Page 32 of Dragon Sword

A devilish thought slipped into my mind and I grinned up at him. “Speaking of days past, did you really save the city from an angry bird attack?”

He leaned back on his butt and bent one knee in front of him. “More or less.”

I cocked my head to one side and studied him. “So what made you be around when that happened?”

“I was merely exploring the world after awakening only a few centuries before the attack,” he explained with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “Fate guided me there out of mere curiosity. At that time, the elves were more open to visitors and I had traveled with a caravan of traders to their small capital. We had been camped out there for six months before the attack came about.”

“Then you really did battle with the king of the eagles?” I guessed.

He nodded. “More or less.”

I frowned and tugged on his sleeve. “Is it more or less?”

He sighed and set a hand over mine where he massaged the top with his thumb. “Ididbattle the leader of the birds but I was young then. The duel came to a draw when we locked talons and crashed into the vali.”

My eyes widened. “You guys fell in? Did you fall into the water?”

He shook his head. “There were far more bridges lower down than there are now, more than just the old bridge that has survived. We toppled through those and came to a stop on one of the bottom tiers with me being fortunate enough to come out on top. By that time both of us were bleeding quite profusely and we decided to call a truce.”

I cocked my head to one side. “So the eagle just forgave them like that?”

Will leaned his head back and stared up at the blue sky above us with its drifting clouds. “Not quite. I offered myself as a vassal to them in exchange for them sparing the city.”

My jaw hit the ground and a strangled gasp escaped me. “Youwhat?!”

“In order to save the city, I offered my services to the eagles,” he rephrased.

I stared at him for a long moment before I shook the shock from my mind. “Wait a sec. You’re telling me that not only did you offer yourself to the eagles, but they understand what you were saying?”

He draped an arm over his bent leg and smiled at me. “Is that so hard to believe when your spouse is a dragon?”

I shrugged. “I-I don’t know. I mean, talking birds? And why didn’t they try to talk to the elves about the egg?”

“The elves took up offensive positions before talks could commence,” he explained to me. “Indeed, the guards atop the Vahti were too eager to show off the importance of their duties that they rang the attack bell rather than the warning bell.”

“There are two bells?”

“One to warn the people of danger and another to announce the arrival of dignitaries. The guards rang the one for danger and the soldiers of the king began a defensive attack as the eagles flew over the city.”

“So the elves could still ring those if something happened?” I guessed.

He nodded. “As far as I’m aware, both still hang up there.”

“I hope those don’t ring while we’re here,” I mused as I folded my arms over my chest. I cast a curious look at my husband. “How long were you their vassal?”

“I-”

He didn’t get a chance to answer as I noticed someone emerge from the gate fifty yards from where we sat. My distraction didn’t go unnoticed by Will and he half-turned. We watched a young guard pause at the gate and speak with the leader before he scurried across the bridge. The young elf held a small basket in his hands and hurried up to us.

He held out the basket to Will and bowed his head. “This is the food you desired from Alisa, Lord Thorn.”

Thorn stood with a smile and accepted the basket. “Thank you for your prompt service.”

The young man didn’t lift his head as he shook it. “Not at all, Lord Thorn.” He paused and cast a slightly fearful look at the other guards before he lowered his voice. “It’s an honor to serve you, sir, and I hope you can help us now as you have in the past.”

Thorn held up the basket. “This will help us indeed. Thank you.”

The young man nodded and hurried back into the city. The gates shut loudly behind him and the guards stood in a line forming another barrier to our entrance.

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