5.5 - Under the Ice Blades by Lindsay Buroker Read Free Book Online Page B

shared space that often—she had politely declined his offer of a room in the castle, choosing to stay somewhere outside of the city—but did that mean anything? A few weeks earlier, they had been sitting close to each other at that celebratory dinner he had hosted for the pilots who had fought back the Cofah sky fortress.
    “Sire, I don’t even know where we’re going.”
    “So, you’re not communicating with her now?”
    “We’re outside of her range. She usually has to be close, within a mile or so to reach me. Jaxi’s reach is farther, but I think we’re outside of her range now too.” Zirkander waved toward the dark Ice Blades looming on the horizon, the jagged peaks like a row of fangs thrusting into the starry sky. “But when we get back...” He shrugged. “I can try not to think about it, but I don’t have a lot of secrets from Sardelle. Or Jaxi.”
    “Is that lack of privacy as uncomfortable as it sounds?” Not that Angulus had experienced much privacy in his own life—there was usually a bodyguard nearby, even when he was bathing. Still, his thoughts were his own.
    “Took some getting used to, but I don’t know if it makes much difference with me. I mostly say whatever’s on my mind.”
    “I’ve noticed.”
    Zirkander did not offer a rejoinder. Angulus wagered one had come to mind, despite what he’d said. Zirkander wasn’t entirely without tact. Most of the time. Angulus wondered what that rejoinder had been.
    He could see where having a telepath at one’s side would be useful—he could have known that Nia was plotting against him long before she had arranged for his kidnapping. It could be invaluable when dealing with dignitaries and representatives from other nations. Would Sardelle use her talents that way? Maybe he should take another shot at enticing her to stay at the castle. She had proven herself willing to help Iskandia, even if the nation had done nothing to help her yet.
    “I should warn you that Phelistoth—the dragon—is also telepathic,” Zirkander added. “In case you’re ever in his range, you might not want to think about national secrets.”
    “Wonderful. Have you seen it at all when you’ve been out flying?”
    “No, Sire. I’ve been busy generaling of late. Hasn’t been much time for flying.” Zirkander did not look back, but he managed to sound wistful, even with the wind eating into his words. “I’ve had a couple of men report spotting him, but he’s being discreet. I understand that Tylie can communicate with him just about any time though. He’s even visited her at the house. If you want to talk to him, you could do so through her.”
    Angulus had a hard time imagining a discussion of state matters and dragon-human treaties that was filtered through a sixteen-year-old girl. A Cofah sixteen-year-old girl at that. “She’s with Sardelle? Learning magic?”
    “Yes, I’m not sure that’s going as well as Sardelle or Tolemek had hoped. What girl wants to learn from a human teacher when she could be riding around on the back of a dragon?”
    “I honestly do not know the answer to that question.”
    “Apparently, the dragon is teaching her how to use her magic, but I’d prefer Tylie and Sardelle bond. Tolemek would have trouble leaving and going back to the empire, but Tylie hasn’t blown up any airships back home. It’d certainly be helpful if she chose to stay in Iskandia, to make a life here. Also, it sounds like Tylie will be a strong sorceress someday, so we could definitely use her fighting on our side.”
    “We need all the help we can get,” Angulus agreed, though he wasn’t sure he should encourage the idea of a girl fighting for them, or for anyone at all. True, men and women could enlist in the army at seventeen, but everything he’d heard about Tylie suggested she was the mental equivalent of a twelve-year-old after the years she had lost.
    “Turning south to follow the mountains,” came General Ort’s voice over the