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The third group he encountered didn’t leave him with any less worry.
“See how he’s leaning? Stance is wrong. He’s got some training, but he isn’t adept enough to sustain a true fight. It would be easy to take him down. The bitch on the other hand, she’s very well trained and is obviously going easy on him. But she’s small. Separated from the other bitches? Easy. Cornered? Done.”
Sten listened a little longer as they continued to assess the new king and his guest, learning what he could of their attitude and intentions.
They took the oath. Are they just all talk?
He considered assigning a deputy to monitor this group.
Their conversation turned to a race they were looking forward to watching on the big screen in the common room.
His gaze passed the tunnel that led to the larger section of the Aerie where the dragon sparring happened.
His nose twitched as fresh air drifted toward him.
Drawn, he moved toward the entrance, watching as two teams practiced aerial combat.
It was a cavern that opened to a sheltered gully, enclosed by the mountain range curling around itself. The ground was littered with thousands of snapped scales, broken claws and teeth, a torn back ridge or two, and dozens of tail barbs.
He sighed as his thoughts turned back to Clive and Merwin. Just weeks ago, they had trained together, pitting themselves against some of these guys to stay fit and sharp.
I need a new team.
He watched the dragons as they twisted and wrestled.
Would any of them ever trust me enough to have their back again?
He seemed to have Jori’s trust, which meant a lot. But was it enough if he didn’t also have the trust of his tribe?
He blew out a breath and turned his back on the Aerie to escort his king and their guest back up to the safety of the upper suites.
Time to think about that later. Too many fires to put out now.
Sten found a gap in the crowd and waited until he eventually caught Jori’s attention. He signaled they should get back.
Jori acknowledged with a nod, releasing his stance. “Time to get back to work!”
Marli straightened and removed her sparring gear.
The crowd grumbled, but dispersed.
Sten moved closer as several males approached the pair.
He smiled, hearing them offer their king some pointers and Marli a few compliments.
Sten had to admit. It was pretty ballsy of both of them to come down here.
Kargassa had never engaged in sport. His appearances before the tribe were always surrounded with pomp and ceremony. The dragons rarely saw their king.
No, Jori certainly was not his sire.
Chapter 11
“Jori, you don’t have to participate in the fly-by.” Kymri called down from the ledge of the terrace, trying to stop him from having another go. The wind whipped her red hair around her pale face.
Jori, in his dragon form, clung to the side of the mountain just below the terrace.
Marli bit her lip. She had to admit—it was pretty bad; she wouldn’t have believed it had she not seen it for herself.
