Chapter Nine #2
A crease formed between her brow, and the sea-colored dragon chirped, dismissing the black, then twisted back toward us. Brilliant eyes locked on me, widening with a soft intake of breath.
Something about her gnawed at me. Dragons confounded expectations, and understanding them fell to Nienna. Still, this one tracked me.
Why?
Her tongue clicked once, then she broke the stare to scan the ranks. Teeth bared, she snapped at the air, interest sharpening as soldiers wrestled their bolting horses.
“Keep her in check, Prince,” I warned.
“We can feed her sheep at the next village,” Nienna said, easing her body between the beast and my men, as if her presence alone could dissuade an attack.
Ronan shot me a hard look as Gyrak lumbered forward, a growl rolling from his chest that scraped along my bones. “She’s a dragon. She eats what she chooses. No one tells her otherwise.”
“Were she in Draconia,” Nienna stepped closer to her brother, sparks flaring in her gaze, “you would never speak that way. Here, we may encourage patience. She can wait for sheep.”
He scoffed, shaking his head as if the rebuke meant nothing.
“She’s starving. That flight would tax a bull, let alone a female.
If she passed through the storm, she won’t want to fly again soon.
” He dragged his goggles down over his eyes and turned away.
Gyrak lowered his massive form, attempting to herd Tsunami from the press of men and restless horses.
“How far to the next village?” Nienna asked, watching Ronan retreat.
“A few hours by horse. They grow closer together near Lon.”
“I ask that we stop there for the night.” Uncertainty threaded her voice, as if she knew the cost of the request. “He’s right.
She’s exhausted—too tired for sustained flight.
We could force her into the air, but the last thing Radaan needs is an irate dragon.
” Her teeth caught her lower lip before she stilled herself and glanced at the men behind us.
“With sheep and rest, she may be more… receptive.”
To stop now meant losing time. Lon would gain half a day to brace for my arrival.
Yet the Dragon’s Heart knew her kind.
“You don’t have to ask.”
The tension in her brow eased, lips lifting in a restrained smile. Were we not standing before a gathered host, I would have kissed her, if only to assure her further. My hands ached to pull her close, to quiet the fear of rejection beneath her words. She knew me well enough to ask anyway.
“You are the Draconis Queen of Radaan,” I said, a small smile breaking free. “You command, and it shall be done.”
I took her hand and guided her back toward the horses while the dragons bickered behind us. The earth trembled. Fallione released a thin, uneasy breath as the beasts launched skyward, their screams and roars rolling loud enough to carry all the way to Lon.
Seafoam-green wings pooled across the ground. Tsunami’s snoring rattled the air louder than a mammoth’s charge. After devouring three sheep—paid for from my royal coffers—she collapsed into deep sleep.
Nienna stretched, lifting her body from Tsunami’s flank. Her smile was bright, unburdened, promising.
“She’s content?” I asked, nodding toward the massive beast.
“She’ll be tired tomorrow, but fed and on the mend.” My wife looped her arm through mine, resting her head against my shoulder. “Though it should be easier now to convince her to follow Gyrak’s lead.”
We had tucked ourselves away from the men and the village, a safe distance that kept her from frightening the horses—or my soldiers.
“I worry she might go rogue,” I murmured into her hair, curling an arm around her to draw her close. My muscles ached, my mind spun with calculations for the arrival at Lon, but I tried to savor this small calm.
“Concerned she’ll snack on a Radaanian soldier?” she teased. “She’s eaten a man before.”
“She had good reason to.” If anyone dared to threaten Nienna again, I’d gladly let the beast devour him.
“Ah, so I should tell her she can eat the men when it’s justified? What if they get in her way? That’s reason enough for a dragon.”
I blinked down at her, deadpan.
She laughed, pressing her head against my shoulder. “Fret not. Dragons don’t make a habit of eating people.”
“How reassuring,” I muttered, eyes flicking to the massive fangs peeking from soft, leathery lips.
“She’s strange,” Nienna said with a sigh. “Those raised in Draconia respect humans. Those without bonds fly south; the islands are too small for them. They bicker and fight for territory, but there’s none to spare, so Argos chases them off. Tsunami stayed of her own accord.”
She shifted, weight curling over her feet. “No dragon has ever flown to the continent willingly. They fear the waters. She had to have followed us.”
“She didn’t follow you before. What changed?”
“You.”
My eye twitched. I frowned at the sleeping creature. “I feel no different. No change in thought, no voices in my mind–”
“She’s not bonded to you,” Nienna cut in, sliding a hand over my chest, peering up at me. “I’d know. And so would you. Perhaps she sees something in you—something that calls to her.”
I smirked. “The dragons say I smell different.”
“Like dirt.” She laughed. “Tsunami’s never noticed Radaanian ambassadors before, but maybe your arrival was too new, too exciting. She latched on, like a cat toying with a feather.”
She really did act like an overgrown barn cat.
“So, in essence, her being here is my fault—and she’s harmless.”
“I didn’t say that.”
I raised a brow. “You’d do well to assure me I don’t need to ask your brother to chase her back across the sea.”
The setting sun caught the flicker in her ocean eyes, dark and infinite as the waters themselves.
“Dragons aren’t safe,” she said, choosing her words with care.
“But I think she’ll follow Gyrak. If she harms anyone, he’s big enough to correct her.
My bigger concern is her roaming Radaan—causing mischief.
Right now, we need to focus on Lon and Reem.
Not a wandering dragon stealing cattle or chipping away at the fragile trust your people have granted me. ”
Pride warmed my heart. She’d already sensed their lingering stares, measured their thin loyalty. Soldiers respected her because of their devotion to me and the visible blessing of Elohios.
But the nobles? The high court?
I needed them to see she was favored by gods and dragons alike. And to prove that, I needed these beasts to reclaim Reem—not harass my men.
“You worry about your dragons,” I said, tightening my hold. “I’ll worry about our people.”