“Oy,” another voice said. “Did you lot hear?”
Then he was there. As tall as his brother, but wider. Like a mountain of granite inside the mountain fortress.
“Hear what?” Ghleanna asked while still glaring at Bercelak.
“About Davon the Elegant.”
Ghleanna faced her handsome brother. “What about her?”
“Lightnings snatched her from her father’s cave.”
“What?” Ghleanna gasped, clearly shocked.
“Word is it was the Olgeirsson Horde.”
“We should have killed that bastard Olgeir long ago,” Bercelak growled. “The fact that he still breathes offends me.”
“Did you hear of this, Lady Braith?” Ghleanna asked Braith.
“I had not.”
But Braith wasn’t exactly surprised. The Northland dragons did not breed many females, so they were often forced to steal She-dragons from other regions. But She-dragons weren’t helpless victims waiting to be kidnapped, so the Lightnings usually cut off one wing when they took a female so that she could not fly away. And some She-dragons were so shamed by it, they ended up staying in the north with little to no fight. It was the kind of fear that could keep a She-dragon up at night and one of the reasons few knew where Braith lived. In fact, her father believed her cave was nearly fifty leagues away from where it actually was located. Not that she didn’t trust him but . . . no. She was lying. She didn’t trust him.
“Perhaps that’s why the Queen’s asked us here,” Ghleanna suggested. “So that we can track the bastards down and cut their hearts out.”
“I want Olgeir dead as much as you,” Bercelak complained, “but it annoys me that once again we need to run in and rescue the weak royals because they can’t protect themselves.”
Ghleanna rolled her eyes and rammed her fist into her younger brother’s shoulder.
“Ow! What was that for?”
Ghleanna motioned to Braith. “We’re standing next to a royal, you idiot.”
“Does she really count?”
That’s when Bercelak’s brother took notice and cheered, “Braith of the Darkness! You’re looking well!”
I am?
“She is?” Bercelak asked, which got him a shot to the neck from his sister’s tail. He pushed Ghleanna back and the two began fighting. Addolgar ignored them both to focus on Braith.
“It’s been a long time. How have you been doing?”
I’m fine. How are you? You’re looking very handsome today, Addolgar the Handsome, lord of my loins.
At least that was what she’d like to say to him, but instead she came out with, “Yeah, hi.”
Even worse, she said that into her chest because she couldn’t bear to look into those lovely brown eyes. Her tail curled into a circle like a snake caught under the hot sun and her claws curled into tight fists.
Gods, he was handsome. She’d never known such a handsome dragon. His dark silver scales shiny. His fangs bright white and long. His dark silver hair reaching past massive shoulders to powerful muscled forearms.
Handsome!
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 ridiculous. That royal would cut his throat while he slept and laugh while he bled out.”
Braith wished she could defend the princess on that . . . but it was probably true.
“You two friends then?” he asked.
“Not really.”
“Just royal politeness. I get it.”
“Guess you could say that.” Braith cleared her throat, studied her claws against the stone ground, and wondered when this nightmare of awkwardness would end.
“Oy! Addolgar!” his sister called out, now that she had Bercelak in a headlock.
“Looks like I’ve gotta go,” Addolgar said.
“Of course.”
“It was nice seeing you again, Lady Braith.”
“You, too.”
He walked around her and Braith let out a breath, grateful that was over. She hated that she seemed to be such a ridiculous mess around that dragon.
“You. Girl,” her father’s cold voice snapped at her from one of the chambers.
Braith turned toward her father. Perhaps if she could get this over with quickly, she could head home to her quiet, hidden cave with some cattle she could steal from the local farmers.
“Father,” she said as coldly as he’d called to her. “You summoned me?”
Chapter 2
“You didn’t torment her, did you?”
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.”