Hidden Army
“Guess I don’t need to worry about you being scared of heights if you have a dragon of your own.” Jade grinned.
I smiled, thinking of the last flight Vasin and I had gone on.
“Flying is addicting, isn’t it? Come on, let’s get you up.”
Not waiting for me to even attempt to get off the ground on my own, Jade wrapped his calloused hands around mine and pulled me up so I could hobble my way over to Tahir, then he grabbed my hips and hoisted me onto Tahir’s back. The heat from his hands lingered on my skin as he climbed up behind me.
“We have to assume they’re part of whatever this plan is. They could even be holding the crown prince. Best to be ready for anything,” I advised, trying to keep my mind off how he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me steady against his chest.
“Trust me, Tahir and I are all too familiar with stealth missions,” Jade whispered, his warm breath brushing against my ear, making me shiver.
If Jade noticed, he didn’t comment, partly because Tahir bound forward a few strides before his wings lifted us off the ground, and the familiar sensation of flying took over. I could see the wide river slicing its way across the land, a stark boundary between the two kingdoms.
I thought back to the maps my father and I used for our lessons and battles.
Where Norden was mountainous and lush with vegetation, Errit had deep valleys and harsher lands with poor soil.
Errit made its fortune by mining the minerals found in the land rather than being able to use what was on top of it.
I couldn’t figure out what good would come from trying to involve Errit.
There had been no love between the kingdoms for many generations—Errit was always trying to push the borders to get some of our fertile land—but their army wasn’t strong enough to battle against dragons, and ours was the only kingdom that had them.
“Look over to the left… see the smoke?” Jade asked. This time he was so close his lips brushed my ear. I jumped at the contact, causing him to hold me tighter.
“You all right there, little bird?” He chuckled, apparently amused by my reaction.
I was glad he couldn’t see my face because I knew it would clearly show my embarrassment.
“I’m fine,” I said, clearing my throat, trying to get the husky rasp out of my voice. “We should check it out. Can Tahir land in a forest this dense?”
“He’ll manage just fine,” Jade responded confidently.
As Tahir maneuvered for the landing, I was grateful for Jade’s strong arms keeping me from falling off as we came to an abrupt halt amid the trees.
As quickly as I could, I slid down Tahir’s side, careful to land on my good leg.
I needed to be free of Jade’s arms. Tahir snuffled at me, and I absently scratched his neck behind his jaw, where Vasin always enjoyed it.
Tahir hummed his thanks, butting his head into my hip.
“You have a way with dragons, little bird. I’ve never seen Tahir so trusting of another person before,” Jade said as he came up beside me.
“Have you met many other people pair-bonded with a dragon before?”
“I’ve met my fair share,” Jade said evasively. “Come on… the smoke was coming from this direction.”
Jade’s reluctance to answer my question intrigued me. The only other pair-bonded I’d met were at the hatching, and after that, I’ve never had the chance to interact with them again.
We walked in silence, not wanting to alert anyone to our presence.
Cole had drilled into me the skill of walking stealthily, but it was much harder to do with a weak leg.
Jade tried to assist me, but I shook off his hand.
I didn’t want to be seen as the weak link.
I’d been working toward this for the better part of the past five months—to be an asset, not a hindrance, on a job.
Finally, we were close enough to hear the low murmur of voices.
Peering through the branches, I was shocked to see an army of men sleeping.
Some were huddled around fires, while others were wrapped in blankets scattered throughout the trees.
I counted roughly about two hundred men from my vantage point.
Some of the men had the hardened, tell-tale look of warriors, while others seemed to be wearing the threadbare clothes of street thieves and cutthroats.
Nothing about this made any sense to me. There had to be more to it.
Amidst the men, three simple pole tents were erected—two smaller tents and one larger one I would guess held the leader of this group of men.
Just as I was about to motion for Jade and I to back away, Richard stumbled out of the large tent, falling to the ground.
I could feel my anger flare at the sight of him and his betrayal of me and our people.
Following right behind him was a man I didn’t recognize.
He seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place why I felt that way.
His dark hair, sharp features, and deep blue eyes made him a striking figure.
His clothes marked him as Erritian and had me looking at the men again.
Sure enough, they all had the prominent clothing style of that kingdom.
“Why did you even bother to come back if you failed?” the noble barked at Richard, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and dragging him off the ground. “How could you have lost her?! Care to explain to me how you are going to goad the mercenaries into this battle now?”
“There was no way I could fight a dragon with those two idiot cutthroats you sent with me,” Richard argued, pulling himself free of the man.
“Henry, there is no way she survived the wagon crashing into the river… the bitch can’t even swim.
As long as she’s dead, the plan will still work.
They will retaliate once I give them the pieces of her body that I find.
All is not lost. We still have your brother, and that is what we need to get your parents in the fight. ”
Henry’s hand whipped out, slapping Richard across the face.
“How dare you call me by my given name, you traitorous rat. You should be thankful I’m letting you live after losing such an important pawn.
Maybe I need to be more persuasive next time to ensure the job gets done.
It would be a shame to ruin you. You’ve become one of my favorite toys of late, you know. ”
Richard fell to his knees before the man, bowing his head. “I apologize. I spoke out of turn, My King. I am your loyal servant, and even without the power of your Birthright, I would follow you to Hell.”
I felt my eyes widen as Henry looked down at him with a cruel smile. Then he lifted Richard’s chin to kiss him soundly on the mouth, causing me to gasp. Jade slapped his hand across my face, covering my mouth before I made any other noise that would give us away.
“See that you don’t disappoint me again. Now go find her body so we can finish the plan. Then I can leave this rustic shithole of a dwelling and be back in the castle where I belong. Too long have I been forced into exile,” Henry snarled, turning on his heel and entering the tent again.
“My men to me!” Richard bellowed, waking up the men who’d been sleeping through the whole exchange. “Get your gear and head out. We have a mercenary queen to find, a crown prince to kill, a war to start, and a rightful heir to put on the throne.”
I suddenly realized who Henry reminded me of—King Edward. I made to move closer to the activity, but Jade dragged me away from the camp and didn’t let go until he thought we were safe to talk.
“Did you know there was an exiled heir to the throne?” I burst out. “How did he manage to get an army of men from Errit? How did no one know this was happening?”
“If the Queen of Mercenaries didn’t know about it, why would you assume I have that information?” Jade asked, not answering my questions.
Flopping to the ground, I sat with my head between my knees, trying to process everything I’d just witnessed.
Over the past few months, I’d become so reliant on having Vasin around to talk through things that not having him was like missing a limb. With his vast knowledge, he understood the world better than I did. Heck, even Cole and Abbott would have been more helpful in this situation than I was.
“Are we going after the crown prince?” Jade inquired, cutting into my thoughts.
I looked up at him, searching his face, trying to get a feel for the man I hardly knew. He was a sworn member of the mercenaries, and he was pair-bonded to a dragon, but I was still getting a feeling there was more to him than I was seeing.
“What are your skills?” I asked, ignoring his question.
Jade stiffened for just a moment before he shook it off. His body relaxed as if my question hadn’t bothered him. “I have many skills, little bird. Ask me what you really want to know.”
My brows furrowed, not liking how he saw right through me. “Can I trust you?”
“Can anyone be trusted?”
“Stop doing that,” I snapped. “Answer the question.”
“I believe actions speak louder than words, and I would much rather prove to you I can be trusted. Now, are we going to save the crown prince or not, Your Majesty?” Jade asked with a little bite to his tone.
Apparently, he didn’t like his loyalty to the clans being questioned.
I didn’t like pushing people, but this was no longer about saving myself and returning home in one piece.
There was much more on the line now. If we didn’t stop this, the outcome would wipe out the mercenaries and many other innocents along the way.
I rose to my feet and locked eyes with Jade, channeling the confidence that Abbott, Cole, and Becka kept telling me I had.
“Yes, Jade. We are going to save the prince and stop a war. You in?”
Jade’s eyes flashed with something dangerous, and he gave me a toothy grin that would have worried me if I didn’t know he was on my side. “Hell yeah, little bird. I’m all in.”