By the time Rysha slid off Shulina Arya’s back and onto the deck of the Iskandian airship, the pirate vessel had fallen out of the sky. It floated in the ocean below, its envelope half burned away, the tattered and charred remains whipping about in the breeze. The Iskandian ship remained aloft, thanks to Bhrava Saruth’s magic. He continued to fly in slow circles around the vessel, waiting for Trip to repair it.

With her uniform dripping and her bun hanging wet and limp at the nape of her neck, Rysha walked toward the cluster of merchant sailors standing with Captain Ahn and Colonel Grady.

Several of the crew looked at her, and at Shulina Arya behind her, the dragon crouching with her wings folded in so she would fit on the deck under the envelope. They clapped and a few let out whoops of praise and thanks. Rysha felt embarrassed by the attention, even if it seemed more for Shulina Arya than her, but she was glad the crew was appreciative, especially given that there were a few dead being carried from the deck. Rysha wished her team had arrived earlier, so nobody would have been lost, but she reminded herself that only luck had brought them here in time to help at all.

“We’re bound for the capital,” a graying man was telling Colonel Grady and Ahn. “All of Iskandia will be glad that you were able to help us. It appears that, despite all the damage up here, the cargo and the hold are safe.”

“All of Iskandia?” Grady asked. “What are you carrying that’s so important? And why didn’t you wait until a military escort was available to accompany you?”

“Military escorts are in short supply,” the graying man said, the captain presumably. “We would have had to wait six weeks, and our cargo is perishable. We’re carrying chocolate, coffee, and sugarcane.”

“Ah, that is an important cargo.”

“I know of several dragons who would have been distressed if the markets in the capital ran out of sugar.” Rysha glanced back at Shulina Arya. “That being a primary ingredient in tarts.”

The captain squinted at her, as if he was trying to figure out if she was joking or not. Then he looked past her, and his eyes grew rounder than silver nucros. He stumbled backward, almost tripping on his own feet.

Shulina Arya’s head appeared over Rysha’s shoulder, as large and intimidating as always. The crew must have found it easier to appreciate her from the other side of the ship. Up close, she was admittedly large.

The group took several more steps back when her mouth parted slightly, enough to reveal her long white fangs. Even Ahn and Grady appeared concerned.

Tarts? Shulina Arya asked. Did someone say there are tarts here?

“Sorry, no,” Rysha said. “Merely one of the ingredients integral in making tarts.”

That is disappointing. I find sweets delightful, especially after a strenuous battle. We did not have sweets in the other world.

“So that’s why dragons came back,” Colonel Grady said.

“I have a sack of jawbreakers in my cabin,” the captain said, transfixed as he continued to stare at Shulina Arya.

Rysha didn’t think the dragon was trying to manipulate the crew in any way, but they did appear influenced by her presence, her strong aura. Rysha tended to forget how powerful and compelling it was since she so often carried Dorfindral and was less affected by it.

Jawbreakers? Shulina Arya asked.

“I’ll get them for you. You can try one.” The captain ran for a hatchway leading below decks as if he worried someone would flog him if he didn’t move quickly enough.

“Is he coming back?” Grady arched an eyebrow. “Or was that an excuse?”

“I think he’s eager to please Shulina Arya,” Rysha said. “She was paramount in saving the ship.”

“You did well, too, Lieutenant.” Grady nodded at her. “I’m fortunate to be surrounded by competent officers, especially considering how useless I felt until the very end.” Grady patted his sword scabbard.

Ahn winced. Rysha didn’t think the words had been meant as a slight against her or her piloting skills, but Ahn said, “I’ll have to practice to get better at bringing the flier close enough for someone with a chapaharii sword to attack. I’ve been in the position you were in, sir, and I know it’s frustrating not to be able to reach the target. In the battle with Morishtomaric a few years ago, I had to tie a rope to my ankle so I could run out on the wings.”

Grady’s mouth dangled open at this image. Rysha expected him to say that was ludicrous and that whoever had been in charge of that mission should have been punished for allowing Ahn to take such dangerous measures.

Instead, he called out, “Does anybody have any rope they can spare?”

Most of the crew were gazing at Shulina Arya with enraptured expressions and didn’t seem to hear him.

“I’ll go look for myself,” Grady said. “And help with repairs. Or will Captain Trip be able to use his magic to do everything?” He looked dubiously toward the fliers.

Trip remained in his cockpit, slumped forward with his forehead resting on the dashboard. He looked so out of it that Rysha worried he’d been injured. If he had been, he hadn’t said anything.

She took a step in that direction, intending to check on him, but paused when the captain jogged back out on deck, holding what looked like a sack of marbles. At first, it seemed he would keep going and thrust the bag out to offer to Shulina Arya, but her jaws parted in interest, and the motion happened to reveal even more of her fangs. The captain stuttered to a halt.

“I’ll give them to her.” Rysha walked toward him. “Are you offering the whole bag or just one?”

“She would eat the whole bag?”

“You should see what she does to a tray of tarts.”

The captain looked inside and plucked out the largest jawbreaker Rysha had ever seen, its spherical surface covered in blue, yellow, and green swirls. Though she doubted the captain was lying about the contents of his stash, Rysha sniffed it to make sure it was indeed food. The ultra-sweet scent didn’t appeal to her, but she also hadn’t spent all day flapping her wings and carrying a rider.

She walked the jawbreaker to Shulina Arya as the crew watched.

“You suck on it,” Rysha told the dragon. “They’re too hard to chew. Well, they are for humans. I don’t imagine anything could break a dragon’s jaw.”

Suck? Shulina Arya sounded puzzled. Maybe dragon anatomy didn’t allow for sucking.

“You’ll see.” Rysha held the treat out in offering.

A giant pink tongue lolled out, coming to rest on the deck. As large as the jawbreaker was, it appeared small in comparison. Rysha rested it in the center of the dragon’s tongue and stepped back.

Shulina Arya lifted her head, drawing her tongue in. It tastes good. Not as good as tarts, but tangy.

She shifted her jaw around, opening and closing it without actually crunching down. Maybe she was trying to suck. The jawbreaker slid sideways and fell out between two large teeth. It clattered on the deck and rolled away. The tongue shot out, startling the crew as it landed on the jawbreaker and flattened, keeping it from escaping. Next, the tongue tilted and flexed as Shulina Arya tried to pick up her lost prize.

Rysha gripped her chin, debating if her duty as a rider extended to picking up saliva-covered candy to deposit—re-deposit—in a dragon’s mouth.

Shulina Arya gave up on recapturing it with her tongue and instead floated the candy back into her mouth with her magic. This time, she crunched down on it. It sounded like bone breaking. Apparently, the treat satisfied her, because she turned her head toward the captain and his bag, her expression most expectant.

Rysha patted her on the neck and walked toward Trip. She trusted Shulina Arya could handle the rest of the bag on her own if the captain was willing to share it.

Trip’s forehead still rested on the dashboard, and his eyes were closed. Rysha didn’t want to disturb him while he concentrated on his magic, so she climbed into the empty seat behind him.

I am healing his injury, Azarwrath informed her.

She frowned, almost reaching forward to touch Trip. He had been injured.

Will he be all right?

Something floated back to her, then clanked onto the floor of her seat well. A bloody bullet. She grimaced. That was even worse than a dragon-beslimed jawbreaker.

Yes, Azarwrath said.

That’s good. Can I help with anything? Rysha couldn’t imagine what, but she felt like she should be doing more than sitting down. The captain was shooing his crew back to work cleaning and repairing the ship. It was a mess, with broken boards and soot everywhere.

I believe Telryn would find it extremely helpful if you rested your hand on his shoulder in a loving and encouraging manner.

Rysha snorted, amused that Trip had his sword, knowingly or not, lobbying for him to get feminine attention. She leaned forward, careful not to touch the bloody bullet with her boot, and laid her hand on his shoulder. She also rested her head against his upper back, though she lifted it when something tarp-like floated by.

Something for repairing the envelope? She glanced up as it sailed past and laid itself against the framework for the balloon in a spot where a giant charred hole had burned. It acted like a patch, and as she watched, the edges seemed to glue themselves to the existing fabric. Or melt to them, maybe. The material appeared coarse and strange, not like the typical patch fabric that would have been stored below.

That’s because they had very little patch fabric down there, Trip spoke into her mind. I’m making my own.

Out of what?

Remember what I thought was lemongrass?

I remember that you only vaguely know what lemongrass is.

True. The long sticks are sugarcane. I’m pulping some of them and creating a fabric that should work for the short term.

Better not let Shulina Arya know you’re destroying future tart sugar.

Actually, I’m extracting the juice before using the fibrous pulp. I had a discussion with the first mate—once he got over the fear of me speaking to him in his mind—about how not to ruin his cargo. I would have had the discussion with the captain, but he was distracted by your dragon.

Shulina Arya is a distracting being.

Yes. I’m a little disappointed that you didn’t bring me a jawbreaker.

Sorry. Rysha peered over the side of the flier, wondering if any were left.

Shulina Arya was pushing the empty bag around on the deck with her tongue. Trying to fit it inside to lick any remaining sugar?

“Trip, I’m growing more and more convinced that we could turn all dragons into our allies if we could just get them to sample our candies and baked goods.”

He chuckled. Maybe so, but what would happen if we ran out and—

He sat up, frowning out toward the ocean.

“What is it?” Rysha asked.

“I sense another dragon.”

As do I, Storyteller, Shulina Arya said. I was distracted, or I would have noticed him earlier.

Distracted? Is that what you’re calling it? Though she joked, Rysha worried they were about to have to go into battle again.

“I believe it’s the elder dragon we’re looking for,” Trip said.

Rysha looked at the empty jawbreaker bag. “Maybe we should have saved a few of those.”

* * *

Weariness weighed down Trip’s limbs as he piloted his flier to the south, in the direction he sensed the elder dragon. Once again, Ahn and Grady flew beside him. Shulina Arya and Bhrava Saruth were sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, and the bronze dragon, Telmandaroo, trailed far behind. Trip wouldn’t be surprised if he disappeared and flew back to his islands. He ought to be grateful, since Trip’s team had extracted him from a servile position, but Trip didn’t expect that from any dragons.

I don’t think I’m up for another fight, Azarwrath, Trip said silently, saving the words for the soulblade rather than the communication crystal. He didn’t want his comrades to worry that he wouldn’t be reliable.

He was sure he could summon some energy if they ended up battling the elder dragon, but repairing the airship had taken as much out of him as the battle. More. He never would have guessed how painstaking it was to turn sugarcane into thread and then weave the thread into fabric. The fact that he’d had to make so much of it hadn’t helped. The next time he bought clothing from someone, especially if that someone had been the one to make it, he would leave a large tip.

“How far away is the dragon now, Trip?” Ahn asked.

“Still about twenty miles.”

“He’s not flying toward us, I gather.”

“No. He’s heading south and we’re trying to catch him. Fortunately, he’s set a languid pace.”

“I don’t suppose you can talk to him and invite him to head this way?”

“Are you in a hurry to have tea with him?” Trip had no idea how this meeting would go, and he believed a battle was as likely as a successful negotiation.

“I’m in a hurry to have these fish out of my storage hold. The sun beating on the hull isn’t helping with the aroma.”

“At least they didn’t fall out during the battle.” Trip had forgotten all about their bribes. He suspected the baked goods in his storage hold had been smashed from side to side and battered beyond recognition when he’d piloted the flier in loops and barrel rolls.

“Yes, that would have been unfortunate.”

“Captain Ahn, I suspect you of having more of a sense of humor than your reputation suggests.”

“Then you won’t mind if I laugh when you find out Colonel Grady stuck a couple of our fish in your storage hold?”

“Uh.” That wasn’t true, was it?

Trip sniffed to either side of his seat. He poked his senses into the storage hold and did detect a couple of overly ripe fish lying inside it. He suspected the smell would grow noticeable before long.

Snickers came over the crystal. From Colonel Grady?

“Sir, you’re not what I expected from an elite troops veteran.”

“Just be happy I’m more fun than Colonel Therrik.”

“A brick wall is more fun than Colonel Therrik,” Ahn said.

“And less likely to fall mercilessly on you,” Grady said.

Drysaleskar has contacted me, Shulina Arya told them. He wishes to know why we’re stalking him.

Why did he contact you before me? Bhrava Saruth wondered. I am the elder dragon in our group and clearly the leader.

Shulina Arya is much prettier than you, Telmandaroo replied. I would have contacted her first too.

Prettier? Bhrava Saruth said. That is not what my human worshippers say. They make statues of me. One even baked a cake in my likeness.

I have informed him that Captain Trip has baked goods for him and wishes to make an offer, Shulina Arya said, ignoring the males.

Trip was beginning to think she was the most mature Iskandian dragon ally they had, propensities for scooters and roller-skates notwithstanding.

“Thank you,” Trip said, speaking out loud so everyone would be apprised. It sounded like the dragons were sharing their telepathic words with everyone, but he wasn’t certain Ahn and Grady would appreciate having him speak into their minds.

What do you want, human? a deep sonorous voice boomed into Trip’s mind.

He took a deep breath. This was it. His idea, his mission.

Drysaleskar, we have heard of your greatness, and we of the Iskandian military, officers sent by King Angulus himself, have come to offer you a place in our homeland.

What do I care of human kings and human offers? If I want a place in your homeland, I shall take it.

My king has also offered to have lobster, fish, and other delicacies delivered to you. You could have a territory all your own in our appealing southern steppes. I understand dragons like a warm climate. There are springs and palm trees.

Why had he said palm trees? What was a palm tree to a dragon? Trip wiped his palm on his trousers, feeling ridiculously nervous about this. He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t that huge of a deal if the dragon rejected his offer. Iskandia would be no worse off than before. But he wanted his idea to bear fruit. He wanted to find a way to make his country safe, for his little siblings and for everyone else.

Are you trying to trick me, human? You should know better. You have the blood of a dragon in your veins. You know our kind are not stupid.

Trip sensed the dragon’s claw-like touch on his mind, his attempt to find the truth.

It’s not a trick. Instead of building his bank vault around his mind, Trip left himself open, letting the dragon see his thoughts—not that he could have stopped one as powerful as this from pulverizing his defenses. It is true that we hope to gain something from this arrangement. We’ve seen that other dragons fear you—

Lesser dragons, yes.

—and we are hoping that they’ll be less likely to invade our country if you’ve set up your home there. We are open to inviting dragons into Iskandia if they don’t eat humans or the livestock that humans have tamed.

Humans are completely unpalatable. Livestock—this means cows and chickens and horses?

Yes, animals that humans have domesticated and that live on property they have claimed. Trip didn’t know if a dragon could be made to respect property boundaries. Should he mention fences?

Humans cannot claim anything. The dragon laughed, a deep rumble that again rang with power. They are so puny. They are fortunate that our kind do not simply exterminate them. Since they do not taste good, they are worthless. Worse than worthless. They get in the way, and they kill far more than their share of prey animals—animals that taste good.

“He’s circling toward us,” Ahn reported. “Should we be worried?”

“I’m negotiating with him now,” Trip said.

Ahn paused, then repeated, “Should we be worried?”

“Likely so.”

Humans have developed weapons that can slay dragons, so perhaps you shouldn’t dismiss them. There has been talk among humankind about exterminating dragons. Humans lived a long time without them in their world, and they’re finding your return less than palatable. Trip didn’t know if threatening Drysaleskar was wise, but he tried to make it a subtle threat and frame his words in such a way that the dragon might see him as an impartial outsider rather than a representative of the enemy.

I have seen human weapons. They are not a concern to a dragon of my power.

As for humans having worth, they can bring you food, very tasty food. I have brought samples for you to try, samples of what the king’s ships would bring to you every week if you took up residence in the Tlongan Steppes. Trip hoped the fish now nestled in the storage hold wouldn’t dull the appeal of the baked goods. Maybe a dragon would like a fish-flavored tart.

No doubt they are poisoned. Do you think me a naive hatchling?

Even though Drysaleskar didn’t seem to have any interest in anything Trip was offering, Ahn was right; he was definitely heading in their direction now.

The telepathic equivalent of a growl rumbled in Trip’s mind. It wasn’t the elder.

Shulina Arya? Trip asked.

You have a female with you, Drysaleskar purred. A young and nubile female.

Trip almost choked. That was what the dragon was interested in?

She will go into her breeding cycle soon, Drysaleskar added.

Seven gods, was that why all the males were after Shulina Arya?

Rysha, Trip thought, narrowing his focus to her, why didn’t you tell me your dragon was the equivalent of a mare in heat?

Uh, I didn’t know. We haven’t discussed a lot of girl stuff yet. We mostly talk about nobly slaying things.

Drysaleskar banked to fly in close, and another mental growl emanated from Shulina Arya. Bhrava Saruth must have woken up to what was happening, because he veered abruptly toward her. If he spoke, it wasn’t to Trip, but from his body language, it was clear he thought he was defending his female.

Trip dropped his face in his hand. This wasn’t how he had imagined these negotiations going.

Bhrava Saruth must have drawn too close to Shulina Arya for her comfort, because her head darted sideways, and she snapped at him, almost shaving scales off his neck. Bhrava Saruth flew away, his tail tucking.

You can’t want that old scale-rot-covered dinosaur, Shulina Arya, he protested, this time sharing the words with everyone.

The elder dragon laughed again.

Trip glanced back. Telmandaroo was flying closer now, too, watching the exchange intently.

Trip shifted uneasily, not because he cared about the dragons’ mating interests, but because Rysha was on Shulina Arya’s back. What if this grew violent?

Drysaleskar sailed closer to Shulina Arya. Bhrava Saruth tried to fly to intercept, but so much power smashed into him that he was hurled away like a cannonball.

Trip winced, feeling the very outer edge of that power. He shuddered at the glimpse of how strong the elder was.

Once again, Drysaleskar angled toward Shulina Arya. She kept flying straight ahead, as if she meant to ignore him, but when he got close, her head darted to the side again. She snapped at him, just as she had Bhrava Saruth, but this time, her jaws came close enough to sink into scale and flesh.

The elder dragon roared and backed away, erecting a defensive barrier. Shulina Arya followed and threw herself into a half roll to let Rysha get close.

Rysha swiped at Drysaleskar with her sword, and his barrier popped.

Trip clenched his fist around the flight stick, his shoulders so tense they hurt.

“I thought we wanted to make an ally of that dragon, not attack it,” Ahn said. “What’s going on?”

“He wants Shulina Arya to become his female,” Rysha blurted. “And he’s being very rude about it.”

Fortunately, Drysaleskar backed off, and Shulina Arya didn’t follow him. She straightened her path again, falling back to travel alongside the fliers. Bhrava Saruth and Telmandaroo came up behind her, but not too close. They seemed to be offering help if she needed it, but Trip doubted she needed or wanted it.

“Are we staying out of it?” Ahn glanced back at Grady, but he only lifted his hands.

Trip didn’t know what to do, either. Maybe this was a sign that they should turn around and give up, but he hated to accept defeat so easily.

“I think it would be dangerous not to,” Grady finally said. “More dangerous than battling dragon pirates over ships they’re plundering.”

“Agreed,” Ahn said.

Then they both looked over at Trip. As if he had a clue what to do. Up until he’d met Rysha, he’d never even had a real grownup relationship of his own. Was he supposed to know something about dragon relationships just because he’d been sired by one?

Human, Drysaleskar said, and Trip realized the dragon was speaking to him alone. This female doesn’t see how magnificent I am, but she is clearly part of your flight.

My what?

Your flight. A group of dragons is a flight. Do humans know nothing?

Ah. Forgive my ignorance.

Unlikely. Do you have influence over her or the human female that she allows to ride her?

Trip’s first instinct was to say no, decidedly and vehemently, but he couldn’t help but pause. If Drysaleskar thought Shulina Arya would become his mate, or if she even did become his mate, would he stay in Iskandia? Would he live in the Steppes and perhaps visit Shulina Arya in the capital, and give other dragons a reason to avoid the country at all costs?

King Angulus would surely praise Trip if he could arrange for that. And maybe the silver dragon stalking Rysha’s family’s lands would be one of the first to flee. And his siblings could be raised in peace, knowing the only dragons that flew overhead while they were in their yards playing would be friendly ones. Or at least ones who’d promised not to harm humans. Could Trip extract such a promise from Drysaleskar?

It was tempting to try, or to ask Rysha to try. Trip had no delusions that Shulina Arya would listen to his mating advice, but she and Rysha had bonded almost from the beginning.

He gazed over at them even as the elder dragon gazed at him.

And he said nothing to Rysha. Trip knew she would be disappointed in him if he asked, and Shulina Arya might be too. She clearly wanted nothing to do with the boorish male. Even if it might help Iskandia, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

I do not, he finally answered Drysaleskar. As a dragon, you must understand how little influence we males have over females.

He expected the dragon to issue some arrogant statement of denial, but the grunt-like noise that sounded in Trip’s mind seemed more like agreement.

Then you have nothing to offer me that I cannot get for myself.

The gold dragon banked and flew off to the west, away from Trip’s team and away from Iskandia.

For a long moment, nobody said anything. They merely watched the dragon fly away.

“Does this mean I’ve been carrying fish in my storage hold all day for no reason?” Ahn finally asked.

“Yes,” Trip said. “It also means I’m a poor negotiator.”

Grimacing, he turned his flier back to the northeast, toward home.