Chapter One

"Lea, sweetheart, we were so worried!" Leasharra's mother and father rushed to the landing ledge as she got her feet under her. She hadn't been able to tell anybody ahead of time, but when she'd gotten close enough, she'd spoken to her mother and father first.

She was still young, so she had to be close to talk to anyone, even her family. Dragons spoke silently, directly mind-to-mind.

"Mama! Papa!" It was all she could say. She was engulfed in their wings, held close as their necks entwined, overcome with emotion.

"Our sweet Leasharra," her father said, his deep tone ringing warmly through her mind. How she had missed them.

It had taken her a long time to get back to Draconia after the magical whirlwind had taken her far across the mountains known as the Dragon's Teeth and even farther north. But she was finally home, and reunited with her family and friends, and surrounded by the dragons she had known all her relatively short life. She was a young dragon, only just allowed to fly out on her own, and she'd run into trouble in the form of a magical storm that had sucked her in and spat her out somewhere else entirely.

She'd been grievously injured as well. She had broken bones in her wing that could have meant she would never fly again. If she hadn't been rescued by a human woman who had heard her crash landing in the forest, Leasharra might have been crippled. The woman had been living in a cave nearby and had come to investigate Leasharra's piteous cries in the middle of a storm.

The woman had taken her in and healed her with twice-daily treatments using her surprising magical power. That the woman was a mage, Leasharra had discovered only later. That first night, she'd been too shattered to realize the woman who had taken her in was in hiding herself.

Lora, she had called herself. Leasharra hadn't questioned it at first, worrying too much about her own circumstances and whether or not she would ever be able to fly again. As the woman gave of her own energy to heal Leasharra enough so she could walk and move without too much pain, Leasharra had begun to observe and question Lora's circumstances.

Leasharra had stealthily followed Lora to a clandestine meeting two days later, surprised to witness the woman meeting secretly with her own small daughter. A child of perhaps ten, the little girl was far too serious, Leasharra thought. She should be playing and happy, like the children of the Lair where she had been born. Not watchful and anxious, and altogether too surprised to see her own mother.

The dragon had watched while Lora spent the afternoon under cover of the forest while the child's caretaker slept nearby, oblivious to Lora's presence. The mother and child had talked in low tones that did not carry, and the love between them was obvious in the way they clung to each other. Lora had tried to reassure her daughter of her continued love and watchfulness. She'd also taught her daughter little bits of magic and how to conceal the girl's own budding magical power.

Leasharra gathered from that there was something truly amiss. When she confronted Lora later, the woman admitted that her child was being held captive in order to force Lora to do things she didn't want to do. She admitted to being not just a healer—as Leasharra had assumed up to that point—but a true mage.

It was then that Leasharra realized exactly who Lora was, and she almost tried to fry her on the spot. But things didn't add up. Nobody in Draconia seemed to know that the evil mage known as the North Witch had a child held in captivity. While it was true the North Witch had been accused of heinous crimes against both humans and dragons, Leasharra realized she had an opportunity to observe and discover more about the infamous woman, and she should take it. Perhaps she could learn something that would help her kin in Draconia.

Also, if this really was the North Witch, one inexperienced juvenile dragon probably wasn't going to be enough to take her out. Spying was the better option, Leasharra decided. She would commit all she could to memory so she could report back to her elders.

Lora had promised to deliver Leasharra to a group of snow dragons that made their home among an enclave of fair folk. She was sure they would help heal Leasharra the rest of the way so she could eventually make her way back across the mountains to her homeland.

Things had occurred exactly as Lora had predicted. She'd led Leasharra to the magical barrier that protected the fair folk's enclave, and a snow dragon who was bonded to a warrior had come out to greet her. The snow dragons had been welcoming, though understandably surprised by her appearance. Leasharra had not told them about the North Witch, saying only that a kind woman had helped her and pointed her in their direction.

She had healed completely under the fair folk's care and come to know many of the people and dragons in their enclave. Of particular interest was the leader of their fighting forces, a hard man named Detlif, who had a son named Petr.

The child was the same age as Penny, Lora's little daughter, and they looked a lot alike. Twins, Leasharra realized. The North Witch had likely given birth to twins and had been able to hide one among the fair folk…with his father.

Leasharra kept all this to herself. She'd assigned herself the role of information gatherer. Spy, if you like. She would tell all to her elders back at the Lair and let wiser and more experienced minds than hers figure out what it could all possibly mean.

One thing was for certain. There was more than met the eye when it came to the evil North Witch, Loralie.

*

Leasharra told her story to her parents first, then to the leaders of their Lair. Then, she had to repeat it again because Prince Nico himself flew out to hear Leasharra's tale. Everyone called him the Prince of Spies, and he was well known to be the Master of Intelligence for his brother, King Roland of Draconia. Leasharra was young and not in the habit of hobnobbing with any of the shapeshifting royal black dragons, but she did her part and recounted all of her actions and observations for the Prince and his Princess, Arikia, who was also known as Queen of the Jinn.

When Leasharra was done, they asked her many questions, and she answered them as best she could. The questioning went on far longer than she expected, but she didn't mind. The queries were thoughtful, and they required her to explain the things she had observed of Loralie and her daughter, Penny.

Leasharra had decided long before she began her trip back home to protect the identity of Penny's twin brother, Petr. He was safe only so long as nobody knew of his existence. He was just a boy. A boy who thought he'd been truly abandoned by his mother. He'd been hurt enough.

Leasharra had made friends with Petr's heartmate, a snow dragon named Nefflindarr. In fact, they'd become very close in the short time Leasharra had spent among the fair folk and their snow dragon partners.

"You have done very well, Leasharra," Prince Nico said finally, after the questioning was over. "I believe you may have a real talent for spy craft. You were right to wait and see, controlling your impulse to confront the North Witch so you could gather intelligence. I am very impressed by both your thoughtfulness and the quality of your observations."

"Thank you, Prince Nico," Leasharra replied, surprised and pleased by the Prince's compliments. "Your Highness, if I may be so bold, if there is room on the next expedition across the mountains to Valdis, I would like very much to return there."

"You would?" Prince Nico seemed surprised but willing to listen to the young dragon's request.

"I know I'm not trained as a spy, and I'm still very young, but I feel there might be some unfinished business for me in that part of the world. Now that I have seen the way things are done in other lands, an idea has come to me about how I might be able to help Penny. She is innocent in all of this and a very good and patient child, who has suffered greatly. If she were removed from danger, perhaps her mother would be free to act as her conscience dictates and not at the whim of whoever is pulling her strings." Leasharra felt very brave to be voicing such thoughts to the Prince of Spies.

Prince Nico looked at Leasharra long and hard, as if weighing her words against her character. He looked at his wife, Princess Arikia, who shrugged. He then turned back at Leasharra.

"Just how do you propose to help Penny?" Nico demanded.

Leasharra wasn't sure how anyone in Draconia was going to take this, but she had seen how it worked among the fair folk. Dragons bonded to their heartmates young and picked from among both boys and girls. Just because dragons in Draconia had always chosen male fighting partners to be their knights didn't mean that was the only way. Or so Leasharra had come to believe after seeing how the fair folk and their snow dragon partners lived.

"I thought…" Leasharra was hesitant to state her bold plan, but she had come this far. She had to say what was on her mind. "I thought, maybe, I could bond with Penny. That would break the hold Loralie's keeper has over the child. Penny would be safe with me, hopefully giving Loralie more options."

"You would be bonded with her for the length of her life, Leasharra." The Princess spoke for the first time, her expression troubled. "And she is of mage blood. She could live a very long time."

"I know that," Leasharra assured the Princess. "And I've thought about it ever since my time spent among the fair folk. There was a boy there who had a similar problem, and his heartmate kept him safe in a way the fair folk could not. I think I could do that for Penny."

It was Penny's twin and his heartmate Leasharra spoke of, but she had not revealed Petr's existence to anyone. She would not, unless it became absolutely necessary. He was safe precisely because almost nobody knew about him. Just his father, with whom he'd lived all his life, and his reclusive brethren who lived remotely. Until recently, the fair folk of the enclave had nothing to do with the outside world, keeping only unto themselves.

"Are you certain your kind heart isn't going to drive you to do something you might regret for a very long time?" The Princess was trying to be helpful, Leasharra realized, and took her words in that spirit.

"I would not take the final step until I've studied the situation more completely," Leasharra reassured Princess Riki. "I'd want to get to know Penny more and be certain my magic would break the hold the enemy has on the child. I'd need to watch for a time before I make my move."

"Then you, my new friend," Prince Nico said after a long silent moment, "will need some formal lessons in spy craft. You've already proven you have a natural knack, but it can be a lifetime's study. When you've had time to spend with your parents and recover from your long journey home, I invite you to Castleton. There, you will study with Lady Jenet, who is partner to Sir Drake, who is a Master Spy of long standing. Lady Jenet can teach you a great deal about quiet observation from a dragon's point of view. As can I. We will not let you go over the mountains unprepared again. If you do go, this time, you will part properly from your family and go with all due preparation."

"We must also consider what to do with Penny, if you decide to bring her back here," Princess Riki put in.

"I thought—if I actually did this—I would start by taking her to the fair folk enclave. Their borders are magically protected, and nobody can enter without their knowledge," Leasharra said.

What she didn't say was that Leasharra would be taking her to reunite with her kin. Leasharra had spent time with Penny's family and knew she would be welcome among them. Leasharra wouldn't mind spending more time in the enclave either. Even if they stayed for decades.

"Are you certain they would welcome Penny? She could bring trouble to their land," Prince Nico cautioned.

"I am certain," Leasharra replied, saying nothing further. Both Nico and his mate looked at her quizzically, but she couldn't yet tell them about the complicated ties that bound the North Witch to the enclave—and one man, in particular, who lived there.

"We will talk more of this when you get to Castleton," Nico said after a moment's pause. "For now, be with your family. Recover from your adventure and start making plans to spend some time learning spy craft." Nico nodded to himself. "Yes, that will keep you busy enough for a time. Hopefully long enough for you to think through all the implications of your plan. And time for the rest of us to consider the effects on the rest of the lands." Nico looked at her with a frown. "If what you observed is accurate, then our perception of the North Witch has been skewed by whoever is pulling her strings. She may not be the enemy we think, but if not, then there is an even more powerful menace looming. For, if there is someone diabolical enough to steal a child from a power like Loralie and force her to do his bidding, then we may be in greater peril than we know."