“Mayling!” Cyrene said, outraged. “How dare you threaten my boyfriend!”

“For the love of the twelve gods, will you stop it,” I ground out through my teeth. “You are here merely as a courtesy—both of you—and I for one would appreciate it if you’d let Gabriel and the others get to the business they came to deal with.”

Kostya puffed up like he was going to snap out a reply but said nothing, contenting himself with a glare that could have cut steel.

I sat down, sliding Gabriel a worried glance. I had a feeling that I’d greatly overstepped the bounds of what was proper behavior in a mate, but I didn’t care. We’d be here all day if Kostya and Fiat were allowed to carry on.

Gabriel’s face was impassive, but I saw amusement in his eyes, and he took my hand for a moment to give my fingers a reassuring squeeze.

“It would seem your mate is going to act as referee for this sárkány,” Drake said dryly.

“Such behavior is not proper—” Fiat started to say, but Gabriel cut him off with a sharp, “Shut the hell up, Fiat. Let’s get this done. Bastian, you called the sárkány; present your case.”

Behind us, I heard Maata muffle a snicker. I straightened my shoulders and prepared to keep my mouth shut while Gabriel dealt with the weyr business. Four hours later, I was sagging in my chair, wanting nothing more than to sink into a hot tub and soak away the tedium. Bastian evidently had used his time well while I had been in Abaddon, for he presented a thoroughly documented case against Fiat, bringing forth not only sept documents and affidavits, but witness after witness who attested to the fact that it was he and not his nephew who was to have been made wyvern.

Fiat shouted, swore, argued, and threatened the entire time, but in the end, justice was upheld.

“The weyr recognizes Bastiano Giardini Blu as rightful wyvern of the blue dragon sept,” Gabriel pronounced. He, too, looked a bit worse for the wear, the strain of having to keep everyone in line starting to show in grim lines around his mouth and eyes.

Bastian smiled and thanked the wyverns present. I was a bit surprised that Bao didn’t fight the decision since she had seemed to favor Fiat, but after only a token protest, she agreed to go along with the majority and declared that the red dragons would recognize Bastian.

“It is not important,” she had shrugged, and voted with the rest of the wyverns.

“This is not ended,” Fiat shouted, jumping to his feet just as I knew he would. Half the room rose with him, his supporters glaring across the aisle at the blue dragons who were under Bastian’s banner. “I do not accept this ruling! Bastian is incapable of ruling the blue dragons! You will rue the day you allowed him to take power!”

“Clearly the concept of gracious defeat has escaped him,” Cyrene told Kostya in a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear.