The Penardduns, however, had a longer trip back home and invited themselves to stay at the castle for the night. Something Addolgar knew his father wouldn’t mind . . . but Addolgar couldn’t speak for his mother. She just thought they were coming for dinner.
They entered the courtyard and found his mother and father waiting for them on the steps.
Shalin grinned and clapped her hands together when she saw her offspring come through the gates. They always felt her love without her ever saying a word.
Their father, though, was always more . . . chatty.
“We’re so glad you all have your heads!” he announced . . . loudly.
Addolgar stopped at the bottom of the stairs, gazed up at his father. “Gee . . . thanks, Da.”
“Well, what do you want me to say?”
Braith’s aunts pushed past Addolgar and Ghleanna so that they could leer up the stairs at Ailean.
“Ailean,” Crystin called out. “Long time, old friend.”
“Crystin. Owena. Aledwen. Good to see all of you again. As always, the Penarddun She-dragons look beautiful.”
Braith’s aunts grinned widely at the compliment—Owena may have even giggled—while Ailean’s mate and offspring rolled their eyes. Especially Ghleanna, who appeared the most appalled.
“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 stairs at their mates and one of them demanded, “What idiocy did you idiotic lot get me lovely daughters into this time, ya daft cows?”
“Don’t even start!” Aledwen barked back, stomping up the stairs to the Main Hall, her sisters stomping right behind her. The three couples bickered all the way into the castle, but the way the Penarddun offspring didn’t seem to notice or care told Addolgar this was how things went among their parents.
Once the Penardduns had gone inside, Shalin opened her arms and Addolgar went up the stairs to hug her.
“I’m so glad you’re all right.” She pulled back. “How’s your leg?”
When the Lightning had rammed that spear into his leg, Addolgar had done his best to block what was happening from his kin. But his mother always knew. Always.
“It’s fine, Mum.”
“Did you cry like a baby when that Lightning speared you?”
Addolgar scowled at his father. “No. I did not.”
“But you weren’t paying attention, were you, boy?” When Addolgar didn’t reply, Ailean threw up his hands. “How many times must I remind you lot to pay attention? Do you think I’ve been training you since hatching just for my bloody health?”
Shalin pulled away from Addolgar and placed her small hands on Ailean’s arm. “My love, why don’t you go check on our guests? I’m sure Crystin would just love to relive old memories.”
“Fine. You talk to the boy then.”
Once his father had gone back inside, Addolgar said, “I’m leaving.”
But he hadn’t even managed to turn all the way around so he could walk down the stairs before his mother grabbed him by the hair and held on tight.
“Mum!”
“You’re not going anywhere. You and your brothers know how your father is. You know why he does what he does. So why must we go through this over and over again?”
“But—”
“He loves you, Addolgar. He loves all of you. In his own . . . Ailean-like way. He would do anything for you. Never forget that. So do not be a prat and simply remember that I love you more than the suns.”
Knowing there was no point in arguing with the female he loved so much, Addolgar just sighed out, “Thanks, Mum.”
She released his hair, turned him around again so he faced her, and patted his cheek. “You’re welcome, dear.”
Braith, feeling uncomfortable just standing there behind Addolgar while he bickered with his parents, walked off, leaving them to it.
She wandered into one of the horse stalls. At first, she thought maybe these were horses for eating, but then she saw all the saddles and realized that these were horses for riding. Braith walked up to a stall with a large black stallion, resting her arms on the wood gate. It was so strange, wasn’t it? Dragons riding horses to get around even though dragons had wings. But the Cadwaladrs were . . . unique.
“Sorry about that.”
Braith looked over her shoulder at Ghleanna. “About what?”
“My brother and father.”
She shrugged and focused on the horse in front of her. “Doesn’t bother me. Besides . . . my father’s head just got tossed off Devenallt Mountain—it’s not like I have any room to judge how other families get along.”
Ghleanna winced. “Sorry about that, too.”
“It could have been my head.” Braith let out a breath. “Ghleanna . . . ?”
“Mmmhm?”
“I’m worried.”
“About?”
Braith let out another breath and admitted to Addolgar’s sister, “Olgeirsson did not take Lady Katarina.”
“Oh, I know.” She waved all that away. “Addolgar already told me.”
“Wait. You know?”
“Of course I know. My brothers hide nothing from me when it comes to our enemies.”
“And it doesn’t bother you that we may be starting a war based on a lie?”
“What’s the lie? Olgeir may have not taken Katarina, but he took Davon. She’s just as important.”
“I know she is, but . . .”
“But . . . what?”
“Well”—Braith frowned, the realization suddenly hitting her—“if Davon didn’t matter . . . why does Katarina? Because of her father?”
“Doubtful. It probably has more to do with the fact I reminded Addiena that with a war she wouldn’t have to get approval from the Elders for a gods-damn thing.”
Braith gawked at the She-dragon. “What in all the holy hells would make you tell her that for?”
“Brigida ordered me to.” Ghleanna shrugged. “And I don’t want to be a lizard. She can turn anyone into a lizard.”
“I understand not wanting to be a lizard, Ghleanna, but still—”
“Look, a good war cleans out the weak.” She tapped Braith’s chest. “You should come with us to battle. I heard what you did to those Lightnings.”
“Your brother says I have a way with hammers.”
“You should talk to our older brother Rhys then. His name is Rhys the Hammer. He only fights with hammers. He’d get you set up with a nice one.” She pushed her short, black hair off her face. “You in love with my brother, Braith?”
“Rhys? I barely know him.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass, royal.”
“Don’t ask me personal questions, Low Born.”
Ghleanna pointed a finger at Braith. “You better be in love with my brother.”
“You’re ordering me to love your brother?”
“I won’t have his gods-damn heart broken because of you!”
Braith faced her. “Heart broken?” She straightened her back. “Over me?”
“Of course over you,” Ghleanna barked, punctuating it by placing both hands against Braith’s shoulders and shoving.
“Well, he never told me,” Braith snapped and pushed back.
“Maybe you’re just not paying attention, royal.” Shove.
“And maybe you’re just assuming, Low Born.” Shove back.
Ghleanna stopped, sniffed the air. “Oh,” she said, smiling, “my brother’s coming this way. Maybe we’ll just go ask—”
Braith didn’t let her finish. She grabbed the She-dragon by her face and flung her toward the closed back doors of the horse stalls. Ghleanna’s body rammed into and through the wooden doors, landing in the woods on the other side.
By the time Braith turned back around, Addolgar was walking into the stalls from the other open doors.
“There you are,” he said. “Hungry? Food’s on, but you’ll have to move fast or miss out. The Cadwaladrs will descend on that table in a matter of minutes.”
“All right.”
Addolgar studied the damaged back doors. “What happened over there?”
“Got me.”
Braith headed out, but as she crossed the courtyard, Addolgar caught up to her and took her hand into his.
“Addolgar?” she said as they neared the steps.
“Mhmm?”
Braith opened her mouth to tell him what she was feeling but quickly closed it again. She couldn’t. Not without knowing how he really felt. She refused to make a fool of herself.
“What is it?” he pushed.
“My aunts,” she decided to tell him, “want me to come back with them. For a little while. Get to know them and the cousins a bit.”
“Good,” he said. He smiled, his hand briefly squeezing hers. “It’s become painfully obvious to me what you’ve been missing all these years is being with your Penarddun kin. You belong with them.”
“I do.” They reached the stairs, and Braith took the opportunity to pull her hand away. “And what about you?”
“Probably with Bercelak to fight the Lightnings. The three of us—me, Bercelak, and Ghleanna—fight well together.”
“Excellent.” She patted his shoulder before turning and walking up the stairs. As Braith entered the Main Hall, a cheer went up from her kin. Most likely because someone had broken out the ale.
“There she is!” Crystin announced, now comfortably situated on her mate’s lap. “Ailean, you should have seen our girl. Fights just like her mum. Full of ruthless rage and uncontrollable brutality.”
“Would have brought a tear to my eye . . . if I hadn’t been bleeding from it at the time,” Aledwen tossed in.
“Oh, look,” Owena stated, waving toward the door. “It’s The Mountain!”
Addolgar let out a sigh and, cringing, Braith looked up at him and mouthed, Sorry.
“He’ll be coming with us tomorrow, too, Shalin,” Crystin said to Addolgar’s mother. “But don’t worry. We’ll take care of him like he’s one of our own.”
“Hopefully not like one of your own sons,” Shalin muttered.
“It’s not like we kill the males at hatching, so I don’t know why you’re complaining,” Owena snapped.