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Amaru jumped into this explanation. “He’s one hundred percent telling the truth. I’ve been awake for almost two weeks now, and I’ve seen it all for myself. The world has changed. A lot. There’s zippers and screwdrivers and cell phones, and…gah, I can’t even begin to describe it all. But everyone here has worked very hard to help me wake you all up again. They’re absolutely friends.”
That seemed to relax the dragon in front of Vasily. Some, at least. He dropped his arms, no longer in a defensive position. He just looked sad, now. The sound of protests also died down, replaced with distressed noises.
Vasily remembered the moment when he’d realized most of his clan was dead and that there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. His heart ached in empathy. He offered a hand and a sympathetic smile.
“I’m Vasily. May I call you brother?”
The man looked up, tears standing in his eyes. For a long moment he hesitated, then gripped Vasily’s arm in a warrior’s clasp, the hand strong. “Caobi. Thank you. You’re my brother from this day on.”
Better. Vasily’s smile turned upward a little. “Good. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the clan. You’re not alone, I promise you.”
“That part, I got.” Caobi grimaced, retracting his hand to run it over his face. “Damn. Princess Maíra is not going to take this well.”
“Amaru mentioned she was down here somewhere.”
“Yeah. Our king and his eldest son went to fight, but she stayed with us in case the worst happened.”
Good thing, too. As the worst did happen. “Let’s go to her.”
Caobi shifted around the platform he’d been lying on, heading that way. “I’m not one of her retainers, but I am one of the guards. Or was. That might change, with so few of us remaining.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, why weren’t you part of the fighting force?”
“I was recovering from an injury. It was stupid. I’d been tussling with a few friends, broke my collarbone. I’d have been well in another few days, but they couldn’t wait for me to heal up.” Caobi morosely poked at the collarbone in question. “It’s healed now.”
“After five hundred years, I’d fucking hope so.”
That got a snort from Caobi, a dark humor to the sound. “Truly. Ah, there she is.”
While Caobi’s intentions were good, he was beaten to the punch. By Panu, of all people. Their adopted Finnish mage had gone to help people up and reassure them. Ever since Panu had shed the Taavi name, adopting theirs, he’d proven to be a wonderful addition to the clan. Panu had this mild manner about him. He was one of the sweetest, gentlest souls Vasily had ever met, and people sensed it upon meeting him. Sometimes, when a situation needed to be diffused, Rodrigo would send Panu in first.
So was Vasily at all worried about Panu greeting the lightning dragon princess-now-queen? No. He was curious how this was going to play out, though.
Queen Maíra sat on the edge of her platform, her black hair in a loose braided plait over one shoulder, tattooed arms bare, and blinked chocolate brown eyes up at this cute blond-haired, blue-eyed mage offering her a hand up.
“Hi,” Panu said with a winsome smile. “I’m Panu. And you are?”
“Single,” she breathed, entranced as she put her hand in his.
Welp. Looked like they’d just lost Panu to the Lightning Dragon Clan. Poor boy didn’t seem to know what had hit him, but Vasily recognized the signs clear enough. A dragon had just found her mate.
Vasily was so, so glad he’d caught this all on camera. He was absolutely going to make a YouTube short out of it, too, as it was bound to get millions of hits.
Caobi leaned back into his side to mutter, “That mage, whose clan is he in?”
“Well, he was in ours. I think he’s now in yours.”
A subterranean chuckle rumbled in Caobi’s chest. “Yeah, looks that way to me, too. He’s a good man?”
“One of the best. Good mage, too. Trust me, she’s in good hands.” Vasily patted him on the shoulder as he moved past. “Queen Maíra.”
No response. She was still staring at Panu like he hung the moon, sun, and all the stars. Panu seemed just as entranced by her.
New mates. Gah. Not that Vasily could throw stones at that particular glass house. He tried again, patiently. “Queen Maíra?”
This time, she blinked and turned to look at him. Then startled all over again, almost wary.
Caobi helpfully stepped in. “This is Vasily, Amaru’s mate.”
“Oh!” Her guard instantly relaxed. “Pleasure, Vasily. Thank you for helping us all to awaken.”
“You’re quite welcome. Can you help lead all of your people out of here? We have an encampment near the lake that’s got food, clothes, and baths all ready for you.”
Her expression softened into something warmer. “Thank you so much for the kindness. Getting out of the grotto sounds splendid. Panu, will you guide me?”
