Free Ice Dragon by Bianca D'Arc

can get down to business? There is grave news from the north.
     
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    As we feared. Rue ducked her bluish head. We will listen through our knights while we watch the littles.
    The news is not good, but there is hope yet for all of us, and he’s standing behind me. If they fly, watch him carefully. He’s got moves even I can’t match. We’re going to need to learn them if we are to outsmart the weapons Salomar has been devising.
    “Weapons?”
    A gruff male voice sounded from the large doorway. Lana guessed it had to be one of the knights. No doubt the adult dragons had opened a link to their bonded knights the moment Roland requested their presence.
    The knight was tall, broad shouldered and brown haired, a warrior through and through. Lana found herself backing away toward Tor and Roland as the strange man was joined by an equally large, blond warrior and long-limbed woman who had kind, but shrewd blue eyes.
    Wait ‘til the children are gone, Hal, please. Roland’s voice seemed amusedly exasperated.
    The warrior called Hal walked up to little Rena and stroked her back as he passed, eyeing Tor with confusion. “Don’t tell me he’s not full grown yet.”
    He’s not. Roland included all of them in his thoughts, making the introductions. Tor, Lana, this is Hal. The blonde knight is Jures and the lady is their mate, Candis.
    I’m five. Tor dipped his head, and the adults were obviously touched and amused by his candor.
    Lana wondered at the introduction but didn’t know how to ask outright about the woman being mate to both knights. If this really was the land of her birth, she didn’t remember three-partnered marriages being the norm, and while Salomar was a pig, a few of the servants she’d 66

     
    known were married and they only had one mate each. Still, it would be worse than rude to question these people who were obviously highly ranked and friends of Roland’s. She made a mental note to ask him later, if she got a chance.
    Roland forestalled the conjecture about Tor by shooing the dragonets out with his thick, black wings. The older dragons followed behind with amused glances at the surprised humans they left behind in the doorway. As soon as they were gone, Roland transformed, calling up the black mist, clouding his change from dragon to human form.
    “That’s better,” he said when he was human once more, clothed in fine black leathers. Lana drank in the sight of him. He was so handsome, it hurt. “Lana, my dear,” he took her hands. He led her to another room in the suite that had couches and chairs, seating her close at his side on the couch, practically in his lap. The others followed with bemused looks on their faces.
    “We expected you days ago, sire. What kept you?” It was the blonde warrior who spoke as he poured out several glasses of wine from a table at the side of the room.
    “Salomar has nasty giant crossbows with diamond-bladed bolts. I got hit with three of them before Tor and Lana came to my rescue.” Gasps sounded from all around. Moments later, three pairs of curious eyes settled on Lana, going between her and Roland, eager for answers.
    Roland sighed. “It was my own stupid fault. I assumed nothing could pierce my hide. Boy, was I wrong.”
    “You were hurt badly?” the woman, Candis, asked with concern.
    “I thought I was dead. I would have been too, if not for Tor and Lana.
    Tor is amazingly strong and was able to tow me back to their lair. Lana is a dragon healer.”

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    Stunned silence greeted that statement until finally Hal spoke.
    “Lucky is too inadequate a word to describe you, Rol. The Mother was watching your path for certain.” The brown-haired knight shook his head as he raised his glass in silent toast.
    “I don’t doubt it, my friend.” Roland squeezed Lana’s hand, which he still held. “I think Lana is one of the twin daughters of Adora of Kent for whom we’ve been searching. I’m leaving with her and Tor tomorrow for the palace. I