A Tale Of Two Dragons (Dragon Kin 0.2)(21)

“Anything else?” she asked.

“No. You got nice legs, though.”

Braith looked down at her legs. Human legs that she’d always thought were rather thin and weak-looking compared to her legs when she was in her natural form.

“Uh . . . thanks?”

When Addolgar continued to stand there, staring at her legs, Braith pushed, “Addolgar?”

“Huh?” he asked, looking up at her.

“Fifteen minutes, right?”

“Right! Right.” He nodded. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Thanks.”

The dragon stood there a few seconds longer before he seemed to snap out of whatever haze he was in. But before he could move away from the door, a big shoulder rammed into him, knocking Addolgar’s entire body into the wall beside the door.

“Da!” Addolgar exploded at his father.

“You need to pay attention, boy! You can’t let a good set of legs and a pretty smile distract you from what’s going on at all times. That’s how you get your head taken off. And then your mother will cry and I hate when she cries.” Ailean smiled at Braith and winked at her before walking off.

Eyes down, his human face red from embarrassment, Addolgar nodded at her and muttered, “Downstairs then,” before he stepped back into the hall and closed the door behind him.

With a shake of her head, Braith went about getting her things organized. “The whole lot of ’em,” she softly said to herself. “The whole lot of ’em are just daft.”

Addolgar was heading down the stairs when Bercelak caught up to him.

“I don’t like this,” his brother told him as they walked down the stairs.

“You don’t like anything. I’ve heard you complain about the air.”

“It irritates me when it whistles. But that’s not what I’m talking about. When did Brigida become so helpful?”

“I have no idea because I avoid her like the plague I once heard she vindictively spread in that little town near the Desert Lands.”

“Just be careful, brother.”

“I’ll have Ghleanna with me. She and her thick neck will keep me safe until we get Braith to Arranz’s.”

“Her neck is thick, isn’t it?”

“It runs in the family. Only Maelona has been spared the Cadwaladr thick neck because she takes after Mum.”

They went down another set of steps.

“What are you going to do?” Addolgar asked his brother. “Head back to your troops?”

“No. I’m going to see the Queen. See if I can head this off at the pass.”

“You haven’t told her anything?”

“Of course not. As soon as I heard what happened, I came to make sure you were okay.”

Addolgar stopped and focused on his brother. “You do care about me!”

“Oh, shut up!”

They made it to the courtyard and that’s where they met Ghleanna. She had on chain mail and the surcoat of an army she and Addolgar had long ago destroyed. A large bag hung off her shoulder and nearly to the ground. It would be much smaller when she was in her dragon form, but once she untied the knot at the top, it would fit around her dragon shoulders just as well, allowing her to carry clothes and human weapons, along with food and other supplies for her dragon form.

“Where is she?” Ghleanna demanded.

“She’s coming.”

“Keep an eye on her,” Bercelak warned Ghleanna. “I still don’t trust her. And make sure Arranz is completely apprised of this entire situation so he and our cousins know what to do.”

“Of course you don’t trust Braith. You don’t trust anybody,” Ghleanna reminded their brother. “You don’t trust the air.”

“Because it tends to become unseasonably chilly when I’d prefer it to be warm. It’s as if it does it on purpose.”

Ghleanna closed her eyes, shook her head.

Braith stepped out of the Main Hall and onto the courtyard steps. She wore nothing but one of Addolgar’s shirts, showing off those lovely human legs of hers. But she had a bag similar to Ghleanna’s over her shoulder.

Once she stood next to them, Addolgar asked her, “You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll—”

Braith’s words were cut off as Shalin rushed out of the Main Hall. “Addolgar!”

At his mother’s barked words, Addolgar, Ghleanna, and Bercelak dropped their travel bags and pulled their weapons. They instantly surrounded a confused Braith.

From the sky they dropped, the Queen’s Royal Guard, surrounding the small group.

Ailean came out of the front door, pushing Shalin and Maelona back inside. Once the doors were closed, he pulled out his sword, resting the tip on the top stone step while his hand loosely clasped the pommel.

“Can we help you?” he asked . . . kindly.

“We’ve come for her,” the leader said, his claw pointing at Braith. “Give her to us and we leave you and yours in peace, Ailean the Wicked.”

Ailean laughed. “Peace? Cadwaladrs know little of peace, I’m afraid.”

On his words, shadows moved and then the Queen’s Guards, who were surrounding Addolgar, Ghleanna, and Bercelak, who were surrounding Braith, were now surrounded themselves . . . by Addolgar’s kin. Most of them were just waking up from a hard night of even harder drinking, but it was one of the first things that every Cadwaladr learned . . . to be ready for battle at anytime, anywhere, with the understanding that once they were done killing, more drinking could begin!