By DragonBy Land
True to his word, Alsten had the riders ready when we took off.
Ifra shot out a ball of flame as the signal in the night sky.
It was colder flying back without the warmth of the sun, but Abbott’s warm body kept me from getting too cold.
He felt me shiver as the winds picked up, so he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pulling me into the shelter of his broad body.
This had me thinking back to what the viceroys had asked about who my consorts were.
I had no idea there was another mark they got when that happened.
Was it given by magic like the guardian symbol or did I provide that proof?
Either way, after reading the coronation rules, I would have to announce at least one of them.
No king or queen is allowed to hold the throne without the chance of continuing the line.
It would seem they followed the rule that the offspring of the king or queen would rule if there weren’t another black dragon to make a different choice. So like a normal royal situation, I would have to prove to my people I was making an effort to provide for their needs with a child.
Did I want kids?
Now that I had a choice in the matter, I found I wasn’t sure what answer I would give.
All my life, it had been assumed. I was a woman, therefore, I had children.
What other purpose could I possibly have?
Did the men in my life want kids? Do I ask them that before I make my choice?
How many do I want to pick? Can I choose some and see how it goes and add more later?
No. That would be cruel and unkind to those I didn’t pick right away.
“Cass, you are going to make your brain burst thinking that hard. Trust your heart. You know these men were handpicked for you by the power inside you. The gods would not have chosen poorly for their favored child, the Dragon Queen.”
“What does that mean? Have you known all along I was this person?”
“Of course.”
“So you just didn’t bother to tell me I was some prophesied queen who would change the world?”
“Cass, if I did that, then you wouldn’t have become who you are today. Just like there is a reason you needed to lead the life you did and go through those hardships before coming to this point.”
“The viceroys mentioned gods earlier too. Why don’t others speak of them in Norden?”
“They once did, but like all things, if you lose faith in something and choose to cut it out of your life, it fades out of existence. Now that doesn’t mean it still exists in the world because you choose not to believe it.
This is the case of the gods the people of Sheca speak of.
All of this will be explained once we get you and our people settled. ”
“How is it that so much has been forgotten?”
“It is human nature to wipe out all that it fails at or chooses not to accept. It’s easier to pretend it never happened than to face what you’ve abandoned.”
As much as I wanted to deny what Vasin was saying, I knew it was true.
My family did it as they tried to hide the fact we were once mercenaries.
They refused to acknowledge that part of our family because they were ashamed of what others thought.
Now, here I was, queen of the whole lot of them but with the advantage of knowing both sides of things.
Just in our short visit, I could tell there was much to learn from the Shecans.
The night around me was quiet, and even though there was a strong wind, the sky was clear, making this an easy journey home.
“Vasin, have the dragons find places to land in the area around the fortress since they won’t all fit on the ledge.
We will have them come four at a time to be loaded up, starting with the dragons outfitted for packing supplies,” I instructed as we landed just as the sun began to warm the night sky.
“It is done.”
Scouts shouted our arrival, and I was soon faced with Becka holding out a mug of steaming liquid.
Her red hair was bright in the early morning glow, making her easy to spot, but I never feared she wouldn’t be somewhere close by.
After being my handmaid for most of my life as well as my best friend, I knew she was one person who would always have my back no matter what happened.
“Here, this should warm you up and keep you awake.”
“Bless you. I didn’t really consider I wouldn’t be getting any sleep doing this,” I mumbled as I lifted the cup and took a tentative taste.
The beverage was bursting with flavor, and I registered it was the same thing Alto had given me after my hangover. I gulped it down greedily, not caring that it scalded my tongue, knowing it would fuel me for another few hours. “Where is everyone?” I asked as we headed inside.
“Ballard, Cole, and Sal are working with a group to gather the supplies we can’t leave behind or have land in the enemy’s hands.
Dayson and May are dealing with the horses and getting them ready to head out while Jade and Paxton are checking to make sure that people are only taking what they can carry,” Becka reported.
My brows shot up at how things seemed to be going in a quick and orderly fashion. “Seems like you have a handle on things. Where do you need help?” I asked as Abbott, Izel, and Zan joined me.
“Zan, are you sure there can be no wagons?” Becka pleaded. “We have far fewer horses than we originally thought since some clans don’t keep as many of them.”
“No need for wagons when you have dragons,” Zan announced. “A hundred dragons are waiting in the area to take supplies and people back to Sheca. Cassarah also arranged for another wave of them to come if we need them.”
Becka’s jaw dropped open. “How can that be?”
“Welcome to what we’ve been telling ourselves since we arrived there,” Abbott muttered, running his hands through his hair. “I’m gonna go find Ballard and Cole and fill them in on the change.”
“Zan, you should stay with Cassarah and Becka. I’ll go help Dayson and May,” Izel suggested.
“I’ll make sure no one gets any crazy ideas and tries to attack our queen,” Zan said with a salute and grin.
Since Zan arrived, I haven’t had time alone with him. None of the guys felt comfortable with him doing that yet. So, the fact that Izel was giving him this opportunity was somewhat of a big deal.
“So what can the three of us do?” I inquired, turning to my two companions.
“I would say let’s go check in with the stables, but those are at the base of the mountain, and it’s a long way there just to come all the way back,” Becka mused out loud as she looked over a sheet of paper with notes written on it.
“To be honest, things are going smoothly. It’s just the act of getting everyone out of here that will be the trick. ”
“Did we get a headcount of how many people would benefit from being flown out of here?” I asked. “It might be a good idea to start separating those who will be leaving from up here so we don’t send them all the way out that entrance.”
Becka snapped her fingers together and grinned at me.
“This is why you’re the queen. Brain like a fox you have, Cassarah.
Okay, so new plan. We’ll review who is in the staging area that May set up for those they have checked so far.
We can direct them to the stables or the ledge for their exit.
Are you thinking of just elderly and those who can’t make the journey or kids too? ”
“You two would offer a better suggestion on that. I haven’t spent much time with children, but I imagine they would be easier to have ride double on dragons if we needed,” I pointed out.
“That is a good thought,” Zan agreed. “Let’s start with those we know won’t be able to make it on foot or horseback and go from there. We have plenty of dragons at our disposal. It’s more about the best situation for the ground travelers.”
“Perfect, I like this plan,” Becka cheered as we headed off to start the process.
May had set up a staging area for those going to Sheca to ensure they were bringing along things that wouldn’t slow them down. Once they passed through, they would be supplied with food rations for the day and sent to the third section to eat a bowl of hot porridge and wait.
We headed to the third section and decided it was best to mark people’s hands with an ‘S’ for stable or ‘D’ for dragon so as more people were added to the mix, we wouldn’t get lost in who we talked to.
Time flew by, and the sun was already halfway up the mountains when we were finished, but it was all worth it.
According to Becka’s numbers, we would be short about two hundred horses instead of the three hundred we originally thought before the extra dragons were provided.
“This is going to make things so much easier. If we can keep the kids on the horses and have the adults walk, it will save us time,” Zan said as we reviewed the work we’d done.
“I had no idea we had so many elders and children in the clans. When I read about how our civilization was dying, I didn’t think of it in actual humans, just numbers on a page,” I commented, watching the kids running around the space oblivious to what was really going on.
Zan stepped closer, bumping his shoulder against mine.
“Just think how many more will arrive once everyone gets settled in Sheca… those who haven’t found marriage partners yet might as well as some who have been holding off because of other fears that may no longer be an issue.
This move will be good for both factions. They just don’t know it yet.”
“By the way you’re talking, you sound like a hopeless romantic,” I teased, nudging him back.
“That’s because I am. Even though I have Ezzu and can function like a normal person, people always see me as broken or needing to be taken care of because I’m blind.
If not for that, I could have been a higher rank in our military, but they didn’t want to take the risk that I’d miss something important.
Although now that I see the big picture, I should be thankful they didn’t.
Otherwise, I never would have been on patrol and found you. ”
This caused me to give him my full attention.
Even though he refused to look at me, Ezzu’s golden eyes were peering at me, letting me know he could see me.
“Zan, I might not know much about you yet, but I do know you are far from broken, and no one needs to coddle you. From what I’ve seen, you have the heart of a warrior and are deeply loyal to your heritage, willing to protect it with your life.
It seems that whatever you give that loyalty to, you protect with everything you have.
The man who attacked me, trying to save Vasin, does not think of himself as defective or disabled in any way, so why should I treat him any different? ”
Zan shifted to face me, and I felt he was searching for something in my expression before he reached out and took my hand.
“You, Cassarah, are one of the few people I truly believe sees me as a whole person who can be useful. I see your honest heart in everything you do, putting others before yourself. These people have no idea how lucky they are to have you as their queen, but they will soon. I’ll make sure of it. ”
“So does that mean I am one of the lucky few who have earned your loyalty?” I asked, giving him a soft smile as a blush heated my cheeks.
“I have a feeling you will have much more than that the more time I get to spend around you,” he whispered, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before he let go. “I think it’s time we get these people moving, don’t you?”
With a nod, we headed out to find where they were working on supplies so we could get those loaded up first.