Chapter 66
Kael
“Stop looking over at the cottage,” Dain said.
We were all sitting around a community fire and some of Lance’s friends had come to join us. There was meat roasting and cold bottles of beer handed out, and yet my attention was somewhere else.
“I’m being very good,” I shot back. “I haven’t gone in there to put the bedrolls on the floor. I—”
“Want to,” he finished smoothly, smiling when Lance laughed. “Want to more than you want that beer.”
Yes, I did. The part of me that was my father wanted to muscle in, take over, claim Fern as mine and leave the scraps for everyone else, but I was more my mother’s son than his.
My family, my wing, it was finally starting to come together, and it killed me to sit here and just wait for it to happen.
Was Lorien doing right by Fern? He wouldn’t rush her, would he?
And he had to make sure she was having a good time, too.
Your mate is very happy right now. Slate sounded both smug, tired, and slightly irritated. She is sleeping in Lorien’s arms after he mated her very thoroughly.
Right. Well, that was a good thing. Lorien had been the one to save the day and—
“Who the hell do those dragons belong to?”
Billy sat up straight, shielding his eyes as the strangers approached, but I was on my feet and so were my brothers.
Slate—
I know.
Muffled roars indicated that they were climbing out of the cave, the other men’s dragons joining the fray.
We had an impressive cluster formed at the entrance to the village, ready to meet these interlopers the moment they landed.
A black dragon, a purple, red, blue, and dark green, did just that, their riders slipping from their backs moments later.
Helmets were pulled off, and that was when Lance and his friends’ expressions changed.
“Draven…?”
“Draven?” I snapped. “Who the hell is Draven?”
The only man with that name I was aware of was the former king. Hands on sword hilts, Dain and I followed the others over to meet the strangers.
“Heard you had a little trouble up at the keep,” a blond-haired man said, walking up to Lance and shaking his hand.
“Could’ve done with some backup,” the lieutenant said in reply, his eyes narrowing.
“We were working our own angles in the background,” a man with close-cropped hair said.
“Looking for the same outcome, just achieved a little more circumspectly,” another man with long, dark hair said.
“Not sure if that would get you the result you were after.”
All eyes turned my way, but it was one set that had me pinned to the spot. I knew exactly how I was responding, because I was sure my look of surprise was mirrored on this man’s face. Those blue eyes, that dark hair, I’d seen them every time I looked into my shaving mirror.
“Oh, this is going to be a problem,” the blond-haired man said, wagging a finger in both our directions.
“Damn right it is,” a gruff man said. “Draven?”
“You’re Draven?” I asked, looking my doppelg?nger over more closely. “The Draven?”
“Draven of Deepacre.” My twin thrust out his hand. “And if I’m not mistaken.” He inspected me closely. “You’re one of my uncle’s by-blows.”
“Kael.” I jerked a thumb my way, then turned to my brother. “Dain—”
“The son of the late Lord Corven,” Draven said, then nodded.
“Apparently you know Lance,” I finished.
“What the hell are you doing in Dragon Rest?” the lieutenant asked.
“Every Harlstonian noble is being called to the capital to decide who the new duke is,” he replied. “We arrived early to get the lay of the land. The king has said the lords must settle on a candidate, or he will appoint someone.”
“Nothing to do with us,” I said with a shrug.
“It’s everything to do with you… Kael,” Draven said.
“A fight is about to break out between some powerful people to determine who gets to rule one of the largest duchies in the country. You, those siblings that Barry squirrelled away near the border.” I sucked in a breath, ready to demand how he learned about my family, but he forged on.
“Are all pawns waiting to be picked up by the big players in the duchy.” He turned to Lance.
“I came to ask you to return to the keep.”
“No, Draven,” Lance said. “I’m not sure where we’ll end up, but it’s not there.”
“No one understands the desire to steer clear of the capital more than me.” Draven shot all of us a dark look. “But when the future of Nevermere is at stake, we all must play our part.”
He shifted his focus back to me.
“Your family lives in Harlston. Who knows better than you, Kael, what happens when a cruel and venal man takes power? Come back to the academy. Reenrol as cadets and help us ensure a fair and just man takes control of our duchy.”
When I looked over at Dain, I noted that both our expressions were grim.
“We have to keep Elsie and the children safe,” he said. “And Fern.”
So we’d need to do whatever this Draven told us to do.
“Our wing will be recognised,” I said, addressing the former king. “We will be housed together. No corp dragon will go within ten feet of Auren unless its with her permission. All those Royal Riders? You’ll make clear that none of them are to try their luck with our wife.”
“Wife?” Draven tilted his head. “Your terms are reasonable and we will ensure the message gets around. General.” Everyone turned to stare at the gruff man. “Seems like you’ve got a corp meeting to organise.”
“Gods help us,” the short-haired man said, rolling his eyes.
Draven’s wing hung around for a while, talking to Lance’s friend, but my focus was on the cottage door when Lorien and Fern emerged. Hair hanging loose over her shoulders, she looked soft, sleepy, and so very precious.
“You wanted adventures?” She stopped when I grabbed her hand and pulled her down on my lap. “How do you feel about helping decide the next Duke of Harlston?”
“Why the hell would we do that?” Lorien asked, flopping down on a log by the fire.
With a sigh, I told them.
“So back to the keep.” Fern frowned slightly, then instantly brightened. “The library!”
“The dorms,” Lorien countered with a groan.
“No dorms for us,” Lance replied. “I’ll ensure we’re all housed together with the officers.”
“Gonna put that insignia back on, are you, Lieutenant?”
He ignored my grin, focussing instead on Fern. Her hand was in his, right before he pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“I became an officer for you. I’ll do that again, if this is a plan you agree with.”
“Well, you do look very smart in your uniform,” she said, leaning closer.
Everyone was talking but Dain and I think he hoped no one would notice.
“You’ve been very quiet. What’re your thoughts on this plan?”
“Nothing too say.” Some of the old, scowly Dain was back. “If we’re going to keep the children safe, you need to know something. The nobles in Harlston… I know you thought they were just a bunch of gormless twits, but they’re so much worse.”
I took a long swig from my beer.
“We used to rob the bastards blind when we lived in Coalbottom. We can do that again, but this time we’ll steal their hope of running the duchy.
If the king himself stood down to allow the people to rule themselves…
” I smiled against the mouth of my bottle.
“Well, maybe its time to bring that kind of modern government to dear old Harlston.”
“To democracy,” Lorien said, clinking his bottle against mine, then Dain’s and Lance’s.
“To Fern,” Dain added, and that was the best toast of all.
Me and my brothers, we’d brought down a long-serving general and squashed any thought of controlling our mate or her dragon. How hard could it be, manipulating a bunch of spoiled noblemen? There was only one way to find out.
“So we return to the keep?” I said. “After a few days.” My grip on Fern tightened. “You ‘thanked’ Lorien if that ridiculous look on his face is anything to go by.”
“Jealous,” my brother said with a sloppy smile.
“Seems like all of us helped bring down the general.” I watched her start to bristle with amusement. “Where’s my sweetness?”
“Do something truly heroic,” she shot back, “and you’ll find me suitably appreciative.”
For Fern, this was just banter, but for me? It was a challenge that had my brain racing. I told my girl I’d do anything for her, and if she wanted a grand gesture?
Well, I’d make sure she got it.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
I am hoping to complete Fern’s story in one more chonky book. The plan is to start that around April. Fingers crossed, the stars align and let me get back to Nevermere!