Page 60 of Bound to the Orc King

“I am not a child, to be coddled, Kronn.”

“No, you’re not.” The guard glances at me and quickly away. “But you also have yet to produce an heir, and with both you and your moon bound bride headed into danger, along with your royal cousin and his bride…” Kronn trails off at Aldronn’s sharp look, then rallies enough to add, “And you need the extra people to keep watch on the door to Avalon.”

Aldronn’s grim expression doesn’t shift, but after a few moments he nods, and a ripple of relief runs through the guards.

“I can run the shadow roads. That will be one less person Naomi has to take,” Shadow says, the end of his tail flicking. “And if anyone wants to run them with me, I can take one other as well.”

“I will do it.” Rune steps forward.

“It’s not going to be pleasant.”

“Do you think a little hardship will deter me, cat?” Rune’s ears go back.

“Fuck no.” Shadow laughs. “I just want to be able to say, ‘I told you so,’ when you complain later.”

“That will never happen.”

“Thank you,” Aldronn says, cutting across their bickering. “Your assistance will be appreciated. A reduction of two, however, still won’t ease the burden on Naomi enough.”

“Then let me make a counterproposal,” Sheevora says. “I will take my true form and fly Naomi north for the better part of each day. We will find a suitable camping site, and she can return and bring all of you. That way, our entire party will move at the speed of a dragon.”

“I will go, too,” Wranth says, wrapping a protective arm around Naomi.

“That will be fine.” Sheevora sounds amused. “You will not slow me any, orc.”

“What are the rest of us supposed to do all day?” Shadow asks.

“Hunt and prepare food for travel. The name Northern Wastes should be taken somewhat literally. The dragons who’ve flown over it reported that there’s little plant life and no major game animals,” she says. “By the time we reach the border, we should plan to take enough food to feed everyone for several days. That way, Naomi will not have to use her powers on extraneous trips.”

“You are correct,” Aldronn says. “We must ensure Naomi never reaches the edge of her abilities. She is our safety net. We need her able to teleport everyone away if any emergencies arise.”

“It is decided.” Sheevora shoves her writing implements into her hidden pocket and stalks off toward the pond. “Let’s be on our way.”

Starfall and Zephyr trot over, and Zephyr says, “There’s no real forage here for the unicorns. We’re going to gallop north along the same path as you. We’ll stop in the first meadow we find. Keep a lookout as you fly over so you can find us this evening.”

“I will,” Naomi says.

“And do a better job of picking our next campsite, if you can,” Starfall says. “Try to find somewhere that can accommodateallof us, unicorns included.”

“We’ll look for a meadow,” Wranth says.

I elbow Naomi. “You’re going to ride a freaking dragon!”

“I know, right?” Her pretty brown eyes sparkle. She pulls a satin sleep cap from her pocket and bends forward to lower her curls into it. After tucking in a few stray pieces, she straightens and ties the sash into a bow at the back of her neck, all of her hair now protected from the wind. “How cool is that?”

“The coolest!” I give her a hug.

The middle of the pond is the only place large enough for Sheevora to shift. She does so in a blink, her dragon body so large it causes a mini-tidal wave that rushes over the bank.

Shadow lets out a startled mrrr and dances back out of the way, while Rune laughs. “Water won’t kill you, cat.”

“Water most certainly will, hound,” Shadow hisses. “Or haven’t you heard of drowning?”

“Not from wet feet, I haven’t.” The werewolf grins, showing off an impressive set of fangs.

Sheevora moves close enough to the bank that she can extend one green arm to make a living gangplank leading up to her back.

Wranth takes one look, scoops Naomi into his arms, and runs up it.

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