to. “And send to the Architects’ Guild for a structural expert. We will need to act immediately.”

The sound of pattering feet told Zinnia that some underling was carrying out the order, and she felt Basil’s grip on her arm.

“Come on, let’s get to a safer room.”

“Just a moment,” she said, taking a step toward the still-fighting dragons.

“Zinnia.” Basil’s voice was strained. “Please don’t throw yourself into the middle of a dragon fight. We’ve finally got you back—we can’t afford to lose you again. There’s so much I still don’t understand, and so much I need to say.”

She paused, taking the time to meet his eyes. She could read the guilt in their depths, and knew he was blaming himself on some level for all she’d been through, and for his failure to bridge the distance Idric had created between them. But she felt nothing but release as she smiled at him. The distance between them was a thing of the past now, and she’d never thought her brother was to blame for any of it. She would make him see that, when everything was fully explained.

She placed her hand over his, where it rested on her arm, and squeezed reassuringly. “I won’t get into the middle of anything. And I have so much to say, too. But I need to see how this ends, Basil.”

He studied her face for a moment, then gave a tense nod. Zinnia turned back to the fight outside.

The elders were following their kin, passing through the broken masonry at a more dignified pace. When the first of them reached the trio, Idric looked up. Zinnia read the defeat on his face a moment before he crouched. The next instant, he’d shot straight up into the air, the wind of his passage flattening the nearby shrubbery. She looked up, but he was already a small shape in the sky. A few blinks, and he was gone altogether.

Tanin turned to the royals, his eyes resting particularly on the reigning monarchs present—King Bern, King Justin, and Basil.

“His actions are a stain on the relationship between your kind and ours,” Tanin said, in the closest a dragon was ever likely to come to an apology. “But I trust we can now look ahead to a peaceful future.”

He inclined his head, apparently feeling the matter had been satisfactorily resolved. As inadequate as the response might be, Zinnia felt nothing but relief.

It was over.

The string of disasters that had plagued Solstice was finished. There would still be those humans who chose to use their magic for malicious purposes, of course. But human magic the crowns and the guilds could deal with. It was the underlying dragon power that had led to such devastating effects.

“Rekavidur, Dannsair.” Tanin’s voice was somber as he addressed the two younger dragons. “You have admitted to breaching the agreement in secret on numerous occasions. This matter will be considered further.”

The pair lowered their heads, looking neither injured nor ruffled from their physical altercation with Idric.

“We will accept the ruling of the elders,” they said in unison.

With a nod, Tanin took to the air, following the rest of the elders, who had already departed. As soon as only the younger dragons remained, Zinnia stumbled forward through the wreckage, emerging into the sunny garden with Obsidian at her side. The others, she noted distractedly, were hurrying out of the ballroom, into the safety of the undamaged corridor.

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