The Dragon Who Loved Me (Dragon Kin #5)(69)

Izzy placed her food down and swiped one hand against the other to brush off crumbs. “Is there something you want to say to me, Rhona?” she asked.

“No,” Rhona lashed back. “Because why would I want to say anything to the whore who got between two cousins?”

“Rhona!” Branwen snapped. “Have you lost your mind?”

Before Rhona could reply to that—and Vigholf knew the female was going to reply—Annwyl suddenly yel ed, “What the hel are you doing in my head?”

They al stopped, the four of them looking at the queen.

“Out! Out of my head! Fearghus said you’d never be in my head! Why are you in my head? ” Rhona leaned over and whispered to Vigholf, “By the c**k of the gods, she’s gone ’round the bend.”

“Are you sure?” Annwyl asked no one. She reached down and pul ed a scrol out of her travel bag. When she unrol ed it, Vigholf saw it was a map. “Aye. I see it. But are you sure? Wel , how the hel s would she know? She’s just a . . . oh, fine! And never do this again.” Annwyl rol ed up the map and stood. “Let’s go.”

“Go?” Vigholf asked her. “Go where?”

“I don’t have time for a litany of questions. Let’s just move.”

Izzy and Branwen scrambled to their feet, grabbed their things, and set off. Reluctantly Vigholf and Rhona fol owed. But Annwyl caught Rhona’s arm and held her back a moment while the two younger females went on. Unwil ing to leave Rhona alone with a woman he was sure was completely insane, Vigholf stopped as wel . Gods knew what the Mad Queen would say to her.

But she seemed quite clear-eyed and level-headed when she told Rhona, “Cal my niece a whore again, Cadwaladr, and I’l slit your throat.” And with that, the queen walked away.

Vateria returned from the dungeons, her servants busy wiping the blood from her hands, neck, and face.

“What is it?” she asked her mage.

“They’re dead.”

“Who is?”

“The platoon I told you last night would be bringing Annwyl the Bloody here.”

“How do you know that?”

Her mage smiled, and she casual y flipped her hands, slapping her servants in the face. “Forget I asked.” She peered at the powerful Dragonmage. “Can’t you just . . . get her?”

“She’s protected from Magicks.”

“By that bitch Dragon Queen?”

“No. By the other gods.”

“Oh. I see.”

“If we want her dead, it’l have to be the close-up kil I’m afraid.”

“And how are we supposed to do that when she’s already kil ed a platoon of Laudaricus’s men?” Junius smiled. “Wait until she comes to us.”

“Wait.” Vateria shook her head. “Are you saying that mad cow is coming here? To my palace?”

“I believe so.”

She clapped her hands together, and cheered, “My toy is coming to me!” Which made Junius laugh.

They were climbing up and across the side of a mountain, fol owing Annwyl. Rhona stil didn’t know why. In fact, she felt like they should put Annwyl out of her misery like a diseased animal. Then again, Rhona liked her head right where she had it. On her shoulders and securely attached.

Iseabail suddenly dropped, motioning them al down. After a moment, they saw them. Sovereign sentries, in formation and on the march. At first, Rhona thought they were coming out for them, but she saw they were merely guarding a nearby fort. Vigholf pointed to the ramparts of it in the distance.

To be honest, Rhona thought Annwyl would want to kil them al . It seemed to be her answer for everything. Yet she didn’t move, she didn’t give any orders. She simply waited. Rhona had never thought the queen had it in her to wait for anything.

When the sentries had moved past and they felt they could go without being seen, they got to their feet and, keeping low, started up the mountain again. Where Annwyl was going, though, they stil didn’t know. But she kept moving until she abruptly stopped and looked down at the ground.

“Oh, sh—” was al she managed before the earth beneath her feet opened up and swal owed Annwyl whole.

Chapter 25

Izzy caught hold of her queen’s arm but barely. Lying facedown on her bel y, she held on to Annwyl with everything she had. Unfortunately she felt the ground beneath her begin to give.

“Shit,” she yipped, not wanting to alert any soldiers nearby but not exactly seeing a good ending to this situation. Especial y when al she saw beneath Annwyl was nothing but blackness. A very deep-looking blackness. “Shit.”

“Don’t panic,” Annwyl had the nerve to order Izzy as she dangled there.

“I’ve got you,” Brannie whispered loudly while gripping Izzy’s legs. “I’ve got you!” Izzy almost believed her cousin, too, until the land gave way beneath both of them and they were plunging into darkness, the three of them screaming until forearms they couldn’t see in al this black wrapped around Izzy and Annwyl and held them.

“Hold on,” Vigholf told them; then he was diving straight down. She didn’t know why, though, until she heard warning shouts from above and felt arrows shoot past their heads.

Sovereign soldiers. And they sounded real y pissed.

But it was so dark. Could the Northlander even see? She hoped so. Because as fast as he was moving, if he hit a cave wal , her and Annwyl would be nothing but a flattened queen and her loyal, flat squire.