Dragonkin (12 page)

Kestrel heard the low growl of disapproval in her mind. Her mate was not happy about what he was hearing. He didn’t like the fact the others had talked about marching on his home. She glanced around and saw a map spread out on the table. The rogues were camped near the Athenaeum, a few hours’ flight from where they were. It was still a stronghold. They had a huge disadvantage if they were going to be attacking in the morning.

“May I make a suggestion?” Ralag asked. He stepped into the tent and approached the party.

“Who are you?” Harnish asked.

“Name’s Ralag. I’m from Blaze Mountain. I represent the dragon king’s subjects. Plus, I might be able to aid in the attack if need be. Although I’m hoping that won’t be necessary.”

“And why is that? Do you think you can walk into the rogues’ encampment and tell them to lay down their arms and not use magic? Or tell their dragons not to listen to their spellcasters? The dragons and the humans are of one mind. If the spellcasters wish to attack, the dragons will obey.” This was Therin. He was always outspoken. He had spread rumors about her early on after Castigan had died. “I don’t even know why this outcast is back. Just because she can wield dragon fire doesn’t mean she’s going to be any good to us. She has no dragon. No one would get near her after she caused the death of her last one. And how can you speak for the king’s subjects? Why aren’t you here speaking for the king himself? Or is there really a king?”

All heads turned as a voice boomed from the tent’s entrance. “I can assure you there is.”

Kestrel smiled as she saw Andrik had entered the tent. He gave her a small smile. He was dressed differently than when she had seen him before. He was regal. His long ebony hair hung loose. He wore an outfit made entirely of black silk and embroidered with gold and silver thread that bore the images of a dragon. Around his neck was a golden torque with two dragon heads roaring at one another. His sword was at his waist, and his arms were left bare except for golden armbands.

Ralag bowed deeply. “My lord prince, you do us a great honor with your presence.”

The other spellcasters were flabbergasted. Tridan was the first one to recover and bowed before the prince. Kestral curtseyed and heard Dathan draw in a breath to make a comment, but she shook her head and prayed he wouldn’t say anything. His mouth twisted into a frown, but he remained silent.

“Please, I didn’t come here for such formalities. I came here to stop the war. Communications between our two peoples should have been opened a long time ago. I regret that, but now I have come to rectify that. My father is too ill to join us. You said that you plan to attack tomorrow. I have spoken with the other dragons around the camp, and all are in agreement that they do not wish to fight. They will if they have to, but none of them want a repeat of what happened before. I—”

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but how can you speak to all the dragons? I don’t mean to sound ignorant, but if you truly are from Blaze Mountain and speak for the dragon king, how do you propose to bring peace between all of us?” Harnish asked.

“Harnish, what you should be asking yourself is if he can persuade the dragons not to attack. Then we would have a great advantage over the rogues,” Dathan said.

Andrik glanced at Dathan. “That’s true, you would, but I would also order your dragons not to attack. Harnish, is it? I understand your speculation about my heritage. Blaze Mountain has been veiled in mystery for years. Our subjects who live in the mountain and at its base are very secretive about our ways. Years of tradition and all. To answer your question, the royal bloodline is able to speak to all dragons. And if not, Kestrel can answer for me, as she is unique in that way.”

She kept her face down. “I appreciate the prince’s belief in me.”

 Dathan stepped forward. “I suggest that you take his proposal under consideration. I would avoid a war if we could. And Harnish, if you truly believe that your dragon is your slave, then you are sorely mistaken. They choose us because they want to. Not because anyone makes them.” Dathan walked out of the tent. Kestrel glanced back at the others. They went back to talking amongst themselves.

“My lord prince.” She walked past Andrik and left him alone. Ralag and he remained. He would tell her what was going on once they were done arguing. He caught her arm.

“You should stay, too.”

“If His Highness wishes, but I think my presence unnerves the others who already dislike that I’m here. Let them hash it out. I think yours is the best solution. Have the other dragons really told you that?”

“They didn’t believe me at first, but when they saw me shift, word began to spread about who I truly was. They are all on my side now. I’ll see you back at our tent later,” he murmured.

The heat ignited in his smoldering gaze. Her cheeks burned. “I am at your disposal.”

“
I love you.”

“I love you, too.”
She ached to do more, but sensed he didn’t want to reveal the extent of their relationship to the others just yet. He released her. Kestrel left the tent and headed after Dathan.

Chapter Thirteen

Kestrel sat with Dathan by Pena’s wing, watching for Andrik and Ralag to emerge from the tent. She tried to focus on their link and hear what was going on inside, but she was too jumpy to focus. The talk in the camp and among the dragons was that everyone was anticipating war.

The party must have talked for an hour. At one point, Harnish stormed out. He paced around the camp, scowled at her, and when he cooled off, he went back inside. The other spellcasters kept a wide berth, but she sensed the camp was talking about her. Or the dragons were talking about the shift they had seen Andrik do. She assumed that was the first time any of the dragons had witnessed the transformation. With a deep breath, she stood up and began to pace around the outskirts of the encampment to burn off her excess energy. When the moon began to rise, Andrik came over to them. Ralag limped behind.

“What’s the decision?” Dathan asked.

Ralag shook his head. “Half of them don’t believe he’s the dragon prince. They’ve consulted their dragons, but they’re not talking about what they saw.”

“What does that mean?” Kestrel asked.

Andrik placed his hands on her shoulders. “It means at first light they want us to go to war.”

“Can’t you show them? Transform for them?” she asked.

“What do you mean transform?” Dathan asked.

Her mate shook his head. “It wouldn’t do any good. They’ll say it’s an illusion that Ralag or you created. I won’t have you discredited by the other spellcasters when they are the ones who need you now.”

She began to tremble. “I’m not going into battle. I’m not going to risk losing you the way I lost Castigan.”

“And I can’t sit idly by and watch my people get slaughtered. Father should have come to the spellcasters generations ago. I should have done something.”

“This isn’t your fault. You didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know that by me leaving a war would suddenly erupt.”

“Excuse me, but what do you mean by transformation?” Dathan inquired again.

Her mate glanced at him. “The story that Ralag told you last night about some of the dragons having two forms, dragonkin, were you listening to it?”

“Well, yes. But it’s just a story.”

Andrik sighed and swore under his breath. She ran her hand down his cheek. “Calm down. He doesn’t know. Many of the spellcasters wouldn’t believe your transformation unless they saw it. You’re going to have to show them. I know you don’t want to pull that out of your arsenal, but you just might have to. The other dragons believe you, but they’re keeping your secret.

“Dathan, the dragon that flew Ralag here was Andrik. He’s my mate and also my dragon. No one else knows in the camp except the other dragons. Please don’t say anything.”

The other spellcaster shook his head. He walked off toward Pena, and Andrik walked in the other direction.

She glanced at Ralag. “He really wants this to end, doesn’t he?”

“Aye. They wouldn’t listen to him in the tent. They didn’t call him a liar, but they didn’t accept any of his advice either. The two from the other athenaeum were open to hearing the opinions that we had to offer.”

Kestrel stared at the tent. Tridan and his niece emerged. The look on his face was one of anger. Shala seemed too scared to say anything. Kestral had an idea. “Follow me.”

Ralag sighed, but he followed her. She went over to Tridan’s tent. Before she was going to enter, Shala turned out of her tent and jumped. A small roar sounded behind her. “Kestrel, you scared me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. The prince told me about your meeting and how it didn’t go well. When I was in the tent, you were very quiet. Was there something that you wanted to say?”

She gestured for them to come inside. Tridan looked at them from the makeshift seat he had. His eyes told the story of his failed attempt at not getting them to go to war. “Kestrel, coming in here to change the others’ minds won’t work.”

“I’m not here to get you to change their minds. Actually, I wanted to ask you about coming with me to the rogue encampment. Of course, your dragon would have to be willing to fly into the camp. Would you be willing, Shala?”

Shala covered her mouth and stepped backward. Tridan rose from the chair. “How did you know?”

Kestrel glanced at the both of them. “I sensed it. When did you find out?”

Shala glanced at Tridan, and he nodded. She clasped her fingers together and stared at her feet. “I-I was at the athenaeum in the aerie. In dragon form, I had only been there for a couple of months. Waiting to see if I’d be pulled toward a human. There was a male spellcaster who I bonded with. While I slept, I had dreams about him. I wanted to hold him. I had desires for him that I would have only for another dragon. The feelings were so strong that I couldn’t shake them. One morning, I awoke and found that I no longer had wings, but flesh without scales. Tridan found me and realized what had happened after I told him. He took me under his wing, and I’ve been with him ever since.”

“Did you tell the spellcaster you’d bonded to?”

Shala shook her head. “I couldn’t think how to explain it. I didn’t know how he would react. He wonders where I am, but I haven’t answered him. It’s breaking my heart. And his.”

Kestrel took her in her arms. “You can tell him. The connection between you two is stronger than you think. Trust me. How did you come to live at the other athenaeum?”

“I found her as a hatchling in the arms of some raiders. I disposed of them and took her back to the aerie. I was shocked to see that she had changed. I knew then the legends were true. I was hoping one day to take her back to Blaze Mountain to see if maybe she had family there. Maybe you can bring her back with you. If you speak to the prince,” Tridan explained.

She nodded. “I can talk to him, but you have to tell the man you’re bonded with. You might find he shares the same feelings for you.”

“So what kind of plan did you have?” Tridan asked.

“I want to fly into the rogues’ camp. I can’t just sit here and watch the dragons go to war. What do you say? Will you agree to take me?”

The two glanced at one another. “I’ll take you if Tridan will come.”

“Then we need to make ourselves ready. Can you leave soon?”

“The prince isn’t going to like that you’re going alone,” Ralag stated.

“I figured you weren’t going to tell him. When this is all over, I assume that you can find out who Shala’s family is. Or at least tell her about her history,” Kestrel replied.

Shala looked at Ralag expectantly. “I can do that.”

Kestrel nodded and walked out of the tent. Her heart thumped against her chest. She didn’t know what she was going to say. Her mate was not going to condone her doing this, but he was going to have to learn that she wasn’t about to take any shit from anyone. She had lived too long in the shadows of the other spellcasters, and now was her time to shine. If she could put an end to the war, then at least she had accomplished something.

She walked back to Dathan’s tent, where her sack was. She changed into a better skirt for riding, with slits on both sides. She tied it on and relaxed while gathering her power.

“I’m going with you.”

Andrik stood behind her. Tying her hair back, she shook her head. “You’re not coming with me. That’s final.” She brushed past him, out of the tent, toward Ralag and Tridan. Someone grabbed her arm. She spun around with flames erupting around her hand. When she saw her mate, she squelched the power. “I’m going.”

“I know. I’m not going to stop you. But I’m coming with you. The other dragons have to see who I am. I’m tired of hiding. If you’re going to ride anyone, it’ll be me.”

“You can’t come with me,” she protested. “You’re next in line for the throne. Your father needs me.”

He grimaced. “I don’t have a choice. This is a matter of pride. I have to go. There’s so much I haven’t done to prove my birthright. Now I can defend my kingdom.”

She sighed, but she understood about finally having a chance to do something. Kestrel threw her arms around him and hugged him close. “Thank you.”

“You ready?”

She pressed her lips against his and savored his smoky tang. She wasn’t going to give him up. “I think you might want to get everyone’s attention.”

He nuzzled her neck. “I’m glad you said that because I was going to go anyway.”

“I figured you might say that.”

He backed away and began to strip. The other dragons gathered around him and bellowed. The noise drew the spellcasters from their tents. When he was completely naked, she felt the change begin in her body, too. It was a dull ache. Her bones grew heavier. She backed away from the link, knowing that he was still getting used to his dragon form. There was a lot of commotion in the camp.

“What is going on?” Harnish asked.

“The prince is taking matters into his own hands. And we’re going with him. Watch and believe that the legends are real,” she told the spellcaster.

She walked toward Andrik. He was naked, but already on the ground. His form began to elongate and twist. Within a matter of seconds, he had gone from human skin to scales. His limbs had grown into powerful feet with sharp claws. The pop of bones and the twisting scream of his joints filled the air. When he was done shifting, he quaked and then roared. All the other dragons followed suit and growled with him. She ran her fingers along his scales and shivered. He dipped his wing, and she climbed on. The other dragons bowed to him. They walked over to Harnish, who gaped at them.