Page 47 of A Hunter for Luna

Benedetto paused in adjusting his saddle to stare at us, surprise naked on his face. "I don’t know how you’ll want to handle this. Drake usually only bond with the Imperial family, or people with powerful magic. I felt yours during the fight, you’re strong, but do you want everyone to know that? "

I glanced at him, unable to resist a smirk. "I can say he just has good taste."

Benedetto rolled his eyes. "Or that it's as foolish as you are.”

At his words, Pip mantled his wings, leaned forward and hissed, showing tiny sharp teeth. Well, that was interesting. I suppressed a smile. Seemed like I wasn’t the only one who didn't appreciate my husband’s attitude.

Curious, I asked Benedetto, "Do you know how to tell male from female drakes?"

He shrugged. "From what I've heard, they decide when they mature. For now, 'it' or ‘they’ are probably best. Or just call it by name."

“So Pip gets to choose which they’ll be,” I said as I took the leading rein. I wonder what Pip would pick when they grow up. If they grew up. My heart clenched at the thought. I was already more attached to the little creature than I cared to admit. Losing them would be like losing a piece of myself.

I shook off the maudlin thoughts and clicked my tongue. It was time to move. Kalion awaited, a place I’d never been, with all its secrets and dangers. And right now, with Pip at my side and the open road ahead, I could almost believe we had a chance at something like freedom someday.

We walked single file, the trail winding through the last stretch of the Drakewood. Pip continued making little chirping sounds, so I decided to officially name them Pip. It suited their tiny, energetic presence.

As we traveled, I pulled a piece of bread and dried fruit from my saddlebag.

"Lunch on the move," I said dryly, taking a bite. "You sure know how to treat a lady."

Benedetto looked over his shoulder, eyes glinting with amusement. "You wanted to come along. I didn't promise luxury."

He paused, then said, "Also, was a lady with us I didn't know about?"

I shot him a look, but bit back a retort. It was fine. I ignored the dull ache in my leg from the wound I'd sustained. I'd dealt with worse than a few days of rough travel. Compared to the memories of the suffocating confines of my father's house, even this arduous journey felt like a breath of fresh air.

Suddenly Benedetto stopped. He looked over his shoulder, holding his finger to his lips, then beckoned me forward. I moved as quietly as I could, leaving Dawn’s leading rein on my wrist, but letting it play out as far as it could.

To our right, through a thin stand of trees, I saw a clearing. In that clearing, a creature stretched, then flexed its wings. A lion’s body, with an eagle’s head and wings. It would have looked foolish, but instead the two melded with a breathtaking power and beauty.

Biter snorted and the creature spun to face us, then took flight. I breathed a sigh of relief. A griffin was a fearsome fighter, and I was glad it decided to flee rather than fight.

“So beautiful,” I murmured.

Benedetto smiled down at me, then flinched and jumped away as Biter’s teeth almost closed on his arms.

“You’ll find beasts like that in the more remote forests. They aren’t timid, but it’s better to avoid fighting if you can. Hellhounds have a nasty venom, for example, and leave bad burns. Hope you never meet an aggressive one.”

I nodded. I didn’t point out that only an idiot would get into a fight with a hellhound.

As the morning wore on, the ancient trees thinned, shafts of sunlight piercing the canopy more frequently. Then, as werounded a bend, the forest abruptly ended and the shortcut opened up, giving me my first glimpse of Kalion in the far distance.

I sucked in a breath. The capital city was vast, surrounded by imposing walls of white marble that gleamed in the morning light. Towers rose like sentinels, their tops crowned with banners bearing the Imperial dragon sigil. The gates were enormous, wide enough for ten men to walk abreast, reinforced with iron and adorned with intricate carvings depicting the empire's history, victorious battles, scenes of prosperity, and the unmistakable shape of a dragon flying above.

Dragon. I glanced at Pip, perched on my shoulder. When a drake grew larger than a horse, it was called a dragon. I wondered if Pip would get that big someday. A tiny part of me shivered in joy at the thought of riding dragonback, soaring through the sky.

It was a magnificent sight. I took in the city sprawling before me. I'd never seen anything like it. How many people lived there? Hundreds of thousands? More?

I realized I was staring, my mouth slightly open, and quickly shut it, hoping Benedetto hadn't noticed. The last thing I needed was him mocking my country bumpkin reaction to the grand city. But as I sneaked a glance his way, I saw his gaze was fixed ahead, his jaw set with determination.

He wasn’t there to sightsee. And neither was I. We each had a mission, one that could mean life or death for those we loved. As awe-inspiring as Kalion was, I couldn't afford to lose sight of that.

Squaring my shoulders, I mounted and urged my horse forward, falling into step beside Benedetto,

A few hours later we approached the city gates. Whatever awaited us within those tall walls, I was ready to face it. I had to be.

For Rose's sake, and for my own.

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