Chapter 33 #2
“I could never forget.”
“Congratulations, all of you,” Isavelle says, clasping her hands and gazing fondly at not only the hatchlings and Nilak, but at Stesha and me as well.
Her eyes grow misty with tears. “How happy you all are. How close we came to having all this taken away from us. I never want to take these moments for granted.”
Zabriel drops a kiss onto his mate’s head. “You’re right, sha’lenla. Well done, Nilak. These hatchlings are the best additions to the flare since Scourge and Esmeral’s brood. And it does a king’s heart good to see two of his favorites mated.”
The king and queen aren’t Nilak’s only visitors in the following days.
The flare and the dragonriders all pay their respects, and then visitors from farther afield arrive.
Two Alpha dragons and their riders, Auryn with Kane, and Ragdyn with Rhan.
They land on the dragongrounds as if they own the place.
Scourge roars a warning, and he’s flanked by the other Alpha dragons, ready to protect the flare. They spread their wings to obscure Nilak, for the dragons understand that she is the reason the wild flare has come to Lenhale.
Kane and Rhan dismount, and the pair stride forward until they’re met by Stesha and me.
I feel very exposed on this expanse of ground between the enormous, angry dragons.
The back of my neck prickles and sweat breaks out on my lower back.
Am I scared of what might happen, or am I going into a false heat?
I push the consideration aside and focus on the matter at hand.
“Auryn smelled something on the wind,” Kane says, glaring at Stesha. “But I don’t believe it can be true. Where are they?”
“Where are what?” Stesha asks with an edge to his voice.
“Your dragon and her hatchlings. I demand to see them.”
“Demand all you like. I don’t give a damn what you want. Take your dragons out of Lenhale. You have no right to my flare’s dragongrounds.”
Kane points at the ground beneath his feet, and barks, “If Auryn believes it to be true, then he has every right.”
Nilak doesn’t wish to be shielded from view.
She hisses and snarls until the other dragons move aside.
She emerges from among the flare with her head held high and paces regally forward to join her rider.
All her little hatchlings follow, bounding forward, their shiny scales rippling in the sunshine.
Kane’s mouth drops open. “By the fucking stars, it’s true. Those are Auryn’s hatchlings. That one looks just like him.” He points at the yellow-scaled Alpha hatchling.
Auryn is watching the hatchlings from his lofty height. He greets them and Nilak with a single, pleased snort. Nilak ignores him and preens her wing.
“You and your dragon plotted this,” Kane accuses Stesha. “You will not succeed in taking Auryn from me.”
“There is no plot. Nilak and Auryn decided to mate without a bond, presumably because they couldn’t find any dragon suitable in their own flare. It happens.”
I suppress a smile at how casual Stesha sounds. He was anything but casual when he realized what had happened.
The next thing out of Kane’s mouth wipes the smile off my face.
“All Auryn’s hatchlings. I’m taking them with me.”
Stesha takes a threatening step forward. “You will touch those hatchlings on pain of death.”
“I am owed payment after Auryn’s sisters were stolen from my flare. We are yet to have any hatchlings of our own. These will do to start with.” His gaze runs greedily over the little creatures.
“Give your dragons proper sanctuary and care, and they will have hatchlings in their own time,” Stesha tells him. “Though it wouldn’t surprise me if all your dragons are so unhappy that they join my flare.”
Kane flushes red with fury and puts his hand on his sword. “You will give me what I’m owed.”
Behind me, Esmeral is snorting and chirping indignantly.
Though she’s an Omega, the queen’s dragon has no qualms about getting in the thick of fighting, and neither does Queen Isavelle.
Before Stesha can draw his own sword, I march forward and push my forefinger against Kane’s chest. “Now listen here, you bully. Dragonmasters do not trade dragons like they’re cattle.
Have you ever heard of something called free will? ”
“It has been mentioned to me in passing,” Kane growls through his teeth.
Behind me, I feel Stesha take a few steps closer, but I’m not finished. “Dragons have free will, just like people do. You are not going to treat any of these dragons like the Brethren treated you, or how you treat your own mate.”
Kane’s eyes burn with anger, and something else.
Could there possibly be shame as well? While we’re still glaring at each other, Auryn opens his jaws and utters a series of low, beckoning grunts.
Two of Nilak’s fledglings perk up, the yellow Alpha and a white Beta.
They stare up at the massive Alpha dragon, then patter closer and rub against his lowered snout.
A moment later, Auryn nudges them possessively beneath his body, and the fledglings go willingly.
My stomach drops in dismay. Nilak’s beautiful babies. I had been looking forward to watching them grow.
“How’s that for free will?” Kane asks with a smirk.
I glance at Nilak and her rider. Nilak looks tense but doesn’t utter a sound.
Stesha looks pained, and his scent is pungent with distress.
It takes him a moment, but he manages to say, “They are too small to fly. They must be carried by a rider if they wish to join their father. Keep them away from the flare at night or they will be crushed.” He takes a few breaths, and then his composure snaps and he strides forward.
“No, they cannot go. Give them back to me.”
The red-haired Rhan moves forward and stops Stesha with a hand planted on his chest. The two hatchlings are happily gamboling around Auryn’s talons. I want to slap the triumphant expression from Kane’s face.
He rubs his jaw, and says, “Two hatchlings for Auryn’s sisters is not a fair exchange. We will take more dragons.”
“They are Nilak’s fledglings,” Stesha seethes. “Her bloodline is impeccable. It is more than fair.”
Kane peruses our flare. “So says you. I will take—”
“You will not take any of my dragons,” Stesha snarls.
If someone doesn’t do something, blood will be spilled, Maledinni as well as dragon. I call to Rhan, “Is Ragdyn mated?”
Rhan turns to look at me. He’s a striking man with flaming red hair and fierce golden eyes, as tall as Stesha, and holds himself with as much confidence.
The scarlet dragon Ragdyn is almost as large as Scourge and Auryn, and has an unusually spiked crest and long, sharp teeth.
The pair performed well during the games, but they weren’t averse to several underhanded tricks to gain advantage.
“He is not,” Rhan replies in a deep purr, his golden eyes narrowed as they flash over the flare. He catches on quickly to my idea, and so does Ragdyn. Without another word, Rhan strides forward, his massive dragon pacing beside him.
I move to Stesha’s side and place my hand on his arm. “Sorry, it’s all I could think of to appease Kane.”
Stesha gives a small shake of his head. “It’s a good idea. I should have thought of it myself. Ragdyn would likely have come here for a mate eventually.”
The mighty Ragdyn stops in front of a raspberry pink Beta dragon. She huddles closer to the ground, but her eyes are upturned toward the Alpha, showing both apprehension and interest.
A blonde woman with a pink sheen to her hair comes running across the dragongrounds and wraps her arms protectively around her dragon. “Dragonmaster?” Menelope calls in a quavering voice.
Scourge has moved forward to glower at Ragdyn and see that he causes no harm.
“You and your dragon are safe,” Stesha calls back to the woman.
“What do you and Ragdyn think, Rhan? Is that skinny pair worth anything?” Kane calls to his fellow rider.
“She’s beautiful,” Rhan says in his deep voice, but he’s not looking at Omaira. He’s looking at Menelope.
Stesha watches the four of them for a long time, and then he turns to Kane. “Ragdyn and Rhan may stay with my flare for three days, and Omaira may decide for herself if she wishes to mate Ragdyn.”
“If he does, I suppose we must take the woman as well,” Kane says, sounding unimpressed. Rhan looks at him sharply but doesn’t say anything.
“Riders and dragons cannot be separated.”
Kane is watching the Beta pair with sullen eyes. “They are skinny, weak things. It’s not a fair trade. A Beta dragon and two hatchlings for two Alpha females? Do you know that farmers who loan bulls to mate with cows are paid stud fees? Auryn deserves stud fees for mating with Nilak.”
Nilak hears her name on Kane’s tongue and hisses with displeasure.
Stesha’s last shred of patience has just snapped.
He rounds on the former witchfinder. “If Omaira agrees to mate Ragdyn, you will be taking one of my most seasoned battle riders and her rider. Omaira and Menelope fought and retook Maledin from the Shadow King that you couldn’t overthrow yourself.
Both of them fought tirelessly and suffered injuries during the Battle of Lenhale, and they proved themselves during the Dragon Games.
Menelope will be leaving friends and family behind.
Have you considered her in this matter? She and Omaira are beloved by all the dragons and riders in Maledin.
If you must think of this as a trade, then the trade is sorely unbalanced in your favor. ”
Both Omaira and Menelope hold their heads a little higher during Stesha’s impassioned speech, and Menelope turns a pleased shade of pink that matches her dragon’s scales.
Rhan saunters over to Menelope and says something in a low voice we can’t hear.
He towers over her, looking dangerous with that red coloring in contrast to Menelope’s sweet and pretty blonde and pink.
Menelope watches him in apprehension for a moment, and then she takes a breath, puts her hand on her hip, and lifts her chin in challenge.
Her answer is carried to us on the breeze.
“You’re very confident. Even with a broken leg, she can outfly your dragon.
Ragdyn had better work hard to prove himself to her.
” Giving Omaira a final caress, she turns and walks up toward the castle.
Rhan grins darkly, showing his dragines, and follows her.
It looks to me like both Ragdyn and Rhan will be working hard to prove themselves the next three days.
“I hope Menelope isn’t too attached to running water and clean bedding,” I muse. “She’s not going to get much of either out east.”
“We are not animals,” Kane snaps back. “We’ve been working with the local villagers to build a proper hall and barracks.”
“Have you managed to entice Ravenna to make her nest there yet?” I ask sweetly.
Kane glares at me, a vein throbbing in his temple. Then he marches to Auryn, collects Nilak’s hatchlings, and nestles them in the crook of his arm and a fold of his cloak. Then he climbs up his dragon’s flank, and they fly away, presumably to wait out the next three days away from the rest of us.
The flare is put out by the scarlet Alpha’s intrusion, but they give him space and respect.
Scourge keeps a close eye to see that Ragdyn remembers his manners.
I watch them for a while before turning to Stesha.
He’s holding Nilak’s Omega hatchling and has his hand pressed against his dragon’s scales.
“Is Nilak all right?” I ask him gently.
He nods and pats her side. “She says she expected this to happen when she refused to join the wild flare back during the Dragon Games. That’s what Auryn wanted apparently, but she knew Kane and I would have to fight to the death.
She says the hatchlings will be safe with their father.
” He looks down at the Omega dragon against his chest. “Gods, I hope so. They’re still so small. ”
I lean against Stesha’s side and stroke the Omega’s scales. “I’m glad this one didn’t want to go.”
“As am I, aash’lin. I have heard that flares who exchange mates and offspring are more successful at living peacefully alongside each other’s territories.
I think there will be goodwill among the dragons because of this, though the riders are another matter.
Peace among the flares means Auryn’s sisters will be safe here, and Nilak’s hatchlings and Omaira, if she chooses to go, should be safe out there.
But I wish I knew for certain. It’s times like this I wish I could speak with Destrin.
He had so much more experience than me.”
I smile, picturing my grandfather’s tender smile as he gazed at his dragons. “Grandfather lived in peaceful times. I doubt he would have any more insight on the matter than you. But I think Destrin would be proud of you, and so am I.”
We stand together for a long time, watching the flare adjust to the scarlet Ragdyn in their midst. Omaira is restless, moving around the other dragons, but often glancing back to check that the Alpha is following her.
“Shall we name this little one?” Stesha murmurs, looking at the Omega sleeping against his chest.
I think for a moment. “Anuk. It has both her parents’ names. May she have her father’s strength and her mother’s fierceness.”
“Anuk. I like it.”
The little Omega dragon opens a pretty golden eye for a moment, as if she knows that’s her name, and then settles back to sleep.
As the sun begins to set, heavy orange light gleams on all the dragons, outlining them in gold. Necks are stretched, and wings are unfurled to catch the last of the evening’s warmth.
Stesha’s arms are around me, and he presses a kiss to the top of my head. I smile to myself and lean into his warmth and scent. We have each other. We have Lenhale and the flare. I take a deep breath, appreciating the sight of the sun lowering in the sky.
There is nothing more beautiful than dragons at dusk.