Chapter Fifteen #2
Cold water bit my skin as I scrubbed my face, leaving me shivering. “I’ll be ready.”
He crossed the tent and met my gaze in the mirror. His eye twitched. And this time, he didn’t bother hiding it. Fingers brushed my hair aside, and he kissed my neck without breaking eye contact.
“You’ll do beautifully.” His breath warmed my soul as his arms closed around me.
“This is important,” I whispered, catching my lip between my teeth. “I was raised for court intrigue, not armies. And Tallon—that storming eel gets under my skin. He expects you to surrender? Is he truly that foolish?”
His mouth curved as he spoke into my hair. “You command dragons. You sank an entire fleet. My only concern is that we capture him alive before one of your beasts decides to eat him to impress you.”
A laugh slipped free as I leaned into his chest. “I wouldn’t object.”
“Neither would I,” he said. “But there’s order for a reason. He must stand trial. If he hangs afterward—or burns—that’s justice.”
“Oh, to be a simple commoner.” I forced a dreamy sigh. “No reputations to uphold. No crowds to appease.”
He kissed the back of my head. “It’s not our lot.”
Once he finished washing, Freya entered to dress me. She laid out two gowns. One draped low across my shoulders. The other followed the Draconis cut, high-collared and severe. I lifted the Radaanian green, collarbone bare, partly to spite Tallon—and remind him of what he discarded.
“The other,” Kallias said, shrugging into his overcoat. His gaze lingered on my throat before darkening. “Cover your neck. Egath may be present.”
He left me room to refuse. A flicker of doubt crossed his face, as if he feared overstepping by choosing for me.
But he understood the Velli.
“This one,” I said, selecting the white and gold gown. It echoed his armor, though not the green of his coat. “Why the neck?”
Lines deepened beside his eyes. “The Velli hear blood. Their attention lingers at the throat and wrists. Cloth dulls the call. As if it muffles the sound.”
I hummed, fingers stroking the soft fabric.
Freya took it from me and began dressing me.
Kallias’ words lingered. If Tallon truly carried Velli blood, he might share that hunger.
Memories followed. Egath’s voice in my veins.
The itching beneath my skin. The same unease the bastard prince always stirred.
When my handmaid finished, I settled the Mantle of Radaan over Kallias’ shoulders.
Gold plates overlapped and gleamed, newly polished.
Leaves and living patterns etched into the yoke caught the light.
I fastened each chain, feeling his defenses rise with every clasp.
With the final link, I drew his mouth down to mine.
He stilled, lips barely responding.
“I’ll meet you at the front,” I whispered.
Silver threaded his hair. Severe brows framed storm-dark eyes. His jaw set, ready to face an army. The mantle sealed him away. Duty eclipsed all else.
He nodded once and strode from the tent, Greaves at his side.
“Quickly now,” I urged Freya.
Her fingers moved with swift precision, plaiting a crown of delicate braids while leaving the rest loose to fall down my back. Once finished, she helped me into my mantle. My chest tightened beneath its weight, the absence of Kallias sharp and immediate.
Readying a queen took longer than readying a king. He had Fallione to see to, and troops to command.
When I was prepared, I dismissed Freya to the rear of the camp. Four guards in heavy plate fell in behind me as I threaded through the tents toward the field where Tsunami and Gyrak had slept. The soldiers kept their distance.
Seeing all seven beasts glimmering beneath the rising sun stirred a fierce pride I barely restrained. The riders crouched nearby, idly scoring the dirt with sticks while their dragons huffed and clicked above them in their own rough cadence.
Gyrak swung his black head toward me and released an excited trill. Tsunami snapped upright beside him. She rose onto her hind legs, wings flaring wide. Gyrak hissed and cracked his teeth at her. She snarled back, then folded her wings with visible reluctance and dropped to all fours.
“Nienna,” Ronan called, pushing to stand. Goggles perched in his unruly hair, his grin bright and unguarded.
“Brother. Riders,” I said in greeting, closing the distance. Lines and dots crossed the dirt at their feet, some crude map I couldn’t decipher at a glance.
“Erwin, has Ronan explained your task?” I asked.
The tall man straightened, goggles hanging at his throat. “He has, Your Majesty. Artorious will take to the sky and follow Gyrak’s lead.”
“Be ready to dive if needed,” I called to the ivory-horned black.
He huffed, arching his neck, his pupil narrowing in acknowledgment.
I turned to the soldiers shadowing me. “Step back.”
They hesitated.
“That was not a request.”
Without Kallias present, uncertainty lingered around me like a fog. Perhaps they carried orders to stay close. Still, there was no safer place on Radaan’s soil than where I stood, ringed by dragons.
Steel helms hid their expressions, but they retreated several paces.
“I expect this to go poorly,” I said to the riders. “Before the day ends, dragonfire will be necessary. When it comes to the soldiers lined up on the plains, their lives are forfeit. Show no mercy.”
Ronan tilted his head, a smirk pulling at his mouth.
“The city shall be spared as much as possible.” I met each rider’s gaze in turn. “Destroy weapons and enemy forces inside Reem if needed, but stay clear of the houses. Leave the villages untouched. Once Kallias enters the city, your only task is to cover him.”
My voice carried as I tipped my head back, addressing the dragons.
All but Tsunami would understand. “Radaan’s people may know true terror today, but I will give them no reason to hate us.
You are not instruments of cruelty. Your duty is to protect Kallias, me, and those loyal to us.
You were brought here to destroy Radaan’s adversaries.
Traitors stand beside the Velli. Both are our enemies. ”
“Follow my lead once we’re airborne.” Ronan gestured to the dirt. “We stick to the plan. No one flies over the ballistas alone. Coverage at all times. Erwin, disable them, then fire the purple flare.”
Erwin tossed a small violet satchel into the air, caught it, and tucked it away. “Yes, sir.”
“Hopefully Tsunami will follow our lead,” Ronan added, pointing at the green dragon with his stick. “But once we start torching everything, I can’t babysit her.”
She snarled and lunged, teeth flashing.
Gyrak and Elmo moved in, hemming her in. She screamed and whipped around them, jaws wide. Elmo bellowed into her face; the reprimand unmistakable.
“I don’t know what to make of her,” I murmured. “Give her space.”
The ground shuddered as the two bulls withdrew, grumbling. She lashed her tail, its shadow cutting across me.
“Tsunami!” I shouted above her rage, and her jaws snapped shut.
She lifted her head high, then arched back toward me and sniffed, as if only now noticing my presence.
“Please—stay with the others.” I smiled despite myself. Words meant little to her, but intent carried weight.
A deep click rolled from her throat. She shuffled closer and lowered her muzzle until it hovered above my head.
I pressed my palm to her warm scales, a thin defense should she decide to eat me. “I need you with them.”
She drew in a long breath. Hot air blasted my braids, and embers danced between her lips. Her pupil widened, then shrank, scent and thought working behind it.
Ronan scoffed. “There’s no reasoning with her.”
I lifted a shoulder, the mantle’s scales shifting with the motion. “Perhaps. But she understands more than we give her credit for.”