by G. A. Aiken
Addolgar stared down at his sister while they waited in the crowded hall for their turn to speak with the Queen. “Torment who?”
“Braith.”
“Torment her? No.” He liked that big-boned dragoness. She seemed sweet, if a little shy.
“She’s not bad-looking.”
Addolgar shrugged and answered honestly, “I wouldn’t know. She never looks at me.”
“Do you have any idea why?” Ghleanna asked.
He grinned. “No. Why?”
Ghleanna sighed and looked away. “Pathetic.”
“Who me?”
“I don’t like her,” Bercelak complained.
“I think the feeling is mutual, little brother,” Ghleanna replied. “She looked like she was seconds from tearing your eyes out.”
“I don’t know why,” Bercelak replied. “I’m known throughout the land to be so friendly.”
Addolgar and Ghleanna faced their younger brother . . . and stared at him.
“What?” he asked drily. “Everyone knows I’m like happy puppies in a meadow on a sunny day.”
There was a long pause after that proclamation and then both Addolgar and Ghleanna exploded into laughter, Bercelak almost cracking a smile.
Braith’s father led her to a quiet alcove. When he finally stopped and faced her, it was like he looked right through her. “The Queen,” he said, “will request that you be the companion to Lady Katarina when she’s returned to her home in the west.”
“Me?” Braith asked, shocked. No one had ever asked her to be anyone’s companion. A royal she might be, but she wasn’t charming or elegant or schooled in any of the finer arts. In fact, royal dragons mostly found her uninteresting and she prided herself on that. Because it wasn’t easy to do as little as possible to elicit as little interest as possible.
“Yes, you. And you’ll accept the offer.”
“But—”
“There is no arguing here. Do as you’re told.”
“I guess I’m just surprised that the Queen—”
“Yes. She’s your queen and you’ll follow her directive without question. Understand?”
She wanted to punch her father in his snout, but she wouldn’t. He was her father after all. True, a father whose funeral rite she planned to dance at and toast with ale, but her father just the same.
“Yes. I understand.”
“Good. Now go to the throne room. She’s requested your presence there.”
Her father walked off, his tail following behind him. She was so tempted to step on it, just to see him yank back or fall on his face. Either would make her feel better.
“Hello, hello,” Addolgar growled. “Who’s that then?”
Ghleanna looked around him and rolled her eyes. “So typical.”
“What?”
“A royal. You’re as bad as the idiot over here.”
Bercelak blinked, looked away from the Queen as she spoke to her Dragon’s Maids. “Do you mean me?”
“Yes. You. Both of you. Always going for these simpering weak royals. Where did you get that from anyway?”
“Dad?” Addolgar asked.
“Don’t insult our mother. She may be a royal, but she’s hardly weak and she definitely doesn’t simper.”
“Who says this one simpers?” Addolgar studied the royal She-dragon speaking to the Queen. A pretty, gold dragoness with long, luxurious hair and light gold eyes. “Her legs are sturdy enough.”
“Bloody twigs, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask you. I just wanted to know who she is.”
“She’s Lady Katarina from the Western Mountain territories. Her father is Lord Berg.”
“Addiena hates Berg,” Bercelak reminded them.
Addolgar felt a quick bolt of panic. “Gods, we don’t have to kill her, do we?”
“No.”
“Good. ’Cause she’s cute.”
Ghleanna sighed. “Idiots.”
“Why am I an idiot?” Bercelak wanted to know.
“Let me count the ways,” a voice muttered from behind them.
Surprised at that retort coming from Braith, Addolgar and Ghleanna laughed, but Bercelak turned around, faced the Elder’s daughter.
Braith blinked and asked, “Did I say that out loud?”
“You did,” Bercelak growled.
She gave a small shrug of good-sized shoulders for such a supposedly weak royal female. “Sorry.”
“Lady Braith!” Queen Addiena called out from her throne. “Perfect timing, my dear! Come forward. Come forward. I have someone for you to meet.”
“Yes, my Queen,” Braith said.
And that’s when Addolgar noticed something. The few times Addolgar had met Braith, the royal had never looked him in the eye, but she didn’t seem to have that same problem with Bercelak. In fact, as she walked around him, she held Bercelak’s gaze, almost challenging him. Perhaps she had more bite with those fangs than any of them had realized.
“What are you smirking at?” Bercelak barked at him.
“I didn’t know I was,” Addolgar replied.
“Well, you were.”
The brothers were silent for nearly a minute until Addolgar noted, “You’re awfully tense.”
“Shut up.”
“Braith, I don’t think you’ve met Lady Katarina. Lord Berg’s daughter.”
Braith nodded at the fellow royal.
“Now,” the Queen went on, “I thought you would be perfect to travel with Lady Katarina on her way back to the Western Mountains.”
Braith and Katarina locked gazes, and Braith knew in that moment that she was not alone in not wanting to go on this trip.... Katarina didn’t want her to go either. Braith had no idea why Katarina felt that, nor did she care to know since, in the end, they both had the same desire.
The problem was Addiena. How to handle her?
“Your Majesty,” Braith tried, “I truly appreciate this honor, but I’m not sure I’m the best one for such a role.”
“And I’m sure you are. Your father suggested you himself.”
Braith tried not to frown, but it was hard. “My father suggested me for this? Really? My father.”
The Queen laughed. “Oh, Lady Braith. You’re so adorable. See, Lady Katarina? You’ll be entertained by Lady Braith’s humor all the way home. Won’t that be fun?”
Katarina gave a reluctant nod. “Of course, Your Majesty. She seems quite entertaining.”
“Now I’m sure you have,” Addiena sneered, “very important things to do, Lady Braith. We all know how busy you are.” And no, her sarcasm wasn’t lost on Braith or anyone else standing within a twenty-league radius. “But I’d really like Lady Katarina to have a female companion along for this trip. She’ll be simply surrounded by males and you know how those Western Mountain dragons are about their females.” Did she mean the Western Mountain dragons that were, in fact, Southland dragons? Then yes, Braith knew the Western Mountain dragons because they were just like every other bloody fire-breathing dragon in the Southlands.
Gods, this She-dragon!
“But—”
“Now, if you’re concerned that you’ll be at risk on this trip because of those horrible Lightnings and what they did to poor Lady Davon, please, both of you, don’t worry. You’ll be protected by my best escorts. Your father chose them himself, Lady Braith.”
Was that really supposed to mean something to Braith? Because, ya know . . . it didn’t.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Tell me, my Queen,” Katarina asked softly, “will you be sending your troops into the Northlands to retrieve Lady Davon? As you know, the Northlanders do not kill our She-dragons, just force them into a Claiming.”
“I know,” the Queen said, sadly shaking her head. “It’s truly horrible what these Lightnings do to our poor sisters. But sending my army into Northland territory would be seen as an act of aggression with the Hordes and I’m . . . just not sure we’re ready for war.”
Ready for war
over one meaningless She-dragon was what the Queen really meant. Because if there was one thing they all knew, her dragon army was always ready for war. They thrived on it the way the Sea dragons thrived on water. Still, the Queen would do nothing until she was ready.
“So we’re agreed?” the Queen asked, although they all knew she wasn’t asking a damn thing. To be honest, Braith would rather her just make it an order. Playing these constant political games with the female did nothing but chafe the bloody scales off Braith’s ass.
Addolgar smiled at his brother’s announcement. “I’d love to,” he announced.
“Of course you would.” Bercelak glared at his brother. “But this isn’t a time for you to be trying to get under some royal’s tail. You have a duty to our Queen. Do not fail her because you’re busy trying to fuck Berg’s daughter.”
Placing his claw against his chest, Addolgar reared back and gasped, “Brother! How could you say such a thing? How could you question my—”
“Oh, shut up.”
Addolgar chuckled. “I don’t know why you’re getting so upset about this. She won’t be the first royal I’ve ever escorted.”
“I’m not upset. But I’m concerned. Something . . .”
“Something what?”
Bercelak shook his head. “I don’t know. But watch your back, brother. With gods-damn Lightnings coming over our borders to snatch our females, we don’t exactly have time to be battling bloody Thracius and the Iron dragons in the west as well. And this is Berg’s daughter we’re talking about. So this is no time to be lazy.”
Addolgar understood that. Lady Katarina’s father and his dragon army kept the Iron dragons, who lived—and plotted—on the other side of the Western Mountains, from trying to invade Dark Plains at every possible opportunity.
Of course, the reason that Katarina had been at Devenallt Mountain for nearly a year was because the Queen had been reminding Lord Berg of her power. Although she’d welcomed Berg’s daughter with open claws, no one was fooled into thinking Addiena cared for her. At least no one but Bercelak, who continued to believe that Addiena was a wonderful queen who just liked to invite royal females to Devenallt Mountain for fun. But anyone not blinded by the Queen’s beauty or, more importantly, the beauty of the Queen’s daughter, knew this was simply a power play by the cold-hearted royal.
Politically, though, it did make sense after what had happened during the Great Battle of Aricia, when the Iron dragon Overlord Thracius had taken the Queen’s consort and had him crucified in Quintilian Provinces. Something that had not bothered the Queen nearly as much as it had bothered the Queen’s offspring. Especially Princess Rhiannon, who’d always been close to—and protected by—her father. Yet her consort’s death had brought her throne under threat, because some Southland dragons didn’t believe she was worthy of her position as their queen if she couldn’t keep her kin safe. That had put Addiena into action, involving Lord Berg and his vast army. But not trusting his loyalty to her or her throne, Addiena had taken his beloved daughter Lady Katarina as security until the borders were secure and her point made.
The word “hostage” was never used, but it didn’t need to be.
Still, no point in mentioning any of that to Bercelak. He was blindly loyal to the Queen.
“I am not lazy,” Addolgar informed his brother. “I’m many things, but lazy is not one of them. But have no fear, Ghleanna told me that we will have a small squad with us and Lady Braith as well.”
“Lady Braith,” Bercelak sneered, his distaste for the royal more than evident. “Why is she going? What use is she?”
“Well—”
“None! That I can see,” his brother cut in, which only made Addolgar laugh.
“Don’t be such a bastard, little brother. She’ll keep the royal entertained.”
“Braith will keep the royal entertained? Braith of the Darkness?”
“She’s nice. I don’t know what you have against her.”
“She does nothing.”
“What do you expect her to do?”
“She’s one of the Penarddun bloodline. You’d think she’d do something,” Bercelak complained.
“Her mother may have been a Penarddun but her father has gone out of his way to ensure his daughter was not by raising her himself after her mother’s death.”
“With those shoulders and arms? Even that neck. It’s a waste! The least she could do for the army is move some trees so the troops can get through.”
“Is there anyone you don’t think should be working for our precious army?”
“No.”
“I’m leaving,” Addolgar stated, giving up.
“Just be careful, idiot,” his brother called out to him.
Addolgar headed off to find the lovely Lady Katarina, throwing a wave over his shoulder. “I’ll do that, brother. I’ll do that.”
Chapter 3
“I am sorry about this, Lady Braith.”
Braith looked down at the diminutive She-dragon, forced a smile. “It’s all right, Lady Katarina. I know this isn’t your fault.”
“Just Katarina.” She stepped aside as one of their escorts hustled by. “I’ll be glad to return home so I have to worry less about all these titles.”
“Well, you need not worry about mine at all.”
Braith studied the soldiers that had been chosen for this trip. She recognized a few. They were soldiers loyal to her father. She didn’t know why that bothered her, but it did. She didn’t like this.
“Something wrong, Braith?” Katarina asked.
“Uh . . .” She focused back on the royal. “No. Nothing. Just thinking. Wasn’t really planning on a trip.”
“And I wasn’t really planning to come here.” She raised, then lowered her front claws. “Yet here I am.”
Braith felt bad for her. This was just a few days out of Braith’s life. Yet Katarina had spent a year as nothing more than a well-treated hostage.
Placing one claw on the royal’s shoulder—and ignoring how she dwarfed the She-dragon like a bloody ogre—Braith said softly, “Do not worry, Katarina. We will return you to your loved ones safely.”
“I know you will.”
Braith smiled at the royal, trying her best to put her at ease.
“There you are!” a cheerful, low voice said from behind her.
Braith’s claw tightened on Katarina’s shoulder, and she knew her eyes had widened in panic.
No. He couldn’t be on this trip. Not him. Ghleanna. Or Bercelak. Gods, even Braith’s own father, she would rather travel with! Anyone but . . .
The panic must have been clearly on her face because Katarina suddenly moved around Braith, distracting the Silver.
“And you are?” Katarina asked.
“Sergeant Addolgar of the Fifth Legion, my lady.”
It took Braith a few seconds to get control of her initial reaction. Of all the dragons who could be going with them, why did it have to be him? Her one weakness. Her one very handsome, very thick-tailed weakness.
“So, Sergeant Addolgar,” Katarina continued as Braith finally faced them both. “Why were you looking for us?”
“I’ll be your military escort for this trip.”
“Oh, I thought these dragons were. . . .”
Addolgar glanced over at the soldiers. “These lads mostly guard Devenallt Mountain and the Elders. Good, solid soldiers,” he quickly added, never wanting to insult anyone—unlike his younger brother. “But I’ve been through the Western Mountains. Fought a few battles there. So, it was a good decision on my brother’s part.”
Figures! Gods-damn Bercelak! She should have known! Bastard.
“Now I don’t want either of you to worry. I’m here to protect you both.” Grinning, he nodded at the waiting soldiers. “Let me check on these lads and then we can get on our way.”
He walked off and Katarina faced her again.
“Sorry about that—” Braith began, but Katarina shook her head.
“No need to worry.
I understand that feeling. Felt it myself not too long ago.”
“Well, if we could just keep it between us, I’d appreciate it.”
“Because there are those here who use weakness as currency?”
After living at the royal court, it seemed Katarina understood the Queen as well as anyone.
“You might say.”
“Don’t worry, Braith. Your secret is safe with me.”
“You two ready?” Addolgar asked. “Have everything you need?” When they both nodded, he gave that adorable, wide grin of his, showing all those perfect fangs, and swung his forearm out from his body. “Then after you, my ladies.”
Determined to get through this somehow without embarrassing herself, Braith nodded and walked on, Katarina right behind her.
Then Braith realized something.... She had no idea how far away the Western Mountains actually were. A couple of days’ travel? Gods. Hopefully not more than that.
Early on the fourth day of their trip, they camped for the night in a small grove. They still had at least another three-day flight before reaching the Western Mountains, but so far they’d made good time, considering it was nearing winter and the winds were beginning to howl.
Yet today’s trip had ended early when Lady Katarina, who had been doing so well, with few to no complaints so far, suddenly announced she was getting tired. Addolgar understood; she seemed a frail thing. At least by dragon standards, she seemed frail.
So they’d settled here for the night. It was nice. Lots of trees, a lake nearby, and some tasty-looking oxen a few miles away. Addolgar never needed much more than that.
He settled down beside a large oak, his back pressed against the trunk so that his wings could get a good stretch. He’d rest for a while before searching out that oxen so he could eat, then take night watch.
Just as Addolgar began to get comfortable, Lady Katarina softly stepped up beside him.
“Lord Addolgar,” she greeted.
“Just sergeant, I’m afraid, Lady.”
“An earned title,” she mused. “Much more admirable, I assure you.”
Enjoying the compliment, Addolgar asked, “Do you need something, my lady? Or Lady Braith?”