“Well,” Crystin said, “we’ll be staying here at least the night so I hope you’ll have time for dinner and a little chat about old . . .”
Crystin’s words faded away as three male dragons in human form walked out of the Main Hall doors. Addolgar didn’t recognize them, but Caron ran up the stairs and threw herself into one of the dragons’ arms.
“Daddy!”
Crystin crossed her arms over her chest and gawked up the stairs at her mate. “What the hells are you lot doing here?”
“Oh,” Shalin said, smiling, “when I heard from Addolgar that all of you were safe and coming back to the Southlands together, I sent out messengers to retrieve your mates since I knew they were part of the troops camped not too far from here. Isn’t that fortuitous?”
“Aye,” Crystin muttered. “So very fortuitous.”
The three males glowered down the sta
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“I did, too,” Éibhear continued to complain. “But apparently my father had other ideas.”“It was either that,” Addolgar shot back at the boy, “or let Bercelak cut off your head like he planned!”Éibhear, human and dressed in chain mail and the surcoat of some long-dead army, put his hands on his hips. “Why? Because I didn’t agree with the old bastard?”“You’re a soldier!” Addolgar yelled. “You don’t agree. You don’t disagree. You follow orders!”The boy raised his hands in th
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And what was she? Her lip almost curled. She was nothing but Braith of the Darkness. Destroyer of a single city that no dragon had ever heard of.How was that impressive to someone like Addolgar? Revered Dragonwarrior. Loved by his army comrades—dragon and human—and considered one of the “nice” Cadwaladrs of their Clan. The only other nice Cadwaladr was Addolgar’s father, Ailean the Wicked.Truth be told, it was Addolgar’s good nature that warmed Braith’s hard heart more than anything else. Not only because he was kind to her when even her own father was not, but also because he was kind to all he was not against in war.Glancing over at his battling siblings, Addolgar said low, “Sorry about my brother, Braith. He can be a bit of a prat.”“Yeah,” she said into her chest. “I know.”“What did he come over here for anyway?” Since, apparently, they both knew he’d never walk this way to see Braith.“Rhiannon, I believe.”“Ahhhh. I see.” Addolgar laughed. “His obsession with her is so ridic
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“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 shoulde
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Addolgar’s head tipped to the side. “But your father’s loyal to the Queen, is he not?”“My father is loyal to my father. I have always made sure never to forget that.”From the camp they could hear Lady Katarina calling out to Addolgar. Something about tea. Braith hated tea.“We’ll be eating soon,” Addolgar said.“I’ll be there in a bit,” Braith replied, turning her body back around to face the lake.Addolgar stood and began to head back to camp. But he stopped just before stepping into the trees.“Want me to save you some ox?” he asked kindly. Why did he have to be so bloody nice? Braith didn’t even bother to turn around. “No, thank you.”She heard him walk off, which wasn’t really hard since he stomped like a moose. Once she knew she was alone, she let out a long sigh.Briefly, she entertained the thought of breaking her oath to the Queen and just flying off. It would be easy enough; no one really cared that she was here. No one cared about her at all. But she knew she couldn’t do