“Not if she cannot be contained.” I kept my words for her alone.
I didn’t need her raiding farms or causing chaos among villages, frightening the people. Worse, I couldn’t spare the resources from the incoming fleet to keep her under control. I needed all of them.
A crease formed between her brow, and the sea-colored dragon chirped, dismissing the black, then twisted back toward us. Brilliant eyes locked on me, widening with a soft intake of breath.
Something about her gnawed at me. Dragons confounded expectations, and understanding them fell to Nienna. Still, this one tracked me.
Why?
Her tongue clicked once, then she broke the stare to scan the ranks. Teeth bared, she snapped at the air, interest sharpening as soldiers wrestled their bolting horses.
“Keep her in check, Prince,” I warned.
“We can feed her sheep at the next village,” Nienna said, easing her body between the beast and my men, as if her presence alone could dissuade an attack.
Ronan shot me a hard look as Gyrak lumbered forward, a growl rolling from his chest that scraped along my bones. “She’s adragon. She eats what she chooses. No one tells her otherwise.”
“Were she in Draconia,” Nienna stepped closer to her brother, sparks flaring in her gaze, “you would never speak that way. Here, we mayencouragepatience. She can wait for sheep.”
He scoffed, shaking his head as if the rebuke meant nothing. “She’s starving. That flight would tax a bull, let alone a female. If she passed through the storm, she won’t want to fly again soon.” He dragged his goggles down over his eyes and turned away. Gyrak lowered his massive form, attempting to herd Tsunami from the press of men and restless horses.
“How far to the next village?” Nienna asked, watching Ronan retreat.
“A few hours by horse. They grow closer together near Lon.”
“I ask that we stop there for the night.” Uncertainty threaded her voice, as if she knew the cost of the request. “He’s right. She’s exhausted—too tired for sustained flight. We could force her into the air, but the last thing Radaan needs is an irate dragon.” Her teeth caught her lower lip before she stilled herself and glanced at the men behind us. “With sheep and rest, she may be more… receptive.”
To stop now meant losing time. Lon would gain half a day to brace for my arrival.
Yet the Dragon’s Heart knew her kind.
“You don’t have to ask.”
The tension in her brow eased, lips lifting in a restrained smile. Were we not standing before a gathered host, I would have kissed her, if only to assure her further. My hands ached to pull her close, to quiet the fear of rejection beneath her words. She knew me well enough to ask anyway.
“You are the Draconis Queen of Radaan,” I said, a small smile breaking free. “You command, and it shall be done.”
I took her hand and guided her back toward the horses while the dragons bickered behind us. The earth trembled. Fallione released a thin, uneasy breath as the beasts launched skyward,their screams and roars rolling loud enough to carry all the way to Lon.
Seafoam-green wings pooled across the ground. Tsunami’s snoring rattled the air louder than a mammoth’s charge. After devouring three sheep—paid for from my royal coffers—she collapsed into deep sleep.
Nienna stretched, lifting her body from Tsunami’s flank. Her smile was bright, unburdened, promising.
“She’s content?” I asked, nodding toward the massive beast.
“She’ll be tired tomorrow, but fed and on the mend.” My wife looped her arm through mine, resting her head against my shoulder. “Though it should be easier now to convince her to follow Gyrak’s lead.”
We had tucked ourselves away from the men and the village, a safe distance that kept her from frightening the horses—or my soldiers.
“I worry she might go rogue,” I murmured into her hair, curling an arm around her to draw her close. My muscles ached, my mind spun with calculations for the arrival at Lon, but I tried to savor this small calm.
“Concerned she’ll snack on a Radaanian soldier?” she teased. “She’s eaten a man before.”
“She had good reason to.” If anyone dared to threaten Nienna again, I’d gladly let the beast devour him.
“Ah, so I should tell her she can eat the men when it’s justified? What if they get in her way? That’s reason enough for a dragon.”
I blinked down at her, deadpan.
