Abruptly, I sensed powerful auras on the mountaintop. Not only the familiar aura of Marador, but unfamiliar auras of two other dragons.
Xervan had been beelining toward the treed mountainside off to the west of the parking lots and buildings of the ski resort, but he banked hard and flew parallel instead of landing.
We have a problem, he told me.
I know. Did you hear Marador’s demands?
Yes. I was going to ignore them, but he’s brought allies.
Allies loyal to him and against you?
I believe that is the definition of allies, yes, but your dictionaries change often, so I cannot be certain.
I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Is my mother down there?
Yes. I can smell her. She’s climbing the mountain with the dog, about a mile from a clearing where the dragons are waiting with your sister.
