Last Dragon Standing (Dragon Kin #4)(131)

Some looked close to three hundred pounds, all of it hard muscle and flesh.

Like something coughed up from the underworld.

Yet none of that disturbed Izzy as much as what were being held back by thick chain and collar. While the dogs had no leash and the horses had no saddles, these things were controlled by the thick metal collars around their throats and the chains being held by their captors. These had no horns, no otherworldly eyes, no bulging, overdeveloped muscles—and that was because they were men. Human men frothing at the mouth, more than eager to kill. Men who’d lost their minds and humanity long, long ago.

Slowly, Annwyl got to her feet, her gaze locked not on the entire legion before her but on the one who rode at the head. A woman. A witch.

Izzy might not be one like her mother and sister, but she could spot one. She could spot them all.

“Izzy,” Annwyl said again, her voice now stronger. “Go.”

“Leave you to fight alone?”

“No. Get me help.”

The witch leader lifted her hand, palm up, middle and forefinger out.

Izzy waited for her to unleash a spell with that hand, but all she did was swipe her fingers to the left. The collars on the men were jerked by the females who held them and the metal unlocked and dropped. Unleashed, the men howled in their madness and charged.

“Izzy, go! ” Annwyl screamed, lifting one of her blades.

And, as her commander ordered, Izzy shot off toward home.

“Are you going to keep pacing?” Dagmar asked Talaith. “You’re making me dizzy.”

“How can you be so calm?”

Busy writing a list, Dagmar replied, “I choose not to fret. Fretting doesn’t help.”

“She doesn’t understand, you know.” And Dagmar slowly raised her head to look across the table at the god who sat there, her feet brazenly resting on the wood. Her arm had grown back. “Not everyone’s like you.”

“Why are you here?”

The war goddess pouted. “That’s not very welcoming.”

“Who are you talking to?” Talaith asked.

Dagmar sighed. “A god.”

And that’s when Talaith threw up her hands and shouted, “Well, that’s not good!”

“Do you really think her brothers will allow you to get away with this?” Elder Siarl asked.

“I’ll talk to Morfyd. She’ll understand. And I’ll deal with any repercussions.”

“Then why have you even bothered to summon us?”

“I will present what I have found to the Council, and you will judge her accordingly. Then punishment will commence.”

“Punishment? In the salt mines?”

“For betraying our queen.”

“I don’t like it,” Elder Teithi argued.

“It’s for the best.”

“No, cousin,” Keita finally managed to say. “It’s for your ego.” She dragged herself to her claws. It wasn’t easy. She hurt everywhere.

“What I do, I do for my queen.”

“What you do,” Keita snarled back, “you do for yourself. Don’t blame the queen for you being such a self-righteous cunt.” The fist slammed into the side of Keita’s snout, sending her crashing to the ground.

“Elestren! Stop this!”

“Perhaps the snobby slit would like to challenge me.” Elestren kicked her, sending Keita’s dragon body flipping up and over. “Come on, princess!

Pick up a sword and fight me! Prove your innocence by killing your challenger.”

“Elestren, I’m telling you right now to stop this!” Elder Siarl ordered.

“I’m giving her a chance to walk away from this.” Elestren unsheathed her sword, flipped it so that she held it by the blade. “Take it, princess. Prove me wrong. Let the gods decide our fate.” Coughing, Keita slowly pushed her body up. When she saw her cousin’s body relax, Keita picked up a handful of dirt and flung it at Elestren’s still-useful eye.

Dropping the sword, Elestren backed up, screeching as she tried to wipe out the dirt. Keita scrambled up, put her front claws together, talons interlocking, and swung at Elestren’s face. She hit her hard, Elestren’s entire head jerking to one side. But she was still standing and, it seemed, relatively unfazed by the hit that had Keita’s claws throbbing.

Slowly, Elestren faced Keita.

“Oh…shit,” Keita muttered seconds before her cousin swung her own fist, sending Keita flying back and into the cave wall. She hit it hard and then hit the ground a little harder.

“Elestren! No!”

But her cousin ignored Elder Siarl’s demand, grabbing hold of Keita by her hair and flipping her over. She slammed her knee down on Keita’s chest and raised the sword she retrieved over Keita’s head.

“Sorry, cousin,” she said, although they both knew she didn’t mean it.

The screaming men charged forward, and Annwyl readied her weapon, pulling it up so the handle was by her shoulder and the blade a little lower. When the first few were close enough, she swung the blade in an arc.

She cut several in half, took the arms of others. A handful shot by her and went after Izzy. Although she wanted to follow, to protect her niece, she knew she had to let Izzy prove her worth. She couldn’t and wouldn’t turn away from this fight. Not when she’d been dreaming about it for so long now.