Page 15 of Of Scale and Blood

Obviously, listening in on other peoples’ conversation was something all drakkons did.

No,Kaia said, amusement obvious.Just queens.

I rolled my eyes. It was bad enough that one queen was listening in, but two? Túxn help me...There are, but some are males?—

No males,Kaia cut in firmly.They killed. No control us ever.

I don’t control you, Kaia. They wouldn’t either.

No ride,she repeated, even more firmly.

Which did cut down our already slim options. I think there’s three or four fire witches in Esan, but only two in the military.

What mean military? Yara asked.

Trained fighters, I said.

Use small throwing sticks to kill birds, Kaia added helpfully.

Take Kele, Yara said.

She queen,came Kaia’s thought.Should take second strongest.

Rua won’t be happy.

She get military flamer. Same.

Except that Rua already knew Kele, and that would have made their transition to being a team that much easier. Still, it wasn’t like Rua really had any choice. Kaia’s word was law.

Lightning flickered across the ominous-looking clouds ahead and, a few seconds later, the storm hit us. None of the drakkons seemed to care, but we were flying straight into the driving rain, and it basically made it impossible for me to see. We definitely needed to develop some sort of eye protection, especially given the long months of winter would be here quicker than any of us wanted.

Although in truth, we needed to stop the winged riders long before summer found its end, let alone autumn.

Kaia sent a mental order for the drakkons to form up single file behind us, then swooped down, landing smoothly on the tongue before strutting quickly into the main aerie. Rua and Tane bellowed in greeting, but Gria waddled over, looking well satisfied with herself.

Flew in aerie, she said.Want hunt now.

Good,Kaia said, shooing her to one side.Hunt tomorrow. Dark now.

The others came in one by one, each bugling a greeting introduction to Rua and Tane.

Yara strutted in last, her expression and thoughts pleased as she looked around.Nesting grounds big. Hold several flights.

This isn’t the only cavern, I told her.There are more above us, though their exit lies above Esan fortress.

What Esan fortress?

Where flamers live,Kaia said.My flight claim above nesting when come.

Meaning she had no intention of going back to her old grounds. And while I was happy she’d not only decided to claim this place as her own but fill it with drakkons, just as the child in me had always dreamed, it also meant the only time I’d be able to see her was when we were on official visits back to Esan.

And that once again had grief rising, even though the move hadn’t happened yet. In fact, we were still alongway from it happening, given my father had already stated I wouldn’t be going anywhere until the threat of the gilded riders had been dealt with. His publicly stated reason was the fact he didn’t want to lose one of his best captains, but I rather suspected it was due more to my mother and her knowing I didn’t want to leave Esan or the drakkons. Of course, the delay also meant Damon and I had more of a chance of knowing and understanding each other in an environmentIwas at ease in—especially given the likelihood I would never be at ease in Zephrine while his father remained in control. Aric had barely managed to conceal his contempt of me—with my soldier skills and strega abilities—while he’d been here. It would be open slather when he was back on home ground. And...

...and I really needed to stop feeling sorry for myself. It wasn’t as if this fate had been dropped on me only weeks ago. I’d known about it since puberty, and it was beyond time I simply accepted it.

I firmly pushed the grief back into its hole, then quickly undid all the ropes and the neck plate, letting the latter fall to the ground as I slung all my various bits and pieces over my shoulders. Once Kaia had extended her leg, I slid down to the warm sands. This cavern was situated close to a volcanic steam vent that not only heated what had once been an ancient seafloor, but also the caverns themselves. As Yara had noted, this main chamber was vast and could easily have held more than a grace of full-sized drakkons, while the eight smaller, C-shaped chambers running off it provided easily defended, much warmer areas for eggs to be laid and newly hatched drakklings to be safely reared in. But this chamber was small compared to the size of the upper one, which was undoubtedly why Kaia had claimed it as her own.

Gria pushed her head underneath her mother’s neck, her dark eyes shining in the sand’s subtle glow.Scratch?

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