Free The Broken Dragon: Children of the Dragon Nimbus #2 by Irene Radford

than herself, she was far too young to look so burdened. Yes, burdened, not vague and uncaring. She carried secrets behind that mask of bored listlessness.
    “I hear there is a spectacular variety of cabbage rose that thrives in the brisk sea air of Castle Saria,” Lillian offered. “I love roses. We don’t cultivate them at home in the mountains. They require too much land and effort that is better applied to kitchen gardens. If you crave something sweet, I can make you a yampion pie. It’s the best dish for restoring energy after a hard day of work.” Lillian knew she prattled, a lot like Old Maisie had. She covered probing questions in an avalanche of words.
    “Not meat,” Graciella spat. She shuddered in revulsion, much as Lillian and her mother did. “But yampions?” Graciella’s eyes brightened. “We used to have that at home. Jemmarc never allows it to be served in his manor, or the castle. Peasant food, he calls it.”
    “After near three months in the palace and the old University, I think plain country food is better tasting, and better for you, than all the fluffy and fancy, but inedible, decorations the nobles eat,” Lillian said, looking at Graciella sideways. She caught just a glimmer of energy and interest spiking from the lady’s mind. Not a true reading of her aura, but–something.
    “I’ve heard that Castle Saria has little in the way of gardens. Something about the brisk sea air being too windy, too cold, and too salty.” Graciella turned her head to stare out of the litter into the far distance, or deep within herself.
    Lillian couldn’t tell the difference.
    “There are ways to sweeten the soil. Ways to shelter delicate plants from the ceaseless seeking wind. I’d like to help you restore the gardens.” She wanted to say something about Lady Lucinda, Graciella’s predecessor, having no interest in gardening, but thought that might not be polite.
    “My stepmother is Lord Jemmarc’s sister. She took me to the castle once, just after . . . after Lady Lucinda left,” Graciella said hesitantly, as if she’d followed Lillian’s chain of thought. “She hoped that my lord would ask her to stay on as chatelaine of the castle. He didn’t. Luc . . . Lucjemm didn’t like her.”
    “Lucjemm liked very few people. I think that’s why he adopted those awful black snakes as pets. He thought they were his only friends.”
    Graciella’s mask of boredom slipped over her expression again. “I’m tired. I think I should nap.” She shifted uneasily against the mass of pillows behind her and closed her eyes. Shutting out Lillian as well as the rest of the world. Within moments her breathing evened and deepened. The tight lines around her eyes and mouth relaxed.
    Lillian saw her simple beauty beneath the cosmetics of her newly privileged position. A sturdy country girl thrust into the thick of complex politics at court, married off (against her wishes?) to an ambitious man with an unstable son.
    Our beginnings are the same
, she thought,
I pray that we both find a happier ending
.
    Carefully she eased the fancy box of rosehip candy out from under Graciella’s hand and dumped the sticky contents out of the litter.

CHAPTER 7
    J AYLOR HELD TIGHT to Brevelan longer than he needed as solid ground materialized beneath his feet.
    “That never gets easier,” Brevelan said on a heavy exhale. She kept her eyes scrunched closed, as if in pain, while she clung to him.
    He sensed that her legs weren’t quite stable enough to support her yet. Common enough reaction from people who didn’t experience the transport spell often.
    “You’ll think differently next time you sense one of your chicks in danger or I have to be gone for more than a few days. Then you’ll fly off to where you think you need to be before you can consider the transport dangerous and uncomfortable.” He kissed the top of her head and gently eased away from her, still keeping his hands on her waist to make sure she