Read The Silent Dragon: Children of The Dragon Nimbus #1 for Free Online Page A

to ease her worry. He worried enough for both of them.
    “I wanted to be there in the Council Chamber with you, to advise you.”
    “I did not want to trouble you. It has only been ten days since the miscarriage.”
    “Linda is
my
daughter as well as yours,” Mikka insisted, some vibrancy returning to her voice with the strong emotions. “I have a right to express an opinion about the eligibility of her suitors. And I knew you would not bring your troubled temper to my bedside. You always wish to spare me.” She sat straighter.
    “And so I let my temper control my blade and beat up my generals until I am too tired to stand, let alone yell at the idiots who pretend to guide me.” Chagrin heated his face. “That was my intent until the blade broke. I have not sent it to the blacksmith for sharpening lately. No one else would have possession of the blade long enough to use heat and rapid cooling to weaken the steel. I wonder what kind of acid would eat slowly at the metal, weakening it unnoticed until the stress of my blows finally broke it. Magic?”
    “No. I would have smelled magic.”
    “The Council Lords are truly idiots if they think these episodes will push me to agree with them. I’m too stubborn for that. It only firms my resolve to find another solution. Or stall for time.”
    “They are not total idiots. They have concerns about the governance of this country.”
    “Their concerns are misguided. I am young and healthy. And as long as I wear the Dragon Crown, I have protection.”
    “But you have to have that heavy crown on your head for the magic to protect you from magic. Not even the Coraurlia can protect you from mundane tricks and tampering. You do not wear it now. You have no accepted heir should an ‘accident’ befall you. I cannot give you the son our people think they need to keep the government and economy stable.” She turned her face into his shoulder, hiding her grief.
    “This latest miscarriage took a heavy toll on your health, Mikka my love. Do not speak out of grief and weakness. We can wait a little while.”
    “I’m not so certain. I will never carry another child and survive. Lady Anya collected some herbs at the market yesterday. I will not conceive again as long as I take them.”
    “Is that safe?” Darville reared back in alarm.
    “According to Brevelan, my dearest friend and your first love, the herbal combination is safer than bleeding to death next time I try to carry another life within me.”
    “Just herbs, not magic.”
    “No magic necessary.”
    “I—I would rather risk magic than lose you, Mikka.”
    She smiled up at him, not bothering to hide the tears that glistened in her lustrous brown eyes. “We must send for him, Darville.”
    Something twisted in his gut. Humiliation, pain, he wasn’t sure, only extreme gratitude that she thought of the kingdom before her own emotional needs.
    “There are reasons . . .”
    “Good reasons. I know. But I am more than your wife. I am your queen. I was raised to accept compromises in politics when necessary.”
    “My son should be more to us than a compromise.” That was his Mikka, a queen before a wife and mother. He needed her stable judgment to rise above their human disappointments and his temper.
    “I know. But if Brevelan and Jaylor will give him up, I will welcome him into our household, our family. His presence will give us time. Stall the assassins who seek to take you down prematurely to further their own quests for power.”
    “My son will give us time for Linda to grow up a bit.”
    “More than just a bit. I will not see her forced into a loveless marriage before she knows why she does such a thing, why it’s important. Before she knows something of the world and possibly finds the love of her life. As I did.”
    “Ours is not a loveless marriage.” He kissed her lightly on the nose, delighted anew at how much joy she had brought to his troubled life.
    “It could have been. But I am glad we found