“No—” she agreed. “We can’t.” She sounded as breathless as he felt. Well, small wonder. His body wanted one thing and wanted it very badly, and his mind knew it would be a very bad idea. There were already enough complications in their lives. They didn’t need more. “We haven’t the right, we have to think of the things we have to do. We can’t be lovers yet. Not until things are—better. There might be babies, and we need every dragon and rider we have. I can’t take the time for a baby right now.”

“But—” he managed.

“Yes,” she sighed, and brushed his hair off his forehead in a way that made him shiver. Then she pushed him away a little. “But the moment we’re free—you’d better find a quiet place big enough for both of us!”

Somehow, a completely unspoken agreement had passed between them. Maybe that ability of talking to animals did extend to humans sometimes.

Whatever it was—he was content. For now anyway. Maybe not forever—probably not forever—probably not even for too many moons. But for now.

And all he had to do was to convince his body of that. . . .

TWELVE

TWELVE

THE next morning, and for every morning after that, Nofret was waiting to be taken out to Coresan without anyone having to fetch her. Aket-ten told Kiron that Nofret had arranged all of her audiences and meetings for the evening, after she came back. And she was brought back, every evening, if not by Kiron, by one or another of the other Jousters because no one was going to allow her to remain in that deserted city, unprotected, after darkness fell. No one knew what might prowl there, anything from cheetah to other dragons. There would certainly be poisonous snakes and scorpions. There might be ghosts or other evil spirits.

And Ari fretted, though he said nothing, and he was very careful to fetch Nofret home no more often than any of the others. In a way, Kiron couldn’t blame him for being anxious about Nofret’s welfare. If it had been Aket-ten out there alone, he’d have fretted, too—and as far as he or anyone else knew, unlike Aket-ten, Nofret didn’t have any special powers to protect her or help her. He’d have trusted to her good sense, but he couldn’t help but wonder—did anyone who would insist on spending time with a semiwild, nesting dragon in a deserted city crawling with unknown hazards really have good sense?

There were other ways of getting a dragon. She could even wait until next year. . . . What did she have to prove? She was already given all the deference anyone could ask for from the Altans in Sanctuary, and if the Tians didn’t quite understand yet that she was due the respect of a coconsort, they would soon work it out.