Chapter 48
“You have a mate?” The question slips out.
He narrows his eyes at me. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“No. It’s just...you’re so...warm and cuddly.”
Reneta snorts out a laugh. “Warm and cuddly.”
“Was there a point to this conversation?” he asks with zero emotion.
“Yes. Trinia, your mate, tried to come see me?”
He nods, and I shake my head. “Who turned her away?”
“I’m not sure,” he says after a beat.
I look between the two of them. “I didn’t know.”
“I’m getting that,” Reneta finally says.
“I don’t understand. If you all hated me, why did you come here and fight at all?”
Reneta laughs. “It’s cute you think we had a choice. Have you met Rauk?”
“Reneta,” Thorne starts in again.
“Yes, I have actually met the man, and yes, he’s ridiculously hard-headed and stubborn.
But—" I pause, not even sure what I was going to say.
“Yeah, that right there,” Reneta says, pointing at me.
“That but. That’s why we all follow him.
He's stubborn, a pain in the backside, ornery even on his best days.” Thorne turns to look at Reneta, but she ignores him.
“But he’s also fair and just and a good leader, and he protects our kingdom time and time again.
He would give his life for any of us. So, yeah.
That but is why we’re loyal to him and followed him when he told us we needed to be here to end these psycho guivres. ”
I blow out a breath. “Yeah, he’s the guy that took guivre fire to his back to protect me. Man, he makes me so angry!”
Reneta gives me a sympathetic small smile. “Yeah, that’s him, our fearless leader. We hate him but also love him at the same time.”
“We don’t hate him,” Thorne says in a low voice. “Nobody hates him.” Reneta shrugs at that.
“Harper!” I turn to see Kaldar jogging towards me with Shane in tow. “What happened to you and Rauk? Kinsley and Farrah have been beside themselves.”
“It’s a long story involving a guivre and a long fall.
But the short of it is this, Rauk got burned.
Badly. I need Sryena to make whatever she made for Kinsley when Kinsley got burned, and I have to take it back to Rauk.
” The fact that he’s able to keep up with my word vomit proves he’s definitely Kinsley’s mate.
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know exactly, but Redara does. We were somewhat southwest of where the battle was.”
He nods. “I’ll find Sryena; she’s been busy after the battle. You take a minute to find Kinlsey and Farrah and let them know you’re alive. Last I saw, they were in the dining hall.”
“Okay. Great idea, but I can’t.”
He blinks, and I get the idea that he’s not used to people telling him no. None of these kings are. “You can’t take a moment to let your friends know you’re alive?”
Hmmm. I always thought he was the laidback one.
Maybe focus on not angering the one person who can help Noxlyn’s bonded, Redara sends.
No fun, I send back. I meet Kaldar’s disapproving stare. “It’s not that I don’t want to,” I start.
Thorne must have decided he’s had enough because he buts in. “She has a broken leg.”
Kaldar reacts in such a calm manner, it would make me laugh...if I weren’t in so much pain. “You flew here with a broken leg?”
“Well,” I start, but Thorne edges into my line of sight, giving me a hard look that I don’t need anybody to translate for me. He wants me to play nice and get the medicine we need for Rauk. I frown but pull back the flippant remark I was going to say about walking here and nod instead.
“Which leg?” he asks.
“This one, but don’t touch it,” I tell him, shying away when he crouches down.
“It needs to be set and seen to.”
“Yes, all the things I’m looking forward to. Right now, though, I need to get back to Rauk...you know, the dragon king that’s passed out on the side of a hill somewhere.”
Kaldar sighs and stands. “Let me find Sryena.” He looks at Thorne and Shane. “Are you going back with her?”
“No,” I say at the same time they both say, “Yes.”
I roll my eyes but don’t fight with them because the sooner Kal finds Sryena, the sooner I can get back to Rauk. “Let me find her.” Kaldar leaves us, and I face the three soldiers from the Dragon Kingdom.
“How do you think you’re going to go with? I’m going to fly Redara there.”
Reneta rolls her eyes. “We may not have a powerful dragon to ride on, but we have dragons just the same. We’ll send them to the sky to follow you and Redara, and we’ll travel on foot. They’ll guide us. We won’t be as fast as you, obviously, but we’re pretty fast when we pull from our dragon speed.”
I take in her words. “Huh. Okay.”
“Besides, how else were you going to get him on his dragon? Lift him and carry him up?” she asks.
Honestly, I hadn’t really thought through that part. “Are you going to be okay flying again?” Thorne asks. “Want us to wrap your knee in the meantime?”
“No,” I manage a hobble backwards. “Don’t touch it.” It already hurts so badly, my heartbeat is keeping time with it. The idea of somebody touching it or wrapping it makes me want to scream. “I’ll survive. Let’s just get Rauk the medicine he needs and get back here, and we can go from there.”
It takes a much longer time than I would have liked for Kaldar to return. When he does, he brings a small bag. “Let me tell you how this works.” He explains to me how to use the pain reliever. “It will numb his nerve endings and help take the pain away for a while.”
“How happy was Sryena to part with her precious healing ointment?” I ask.
Kaldar’s eyebrows knit together. “Not very. Now go, so you can get back.”
“Will that help with the pain from her leg?” Reneta surprises me by asking.
Kaldar shakes his head. “No, sorry. This helps for nerve pain; it shuts down the pain receptors. It won’t do anything for her leg.”
“That’s okay.” I take the bag from him. “Real quick. Did we get all the guivres?” I ask Kaldar before he can leave.
“Not all of them; some escaped. But we will hunt them down and finish them off. They will never be a threat again.” I expect some kind of incredible feeling to wash over me, but it doesn’t.
I think I feel more like what I can see on Kaldar’s face—resignation.
It had to be done, but there’s no joy in wiping out a group of people, no matter how terrible they are.
I turn to Thorne, Shane, and Reneta. “I’m leaving. You guys will follow?”
“Want help?” Shane asks.
“No, I’m good.” I turn towards Redara. You good to head back? I’ve got what we need.
Are you good? She asks in return.
I’ll survive. I actually feel a little like I’m going to throw up, but I push the pain aside just like I have every other time in my life.
She bends down, and I stare up at her, willing myself the strength to get back on her.
To distract myself from the pain of what I’m about to do, I ask her what I’ve been meaning to ask.
Would you or Noxlyn ever let someone else ride you, like if I couldn’t?
Would you let somebody like Thorne or Reneta or someone ride you?
I push myself the rest of the way and get into place behind her neck.
My leg is screaming at me, and I try to breathe through the pain.
I take it from your silence that’s a no.
Dragons only bear their bonded one.
But you took Auri with us when we had to leave the Dragon Kingdom, I remind her.
Yes. But that was in a dangerous situation, and you were still my rider. She wasn’t riding without you.
We lift into the air, and I breathe a sigh of relief that we’re finally moving towards Rauk. Movement out of the corner of my eye startles me, and I nearly fall off Redara’s back. Careful! She snaps at me.
I take in the three spirit dragons flying beside me in awe.
It truly is an amazing experience flying through the sky with them.
I keep a careful watch for any guivres, but I don’t see any.
The flight doesn’t take too long, and soon Nox comes into view.
Redara lands at the top of the first hill, as close to the edge as she can.
I stare at the ground, willing it to come to me instead of me having to climb down.
I finally start the process. When I finally get to the ground, I lean against Redara’s leg.
My hands are shaking; I feel like I’m going to throw up.
I don’t know how in the world I’m going to get this to Rauk.
The three spirit dragons make a sort of circle around Redara and I.
I manage to lower myself to the ground before my good leg gives out on me.
I just need a minute, I tell Redara. I hate my weakness.
I know I need to get to Rauk, but I just can’t take the pain right now.
I just need to give it a moment to...well, I don’t know what exactly I want it to do except stop hurting so stinkin’ much.
I lower my head onto my good knee and try to catch my breath and find my willpower.
I’m not sure how many minutes I sit there before I hear voices.
“We’re here,” Reneta says. “Where is he?”
I lift my head, which feels like a thousand pounds. “He’s right down there.” I try to move to get to my feet, but I can’t.
“Here, let me help you up,” Shane offers, but I push him away.
“I’m okay.”
He steps back, and I try again. When I can’t get off the ground, I hit the ground in frustration. Reneta comes over. “Come on.” She takes my hand and pulls me right up on my good leg. Pain still ricochets through my leg, but at least I’m on my feet.
“Thank you.”
She puts her hand out to me. “Give me the pouch.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “I’ll do it.”
She only crosses her arms, staring me down. “And how are you going to get down the hill?”
“I got up it earlier,” I remind her.
“Which is crazy. Now listen. You’ve already proved you’re tough. We get it. Now just let us help.”
I finally give her the bag. “You heard how to use it?”
“Yes, but I’m giving it to Shane and Thorne to do.”
I watch as she gives them the bag, and they start the descent. “You’re not going with?” I ask.
“I’ll stay with you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I remind her.
“Yeah. I know. The big red dragon behind you is more than enough reminder.”
I’m in pain and testy. “Then why are you up here with me instead of with them?”
“Because.” She turns to me then. “Harper, you have a broken leg. I'm here just in case you need help.”
I scrunch up my nose at her words but stop myself from saying something. What she’s saying is the truth. And while I detest being weak, if I really did need something, I can’t really do anything about it. I watch as the guys get close to Rauk. Is he still passed out? I ask Redara.
No.
There’s something about the way she says it that catches my attention. He’s in a lot of pain, isn’t he?
Yes.
I watch as Thorne grabs a hold of Rauk’s shoulders as Shane puts the stuff on Rauk’s back.
Shane’s flung back a moment later. Reneta sighs.
“Looks like I’m going down after all.” She walks down the hill to join them.
It's a slow process, but it’s made a little easier in that she can follow the path the guys made.