“Worse yet, the king of this human nation, reacting out of ignorance and fear, began to develop the first human weapon built specifically to slay dragons. The weapon is not a threat to us, of course—one blast of fire will melt it where it stands. For the first time in our history, however, humans are actually daring to take a stand against us. Again, due to Draconas’s conniving, the prince, Marcus, found the location of Dragonkeep. The king will undoubtedly lead his human armies against this city. Our plans are endangered. The lives of all dragonkind are threatened. We must act—”

“You keep speaking of plans, Anora,” Malfiesto interrupted, using the dragon’s name, not her august title of Prime Minister. “What plans are these? I think we have a right to know. And were you party to the two dragons’ criminal behavior all along?”

“To answer your last question first, no, I was not party to what Grald and Maristara were planning. I was as furious as you when I heard that they had seized a human kingdom. That was before I knew the danger humans posed to us, however. When I became aware of that threat, it seemed to me that Maristara and Grald had the right idea. Use the dragon-magic in their blood to control the humans. Rule over them. Prevent them from creating these terrible weapons. Not only will this benefit us,” Anora argued. “Such a prohibition will also benefit the humans. Let us face facts. Humans first invented these horrible weapons to kill large numbers of their own kind. We will stop them from harming each other, as well as ourselves. In the future, when humans come to view our intervention rationally, they will thank us.”

“Thank us for enslaving them,” Draconas muttered in Lysira’s mind.

Some of the dragons were nodding sagely, evidently favoring Anora’s position. Others glowered, not pleased with what they were hearing, among them Malfiesto, which surprised Lysira, for his dislike of humans was well known.

Lysira did not know what to feel. She was terrified of the destructive force of the humans’ weapons, yet, she was troubled by the idea of dragons making humans a slave-race, as Draconas was saying. She grieved over the loss of her brother and was furious at how casually Anora spoke of slaying him. Yet, Braun had always been a troublemaker, a meddler. If only he’d let well enough alone! Now she was the last of their noble house and, if what Anora said was true, her children might be among the last dragons ever born. . . .

She momentarily lost track of what Anora was saying and caught hold of the thread in the middle.