The Dragon Who Loved Me (Dragon Kin #5)(35)

“It seems your cousin was right,” the Lightning admitted, gazing down at the number of Tribesmen riders charging and surrounding the castle gates.

Rhona, her new spear clenched in her claw, nodded. “She was.”

The Kyvich rode out of the gates on their horned steeds, their bloodthirsty dogs by their sides. The first sound of clashing weapons rang out.

Smiling a little, Rhona asked Vigholf, “Stil mind having a female fighting by your side, Northlander?”

“Not when it’s you, Southlander.” He grinned at her. “Not when it’s you.”

Dagmar sent the commanding castle guards out to their troops with the warning, “Whatever you do, don’t get in the way of the Kyvich.” She headed back into the castle, her faithful dog Canute by her side and the stray puppy she’d recently found right behind Canute. Running soldiers moved out of her way as she quickly came down the hal way, stopping when she reached the Great Hal . Several of the Kyvich surrounded Talaith and Ebba, escorting them to a safe place that had been built beneath the castle wal s. Dagmar didn’t try to stop them, but was glad to see they were al right.

Thinking of nothing more than getting as many as possible through this alive, Dagmar coldly examined everything. And that’s when she saw the Dragon Queen walk down the stairs and out the Great Hal doors. Dagmar hadn’t even realized the queen had stayed last night. The discussion over what should be done about Annwyl’s disappearance had lasted late into the evening, but usual y the queen would return to her Devenal t Mountain home at any hour. Yet she didn’t last night. She’d stayed.

Normal y Dagmar wouldn’t worry about it, but she couldn’t ignore it this time. So Dagmar fol owed Rhiannon.

Rhona swooped down on the advancing troops, unleashing a line of flame while she dodged arrows, axes, and more spears. As always when she flew into battle, Rhona was more pissed off at being attacked than she was afraid. It gave her an edge she normal y didn’t have in her day-today life.

She picked up horses and their riders and threw them into their own troops. Lashed her tail from side to side, sending the Tribesmen behind her flying and flipping through the air and across the ground. While her tail handled what was behind her, she used her spear to decimate what was in front. Tribesmen rode at her from al sides, using only their knees to stay seated while their hands were busy inundating her with arrows. Many struck home, imbedding past scales, but she ignored the pain as she always had, as she’d always been taught, and kept up her onslaught.

But she wasn’t alone. She had her kin striking from the air, sending down wave after wave of flame, burning human flesh from bone. The Lightning nearby battered and crushed and hacked with that hammer and ax of his. And the infamous Kyvich unleashed something. She thought they were those unholy horned dogs of theirs. They weren’t. They were men. Or what were once men, but were now no more than slavering beasts, broken by the heartless females they’d once chal enged.

Younger witches clad—barely—in animal skins and bits and pieces of armor ran out to meet their enemy, combining weaponry and Magick to create a nightmarish whirl of blood and death. Tribesmen torn apart by nothing more than air, skin peeled from flesh by trees come alive. Some Tribesmen dragged underground, screaming al the way, by hands appearing from the earth beneath their feet.

Not wil ing to watch any more of that, Rhona focused on the enemies closer to the forests.

Rhiannon made her way to the top of the battlements, watching as her warriors and the human witches fought the Tribesmen. For human barbarians, the Tribesmen were dangerous foes, used to fighting not just Annwyl’s armies but Rhiannon’s dragon army as wel .

“You shouldn’t be up here.”

Rhiannon glanced at Dagmar. “Neither should you, Battle Lord. You should be with the others.”

“These battlements are mine until Annwyl returns. I’l not hide like I’m one of the children.”

“Such a Northlander,” Rhiannon murmured.

“Maybe we should have listened to Keita and sent the children to the Eastlands with Ren,” Dagmar told her, watching Ren join the fight in his wingless golden dragon form. She’d never noticed he had paws before—and antlers.

“If we ship them away every time there’s a problem, they’l be raised by strangers al their lives.” The queen watched the Kyvich cut down man after man, while their dogs and horses ate the remains. “They stay here.”

“What about Annwyl? Who wil we send out to find her?”

“That’s a bigger issue. Especial y now. The Tribesmen won’t back off simply because the Kyvich’s pets have eaten a few of their friends.”

“So what do you suggest?”

Rhiannon leaned against the railing, watching the battle raging beneath.

“Normal y I’d send out one of my Dragonwarriors to find her.”

“Can we afford to lose one of them now?”

“Can we afford to lose Annwyl?”

“We both know that if Annwyl left her army it was for a damn good reason.”

Rhiannon nodded. “I know that. She headed deeper into the west, Battle Lord. And there’s only one thing in that direction.”

“The Provinces.” The heart and home of the Irons. And getting into the Provinces was one thing. Getting out . . .

“This could very likely be a one-way trip for whoever we send.” Rhiannon shook her head. “But it can’t be avoided. We need to send someone to find Annwyl and bring her, Izzy, and Branwen back to their troops. So any suggestions, Battle Lord?” Dagmar stepped closer to the rail. “One of your Dragonwarriors, yes?”