“I’m very sorry.”

Vivienne acknowledged Fallon’s sympathy with a nod. “The ones you call Raiders. I was not quick enough to save her, but I killed them all. And it was then I vowed, an oath on my mother’s blood, I would no longer hide, no longer live hungry or cold or afraid.”

She sampled a cake. “I would make a place, I took this vow, where no one killed a girl’s mother. I used what I have to make what I needed. Now I have Quebec. Or enough of it for now. A fine house and soldiers. Lovers.”

She bit into a cake with a smile.

“Slaves?”

“No. One has no right to own another. Servants, yes, I have servants. But they are free, they are not forced to give service. They have food, shelter, clothing. I give them work if they want it, and they are free to stay or to go. We offer protection from the Dark Uncanny, the Raiders, and the rest. These are my people, understand me. I do not go hungry, nor do they.

“This is very good coffee, thank you. We don’t have so good the coffee. We have traded for some, but not so good as this.”

“We’ll give you some beans to take back with you,” Lana said.

“That is very kind and generous.” Delicately, she bit into a second cake, licked a bit of icing from her finger. “Maintenant, my rule may not be as yours, but still we fight the same enemies. You have won a great victory. I would offer you an alliance. I have two thousand soldiers. Almost,” she added with another smile.

“You offer an alliance after a great victory.”

“But yes. If you had been defeated, my soldiers, my people would have suffered with yours. My council and my generals advise that you are most likely to advance on New York within the year. Perhaps within six months. I would be your ally. I would give my allegiance to you. I do not give it lightly. And I’ve chosen the light,” she added. “Not so bright, it may be, as you, but the light.”

“And for your allegiance, your two thousand, what do you want in return?”

“Quebec.” Vivienne folded her pretty hands with their sparkling rings in her lap. “Safety for my people, my realm. The promise you and your soldiers will not invade or take from me what I’ve made. What I may make still. You go north, those who fight there may go more north. May covet what I have. So, an alliance. Promises. Terms. My people will fight with yours, and you will respect and help protect what is my country.”

“I fight with my people. Do you fight with yours?”

“I’m not a warrior, but a ruler. Still, I guard what’s mine. I’ll kill to protect it.”

“Show me.”

Daintily, Vivienne set down her coffee, dusted crumbs from her fingers. And shifted.

Fallon studied the flame-red dragon with the glittering green eyes.

The red flame from the north, she thought.

“Impressive. And only the second I’ve seen.”

Vivienne shifted back. “We are few. I don’t know why. You saw another?”

“Twice. Larger, black. Of the dark.”

“It saddens me that when we are few, any would choose the dark.” With a delicate shrug, she lifted her coffee again. “Ah, well. I will not keep you, but I trust you will think about my offer.”

“I will.”

“I’ll get you some coffee beans.”

“You’re kind.” Vivienne offered a hand to Fallon as she rose. “I’m not unkind. I’m not unselfish. But I don’t see those as … Ah!” On a gesture of frustration she rattled off a phrase in French.

“In opposition,” Fallon told her.

“Yes, thank you. They are not in opposition. I am known to lie. To a lover, when it is … simple? I do not lie about life and death, about dark and light. I may lie to you,” she said with a gay smile. “But not about that.”

When Lana came back, she took the cloth bag offered, slipped it into her pocket after sliding back into her coat. “Thank you, very much. I will have a gift for you when I see you next. And I would send to you General D’Arcy if we proceed with the alliance. You will find him very clever.”

“Safe travels, Vivienne.”

“And to you, Fallon Swift. Madame.”

Fallon watched her walk out, move to her men. And, standing between them, flash.

“She’s … interesting,” Lana decided.

“And complicated. She has shadows, but she isn’t of the dark. Not like them. Not quite like us. An alliance. Two thousand troops.”

Fallon shut the door. “She has more than two thousand or she wouldn’t have offered two thousand.”

“Now that you say it, that wouldn’t surprise me. She’s canny. Canny is a good ally.”

“It could be. Let’s see what else anyone’s heard about her, what else we can find out. It’s going to be worth, at least, meeting this general.”

“You’re likely to get an argument from some quarters.”

“What else is new?” As they started back, she looked at her mother. “From you?”

“No. You’re going to need alliances. New York isn’t the end of it. You never told me about the black dragon again.”

“It was in a vision dream, with Petra.”

Lana stopped, gripped Fallon’s arm. “Petra.”

“She rode it, I think. It’s not all the way clear, and I wasn’t sure until now it was real. I need to talk to Mallick.”

“Let’s take some food down,” Lana suggested. “An alliance with a dragon queen might go down easier with some stew.”

“You’ve got a point.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

While the others ate, Fallon took Mallick and her father aside, related the meeting with Vivienne.

“I’ve heard of her,” Mallick confirmed. “Bits and pieces, rumors, gossip. From what I know, she has her realm, her palace and people, and they’re loyal to her. She is, or has been, content with that. If she’s come to you I suspect she’s concerned about invasion.”

“We push the DUs out of New York,” Simon agreed. “They may head north. She’d be more vulnerable. You’re serious about the dragon?”

“Yeah, and she’s impressive.”

“Adding a dragon and two thousand to our ranks against New York wouldn’t hurt a thing. And,” he added, “it’s likely she has more than the two she offered.”

It added to Fallon’s confidence that she and her father thought alike. “Exactly.”

“Just as likely, she has other alliances.”

“I wondered about that, too. She’s both forthcoming and cagey. Clearly, she wants to preserve her own, and why wouldn’t she? If her advisers estimate we’re moving on New York within a year, maybe six months? The enemy likely thinks the same. If we can add her in, and potentially others she’s hooked with, I’m looking at six to eight weeks.”

“You didn’t tell her that?”

“I’m standing here with two men who helped teach me to be cagey, so no. And we’ll just keep that to ourselves until we’re sure of her. Can you go?” she asked Mallick. “She talked about sending one of her generals here to negotiate, but I want a better sense of her and her people, her place. You could get that. She’d respect you, and you wouldn’t fall for any bullshit.”

“Of course. When?”

“As soon as possible. She popped in here, we’ll return the favor. I’d like you to take Travis with you.” She looked at Simon. “As an empath he’ll feel as much as see or hear. And he’s diplomatic, political.”

“He’ll love it, and he’s a good choice. I’m not going to say Mallick and Travis can’t handle themselves if anything goes shaky, but you need another, at least one more.”

“I was thinking Meda. Female, and one who led her own tribe. And Arlys. Our chronicler. Travis will see, hear, feel, but Arlys won’t miss a detail. She also knows how to negotiate and lead.”

“Well chosen. Do you agree, Simon?”

“Yeah, it’s a good mix.”

“Great. Let’s make it happen.”

Everyone had a voice, Fallon thought later. The fact that she would defend that right with sword and shield didn’t make it less of a pain in her ass.

Still, after the grumblings, objections, second-guessings, she had her negotiating team set and preparing to head north.

As the commanders left, Fallon broke away to find Mick.

“Got a question.” Duncan took her arm, drew her outside. “Why aren’t you sending me to Quebec?”

“A couple reasons.” She looked over toward the barracks, but saw no sign of Mick. “First, Vivienne would try to seduce you.”

“Jealous?”

She looked back, nearly laughed at his smug expression. “If I thought you’d fall into her bed, I wouldn’t invite you into mine. But it would be a distraction, and this needs to go smooth. Second, it’s a good balance. Third, I’d like Travis to work with Mallick more. And last, you, Tonia, and I are going on a hunt.”

“We are?”

“For a black dragon.”

“Now we’re talking. When?”

“Tonight. But right now I need to talk to Mick.”

“He took off,” Duncan told her. “When you were talking to Arlys and Chuck about digging up more intel on the redhead.”

“But—” Not even a good-bye, she thought. “I can’t leave it this way. I need to fix this.”

“You can’t fix everything, Fallon. The guy’s in love with you. It ought to piss me off but, hell, you’ve got to like him. Plus, he fights like a son of a bitch.”

Maybe she couldn’t fix everything, but this? This was different. “I have to try. I can’t explain how sad and lonely and angry I was in those first weeks with Mallick, how much I missed my family. And Mick was there. It mattered. He matters.”