“No,” Addolgar corrected. “Mine! The old bastard was right. I need to pay attention to what’s going on around me at all times. I can’t let a good set of legs and a pretty smile distract me.”
“Yes, yes,” Braith complained. “Katarina has very nice legs.”
“I don’t mean Katarina, brat. I’m talking about you.”
“Oh.” Braith worked hard not to smile, considering the current situation they were in. “Well, then . . . we definitely have to get you to a healer so that I can continue to enjoy these sorts of compliments.”
“I don’t know any healers in the Outer Plains, Braith.”
“If I can get you over the border . . . I think I know those who can help us.”
“You don’t look very happy about it.”
“Only because I know they have no desire to see me. But that means nothing to me right now.”
“Uh . . . shouldn’t we take this spear out before we head off?”
“We take that spear out, Addolgar, and you’ll be dead before we get out of this passage.”
“Oh,” he replied softly. “All right. Guess we’ll leave it in then.”
Chapter 14
Braith practically had to hold him up the last few leagues of their flight. He could feel his life ebbing from him as every mile passed. But Braith wouldn’t let him go. She wouldn’t allow him to keep telling her to go after her father, or for her to go on ahead of him. Instead, she kept him steady and kept talking to him. He’d never known she could be so chatty before. Then he realized that she wanted to make sure he didn’t pass out.
“Here,” she yelled over the wind they were pushing against. “We’re landing here.”
Addolgar nodded, not in the mood to say anything. They landed in front of a cave opening buried deep in the woods a few leagues from the Southland borders. With his forearm still around her shoulders, Braith led him inside.
“You can rest now,” she said, helping him to a boulder and pushing him against it until he could relax and slide down to the ground.
“I’ll be right back, Addolgar,” she told him, clinging tight to his front claws. “You hold on for me.”
“I have to. I refuse to die with this stupid spear sticking out of my leg.”
She nuzzled his cheek and stood, releasing his claws. He watched her walk off down a passage. And, a few seconds later, he watched several dragons covered in fur from head to claw silently follow right behind her.
Addolgar opened his snout to warn her, but one of the dragons stopped, focused on him, and waved a single talon at him.
At that point, all Addolgar could do was wait. As far as he was concerned, it was the strangers’ funeral pyre because he knew what they would be facing.
Braith hadn’t gotten far from where she’d left Addolgar when she knew that someone was behind her. She sensed the presence because she heard nothing. Felt only the air move as a weapon was brought down toward her.
She followed her instincts and dropped into a crouch, spun with her tail lashing wildly behind her. The one right behind her was tossed onto her back, blue hair tumbling out from under a fur cape, bright green eyes glaring up at Braith. The female never lost her weapon, though. Nor was she alone. There were three others. All young, female, armed, and ready to fight.
Then again, so was Braith.
She reared back and raised her fists. The four females glanced at each other, then dropped their weapons, tossed off their capes, reared back, and raised their fists.
Grinning, Braith nodded—and threw the first punch.
Addolgar heard the familiar sounds of a brawl and opened his eyes to see Braith tossed out of the passage. But she got back to her claws and was ready when the first She-dragon ran at her. Then another. And another. Four altogether attacking Braith. Yet . . . she didn’t seem to mind. She seemed to be having fun. In fact, if he didn’t know better . . . he’d think she’d forgotten about him completely.
She caught a wrist, twisted, and caught a back claw aimed for her face. She yanked both in the opposite direction, and still managed to block a tail to the neck, and a fist to the spine.
Even bleeding to death, Addolgar was impressed.
Braith unleashed her wings and went up to the ceiling holding on to a tail and a fist. Using her wings, she spun in the air, taking the She-dragons with her, and dropped them when she had some speed. Both She-dragons went flying, and Braith landed hard on the ground, panting and grinning—until she saw Addolgar. And the way her grin faded, Addolgar realized something....
“Piss and shit . . . she did forget all about me.”
Gods! What had she done! The only dragon she’d ever wanted to be with and she’d forgotten he was out here . . . dying! Because she had a chance to brawl against She-dragons just as strong and ridiculous as she was!
She was horrible! She was a horrible, horrible She-dragon! She wasn’t even a dragon. No. At this moment, she was like a human. A worthless, pathetic, weak human! Her mother would be so ashamed!
Well . . . her mum would be ashamed of how she’d forgotten about poor Addolgar. But her mother wouldn’t be ashamed of the way Braith slammed her back claw down, catching hold of the tail trying to trip her to the floor while she was busy worrying about poor Addolgar.
Braith reached down, grabbed that tail, and began to ram the She-dragon it was attached to against the cave wall until a voice bellowed out, “What in all of damnation is going on here!”
Startled, Braith released the tail and the She-dragon she’d been battering and faced that bellowing voice.
Another blue She-dragon. Older. Green eyes widening at the sight of Braith.
“Gods. Braith? Little Braith?”
“Hello, Aunt Crystin,” Braith greeted.
Beside her, one of her cousins stood, looked Braith over, and demanded of Crystin, “Little?”
Indignant, Braith glowered at the She-dragon and demanded, “Throwing boulders from that glass cave are we?”
Kin. Now he understood. They were all kin. He could see it now that the fur capes were off and he had nearly ten She-dragons with blue hair, wide shoulders, and startling green eyes, staring intently at him.
“I think he’s already dead,” one of the younger ones observed.
“He is not dead,” Braith snapped.
“Everyone calm down.” An older one carefully examined his wounded leg. “This spear nicked an artery.” She glanced at Braith. “You were smart not to remove this.”
“I was hoping I’d made the right decision. He was in so much pain.”
“He looks familiar to my eyes,” another older She-dragon noted. “Do we know him?”
“He’s Addolgar the Cheerful,” Braith answered. “Of the Cadwaladr Clan.”
The one called Crystin gasped. “Gods. One of Ailean’s offspring?”
Then, in unison, the four older She-dragons sighed out, “Ailean.”
Braith’s back straightened, understanding the smile on her older kin’s faces far too well.
“All of you?” she asked. Actually, it was more a demand.
“Not all at the same time,” the one examining his wound stated. “That would have been wrong.”
“And disgusting,” one of the younger ones muttered.
“He looks quite a bit like his father,” another older one stated. “In the face. Similar snout. Don’t you think, Crystin?”
“I do. But there was just something about that dragon, wasn’t there, sister? Something . . . delicious.”
“You know my father’s not dead, Mum?” one of the younger ones complained. “He may not be here, but you could at least show a bit of respect around his favorite daughter.”
Another young one looked at the first. “Daddy never said you were his favorite.”
“But I know I am.”
“We should move him,” his healer stated, resting back on her haunches. “He needs warmth from a fire, and it’ll take me some time to get this out without killing him in the process.”
Addolgar didn’t know if Braith made a sound or an expression that he missed, but the older one quickly soothed her with, “Do not worry so, Braith. This won’t be the first time I’ve fixed this kind of wound. And all those who’ve come to me have survived. We just need to take care. And I need you to be strong. Understand?”
“I do.”
She nodded. “You have your mother’s strength, child. You’ll be fine.” The healer looked at Addolgar. “I’m Owena. I’ll be taking care of you. And you’ll be fine. Understand, Addolgar?”
“That’s what’s been missing,” Addolgar noted, raising his talon and weakly pointing at Braith.
“Missing?” Owena asked him.
“With Braith. I see it now,” he told them, wanting them to understand, should Owena have her first failure with this type of wound. “She’s home now. It was never her father.” He smiled up at Braith, took her claw in his. “You’re home now.”
Addolgar had other things to say, but he was so tired and everything was going sort of black anyway. It made more sense to close his eyes and stop worrying. So he did.
Braith gripped Addolgar’s claw. “He’s dead,” she gasped.
“He’s not dead,” Aunt Owena told her.
“He looks dead,” one of her cousins muttered.
“Shut up, Heledd.” Owena motioned to them. “Let’s get him inside.”
Together, they all lifted Addolgar—not an easy feat even for them—and carried him deep into the lair of the Penardduns. They placed him in a cavern with a blazing pit fire and a chest filled with Owena’s healing tools.
Braith’s mother had once told her that Owena was more fighter than healer, but someone among them had to do it and Braith’s grandmother had decided it would be Owena.
Once they had Addolgar facedown on a fur bedroll, Owena again examined his wounds and ordered two of the younger females to pull together clean cloth, water, and tools while Crystin grabbed Braith’s forearm.
“Come with me. Now.”
Braith knew what was about to happen. She’d come here out of desperation. That was all. But she’d face anything to save Addolgar. She truly would.
Crystin pulled Braith out of one chamber and into a much larger one. There was an enormous table surrounded by chairs that she assumed were used when the Penardduns were in their human forms. Another aunt, Aledwen, if Braith remembered correctly, walked in from a separate passageway, her eyes widening at the sight of Braith, just as Crystin’s had done.
Aledwen put her claw to her chest. “Gods. For a moment . . .”
“I know, sister,” Crystin said, her gaze on Braith. “I also thought our beloved sister had returned to us. You look so much like your mother, Braith.” Crystin straightened up a bit. “And you came here when you needed help—”
“I’m sorry about that,” Braith quickly cut in. “I know this wasn’t what you wanted, but you were the closest and Addolgar needed help now.”