“It won’t matter if she does,” Ásta smugly boasted. “A dragon’s flame means nothing to a Kyvich.” Ren stepped forward; the handsome Eastland dragon looked so very tired that Dagmar worried about him. But Keita had come here with her grand ideas about rescuing her nieces and nephew, so whether she noticed the wear on her friend was anyone’s guess. “On my word and the honor of my family, those children wil be protected with the dying breaths of my kin, if need be.”
“I believe you,” Dagmar said. “But Commander Ásta—”
“Their leader’s Magick is strong, but not as strong as mine.” Ren said, sounding surprisingly cocky—Dagmar assumed that was because he was too tired to hide his natural dragon-based arrogance. “And she knows it.”
“What I know,” Ásta warned, stepping closer to Ren, “is that I do not fear any dragon. Even the Snow dragons out of the Ice Lands stay out of the path of the Kyvich—and I can assure you they are stronger than you could ever dream, foreigner.”
“I’m the foreigner?”
Dagmar raised her hands. “If we could al calm down—”
Ásta slapped her hands together. Dagmar saw nothing, but the way that Talaith’s eyes grew wide and she pushed away from the table, Dagmar knew something Magickrelated was happening in front of her. “Perhaps it’s time you learn your place, foreigner. And remember that no one takes those children anywhere without our permission.”
Ren raised his hand and Talaith scrambled to her feet. “Stop it! Both of you!” Dagmar stil couldn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be affected by it. “I’d like us al to calm down,” Dagmar began. “Before this gets out of—”
The war-room door slammed open and the Dragon Queen of the Southlands swept in. She held Talan in her arms and had Talwyn hanging from her neck. The queen seemed to be the one being who could calm the children down without doing anything. None of them, however, had figured out how she managed that.
“There you al are. I’ve been searching for you for at least two minutes! The only ones to greet me were Ebba and my darling grandchildren.” She grinned at the boy in her arms. “So adorable!”
“Mother—” Keita began.
“What’s going on?” Rhiannon asked, her eyes seeing what Dagmar’s never could. “Oh, honestly. You children.” She flicked the fingers of her left hand and Ásta flew back, hitting the wal hard. Ren gasped, dropping to his knees.
“Ren!” Keita ran to her friend’s side, putting her arms around his shoulders.
“It’s gone,” Ren said through hard pants. “The portal. It’s gone. She’s closed it.”
“Opening a doorway in my territory without my permission?” Rhiannon accused. “You should know better, Ren of the Chosen. But I’m assuming it was my daughter’s idiotic idea.”
“I was trying to help, you crazed viper!”
“Don’t bellow at me, demon spawn!” She pointed at Ásta. “And you! Don’t threaten anyone without my permission, barbarian witch.”
“Is there a reason you’re here, my lady?” Dagmar asked, knowing the Dragon Queen hadn’t come down here to simply entertain Dagmar. And gods, Dagmar was quite entertained. “Or just dropping by for your weekly torture?” The queen smirked and answered, “We have a problem, little barbarian.”
“Bigger than the Western Tribes descending upon us as we speak? Which they are, according to Keita.”
“Aye. Bigger than that. I heard from Morfyd. . . . Annwyl’s gone.”
Keita pressed her hand to her chest. “Annwyl’s . . . dead?”
“Did I say dead? I don’t think I said dead.”
“Then what the hel s did you say?”
“Again with the yelling?”
“My liege . . .” Dagmar pushed.
“She’s gone,” Rhiannon said again. “As in Morfyd woke up one day and Annwyl was gone.”
“Kidnapped?” Talaith asked.
“No. Just gone. Along with Izzy and Branwen.”
Talaith’s eyes grew wide in panic at the mention of her eldest daughter. “That crazed bitch took Izzy?” Rhiannon pursed her lips. “Ooops. Bercelak warned me not to tel you that part.”
“But you did! You did tel me!”
“Now you’re yel ing at me?”
Dagmar stood. “Everyone stop. Right now.” She motioned to Ásta. “Commander, if you would excuse us.” Trying to shake off whatever Rhiannon had done to her, Ásta got to her feet and walked to the door.
“And could you take the children back to Ebba please?”
The children jumped down from their grandmother and charged out of the room, Ásta fol owing and closing the door behind her while Keita helped Ren into a chair.
Once al had calmed down, Dagmar looked to the She-dragon queen in human form. “Now, my liege. Perhaps you could explain what the battle-fuck is going on.”
Rhona kissed her father good-bye and left him at the base of the large hil he cal ed home. He didn’t like staying at Devenal t Mountain, had no desire to reside by the lake with the Cadwaladr Clan, and he didn’t like sleeping in a bed like a human. So he found and dug out his own place in a hil no more than ten miles or so from the Garbhán Isle gates and was as happy as any dragon could be. Her father was an uncomplicated male, easily pleased but just as easily annoyed. And, like most of his volcano-loving kind, he was even more solitary than the Fire Breathers.
Walking through the nearby town, desperate to get to sleep, she passed a pub. It sounded as if everyone inside was having quite a good time, but she kept walking. She wanted to be up early tomorrow and on her way before the two suns were high in the sky.
And Rhona knew what would happen if she went into that pub. Wel , what would happen besides the drinking.
The pub door slammed open and Rhona picked up her step, hoping to get past before she was—
“Rhona!”
Strong hands grabbed hold of her and hauled her into the pub. Her aunts and uncles were nowhere to be seen, but the majority of her cousins, mostly the females, were in attendance.
Rhona was forced into a chair and a pint of ale shoved into her hand.
“Drink!” one cousin cheered. “And tel us al about the violence at the front!”
“Nothing happens here,” another cousin complained. “For five years, no one’s done anything and Mum won’t let me go to the Val ey. ‘You’re needed here,’ she says. Here for what? Watching those demon spawn twins grow tal er and meaner every day?” She leaned in and drunkenly whispered—which was real y screaming—“And by the gods those two are so bloody mean!”
“Any new scars?” another asked.
“That Lightning you came in with . . . he’s a big buck. You f**k him yet? If you didn’t, are you going to? ’Cause ... you know.” Rhona lifted her ale to her lips and drank it al in one gulp. Then she motioned to the barmaid and demanded another, her cousins cheering when she did.
Vigholf escorted his mother to the front steps outside the Great Hal . They’d had dinner in his room, had gone for a walk around the grounds, and during al that had talked for hours. Tonight she’d stay in the castle so they could enjoy breakfast together in the morning before he left.
With so many sons, Davon always managed to show each of them how much they were loved. Although they’d al known she had a special place in her heart for Ragnar. But Vigholf had understood that. Since Ragnar had hatched, their father had made it his business to crush Ragnar’s soul rather than harness the dragon’s power. Perhaps because Olgeir had known from the beginning that of al his offspring, Ragnar would be the one to bring him down.
“I’m so glad we had this time together,” Davon told him before they went up the stairs.
“Me too. But this should al be over soon enough.” Vigholf glanced down at his feet before asking the question that had been bothering him and his brothers. “And once this is over . . . wil you come home?”
Davon blinked wide blue eyes. “Of course! Why would you think any different?”
He shrugged. “You weren’t with the Horde of your own free wil , Mum. I know that. So I can understand if you’d rather not come back.”
“But I wil . Because my sons are there. My grandsons. And you, your brothers—you’ve made it different now.”
“It’s real y been Ragnar.”
“He wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without you and your brothers and Meinhard. And I’ve never hated the Northlands. I love it there. I merely hated your father—and he’s dead now.” Gods. She sounded so . . . perky.
“If you’re sure.”
“Of course I am. Now”—she took his hands into hers—“stop worrying about me. I’m perfectly safe here. I just want you to go back and help your brother win against those awful Irons.”
“I wil , Mum. Promise.”
“Good. So . . .” His mother looked off and frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think your weak little friend could use some help.”
Vigholf looked across the courtyard, and there was Rhona, leading her female kin toward the side door that would lead them back to the nearby lake. It wasn’t an easy task, though, when She-dragons kept breaking off from the group and trying to make a run for it.
“Give me a moment, Mum.”
“I’m going to bed, so take your time,” she laughed.
Rhona caught hold of another cousin and yanked her back to the group.
Gods, she didn’t have time for this. She should be in bed, getting a few hours’ sleep before the suns rose and she returned to the armies in the val ey. What she shouldn’t be doing was dragging her kin from a brawl—that they started—in the middle of the nearby pub and trying to get them to bed.
When did that become her job?
Once Rhona got one cousin back in line with the others, another cousin made a run for it. Where were they running to? Most likely back to the pub for more drink and more fights. But before her cousin could get far, the Lightning was there, swooping up the She-dragon in one arm.
“Need help, Sergeant?” he teased.
Although Rhona would like to tel him no, she couldn’t afford to at the moment.
“I just need to get them back to the lake. The aunts wil take care of them from there.”
“I can help with that. But what wil I get out of it?”
Annoyed, she snapped, “Not to get my fist shoved up your—”
“Now, now. Let’s not get nasty, Fire Breather.”
“Are you helping or not?”
He picked up another one of her straying cousins in his free arm and motioned to her. “Lead the way, Babysitter.”
“I hate that nickname.”
“I know you do,” Vigholf laughed. “I know you do.”
Rhona may hate the nickname Babysitter, but she had to see how it fit her. At least that’s how Vigholf felt as he watched the She-dragon chase down one of her cousins and tackle her to the ground. Once Rhona had her pinned, she grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back to the lakeside.