“Bastian tried to usurp Fiat several times, but failed,” Gabriel said as he gutted an apple. “There. I have been forthcoming with information not asked of me. Now will you stop shooting annoyed glances at me, little bird?”

I smiled. I couldn’t help myself; he was just so completely charming when he dimpled at me.

“A couple of months ago my uncle, my friend Rene, Jim, and I went to free Bastian, and he immediately took over control of the sept as the rightful wyvern. Only he let Fiat escape, and now the blue sept is divided, with some of the dragons following Fiat, and others swearing to support Bastian.”

“A civil war? That doesn’t sound good,” I said, wondering whether that was going to affect the silver dragons. The gods knew Gabriel had enough on his plate without heaping blue-dragon issues on it as well.

“It serves to keep Fiat busy, and away from us,” Drake grunted. He stood up, going around to help Aisling out of her chair.

She made a wry face. “Fiat isn’t happy with me for what he views as a betrayal, which coming from him is pretty laughable. My money is on Bastian, though. He’s been biding his time, and I think he’s going to make a great wyvern. But you can judge him for yourself when you see him at the sárkány, May. Thanks, sweetie. I need to visit the mothers-to-be room quickly, so don’t talk about anything good until I get back.”

Gabriel waited until Aisling had left the room before cocking an eyebrow at Drake. “Still haven’t told her she’s not going to the sárkány?”

“No.” Drake grimaced. “She’s not going to be pleased, but it is too dangerous. She will just have to understand.”

Gabriel cast a considering glance my way. “May-ling, if you were in Aisling’s shoes, and I forbade you to attend a weyr meeting to which you wished to go, what would you do?”

“I’m a shadow walker. I would simply slip into the shadow world and go anyway. But if I was Aisling herself, I’d probably grab the nearest blunt instrument and smack you upside the head, then go to the meeting.”

Drake snorted. “Aisling is not so crass. She would not behave in such a manner.” He paused as he walked past me, eyeing for a moment a small stone bust of a woman that sat on an isolated pedestal. He picked up the bust and stuffed it into one of the sideboard cupboards, a set look to his face as Gabriel laughed out loud.

“You have learned, I think.”

“I am simply taking an unnecessary precaution, nothing more.” He hesitated again, then quickly whisked all the knives from the table, depositing them unobtrusively in an urn on the sideboard just as Aisling opened the door.

“What did I miss?” she asked as Gabriel roared with laughter. “A good joke? I love jokes! Is it the one about the demon and the nun? That one always makes Jim wheeze.”