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My father turned an unflattering shade of red, like he often did when my omak argued with him. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But he’s certainly old enough to do this for me. Rylan is very mature and intelligent, unlike you at his age. You were…”

“Yes? What was I? Dig the hole a little deeper, why don’t you?”

“Vannos, sweetheart, this is getting off track. This is a silly argument.”

“Silly? Is that what I am?”

My father’s face turned red again. “I didn’t mean it that way, and you know it.”

I took pity on him and spoke up. “I’ve already agreed to go and do this, Father,” I said, trying to take some of the heat off. “I was only teasing before when I said Redmond could go in my place. I said I’d go, and I don’t need you to go along, Omak, though it’s really sweet of you to offer.”

“If you don’t want me to go, then I won’t, honey,” my omak said directly to me, ignoring my father.

“Because I listen to what my sons want.” He stood up and glanced at the king.

“As for me, I’m going for a ride. Perhaps I’ll see if the Stable Master would like to go along.

It’s a lovely day for it, and he, at least, always seems to enjoy my company. ”

He gave the king one more haughty glance and then swept regally from the room, as my father cursed softly under his breath and glared after him. He glanced back sharply over at me, and I got up quickly, holding up my hands in surrender. “I guess I’ll go pack. See you when I get back.”

“Wait a minute and sit back down,” he said, before I could get the hell out of there. “Now that your omak is gone, I can tell you the real reason you’re going to Lycanus 3.”

“The real reason? What do you mean?”

“Our wedding anniversary is coming up soon, and I’ve bought a gift for Vannos that I need you to pick up for me. I wanted it to be a surprise for him. There is no bauxite. Well, there is, but I’m not really interested in that. It’s the gift I need you to pick up.”

“Oh…well, why didn’t you just say so in the first place, without all that bauxite business?”

“Because it’s a surprise, like I just said.”

“What did you get him?”

“You know how much he loves animals—and you know how he talks about being in training years ago and riding those vetami creatures from that moon of Lycanus 3? I got word that a rare vetami egg was about to hatch and it was offered to me. It’s really unusual for them to be available at all, and their gestation period is really long.

Anyway, it’s more or less forbidden to buy them now.

They’re considered to be a protected, endangered species.

I jumped on it right away, as soon as it was offered. ”

“What do you mean? Even though it’s an endangered species? Father, that doesn’t seem right. Can’t you get arrested for doing something like that?”

“Not if you have connections, like I do. The breeder of the egg, himself, King Travon of Thalios, the one we were just discussing, owns the egg and he’s agreed to sell it to me.

He wanted you to come to his planet to pick it up, but I talked him into taking it to Lycanus 3, which is more or less halfway, and he agreed when he heard that you would be picking it up for me. ”

“But why?”

“Because Vannos is right about him being a bit too old for you, but he’s very interested in you. And I don’t have time right now to accompany you as a chaperone, so meeting him like this is perfect. To tell the truth, I don’t fully trust him not to compromise you, so you’d have to marry him.”

“Compromise me? Father, I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can, but I’ve heard rumors. It’s just better that you meet on Lycanus 3 on more or less neutral ground.”

I laughed a little. “Surely, he wouldn’t try anything in public. And if he’s so awful, why do you want me to marry him?”

“I don’t, but there can’t be any harm in meeting him.

I’m sure he must have heard how good looking you are, because he’s very insistent.

Anyway, the egg is inside its crate and waiting for you there on the docks.

I’ve already sent him the purchase price and I have the signed receipt.

All you have to do is meet him, have a few minutes of conversation and bring the egg home. ”

“But what about the fact that the vetami are an endangered species?”

“Only the ones from that moon Horvath are on that list. That’s a moon of Lycanus 3 and the vetami are native to that world.

This egg is perfectly legal because it comes from the planet Thalios, where Travon is king.

People used to be able to purchase them for years until the people of Horvath got involved and petitioned the Axis to make them endangered, even though they have literally hundreds of them on Horvath.

Then the Intergalactic Union for the Conservation of Nature got involved and now you can’t buy the eggs at all anymore. ”

“Then how did King Travon doing it?”

“From what Travon told me, his father is from Horvath, but came to Thalios years ago, with some of his property. Including vetami. It was all perfectly legal back then—and now King Travon has a large herd of these vetami, and they’re quite valuable.

But he has agreed to sell me this one egg as a favor and a mark of his friendship.

As I told you, he’s interested in you as well.

Not that you have to do anything about that,” he said.

“That’s a negotiation for me and your omak to be involved in.

But it won’t hurt you to at least meet the man.

He’s doing me a big favor here. Do you understand now? ”

“I guess so. You want me to pick up Omak’s gift, meet this king and then bring the gift home. Easy! What is a vetami anyway? You said it was an egg. Are they some kind of birds?”

“No, Rylan. They’re much more special than that. They’re dragons .”