Gabriel laughed. “We do not fear you, Kostya Fekete. Your threats are as hollow as your brain.”

“Ouch,” Jim said softly.

“That was a definite seven-pointer,” I said. “Gabriel is well ahead on style points.”

“Yeah, but I bet the swimsuit competition is going to be a close call.”

I bit my lip to keep from giggling. Jim tipped its head as it looked up at me. “Since when did you become such a staunch Gabriel supporter?”

“Since he helped us get to Drake, got us all back to civilization, and didn’t toss Kostya off the side of the mountain on the way down, as he no doubt wanted. And I’m beginning to see why.”

Drake overheard the last of our muted comments, giving me a glance that shut up both Jim and me. “Threats and insults are useless. You may present your case to the weyr at the proper time and place, Kostya—neither of which is now.”

“Assuming he gets recognition,” Gabriel said, his voice as smooth as ever, but there was an undertone in it that had me giving him a second look.

“All I need is a majority vote. Bastian as the new wyvern of the blue dragons has already committed his vote to me.”

“And Chuan Ren? Do you think she will be so easily swayed to your side?” Gabriel asked.

Kostya smiled and tossed the phylactery in the air again. Beside me, Drake’s body tensed as though he was about to pounce. I took his hand, giving him a little smile as he glanced toward me. I had no desire to see him warring with his brother, and that, I suspected, would be the outcome if Drake retrieved the phylactery.

“She will see the wisdom of recognizing me and my sept if I make it clear to her that I will reward such support with a treasure beyond measure.”

Pál gasped at the implication. I watched Drake worriedly, concerned that he might give in to his brother’s arrogance. To my relief, he squeezed my fingers, reassuring me that he wasn’t going to do anything stupid.

“That is only two of the three votes needed to allow you readmittance,” Drake said slowly.

Kostya drew back, much as a cobra pulls back before striking. “You swore to stand beside me. Do you dishonor that vow?”

“I said I would support your readmittance to the weyr if you did not commit acts of aggression against the silver dragons. Your actions tonight make it clear that our agreement is void.”

Fire lit Kostya’s eyes as he faced his brother—and it wasn’t a friendly little fire. “You will not stand by my side as you did once before?” he asked, his voice harsh with strain.

The room was so silent, I could hear Jim’s stomach rumbling.

“We shall see,” was all Drake said before nodding at Gabriel. István and Pál opened the door, and without another word being spoken, we left the suite.

“You’re the king of exit lines, I’ll give you that,” I said as we waited at the elevator. “But I hope Kostya doesn’t interpret that specimen of exit line superiority as a declaration of war.”

He said nothing, but his beautiful eyes were veiled.

I had a bad feeling that things were not going to be so easily settled. A very bad feeling indeed.

I’m not going to say anything. But I’m going to think it!

26

“…at which point, we left. It was a hell of a line to leave on, but I just don’t know. As much as it pains me to say something negative about a member of Drake’s family who isn’t his mother, I just don’t know what to think of Kostya. Is he going to be content to try to do things on the political level, or is he going to bring about a new war? Is he just an arrogant dragon, or is he bonkers? Will he respect the bounds of brotherhood, or will he try to bring Drake down if the green dragons don’t support him? It’s very worrisome.”

Rene wrinkled his brow as he maneuvered the car off a roundabout and onto a less-traveled road. “Brother against brother…that is most tragic. But me, I do not believe Kostya will do this thing. If it was not for Drake and you, he would still be captive. He must owe to you a certain respect, hein?”

“You’d think so, but you know dragons. They do things their own way,” I answered as we turned onto the drive of the house that was Bael’s domain in England, my fingers tightening around the handle of the titanium case bearing the Tools of Bael.

“Drake knows what he’s doing,” Uncle Damian said from the backseat, where he’d been reading the paper. Jim had its head hanging out the window, thankfully silent for the moment.

“I hope so. Rene, are you sure you want to come with me? Bael said all I have to do is hand over the Tools and do the disavowal, and then he’d give me the expulsion. I’m sure with Uncle Damian and Jim I’ll be perfectly safe, if you’d rather pass on another visit to Abaddon.”

Rene’s chest puffed out as he narrowly missed mowing down a demon clipping a tall yew hedge. “I am not afraid of Bael. I am a member of the Court of Divine Blood. There is nothing he can do to me.”

“You’re a member of this Court place?” I asked, curious. “I never knew that.”

“I am a daimon,” he said with his usual expressive shrug. “Daimons are part of the Court. Bael cannot harm me with out bringing down the Court upon his head, and that, not even Bael would be stupid enough to do.”

Jim had pulled in its head long enough to hear Rene’s comment. “Oh yeah, the demon lords don’t mess with Court members. Very bad juju.”

“What do you know about it?” I asked, turning around in my seat to mop up the long tendrils of drool the wind had pulled from its slobbery flews.

“Boy, you really do have splinters in the windmills of your mind, don’t you?” Jim asked, shaking its head.

“No more Carol Burnett DVDs for you, buster. Just answer my question.”

“Hello! I was a sprite, remember? That’s a member of the Court.”

Uncle Damian looked up at Jim in surprise. “Your demon was a what?”

“It’s a sort of a lesser angel, I think,” I told him as we got out of the car. Two demons emerged from the house to meet us. “Jim got kicked out and sent to Abaddon.”

“Why am I not surprised?” my uncle said as he took up a position at my side.

“Like uncle, like niece…”

“You have come to pay wer?” the first demon asked, blocking our way into the house.