Eira was on my right, and even though we’d shared a brief kiss earlier, just the slight touch of her shoulder against mine was enough to send a shiver of delight down my spine.
“Goodnight, Rath.” The redhead put her arm under her head and smiled at me.
“Goodnight, Eira.” I smiled back.
“Goodnight,” Asta said as she snuggled up closer to me, and she didn’t seem the least bit aware of the tension between the redhead and myself.
I chuckled and kissed the top of the elf girl’s head, and then I took a deep breath to clear my mind of Eira, though the scent of her still filled my nose.
I closed my eyes tightly, and before I knew it, I woke to the dawn of a new day.
The sky was barely light blue with the rising of the sun, and the girls were still asleep around me.
Asta had one arm thrown across my stomach, and her other hand laid on Kas’ hip. The elf girl’s long white hair was spread out underneath her like a halo, and her perky breasts rose and fell evenly with her breathing.
Inger had worked her way up in the bed, so she now laid on Asta’s arm, with her head snuggled against the elf girl’s neck.
Blar was on his back between Asta and me, and his little belly rose and fell gently as he snored and occasionally moved his head from side to side.
Kas was turned away from me, so all I could see of her was a mane of strawberry-blonde curls and the gentle curve of her waist and hips.
Eira was faced toward me with her head resting on her hands and the smallest bit of drool dripping down the side of her mouth. She looked absolutely adorable.
I carefully got up and restarted the fire. Once that was going, I gathered some fresh fruit and water and heated up some oatmeal with spices, sliced apples, and peaches.
“Mmmm.” Eira’s eyes were still closed, but she sniffed the air and rolled over onto her back so she could stretch. Then she sat up and opened her eyes.
“Good morning,” I chuckled.
“Oh.” She blinked, and it was abundantly clear she hadn’t remembered she’d stayed at our home until right then. “Yes, good morning.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
“I could eat.” The redhead grinned and stretched out one more time before she walked over and took a seat by the fire.
“Here.” I handed her a bowl of breakfast and a spoon.
“You do this every morning?” she asked as she eyed the meal curiously.
“Most mornings.” I nodded. “Blar’s a bit of a grump in the morning if he doesn’t get breakfast.”
“I can see why,” Eira laughed. “I’d be mad if I missed out on this, too. A girl could get used to living this way. I see why Asta and Kas decided to stay.”
“Oh, I…” My voice trailed off, and instead of responding I stirred the pot of oatmeal.
“You’re quite cute when you get frazzled, you know.” Eira smirked at me.
“We say that all the time,” Kas yawned as she sat up and made her way over to the fire.
“When?” I laughed. “I’ve never heard you say that.”
“Not to your face.” The sorceress smiled and shrugged.
It felt strange, but also right, to have Eira at our home. I’d figured she wouldn’t have gotten along well with the girls since she tended to be so rough around the edges, but it seemed she honestly had started to like them. It didn’t hurt either that the girls liked to tease me just as much as she did.
Well, Kas did anyway. Asta still wasn’t the greatest at distinguishing what was a joke and what wasn’t in our culture.
It didn’t take long for Asta and the dragons to get up as well. Blar, Inger, and Uffe all lined up to eat their breakfasts while Asta brewed some fresh tea for us.
Once everyone was full, Kas pulled out her spell book so she could give us back the elf ears we’d taken off the day before.
“Eira, I need you to stand next to Rath so I can give you both elf ears,” the sorceress said as she lined us all up.
“I’m getting ears as well?” the warband leader asked.
“Of course.” Kas nodded. “We can’t have you looking like an Asgardian.”
We held hands while Kas performed the spell, and I tried not to focus on the feeling of Eira’s skin against my own.
“There,” the strawberry-blonde said with a smile, and she put the spell book back into her satchel.
“How do they look?” Eira asked as she turned toward me.
The pointed ears fit the redhead beautifully. The light elves were known for their incredible beauty, and Eira didn’t disappoint. She made a perfect elf.
“They look great.” I smiled.
“Where’s the portal we’re headed to?” Eira asked.
“Actually, we have our own transportation,” Asta explained.
“What do you mean?” the redhead asked, and her brow furrowed severely. “You can’t be using the Bifrost. It’s heavily monitored.”
“No.” Kas shook her head, and then she looked at Blar on my shoulder. “Care to show her your powers?”
The little dragon nodded and closed his eyes. A second later, a small portal appeared, and I watched as Eira’s eyes grew wide with shock.
“Incredible,” she breathed before she turned to Blar. “You’re strong.”
Blar preened and smiled at Eira, but I just rolled my eyes and grabbed the girls’ hands. Blar already had a big head, I didn’t need for it to get any bigger.
We stepped through the portal and into Alfheim. The familiar yellow grass and sunless, yet bright, sky greeted us, and I took a deep breath of the floral-scented air.
We were in the woods, and according to Kas’ map, we weren’t too far away from the market, but she led us through the woods to the other end. We didn’t want to go back to the same spot we’d been the day before. Not only could there be more dealers waiting to try and find whoever had taken their friends down, but there was also the potential one of the vendors might see us and get suspicious. We hadn’t bought anything the day before, and I didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves by hanging around the same spot.
It was about an hour’s walk, and the section of the market we arrived at was full of food vendors. The fragrant scent of spices and meat filled the air, and even though we’d eaten not long ago, my mouth watered from the delicious aroma.
“We should keep an eye on the vendors,” Eira said softly as her eyes scanned the area. “Any one of them could be working with the dealers.”
“Good idea,” I agreed. I hadn’t considered the vendors might be part of the scheme, though it seemed so obvious now that she’d said it. Not only would it give the dealers a reason to be at the market all day, but vendors usually had wagons with them to haul their wares, so it wouldn’t seem suspicious for them to have one with a covered section to store their products.
The market was particularly busy, and I supposed it paid off to be a food vendor. Most people would get hungry just walking through the area since it smelled so good, and that meant more cash in their pockets.
The girls and I carefully and inconspicuously made our way through the crowds as we took in the sights around us. There were elf children eating with their mothers and fathers, and older elves picking through the food on their plates. On the surface everything appeared to be wholesome, but I knew something dark lurked just below. My powers were growing stronger, and my gut told me something wasn’t right here.
“I don’t see anyone standing around like yesterday,” Asta said.
“And you might not.” I nodded. “This is a different area, it’s mostly families. Whoever is dealing here has to be extra careful.”
“Do you think there’s someone here?” Kas whispered. “I know we haven’t been here long, but everything seems so… normal. I was starting to think we’d gone to the wrong place.”
“Something’s here.” Eira’s eyes narrowed as she looked around cautiously. “I can feel it.”
It wasn’t the same feeling I had, but I knew the feel
ing she referred to. Once I had the experience of battle, I’d been able to feel it, too. It was a warrior’s intuition, and it usually came on right before a fight or an attack. The feeling always made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and I felt it just then as well.
“I agree,” I said. “Something’s going on here, we just have to find it.”
“Alright.” Kas nodded and continued to survey the area.
“Maybe it would be better if we split up,” Asta suggested.
“We could cover more ground that way.” Kas shrugged and looked to me for approval.
I sighed and pursed my lips. The girls were getting to be much better warriors, and I could always pair Asta with myself and Kas with Eira for added protection, but I wasn’t sure I wanted the group to split up, especially not since we had the dragons with us.
Even with their disguise, I didn’t trust the dealers to leave them be. Dogs may not be a prized possession like dragons were, but these men seemed greedy, and I wouldn’t put it past them to snatch up whatever they thought might make them some quick coin.
“I don’t--” I started to say, but Eira cut me off.
“There.” The redhead used just her forefinger to point into the crowd.
I followed the line of her appendage and saw a man with dark yellow hair walk casually away from one of the booths. He quickly entered the crowd, but I noticed he glanced around ever so slightly before he did so.
It was a telltale sign he was up to something.
A quick glance down proved just what I’d suspected. In his hand was a small metal cage. I could just barely see the bottom of it since there was a piece of fabric covering the top, but I knew exactly what was inside.
I could feel the pain and confusion of the baby dragon behind those bars.
“Fucker,” I growled as I placed my hand on my sword.
It was time to take out another dealer.
Chapter 24
“You go behind the booth where he came from,” Eira said quickly. “I’ll take care of this guy.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Go,” the redhead said, and she walked briskly away from us toward the man in the crowd.
We both knew she wouldn’t be able to attack him outright, not with everyone watching. She’d have to follow him and wait for him to be alone so she could strike.
I trusted Eira, though. She’d get the job done right.
In the meantime, we’d go find the dealers that arsehole had bought from.
“Follow me,” I whispered, but I moved slowly toward the booth the man had come from so as not to arouse suspicion.
I acted like I was headed toward one of the food vendors, and then I casually slipped between the booths and headed toward the woods. There was a small path worn into the ground, and I knew that meant whoever was back there used this area a lot.
My fists clenched when I thought about how many baby dragons had been smuggled out of those woods, but that would soon be coming to an end.
I glanced behind me and saw Asta and Kas at the ready. Uffe was on Kas’ shoulder, and Inger was on Asta’s. Blar was on the ground in front of me, but I wouldn’t bother to pick him up since I knew he’d come to me when the time was right.
I nodded to the girls and drew my sword, and the two of them followed my lead as they pulled out their weapons as well. Kas’ greatsword jutted out in front of her, and she looked at me with serious violet eyes and a set jaw. Her dainty features and wild curls were at complete odds with the look of disdain on her face, but she was still incredibly sexy, even as she prepared to go kick some ass.
Asta quickly cast rain over her blade and turned it into the ax version of itself. The white-haired elf looked beautiful as always, and her yellow eyes were fierce as she nodded back at me.
Suddenly, I heard muffled voices ahead of us, so I slipped off the path and followed the sound. The trees didn’t provide a lot of cover, but I managed to find a small bunch to lurk behind.
Then I peered out of the trees and into a clearing where two men stood around a large covered cart.
The taller elf of the two leaned up against the cart and puffed on a wooden pipe, and he blew smoke rings that swam up into the air before they dissipated into nothingness. He had short dark blue hair, wide set white eyes, and some elven words were scrawled across his exposed forearm. He wore a short black tunic with white pants and black boots, and at his side hung a jewel-encrusted greatsword.
Selling dragons had apparently paid well for him, and my jaw clenched at the thought of it.
The other elf had long blond hair, deep-yellow eyes, and a dark green tunic. He paced back and forth and leisurely tossed his dagger into the air over and over as he tried to catch it in different poses.
So far, the two of them hadn’t realized we were watching them, so we’d use that to our advantage. We might not be able to get a lot out of them with torture, though I’d still try, but if we waited a moment they may give something away without us having to work too hard.
I put my finger over my mouth to let the girls know to be quiet, and they nodded before we all went back to carefully watching the men in the clearing.
“What’s taking Pirnie so long?” the man throwing the dagger asked as he caught it behind his back. He’d obviously practiced a lot, and he was good, but I was better.
“You’re always in such a rush,” the blue-haired elf said, and then he blew another circle with his smoke. “Just calm down. He’ll be back as soon as he’s finished the delivery.”
“He left forever ago,” the blond-haired man whined.
“It wasn’t that long ago,” the other chuckled. “You need to stop throwing that dagger, it’s ruining your sense of time.”
“Fuckin’ crazy beast,” a voice muttered, and a second later, another elf appeared at the cart entrance. “She tried to bite me again.”
“What’d you expect?” the blond elf asked with a shrug.
“I expect you to get your lazy ass in there next time,” the newest man sneered. He had short black hair that hit his shoulders, a bright red tunic on, and deep-green eyes. A large golden sword hung on his hip, and I once again shook my head at how rich selling dragons had clearly made these arseholes.
If there was one guy in the back of the cart, there could be others, so I decided to wait a little bit longer to see what else we could find out.
From the sound of it, they had at least one other dragon in the back of the cart, but probably a dozen more if our encounter with the dealers yesterday was anything to go off of. They were probably all babies, too, just like the one their buddy had gone off to sell. He wouldn’t make it there, though, not with Eira on his tail.
I bet the guy was already bleeding out somewhere.
I took a deep breath to steady myself, but after a few more minutes of listening, the elves had given us nothing. I’d grown tired of their cheerful banter, especially when I knew there were innocent baby dragons in the back of that cart in need of rescue, so I looked over to Kas and Asta and nodded my head.
I couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to attack. I knew there could be more guys in the back of the cart, but it was a risk I was willing to take.
Still, we had the element of surprise, and I didn’t think we should waste it, so I grabbed my dagger from my boot and looked at Asta.
The elf girl smiled wide and nodded eagerly, and then we each held up our weapons and took aim.
I chose the man with the blond hair. It seemed only fitting for him to get taken out by a dagger since he thought he was so good with them.
I pulled the blade back just behind my shoulder, and then I threw it forward with a quick flick of my wrist that sent it flying in a straight line toward the man.
The dagger was something I always carried on me, just in case my blade got knocked out of my hand. That was no longer an issue since I had a blade I could summon with dragonfire, but it was an old habit.
The small blade hurtled toward the man just as he spun
around to try and catch his dagger again. The weapon nailed him right between the eyes, and the blade of it dug deep into his skull.
For a second, his deep-yellow eyes crossed, but then his body went limp and tumbled to the ground. His dagger hit the forest floor, too, and I smiled when I thought about how much he’d hate that.
Then I reminded myself that I had to keep one of these arseholes alive if I was going to try and get any information out of them.
Asta’s axe hit the dark blue-haired man square in his chest. He dropped his pipe, and a final puff of smoke burst out through his lips as he slowly slid down the side of the cart.
“What the fuck?” the black-haired man snarled as he yanked his sword from its sheath.
“Rieber,” another voice called from inside the cart. “Everything okay out there?”
“Fuck, no! Get your ass out here, we’ve got company.” Rieber looked around quickly as he took his fighting stance, and then he raised his voice. “Come out, you arsehole!”
This guy was clearly scared, so I took a step out from behind the trees.
“I’m looking for dragons,” I said coldly.
“You’re lookin’ for a blade to the chest,” the man sneered.
“I think your friend already found that.” I smiled and gestured at the man with the axe in his chest.
“You fucker,” the black-haired elf hissed, and he let out a war cry as he ran toward me with his sword extended out.
“Shite!” the same voice from the cart called, and I looked at the entrance and saw two more men standing there.
“Girls!” I shouted.
“We’re on it!” Kas assured me just as Blar landed on my shoulder.
“Go ahead and take them out.” I grinned at the man running toward me. “I think I’ll hang onto this one for a while.”
I let the girls take the two men who’d come from the cart while I focused on the dark-haired elf. He ran at me full speed, but I quickly side-stepped and swung my blade at his legs.
The man was agile, though, and he hopped over my sword just in time to keep his shins.
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