Chapter Thirteen #2
“That and I thought you might like a bath and a few changes of clothes,” she added, evidently catching my thoughts. “You might find it preferable to trying to bathe in a lair full of dragons.”
“Versus a castle full of dragons?” I pointed out, looking at her uneasily as we made our way upstairs. “I thought dragons typically had individual lairs, not mass lairs.”
“From the sounds of it, the Dragon Lair does have many individual lairs within it, with one central lair for socializing,” she explained. “You're less likely to see dragons in human form there, as they’re in their natural habitat, so to speak.”
Something about the way she said that didn’t make me feel any less uneasy. “Aren’t they in their natural habitat here as well? Not to mention some of the dragons are much more ruthless here, or so I've been told.” I shook my head. “I’m not sure I understand the difference.”
“I imagine you will once you get there,” she said as we entered a chamber with a basin full of steaming water that she must have had prepared for me ahead of time.
“According to Blaze, it’s not the same as it used to be.
A bit wilder, given it's the only other place now, besides the Realm, where dragons can just be dragons. Drakkar, who became its ruler after his father, Tyr, earned his position by strength, but he is a good and fair king. So between you and me, Blaze and I hope in the end he remains there rather than ruling the Realm.” She hesitated before going on as if deliberating how much she should say.
“Very few can handle ruling that place, but Drakkar does it and does it well.”
That’s when I caught what she wasn’t saying, as only dragons could. “It’s not just wild, is it? It’s rough and more than a little dangerous for a female in heat.”
“Granted, dragons are sent there as punishment if they disobey orders here,” Marjorie admitted, shocking me.
“But Blaze assured me Drakkar rules with an iron fist. Yes, it can get rough, but he’s quick to get it under control and, more often than not, reform rogue dragons so they can return to the Keep. ”
“No wonder you and Blaze wanted to come along,” I muttered, shaking my head no when she offered me mead. If there was ever a time to keep a clear head, it was now.
“We did,” she agreed, keeping a flash of worry from her face that I caught in her thoughts.
“But know, áma would never steer anyone I care about in the wrong direction, nor would she do anything that didn’t benefit us seeing the prophecy through safely and saving the Realm.
” She gave my hand a little squeeze and looked at me with confident reassurance. “You’ve got this, my friend.”
“I hope so,” I replied, feeling a renewed sense of uncertainty I suspected had everything to do with the fact I could possibly have a child in my womb and the potential danger I might put him or her in.
“No need to hope,” Marjorie said. “I’ve seen you fight, so I know you can hold your own.
Plus, you’ll have a powerful seer with you, as well as Drakkar and Torsten, both strong and respected by their fellow dragons.
Drakkar as their ruler and Torsten as their Liege’s second-in-command.
” She shook her head. “No one would dare mess with his fated mate or face answering not just to Drakkar and Torsten but to Blaze himself, and no dragon wants that because it’s a fight they won’t win. ”
Having met Blaze and felt his intensity firsthand, I believed that.
I also believed there was nothing Torsten wouldn’t do to keep me safe, and vice versa. Add a child into the mix, and it wouldn’t go well for whoever might step out of line.
“I can do this,” I told Marjorie, knowing she needed that assurance from me.
“And I know Torsten won’t let any harm come to me, any more than I intend to let harm come to him either.
” Before she could reply, I went on, in no mood to overtalk what had to happen, so I focused on her instead.
“How are you doing?” Worried about her, given her recent brush with death, I met her eyes.
“Truly, considering all you’ve been through? ”
“Happier than I can ever remember being.” A warm smile curled her mouth. “Blaze and I might not hold our current position at the Keep after all this, but it doesn’t matter because we’ll have each other.”
I could tell she meant it, and I returned her smile, glad to hear it.
After that, we chatted for a bit, then she left so I could bathe, but not before pointing out a chest of clothing and a satchel, encouraging me to take whatever I needed.
Everything should fit, and it did after I took a quick bath and dressed, moving right along after Torsten telepathically told me we would be leaving sooner rather than later.
Sensing him waiting outside my door, I was glad to see him there when I opened it, caught off guard by how much I had missed him in the brief time we were apart. How crucial a part of me he’d already become, or perhaps had always been.
“’Tis the pull of fated mates,” he said, catching my thoughts, feeling the same way when our eyes met, and he slipped his hand into mine. “’Twill always be like this betwixt us.”
“I don’t doubt it,” I returned, desire flaring warm beneath my skin at the feel of him. “So why the rush to leave all of a sudden?”
“According to Drakkar, a new round of storms is coming in faster than we anticipated,” he replied as we headed down a narrow set of stairs toward the ocean-facing side of the Keep.
His expression grew grim, as if he didn’t like what he was about to share.
“We will travel through tunnels beneath the great Ygdrassil, which, with any luck, will mask us from any influence Skarde’s darkness might have over us, then exit by the sea when the storm is at its strongest.”
I knew less than nothing about sailing, but even I knew that didn’t sound like a great idea.
“I know Vikings are supposed to be renowned seamen,” I said, “but isn’t that a little dangerous?”
I had seen the waters around here, and they looked treacherous, without a storm.
“Whilst some storms are more dangerous than others, Viking dragons have no fear of sailing in them, given we can shift if need be,” he replied. “’Twould be foolish to ruin the ship, though, if ‘twas not necessary.”
“And I take it this is considered necessary?”
“’Twould be if we were sailing,” he replied. His expression turned even grimmer when he looked at me and said the last thing I wanted to hear.