Page 6 of The Magic of Pemberley (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mage #2)

Chapter 6

“ I have been thinking it over,” Granny told Elizabeth and Roderick the next morning after breakfast. “If Miss Darcy was created out of mortal hair, then most of her must be mortal as well. I wish I could consult the Eldest in Gwynedd about this. She has made a study of the stories of the High King.”

“She would be the one to ask,” Roderick agreed. “Though she has not been the most helpful about this situation with Cerridwen.”

“That was of her own making,” Granny sniffed. “She favored sending Cerridwen to England and would not send anyone to help Lizzy with the process after my daughter died.”

Elizabeth looked up from her needlework at that, another of the Talent-imbued handkerchiefs she was racing to make for Darcy to use in France. It was such a relief to be on good terms with him again! “I have wondered why I was chosen. Surely it would have been simpler to select someone local as a companion.” She hesitated. “Cerridwen says it was deliberate.”

“Ah, yes. That was my idea.” Granny’s eyes went distant. “The dragons needed a better understanding of what was happening in England. Even fifty years ago, it was easy enough for a Welsh Nest to stay hidden, to frighten away or lay spells of confusion on any Englishmen who tried to enter their territory. But the English are more organized now, less superstitious, and much greedier. They believe there may be wealth in the mountains of Gwynedd, and they are determined to find it. The dragons do not understand that they will not stop coming this time.”

Roderick added, “Their na?veté is understandable, given how many centuries they have been in hiding.”

“True, but it does not serve them well now. I suggested that if one of their nestlings lived among Englishmen for a few years, she could provide useful insight in dealing with them. That required an English companion, preferably one among the gentry who would expose Cerridwen to English society. One of your sisters was the obvious choice.”

That stung. “You wanted one of my sisters, but not me?”

“That was your father’s insistence that it should not be you, so originally we tried for your sister Mary. But none of the nestlings we brought to meet her felt the connection needed for a bond. Then Cerridwen noticed you, since you were in the garden with Mary, and made it clear you were her choice. I tried to discourage her for your father’s sake, but Cerridwen was determined. She said if she could not have you, she would take no companion. It is not unusual for a dragon to feel a strong affinity with a certain human, but she was particularly insistent. I suppose it should not have been a surprise when she refused to break the bond years later.”

She caught her breath. “My father knew Cerridwen was a dragon?”

She snorted. “Of course he did. Ridiculous boy. He was under a binding against speaking of it, naturally, but he opposed the idea from the beginning. He knew dragon companions, adult ones, had to live near a Nest, and he wanted you to stay at Longbourn. He thought if he kept you away from the Nest long enough, Cerridwen would be forced to break the bond. Such a fool, planning to kill his own golden goose.”

That sounded ominous. “What do you mean?”

“Why, he valued you for your land Talent, but the reason you are powerful is that you are a dragon companion. Without Cerridwen, your Talent would be little greater than his.”

“But…my land Talent is not my own?” How mortifying! She had worked so hard at it, prided herself on it.

“It is both yours and Cerridwen’s, your joined Talents strengthening each other.” The old woman sighed. “Fortunately, Cerridwen was stubborn, and you escaped in time. That is good, since her growth is already stunted from her time away.”

Her chest grew tight. Her dearest Cerridwen had suffered because of choosing to stay with her. And her own father had caused it. “Will she grow once she is part of a Nest again?

“It may take some time once you have taken your final vows, but yes.” Granny’s expression softened. “It should do her no long-term harm.”

She was about to ask another question when Darcy strode into the room, his face grim.

He closed the double doors behind him. “Another dragon attack,” he said harshly, tossing a newspaper onto the tea table.

“What?” cried Granny. “Impossible!”

Roderick jumped to his feet and grabbed the newspaper, his eyes rapidly scanning the headlines.

Elizabeth found her voice. “Is it certain?”

“Over half the Austrian army killed, and this time there were many witnesses. Now everyone will know that Napoleon can command dragons. There will be panic.”

Half the Austrian army lost! Hundreds of thousands of men who would never go home again, gone in one fell swoop. Her chest grew tight.

“Roderick, what does it say?” demanded Granny.

“Five dragons. They flamed the Austrian army when it took the field, ignoring the massed French troops. Thousands of eyewitnesses.” He glanced at Darcy. “Have you heard anything else?”

“A letter from the War Office confirming it, with one other detail. Napoleon has demanded an unconditional surrender, and the Austrians have agreed. What choice do they have, the poor devils?” Darcy rubbed his hand over his eyes.

Elizabeth blinked hard. She knew what he was not saying. England would be next. Now even more was riding on his mission .

All those dead soldiers, lost to their families. And the dragons, the poor peace-loving dragons in the Dark Peak, who had been so kind to her! They would be devastated, too. Cerridwen would be heartbroken.

Granny had that unfocused look in her eyes, and Roderick was fumbling to remove the pendant Rowan had given him. Cerridwen needed to hear this from her, not from other dragons.

Elizabeth swallowed hard and reached her mind out to Cerridwen, finding her much closer than expected, sitting in a tree outside the music room window.

We are listening , sent Cerridwen, with an image of two other birds perched near her. Young dragons in disguise, most likely. They enjoy Georgiana’s music .

Could it only have been a day ago that they had heard Cerridwen reproduce that music?

Bad news, dearest , she sent, along with an image of all she had learned.

Shock, dismay, and then abrupt anger. And then silence, as Cerridwen took wing.

Poor Cerridwen.

But that was the least of Elizabeth’s problems. “This means Napoleon will be returning to Paris soon,” she said, her eyes fixed on Darcy. Was it already too late to take her vows and get a boon to help him escape?

“It seems likely,” he said quietly.

Roderick wiped his forefinger with a handkerchief that came away stained with red. “Darcy, do you have an atlas where I can find the location of this attack? Rowan wishes to pinpoint which Nests are nearest to the battlefield, but I do not know where this place may be.” He glanced at the newspaper, “Kleinreith, they call it.”

“Yes, in the library. Are there so many dragon Nests in Austria that he is uncertain?”

“In the Alps, yes. More than here, at least.” The Welshman paused, listening. “Rowan asks if he may come here to see the newspaper article with his own eyes, but he will not do so without your permission.”

Darcy’s eyebrows shot up. “Dragons can read?”

“Of course,” said Granny irritably.

“Then he may come, I suppose, but it would be better if he took a different form, at least where others can see. The staff may already be hearing this news, and the sight of a strange dragon might frighten them.”

“I will tell him so.”

Darcy frowned. “How are you communicating with him? The Nest is too far for a sending.”

Roderick touched the pendant which now hung outside his cravat. “This Artifact allows it, even at a distance. Rowan gave it to me so he could contact me about Mrs. Darcy, but it works in reverse, at least when I give it a drop of my blood.”

Elizabeth studied the pendant. There it was, right before her, a complex Artifact made by the dragons. Something like that could make all the difference for Darcy when he was in France. She had meant to ask Roderick about the purpose of the gift sooner, but it had slipped her mind. It seemed impossible that it had been only a week since she first met Rowan.

Everything was happening too quickly, and there was still so much which she did not understand. And, thanks to Napoleon, she was running out of time.

The news from Austria hung over them like a heavy storm cloud. Even the servants were affected, tiptoeing as if a dragon attack on Pemberley might materialize at any moment. The war had always seemed very far away for them, but this had brought it close to home.

Elizabeth had requested a shortened dinner with only one remove instead of the usual two. With everyone in low spirits, there seemed to be an embargo on every subject of discussion that might provide distraction. How could they chat about the weather and other pleasantries when their world was falling apart ?

Instead of the ladies withdrawing, the entire party moved to the drawing room. Elizabeth, unable to bear her helplessness, immediately sat down to her handwork. At least the bit of Talent-infused fabric in her hands might have a chance of helping to put an end to Napoleon’s depredations.

“Are you certain you will not play, Lizzy?” Granny asked. “You were sewing all afternoon.” The rustling of card shuffling came from the table where Roderick and Darcy had joined her in a game of loo, a courtesy to the old lady’s love of the game.

“No, I thank you.” She jabbed the needle into the fabric. It was already blood-spotted where she had pricked her tired fingers, but the appearance of her work no longer mattered. Only getting it done. Perhaps the blood would even help.

She hoped Mrs. Reynolds would find her a spinning wheel soon. At least spinning used different muscles. And she needed to purchase any other Talent-entwined fabric the mysterious midwife might have.

At the familiar tapping of a beak, Roderick tossed down his cards and went to the window to open it. The kestrel glided in and landed on the floor beside Elizabeth.

Close the doors , Cerridwen sent to her.

Elizabeth hurried to do so, and the falcon blurred into her true shape.

Cerridwen settled her glistening wings. “Is there any more news?”

“Nothing yet. We can only receive information from letters in the post and the newspapers, which are already two days old when they arrive.” So many everyday things she had never explained to Cerridwen, back when she believed her to be only a magical falcon.

“You must tell me at once if you learn anything.”

Elizabeth said, “I will. But what of the dragons at the Nest? Do they believe us this time, or do they still think we are mistaken?”

A puff of acrid smoke came from Cerridwen’s nostrils. “They know the truth. We just received word that a dragon came through the Gate at a North African Nest carrying dozens of eggs. They recognized her as one of their own who had been gated to an Austrian nest as a hatchling. ”

Roderick’s eyes were wide with horror. “But you can only go through a Gate once.”

The dragon lowered her head. “She collapsed as soon as she dropped her burden. With her last heartbeats, she sent the message, ‘Beware the emperor.’ And then her body burst into flames, leaving nothing but ash.”

A being who would have lived for centuries, gone. A shiver traveled down Elizabeth’s spine.

Granny lowered her head. “May her memory and her sacrifice live forever.” It sounded like something a dragon would say.

Darcy set down his cards without the slightest regret. The game was not an entertainment he undertook with any pleasure, especially after the disastrous news of the day, and Elizabeth had gone white as a sheet with the news. He hurried to sit beside her, taking her hand in his. “It is terrible, I know. Is there anything I can get you for your relief? A glass of wine?”

She shook her head. “I am well enough.” Her voice was subdued, though.

If only he could help her in some way! The image of the dragon giving up her life to save the hatchlings would not leave his mind, either. He would do the same for the child Elizabeth was carrying.

Across the room Cerridwen stiffened, then rose to her full height, her wings extending, her eyes staring into the distance.

Roderick jumped to his feet just in time to catch a vase that her wingtip had toppled.

“Is something the matter?” Elizabeth asked.

“Hush,” Lady Amelia said. “She will tell us when she is ready. Or not, if she prefers.”

“But what is happening?”

“A sending, unless I miss my guess. One of a special sort. ”

Cerridwen’s aura shifted then, from anxiety to satisfaction. A minute later, she drew in her wings and sat back on her haunches.

“News?” Granny asked.

“The Nest is going into Conclave,” Cerridwen said. “And I… I am invited to join it.” Her head swung to Elizabeth. “They are accepting you as my Companion.”

Elizabeth’s face lit up. “That is excellent news. What is this Conclave?”

“Later,” Cerridwen chirped distractedly. “I must go now.” As she shifted to her kestrel form, Roderick was already at the window, holding it open for her.

“At least that is one problem solved,” Lady Amelia said as Cerridwen flew off. “And another begun. The dragons will be discussing what to do about this. I hope this Conclave will be a short one. We do not have weeks or months to spare.”

Elizabeth’s shoulders sagged. Why did that particular idea bother her, out of all the others? Darcy rubbed his hand over her arm in what little comfort he could give.

“I cannot imagine it will take that long.” Roderick closed the window and latched it. “There is not enough information for them to make a decision.”

Lady Amelia pulled her shawl around her shoulders, frowning. “For them, perhaps, but it is clear what I must do. Little as I like the idea, I must drag my ancient bones down to London and teach your ridiculous War Office chaps how to deal with dragon attacks – not to mention peaceful dragons.”

“London?” Elizabeth cried, sounding horrified. “Will that journey not be too much for you?”

“It will be more painful than I like, but there is no choice. I had already been considering how to do it, since we can no longer afford to have the government acting in complete ignorance of dragons. This is the moment, since during a Conclave, the Nest cannot stop me.” The old woman sighed. “And we must learn about the involvement of the sea serpents. Sycamore can speak to the ones in the estuary in London. ”

Darcy stiffened. “Dragons can speak to sea serpents?”

“Of course,” Lady Amelia said irritably. “Sea serpents are their cousins.”

“It would help enormously if we knew what had turned them against us,” Darcy said.

Elizabeth shook her head fiercely. “But this will expose the existence of dragons here, and that cannot be undone. Even if you manage to keep my involvement secret, will it not endanger them?”

Lady Amelia made an unladylike noise. “Oh, the Nests would certainly oppose it, at least until they had given it consideration for at least a year or two, hidebound creatures that they are! It will not be the first time Sycamore and I have acted on our own, choosing to seek forgiveness rather than permission.”

“I did not hear that,” said Roderick pointedly. Then, more soberly, he added, “You are planning to violate the Great Covenant of Concealment. I do not disagree with your reasoning, but I must report your plans to the Gwynedd Nest. Unless you stop me from doing so.”

Lady Amelia’s eyes unfocused briefly. “Sycamore is already on his way here to bind you against revealing it. The Nest here will find out soon enough, but it will be too late.”

Roderick nodded, as if this was exactly what he had expected. “They may still punish Sycamore, even if there is little they can do to you.”

Suddenly she looked every year of her age. “Do you think I do not know that?”

Darcy said slowly, “I could not agree more with the necessity of informing the government, but could not someone else make the journey in your place? Roderick understands dragons and can travel more easily.”

“Roderick could do a fine job if only they would listen to him, even if we could remove the binding that would keep him from speaking of it. But what chance would an unknown Welshman have of getting a hearing? No, it must be a dragon companion, because no one can ignore a dragon.”

“Are there no other companions who could go, then?” Darcy probed. “Surely there must be others. ”

She frowned. “Fewer than there should be, and none of them are suitable to speak to the government. There are two decently born Scottish companions, but they have never been to England and would be perceived as barbarians. This is what happens when the Nests value staying hidden over everything else. They end up choosing commoners as companions, who cannot then advocate for them. Lizzy was supposed to be my heir in that regard, and if she had started her training on time, she could do it. But there is no point in crying over spilt milk.”

Darcy sat down next to the old lady and said gently, “It has been a very long time since you visited London. Times have changed. You have a powerful family name, if people believe you are who you say, but no current connections beyond Elizabeth and me. They are, sad to say, unlikely to listen to you.”

“Oh, they will listen. Perhaps not until I have Sycamore destroy Westminster as a lesson to them, but it will be no loss to dispose of that ramshackle mess.” She sounded rather pleased by the prospect. “We will get all the people out first, of course.”

And judging by what the dragons in Spain and Austria had done, it would be well within Sycamore’s power. “Madam, I must protest. That will only lead to your arrest.”

She cackled delightedly. “Dear boy, do use the mind God gave you! I may be physically feeble, but I am a dragon companion who has spent seventy-six years honing my skills. There is no one in London who can begin to match my power. Try to touch me – no, go on, try.”

It was foolishness, but he obeyed her – or attempted to. His hand would not move. It was glued in place. So was his other arm. His legs would not budge, either. Panic swirled in him, but he pushed it down. “What is this?” At least his mouth worked.

Her smile was proud. “I may be aged and frail, but my Talent can still stop a regiment in its tracks.” She lifted her hand, and his invisible bonds vanished .

Deeply unsettled, Darcy spread his fingers, merely to prove he could. “Impressive. Is this the sort of thing Elizabeth will be able to do after her final vows?” This could be important, should the war come to England.

She snorted. “It takes decades of work to control the power. At first, she will merely be a little stronger. If you are like my first husband, you may be in for some surprises, too. If you live that long, and you stay connected to Lizzy.”

His throat tightened at that unpalatable truth. But he should be used to that by now.