Page 2 of Crown and Dragon

Only Marius and Tahlia would participate in the mission to retrieve the artifact, but the rest of the order had been directed to escort them. On the way to the royal vineyard, the riders were to take down a band of thieves ravaging the Gwerhune forest.

“Spotted!” Claudia called out. Her orange tail whipped around behind her braided hair, and her sunset-hued skin sparkled in the midmorning light.

Her Heartsworn let out a staccato call and Ragewing answered her. They had been in the same unit for years and were as familiar with one another’s calls as well as the calls of their riders.

“I see them,” Marius said to Tahlia. “By the river. Can you give me a count, either of you?”

Tahlia didn’t know if Ragewing had answered inside Marius’s mind, but she did her own count, tallying the group of wild Fae drinking and laughing by the silver thread of water.

“I’ve got eleven by my count,” Tahlia said.

“Eleven!” Marius shouted to the rest of the Mist Knights. “Unit Three, take the lead!”

Ewan lifted his hand and nodded his bald brown head. His Spikeback, Angus, dropped and sped forward. He and the others in his unit—Lucius and Cyrus each on their scarlet Heartsworns and Brutus on his pale blue Spikeback—passed Ragewing like bolts from a massive crossbow.

“What do you suggest, Tahlia?” Marius asked.

“Send a unit to cut them off because they’re going to run, of course. Then send another unit over the far side of the river to come in low through the trees.”

Marius nodded, then lifted his fist. “Good. You’re learning. Down, One and Two! Three, get out ahead of them and circle back as they flee from Unit One. Two, veer past the river and come back below the canopy! Full flame, but watch the woods for spreading!”

“Full?” It was unusual for Marius to call for certain death.

“I read the report on these wild Fae. You don’t want to know what they’ve done to terrorize the simple folk in the Gwerhune villages. Death is too kind, really, but it’s what we have been ordered to give them.”

“Aye, Commander,” Tahlia said, dropping any feelings she was drumming up for potentially understandable crimes of those in poverty.

Ragewing dove, and Tahlia’s stomach lifted into her throat. He unleashed a blaze that crackled and snapped. The thieves swore and began to run, all of them crashing into the river and heading north—as the threads had shown her. They were fast, dodging fire and leaping over boulders that turned the water into whirlpools. Wild Fae were a tough bunch, well used to doing what they had to in order to survive the dangerous Forest of Gwerhune.

“Durniad will take you all down, you spoiled pigs!” a wild Fae called out over the splashing and the sound of wings.

Ewan turned, his purple-blue eyes flashing, and directed Unit Three around to cut them off. The unit’s Spikebacks and Heartsworns created a wall of light blue and scarlet.

Unit Two appeared through the trees on the far side of the river, their dragons already opening their mouths to flame and their throats glowing. All units fired on the thieves.

Their shouts and curses cut off quickly.

Dying by fire wasn’t a lovely way to go, but at least it didn’t have to take long.

The thieves’ ashes swirled down the river, and what remained of the criminals was gone by the time the three units gathered beyond the moss-cloaked boulders that framed the banks.

Everyone dismounted and began checking tack and dragons. Smoke curled from the far bank. The forest was catching.

“We’ve got it,” Maiwenn said, hopping back onto Donan. They hurried to the water, and the Seabreak—the same cyan-hued color as Lija—used his finned tail to douse the smoking trees and brush.

“Did you hear what that scum yelled at us, Commander?” Silver-skinned Atticus smoothed the wavy hair between his horns, uncorked his stash of water, and took a drink. He offered the water to Claudia, who took it with a nod of thanks.

“I did.” Marius’s nostrils flared. “If any of the rest of you heard what he said, please keep it to yourself. It’s to do with our mission and we should bite our tongues unless the king and queen release us to speak about it further.”

“Aye, Commander,” Tahlia said, the others echoing the response.

Maiwenn and Donan landed beside them.

A stronger warmth emanated from Tahlia’s Weaver belt. Tahlia touched the magical wool. “Ow.”

Marius glanced her way, a question in his storm-gray eyes.

“I’m fine, but my belt is really hot.”

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