Of course, working out who’s coming and who’s staying behind is easier said than done. Kalanthia and Aingeal might both be out for various reasons – and fortunately Kalanthia doesn’t try to argue and Aingeal subsides sulkily after a short explanation – but that doesn’t narrow things down much.

  I’m coming with you, Bastet growls firmly, making it clear that she won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Her feathers fluff up and her claws flex in the earth, as if she’s declaring that she’ll fight anyone – including me – who tries to deny her.

  “I honestly wasn’t expecting anything different,” I admit. “You’ve been at my side since the beginning – I learned my lesson early on about leaving you behind.”

  Bastet rumbles happily and moves closer to rub against my hip. I reach down and give her some affectionate scratches behind her ear tufts, but pull my hand anyway before everyone else thinks that it’s open-season on petting. I want to at least establish who’s going with us before that – then I can focus on stroking those who won’t be coming with us.

  Nicholas spoke more about what needs to be prepared for our trip before we finally left the table. He’s warned me that he can’t be sure of how long we’ll be staying in the capital. It will be at least a few days, even if the business with the King is short-lived – we have several administrative tasks to accomplish, and Nicholas apparently sees it as a good way to introduce me to other Houses. I have to admit that I’m not looking forward to that. Nicholas has been OK most of the time, but I can’t help thinking that nobles are likely to be stuffy at best and arrogant toerags at worst. I had enough of that with Windy and a couple of the other Pathwalkers. But maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

  Of course, if the King’s business takes a long period of time, we’ll need to stay there for the duration. I hope not – I don’t want to be separate from everyone for so long. But it does mean that I need to do my best to set things up so that I don’t need to worry about my Bound suffering in my absence.

  “Alright,” I say, breaking through the chatter which has grown in intensity with almost everyone arguing that they too should be with me. It’s almost amusing to hear Lathani argue that since Trouble left for a period, his claim to my time is no longer as valid as it used to be. Ninja, Fenrir, and the newest Bonds are the only ones who remain silent. “Settle down, everyone.”

  All eyes turn to me and an atmosphere of expectancy fills the air. “River, Happy, Hunter…I’d love to have you with me, and yes, I’m sure you would find the experience interesting,” I agree, touching on one of Hunter’s most heatedly-argued points. “However, since we don’t know how long we’ll be gone for, it’s probably not the best idea. I would hope that we’ll be back well before your eggs are due to be laid, but I can’t guarantee it. Besides, we know that in the last week before laying, you will find it difficult to move fast and there’s no way you should be in combat during that time. In fact, it would be better if you can avoid combat at all, so it makes sense for you to remain. And if all three of you remain here, Catch and Iandee probably should too.”

  If you wish us to join you, I for one will willingly comply, Catch argues, but I can sense the hints of reluctance from his side of the Bond.

  “It’s fine,” I tell him. “I understand your duty is to your Pathwalkers, particularly at this time when they carry the future of the saumuran species on this world within them.” I still don’t know if there’s sufficient genetic diversity with only three mothers but many times that in fathers. Hopefully I’ll be able to correct any deformities that might eventuate as I did with the alcaoris hatchlings. But that’s for the future.

  Thank you for your consideration, Iandee answers, sounding troubled. But we came with you because we wanted to remain by your side as well as to protect the three Pathwalkers. Letting you go into danger without at least one of us…it doesn’t feel right.

  “I’ll be fine,” I assure him. “Nicholas said that if it looks like we’ll be there for a while, we’ll engage further guards in the capital. And there are others who can come with me to protect me – up to five individuals. So, you see, the Pathwalkers are more in need of your protection than I am. Especially since I’m not pregnant.” I almost pointed out that I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself, but since that would imply that the Pathwalkers aren’t, I’d probably earn their ire for that comment. Particularly River who has made an effort to maintain and even improve her skill with her spear even after she became capable of using magic.

  If you’re sure, Catch answers for them both. He’s not entirely happy about the decision, but I sense that they are both secretly relieved about the encouragement to stay with the Pathwalkers. They might not be biologically the fathers of any of the eggs, but they couldn’t be any more protective if they were.

  “I am,” I tell them firmly. “And on that note, before we go, I need to check all three of you out to make sure that everything is going well with the eggs,” I add, then continue looking at the group thoughtfully. They’re sprawled out over the sofas while I’m leaning on the back of one of them, feeling too restless to be able to sit, despite the heavy exercise we did this morning. This summons has got me on edge.

  I pull my thoughts away from it – we won’t know until tomorrow what the reason for the summons is, so there’s no point in worrying about it.

  If Catch is staying here, Pride will too. That takes one away from the list of possibilities.

  “Artemis, Trouble, I think you guys need to remain here with your mate and packs,” I decide heavily. Both of them protest over the Bond.

  Want to protect, Artemis argues. Not safe.

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  Trouble doesn’t yet use words, but the emphatic wave of emotion that comes from his side of the Bond indicates that he definitely feels the same way.

  “Alright, let me put it this way – would you prefer to come with me and, Artemis, leave Orion alone here, or Trouble, leave Blaze and Spot with only the rest of the pack to keep them company?” They both hesitate. Orion doesn’t.

  Where my mate goes, I go, he interjects firmly. Blaze and Spot both join in to tentatively express with emotions that they are nervous about their leader deserting them. At least, that’s what I interpret and from the way Trouble looks over at them uncertainly, I have to guess that I’m right.

  “See?” I point out to both of them.

  Fine, Artemis replies almost as sulkily as Aingeal. She’s not normally so clingy – I think that this new world has got her on edge. With her acquiescence, it doesn’t take long for Trouble to do the same, though he gives in with bad grace, pointedly turning around on the sofa and flopping over Blaze so his back is facing me.

  A tentative feeling emerges from Ninja, and for a moment I feel a brokenness, a fragility to her which she’s been keeping surprisingly well-concealed from me.

  “Are you asking to go with me, or to stay?” I ask her gently. It takes her a long moment to respond, but I think I’ve got my answer. “To go with me?” She sends a touch of affirmation. “Ninja…” I hesitate. I would love to have her with me but I don’t know if she’s in the right mental state for it.

  Then I feel the fear that’s creeping into her side of the Bond and I sense that this is a highly important moment for her. For the first time since Storm died, she’s reaching out to me. I won’t deny her and risk her retreating back into her shell. “I would love to have you with me,” I assert firmly.

  And on practical grounds, though she’s not able to use magic, Ninja is a good huntress and is intimidating as a guard to the average person.

  You’re going to take me, right? Lathani asks with a pout. How a leopard can pout, I don’t know, but she can. It’s something in her ears which is emphasised by the Bond. If you’re taking little sister and elder, you need to take me too.

  “Your mum isn’t coming,” I point out. Lathani growls.

  Mother doesn’t want to come anyway. I do.

  I eye her but then shrug.

  “Alright, fine.” She’s as tall as my shoulder, but that shouldn’t cause a problem since she can go anywhere I can. And having her behind me is likely to stop any potential fights. “So, we have Bastet, Ninja, and Lathani so far.” I sigh, torn over the next one. “Loran, you need to stay.”

  The man startles and I feel a flash of fear from his side of the Bond.

  “Sir? I mean, Markus? But I thought that the whole point was that I’m by your side, to help you…become more familiar with this world?” Is he worried that I don’t want him anymore or something?

  “And I will definitely miss you,” I agree, trying to nip that in the bud. “But I think that our companions will need you more. Without you, they will struggle to express their needs to the right people.” Yes, Kalanthia can speak telepathically to anyone, but I don’t think she’s keen on the idea of being the default translator. Besides, she wouldn’t know who to speak with nor what to ask for, necessarily. I figure it will work much better if Loran is the face of the pack. But I will definitely miss his presence in the Bond to tell me more about how this world works when I come across something that confuses me.

  Nicholas has promised – or is it threatened? – to give me a crash-course in the etiquette I’ll need to use in the palace, but it’s not the same thing. There’s so much here that people grow up knowing, but about which I have no idea. Without someone in the Bond to ask a quick question to, I fear I’ll reveal my ignorance far too easily.

  But better I appear ignorant than that my Bound struggle, unable to get what they need in my absence.

  “I understand,” Loran replies, and I sense that his emotions are tumultuous. I can’t tell whether he feels that this decision is a good or bad one for him.

  “I’ll make sure that the steward or whoever knows that you speak on behalf of my Bound, and that your requests should be considered to come from me,” I continue and sense a hint of relief going through him. Was he worried that no one would listen to him? Understandable, if so. “But make sure you don’t abuse it, alright?” I stress pointedly.

  “I won’t sir, I promise,” he answers immediately.

  I nod and then turn my attention to the final places of my little ‘party’.

  “Fenrir, will you join us?” I ask the lizog.

  Yes! he hissed happily. No one else argues that he shouldn’t come – everyone knows that he is the most loyal to me and that he plays a different part from anyone else thanks to his tanky and resistant body.

  I’m coming too, Sirocco tells me, almost as firm as Bastet had been about it.

  “I have no arguments against that, if you’re willing,” I respond with a smile. I always need my scout.

  Noir sends a firm sense of wanting to join me too. Ivor chimes in a moment later, though his request is more curious and less obdurate.

  “Ivor, you’re too big,” I tell him – he’s the size of a shire horse by now and his wings are as wide as he is long when he has them open. The alcaoris doesn’t argue, but settles back against the sofa grumpily. “Noir….” I hesitate and he sends me another firm request, curving up his neck pridefully and rattling his wings. Then, as I keep watching, still doubtful, he relaxes a little, his body language becoming softer and pleading as he presses his desire to join me into the Bond again. “Why do you want to come, Noir?” I ask him instead.

  He sends me a series of emotions and images which takes me a moment to parse through.

  “You want to see more of this world? And to be…useful?” I check with him. Noir sends me a strong sense of agreement. I eye him thoughtfully, but then sigh and regretfully shake my head. “I appreciate you wanting to come,” I murmur reluctantly, “but we’re going to a capital city. You probably won’t be able to fly there at all, and you might not even be able to stretch your wings. Why don’t you continue practising here, trying to get stronger? When we get to the Lost Continent, I’m sure that you’ll be really useful. But for here…” I don’t finish my thought but he gets it anyway and pulls back into himself, sadness filling his side of the Bond. I don’t want to make him feel useless, but I stand by what I said – that a capital city is nowhere for a dragon-like being. “Besides, you’ll be even more useful here – watching out for everyone I’m leaving behind. I’m trusting you to help keep them all safe,” I tell him firmly, relieved when he perks up a little bit at the responsibility.

  “Alright everyone, it looks like we have our party.” Bastet, Lathani, Fenrir, Sirocco, and Ninja. It almost feels like the old days again.

  here!

  here!

  here!

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