After staring at the fire-breathing lizards for several long seconds, her mouth hanging open, Maskini faced her granddaughter. “Iseabail?”

She gave a small shrug. “It makes a bizarre kind of logic, doesn’t it?”

“You want us to check out the sewers?”

“It couldn’t hurt. Besides, Éibhear and the others are here for a reason.”

“And who told you that?”

“Rhydderch Hael.”

“Who’s that?”

“The father god of dragons.”

“The father god of dragons . . . talks to you?”

“Made her his champion,” the brown-haired lizard tossed in. “Didn’t he, Iz?”

“He did.”

“Why?”

“It’s a bit of a long story,” Izzy admitted. “Just know I really had no choice at the time.”

“And you trust this god?”

“Oh, gods, no. No, no, no,” she laughed. “Never!”

Maskini glanced at Rachel again, but the girl could only shrug.

Poor Izzy. Being raised among the barbarians in the Dark Plains had made her . . . uneven. Desert Landers were all about cold logic and precise planning. None of this insane guessing and ruminating and talking to gods. Who had time for all this?

“You don’t trust him, and yet you’re going to believe him on this?”

“Rhydderch Hael wants something. No. He needs something. Something he can’t do himself. So, yeah, I trust Éibhear and the Mì-runach on this. Besides, sneak attacks are what they do. And they do it well.”

“I guess if you’re sure . . .”

“It couldn’t hurt to look, Gran,” Rachel suggested. “We’ll call in a few of the Guard who are off for the night. Put the others on alert. By tomorrow we’ll have a good idea what’s in those sewers.”

Maskini looked over the group, then at Layla. Her daughter nodded. “It couldn’t hurt, Mum.”

“All right. We’ll do it.”

“Thank you . . . um . . .”

She saw the girl struggling with what to call her. And Maskini understood. The girl had a mighty loyalty in her, and it must be confusing to think about her family—or kin, as she liked to call them—back in Dark Plains. Although they weren’t blood, they’d helped raise her, loved her, taught her to care for herself in battle and life. They’d done what Maskini and her clan had been unable to do. For that alone Maskini would be eternally grateful.

“Maskini, child. Just call me Maskini.”

“Maskini. Thank you. Now, Bran and I can get started tonight and check out—”

“No.” The blue-haired dragon shook his head at Izzy.

“No, what?”

“You need sleep. We’ll get started tomorrow.”

“Éibhear—”

“After what happened between you and Haldane, you need your sleep.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need—”

The dragon put his obscenely large hand over Izzy’s face. Completely over her face.

“Hush, now. I’m doing what’s best for you.”

That seemed to irritate Izzy because she began swinging and trying to pry his hand off her face. Maskini glanced across the room at her husband. Zachariah didn’t believe this disturbingly large—when human; as dragon he was horrifyingly large—blue-haired “uncle” was any sort of proper uncle. But like her mother, Izzy seemed a bit clueless when it came to the true feelings of males.

The dragon pulled Izzy into his body, one arm around her waist, the other still over her face while Izzy continued to swing and curse behind that hand. “Poor Izzy is always so eager to work. I often have to remind her that she’s merely human and needs her rest.”

“It’s not a problem,” Maskini told him. “We can send my troops out tonight to do some recon around the city. We’ll have more information for you in the morning so you won’t have to waste any time.”

“Excellent! Hear that, Izzy? This is just what we need.”

Although Maskini couldn’t quite make out the words, she sensed that her granddaughter was not agreeing with the dragon.

“My lady—”

“General.”

“Right. Well, General, will you be able to fit my comrades and Branwen in your beautiful home for the night? Or should I find them accommodations in the city?”

“They can stay here.”

Rachel looked at her. “They can?”

“Of course. The three males can stay with you, dragon. And Branwen can stay with Izzy.”

She saw the immediate disappointment on the dragon’s face. “Oh. Branwen won’t get her own room?”

“We just don’t have the space. Sorry. But I’m sure the, uh, cousins would like to share a room together tonight. Eh, ladies?”

“Oh, yes, General,” the lady dragon crowed. “Thank you!”

Now those two, Branwen and the blue-haired dragon, were definitely related and viewed each other as such.

Izzy finally pulled herself from the dragon’s arms, spun around, and slapped at his chest and shoulders with her hands.

Rachel leaned in and whispered in Maskini’s ear, “I certainly hope she’s better in battle than this.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t wait. We should go looking tonight,” Izzy pushed.