A Stolen Crown by Jordan Baker Page A

that if dragons were to cross the battlefield, I can count on the support of the Priesthood,” Cerric said with a little less challenge in his voice. Dakar smiled.
    “Do you wish to force our hand in this?” Dakar asked, as though the thought had only just occurred to him. “If you are attacked, then we will be forced to defend you since we of the priesthood have sworn to do so. Very clever.”
    “I thought you might like it.” Cerric grinned. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This war will be fought on the ground and, based on the way negotiations are going, I believe that Calexis will agree to aid me with many of her soldiers. With the might of our combined armies, Kandara will fall and we will share in the riches of that barbaric mountain land.” Dakar nodded slowly.
    “My king, I cannot prevent you from a war with Kandara, but I can counsel you to caution. A war with Kandara will be very costly and will burden your lands. Be sure that the Xallans are firm in their support and commit themselves as much as do you. Calexis is truly a poweful queen, but she did not get that way by ignoring opportunities. If the power of Maramyr grows weak from the struggle of war, I would not be surprised should she choose such a moment to take advantage of your weakness,” he warned. Cerric smiled.
    “That is why I have proposed marriage to the Xallan Queen. If she accepts, then we will attack Kandara together, bearing equally the burden of such an undertaking. Fear not, mage, for as much as I am taken with Calexis, I would not be so foolhardy as to trust her.”
    “Very well. I will assign several mage priests as ambassadors to Kandara, that they might at least gather information under the guise of interceding in this conflict. If you are determined upon this course, then we might as well do what we can to ensure a speedy victory,” Dakar conceded, irritated at even the small offer he was making, though, the truth of it was that Cerric's actions fit quite neatly into the Priesthood's own plans.
    “You have my gratitude, Dakar.” Cerric put his hand on the mage’s shoulder briefly then turned back to his maps. “Why should I not rule all of these lands?” He waved his hand in front of the entire map. “Kandara will be but one small addition to which will be the greatest empire this world has ever seen.”
    Dakar nodded then exited the room, leaving Cerric to dream of glory and riches. It was not a bad plan, but he wondered how difficult Calexis would prove to manage. Already the mage-priests in Xalla-Prime had sent him many disturbing reports.
    *****
     
    Screams echoed through the palace despite the mages’ best attempts to magically dampen the sound. The mage priest Shadar, head of the Xallan order of the priesthood had returned to Xalla-Prime from Blue Island, the mage retreat far to the west, to discover that one of his lesser brethren had permitted something unspeakable to happen. He had not been informed of Calexis' plans, and now the queen was with child and an abomination was soon to be born.
    Mere weeks after Calexis’ audience, as it was referred to by those who knew, with the two Darga, she had grown full with child and her own body had become very much altered beyond the usual signs of pregnancy. Shadar had heard that among the Darga, successful mating among the females would cause a shift in their physical make-up, but he was surprised to see what had happened to the once-human queen.
    Shiny scales had grown along her sides and around her breasts all the way up to her neck. They also grew from the small of her back, around her waist and down parts of her legs. Her skin had changed color as well, darkening in certain areas and lightening even more in others. Her face, in particular, had become even paler than it had been before. But these surface things were not what surprised Shadar the most. It was the magic he now sensed in her that gave him pause and made him suspect the changes in Calexis might