Delaney entered the main waiting area of Snowridge's school and every pair of eyes inside fixated on her.
Eira—the Protector assigned as her escort for the day—had warned her that coming to the school so soon after arriving would be a bad idea. Mainly because they still didn't know how most of the clan would react to a human in their midst.
However, when Delaney had asked if it was forbidden for her to go the school, Eira had said no. Rhydian had already told the teachers she was Rian's aunt and should be included in the communication chains. And while Rhydian had the ultimate say over any decisions regarding Rian, there was nothing keeping Delaney from seeing her nephew.
And so she'd taken her time walking down the corridors from her rooms to the school area, studying the tapestries on the walls as she went. Given how there had to be many kilometers of tunnels inside the mountain, she had yet to see any bare walls. The sheer amount of tapestries bespoke Snowridge's long history.
But as soon as she'd entered the main waiting area for the school, Delaney had pushed all her questions and thoughts about the tapestries aside. Everyone would size her up, and she wasn't about to let them intimidate her.
So she merely smiled and met each and every gaze inside the room. She had no idea if they were parents, guardians, or other family, but only those with clearance were allowed in this section of the school.
One of the women with blonde hair smiled and rushed forward. She put out a hand. "You must be Delaney."
The woman's Welsh accent meant she had to be a lifetime Snowridge member, or at least from somewhere in Wales. Delaney had no idea if the dragons lived anywhere outside the mountains. That hadn't come up in her research.
Slowly, she took the woman's hand and shook it. "Yes, I am. And you are?"
The older woman—she was probably in her fifties—released her hand and said, "Oh, pardon me. I'm Lily Owens. My mate is Rhydian's cousin, you see, so we hear any sort of clan news straight away."
Another female in the room sighed. "We all received the same message this morning, Lily. Stop trying to impress her."
Lily glanced over her shoulder at the red-haired female who'd spoken. "There's no need to be snarky, Nerys. I was trying to let her know that we're Rhydian's family, so she has nothing to fear from us." Lily looked back at Delaney. "And my son's mate is a human, too. So I might be able to help you adjust. True, Jane lives on Stonefire—my son is head Protector there—but she visits when she can. And so I have an idea of what you might wish or need to know."
On the surface, Lily seemed genuine. The laugh lines around her eyes and mouth bespoke someone with good humor and who liked to enjoy life.
While Delaney wouldn't fully trust anyone inside Snowridge yet, her gut said this dragonwoman could become an ally.
And if she were to live among the dragons to help raise Rian, she'd need allies. It was best to start collecting them.
Delaney replied, "Thank you, Lily. But I'm still trying to figure it all out at the moment. If I have any questions, I'll ask."
Lily bobbed her head. "Good. And I'll make sure Rhydian gives you all my and Gareth's contact information, too. If you need anything, please call."
She smiled. Lily reminded her a little of her own mother. "I will." She gestured toward the door where the kids should exit from. "Who're you waiting for?"
"My daughter, Delia. She's sixteen and a troublemaker at times. But she has a good heart, which is what matters."
The same red-haired dragonwoman from earlier—was it Nerys?—chimed in. "Delia's a bit rash, but she has more than a good heart. She saved my nephew from the hunter bastards. If she hadn't gone investigating into his disappearance, along with the others, we might never have found them."
Lily frowned and turned toward the dragonwoman. "Yes, but she nearly lost her dragon in the process. It's a miracle any of them still have their dragons if I'm honest."
Something about Lily's words caused warning bells to ring inside Delaney's head. Rian had been one of the kidnapped children; Eira had told her a little bit about it. Had something happened to him, too?
However, before Delaney could ask for any more details, the younger children filed out of the door first. Rian raced straight for her and stopped a few inches away. She yearned to reach out and hug him, but things were still new between them. So instead, she settled for a smile. "Hello, Rian."
He grinned back at her. "You came, just like you said. Good. Then maybe we can visit the library. I can show you all the books that make dragons look bad. I would like to go exploring, but Rhydian said we couldn't."
Lily jumped in. "It may not be exploring, but you two should come with me and Delia. I have some freshly baked biscuits. And if we're lucky, Gareth will be home soon and can sing some of those songs you like, Rian. I'm sure your aunt would like them, too."
Rian tugged at Delaney's top. "Can we? Mr. Owens sings well and has some fun songs. And they're much better than the books. The songs have been teaching me heaps about dragons, more than school does."
Lily clicked her tongue. "Now, now, Rian, don't say that. Most of what Gareth sings about are things you'll learn later."
A teenage girl with short, brown hair walked up to them. "Dad's songs are better, Mum. I'm older, went through those classes you talked about, and can honestly tell you Dad's music teaches us loads more."
The teenager looked like a younger version of Lily, albeit her hair was brown to Lily's blonde. Even without the introduction, no one could mistake her being Lily's daughter.
Lily placed a hand on her daughter's upper back and pushed gently. "I won't have you disparaging the teachers." She looked back at Delaney. "This is my daughter, Delia. And Delia, this is Delaney Murphy."