Wildt looked very confused about Rodgardae requesting his company on their trip to the Hoolarée hotel. It was the most illustrious hotel in Suychet and was being used mostly as barracks for mid-level officers. Rodgardae kept trying to figure out how to explain to Wildt what they were doing and why, but finally Mani grew impatient.

“Since we’re almost at the hotel, I figure one of us should explain what is going on,” Mani said, giving Rodgardae a burning side-eye that he ignored by looking out the window of the carriage. He had caused quite a stir by canceling both his and Mani’s morning meetings, and then Wildt’s on top of that. His sister had flapped her hand irritably at him and said that as long as he didn’t leave the city and still got his reports finished, she didn’t care. He was really getting tired of her.

“Wait, do you honestly think this is Lord Hrecht ver Kleelan?” Wildt’s question broke into Rodgardae’s musings.

“We are open to the possibility, but he has not provided any evidence,” Mani hedged.

“Even if he is, that does not explain why he would want to mount a rescue mission for a random dragon maid. Or how he knew she was kidnapped. Or why he thinks she’s still alive — if you’ll pardon the implications,” he finished quickly, seeing Rodgardae’s expression. “Also, if he’s at Hoolarée, why are we pulling up to the training grounds?”

“Because we are bringing Mistress Seraphinite with us,” Mani said with a sigh.

A complex expression passed over Wildt’s face, and Rodgardae wondered at how the man could possibly believe that his dalliance with the headmistress was a secret. The whole fort was aware of it, or at least all the dragons were. He knew that such relationships between dragons and dragon maids were illegal, to the point that both would not only be thrown out of service but imprisoned, but it wasn’t as if any of his fellow dragons would care. And Rodgardae thought it was highly unlikely they were the first such coupling in the long history of the Dragon Maid Corps.

“Shall I go and get her?” Wildt offered politely, and Rodgardae could tell that Mani was holding back his laughter.

“Please.” Rodgardae nodded.   

When Wildt returned with Mistress Seraphinite, she looked as sour and off-putting as usual, but at least not like she was gearing up to argue with them. She climbed into the carriage wordlessly, and by her lack of questions Rodgardae assumed that Wildt had sketched out the purpose of their trip to the hotel.

Infuriatingly, ver Kleelan was sitting in the lobby, his long legs crossed, reading a paper as if he had been expecting them. His hair was again wrapped up in the complex braids of a royal consort, the silvery-white of his hair actually reflecting the sunlight pouring in through the broad front windows. Rodgardae honestly did not have words for how much he disliked the dragon.

Wildt sensed what Rodgardae had felt yesterday, that there was something intrinsically feral about this strange elder dragon, and walked over with them as if readying to fight or defend. No one could miss how he kept himself slanted in front of Mistress Seraphinite.

ver Kleelan stood up, an easy smile on his admittedly noble features. If he was the oldest ver Kleelan, then he would have made quite an impressive lordship, and it seemed all the more bizarre that Kaaltendt law had not let him be the heir.

“Welcome, welcome. Ah, Berta! You’ve grown into a lovely, stately woman.”

Rodgardae looked over at Mani, who looked as confused as he did, while Mistress Seraphinite paled like she had met Death himself.

“No,” she whispered, stepping backwards.  

“Admittedly the last time I saw you was when you were, what, five? I didn’t expect you to remember me.”

“You can’t be him!” She sounded desperate.

“Oh, so you do recognize me! Unexpected, but convenient.” He kept smiling. Rodgardae was back to wanting to punch him again, and it looked like Wildt would be one step behind him.

“You threatened my father at my fifth birthday party, transformed into a dragon, bit him, and then flew away.” She spoke with a clenched jaw, her color coming back as her anger ramped up. Rodgardae could almost smell it.

“Cousin Jutter was refusing to marry your mother and take responsibility for you. The least I could do was bite him,” ver Kleelan patiently explained, as if to a child. Despite himself, Rodgardae could see his point.

“Wait, are you two related?” Mani asked, pointing between them.

“He’s my cousin on my mother’s side. Very distant cousin,” Mistress Seraphinite confirmed, albeit grudgingly.

Mani frowned. “So that means that Maid Aegirine is also your cousin?”

Mistress Seraphinite and Wildt zeroed in on him. “What do you mean?” Mistress Seraphinite snapped.

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Mani opened his mouth but Rodgardae held up his hand. “We’re in the middle of the lobby and causing a scene. Can we take this somewhere private?” He looked over at ver Kleelan, who at least he knew for sure was ver Kleelan.

“I arranged for a suite. Took some arguing, your military is crawling all over this fine establishment, but we can go there.”

“Don’t know if you have noticed but we’re currently at war,” Wildt finally spoke up, his own anger about the whole situation seeping through.

ver Kleelan ignored him completely. “Come on, elevator’s this way.” He loped off.

Up in the suite, which was very nice but clearly not the best on offer, they all politely sat down in the sitting room, although no one was relaxing.

“The information I am about to share, Captain Wildt, must not leave this room. Am I understood?” Mani looked at him, his words and demeanor serious.

Wildt nodded, obviously confused about being singled out. “Yes, Matrica. Of course.”

“Right. So, let us all agree to acknowledge that Maid Aegirine is actually Lady Agadart ver Kleelan, formerly Baroness Stewardt of Trinx.”

Wildt actually gasped at the news, but Maid Seraphinite just glowered at all of them. He looked at her and she just nodded. Wildt let out a long, low whistle. “I had no idea,” he said.

“You weren’t supposed to. She was sent to the Dragon Maids Corps as punishment,” Mistress Seraphinite said, glaring out the windows.

“Punishment? But wasn’t she instrumental in bringing the traitor down?” Rodgardae asked, confused himself for once. “I assumed she was just sent into the corps to keep her safe from reprisals.”

“That might have been part of it. I do not presume to know the queen’s mind on such matters. But Agadart was Stewardt’s wife, after all, and there were plenty who wanted her head taken with his, despite her role in his downfall. Some suspected she was a spy for Iskaryyva all along and sacrificed him as a decoy.”

Wildt shook his head in amazement at the news, but Rodgardae found himself tamping down his temper. Such lies and gossip were not the reason they were there, after all. He looked over at ver Kleelan, who of all of them seemed the most relaxed and the least interested in talking. Mani picked up on Rodgardae’s change of focus and turned to ver Kleelan.

“But you think she’s more than just a disgraced baroness,” Mani prompted.

“I do. The question is, do you really want to share that here and now? Isn’t the fact that she’s my niece enough incentive for me to try to rescue her?”

“I doubt there is much left to rescue, with all due respect, Lord ver Kleelan,” Mistress Seraphinite said without any respect in her tone whatsoever.

“She’s alive, and in danger, and I plan on rescuing her. None of those facts are up for discussion at the moment.”

There was a pause while everyone considered that, then Wildt, good man that he was, asked: “Then what is up for discussion at the moment?”

“Whether any of you will help me, or not.”

“Or not.” Mistress Seraphinite stood up and made to leave, but Wildt reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Sera,” he said softly, tugging her back. She followed his lead but was angry about it. Rodgardae studied their joined hands, which they immediately released, and picked up on the magic swirling between them. He raised an eyebrow at Wildt, who blushed furiously and looked away, looking more like a naughty kit than a man nearing fifty years old. Rodgardae knew he would have to talk about the mate bond between Wildt and the headmistress at some point, but Rodgardae put it at the bottom of his list.

“I think the vital question is how, exactly, you mean to find her and what, exactly, you need help with. I cannot commit to anything without those eggs in hand,” Rodgardae said, and waited for ver Kleelan to explain.

“I have my sources, to whom I have vowed to protect, so understand that while what I say here is true, I cannot explain why.” ver Kleelan crossed his legs and clasped his hands over one knee, his posture stern and proud like a true lord.

“There seems to be a lot you cannot or will not explain,” Rodgardae rumbled, the vibration low in his chest. Mani placed a calming hand on his thigh.

“Lady Agadart is being kept on an urshvalkin roughly four hundred miles northeast of here.”

“No one has floated an urshvalkin in generations,” Mani scoffed, then realized everyone including Rodgardae was looking at them in confusion. Rodgardae thought the term sounded familiar, but he could not place it.

“A floating platform for landings at sea,” Lord ver Kleelan said dryly.

Rodgardae nodded his head. “Ah, right. I’ve read about floating platforms, but only in history books.”

“The emperor has two in service, a third being built, but that’s neither here nor there—”

“For us, that is vital military information,” Rodgardae snapped at him.

Lord ver Kleelan just nodded agreeably, the insufferable bastard. “I’m sure it is. Be that as it may, I don’t care. My concern is for my niece, who is being held on one as a prisoner.”

“Assuming you are correct,” Mistress Seraphinite said, her voice dripping with such fierce disdain that it did lend credence to the idea she was born to nobility, “what do you plan to do? Just flap your wings on over? Drop in for tea and pick her up like a lost kit?” She rolled her eyes. “Even I know the front has been stationary off the coast for weeks because neither side can do more than poke at each other’s defenses.”

“True. Although Rhezv’s forces could overwhelm us at any moment, they’ve been content to just try and bottleneck us. Aside from a few short battles they’re just sending in scouts and fighting off our own scouts.” Wildt nodded in agreement with the headmistress.

“Exactly.” Lord ver Kleelan aggressively poked at the air with a finger. “They are waiting for something, and I assure you that waiting with them will spell disaster for the Isle of Watt.” He tilted his head and met Rodgardae’s eyes, silently tacking on the implied phrase “and you know why, even if they don’t” but then continued talking. “My plans are not far off from dropping in and picking her up, if you must know. But having an ally to help distract our enemies would be appreciated.”

Mani grimaced, recognizing a suicide plan when he saw one, and Wildt already had his mouth open to argue, but Rodgardae raised his hand. “You want to save your niece, and I want to win this war. How about we work together instead of separately?”

“I make no guarantee of agreeing with your plans,” Lord ver Kleelan said as he leaned forward. “But I’m willing to listen.”