The Draykon Series (1-3)

Orlind: Chapter Fourteen

Now for the final step. Their image of her was that of a preserver; they'd swiftly elevated her to something near hero status. That meant they already trusted her: good. Rheas had spoken of fear, told her to ensure they were too terrified of her to trespass on her territory. She rejected that. Instead she chose to instruct. She showed them Waeverleyne, and encouraged them to stay away from it.

It's not very nice anyway, said the female. In her mind was an image of the forests beyond the borders with their deeper, thick, delicious-smelling mosses and the berries that grew on the low-lying bushes. Her mate purred his agreement and the two wandered off.

Llandry watched them go, feeling a little worried. They were well again now, but would they remain that way? She hoped so. Most of the turmoil was coming from Iskyr and Ayrien. While they remained in the realms in between, all should be well.

Hopefully.

Sigwide returned with an entourage of three friends, and she repeated the process with each in turn. When she was finished, she tucked Siggy back into his carry pouch and headed back into Waeverleyne. If any more ortings came through, those five would share her thoughts and instructions with them. All well and good. Now to repeat this process with all the other misplaced beasts. The naturally aggressive ones would be a bigger challenge.

Siggy, she murmured, watching him coil himself back into his mobile sleeping bag. You staying? Seeing those five ortings wandering the wild, some with their life-mates, had made her think. Siggy had been happy with her, but he'd missed out on a lot too.

He merely sent her a wave of affection in response, then went to sleep.

Well, that was clear enough. She smiled, and went in search of Ori and Avane.

The three of them had split up earlier, each to forge their own relationships with various of the species that wandered Waeverleyne. They had agreed on a place to meet when they were finished. Llandry found she was the last to return.

'Success?' she asked, pleased to see them both smiling.

'All irilapters reported stable,' Ori said.

'As are the woles,' said Avane. She'd chosen the woles because they were tiny, small enough to fit into her hand. They had colourful fur, enormous eyes and a penetrating call. They were a good choice for a woman still unsure of her abilities. 'Intelligent little things,' Avane added. 'In spite of appearances.'

'Can't say the same for the irilapters,' Ori grinned. 'But I got the message through.'

'Then it's time to be more ambitious. The dangerous ones ought to be dealt with next. I'm going to suggest we group up with the summoners and sorcs for this, in case of trouble.'

'Shouldn't we just let them deal with it?' Ori asked. 'If they're dangerous, I mean. They could just be sent back to Iskyr.'

Llandry shook her head. 'They're sent back, they come back through. The gates are still out of control, so the summoners are just going in circles. And if we calm them down and send them back, they'll just be deranged again. I think we have to accept that they're here to stay, at least for a while, and we have to deal with them here.'

Ori nodded. 'Logical. Curse it.'

'Not looking forward to grappling with a maddened drauk?' she teased.

'What, are you?'

Her shoulders slumped. 'No. Not even a little bit. But it has to be done, and we're the only ones who can deal with it.'

Avane frowned at that. 'Can't the summoners...?'

Llandry couldn't answer that question. She had never had formal summoner training, so she didn't know what they could or couldn't do. 'Ori?' she said. 'I suppose not, or they would have by now.'