Page 9 of The Emerald Dragon Prince
“Come on!” Nikkos shouted, anger pinching his otherwise sweet face. “You’re needed.”
He wasn’t wrong. My omega needed me.
I pulled out of his grip. “I have to find Rumi,” I said, then darted off toward the tents, following the pull of our bond.
Rumi and his brothers were circled around the largest of the supply wagons Osric’s men had prepared for the battle.Rumi stood atop the driver’s seat, gazing out over the battle with wide, alert eyes.
“To the left!” he called out. “Father’s men are making advances to the left. They need more swords!”
Two of the other omegas gathered up handfuls of weapons and handed them to some of the army porters who were standing by.
“Men down on the right flank!” Rumi called a second later. “Can anyone rescue them.”
“Aye!” someone shouted, then rushed off in the direction Rumi pointed.
I smiled, proud of my omega for finding a way to actively assist the battle, even though he wasn’t trained to fight in any way.
His brothers did the same, rushing supplies back and forth behind the lines and taking waterskins to the captains of the army who needed them. My brothers, their mates, shadowed them, and even though we’d been forbidden to use magic, I could see that some of my brothers had cast shields of protection around their mates. An arrow bounced off of nothing in midair above Prince Tovey without the omega even noticing.
“We can do this!” Rumi called to me as I climbed up onto the wagon with him. “Look! Already we’re advancing!”
My brave omega was right. From our perch, we could see most of the battle spreading before us. Freslik had only a modest-sized army. Osric’s outmatched it in numbers by more than enough to end the conflict quickly. Whatever advantage Freslik had through surprise was already vanishing.
“The battle will be over in no time,” I said, hooking my omega around the waist and tugging him close. “Freslikwill be deposed and Osric set on the throne. A new and better era for this kingdom will begin.”
I could feel Rumi’s joy at the prospect through our bond. I could feel a lot more when my omega surged into me, grabbing me behind the neck and pulling me down for a deep kiss.
It was mad, but I loved it. I loved Rumi, and finally, once the clash and roar of battle was over, the two of us could be together for good.
It was a beautiful thought, but before our kiss had ended, a roar of fury rose up from the men around us. It began with one voice, but soon it was joined by others.
I let go of Rumi, breathless from our kiss, and turned to see what had caused the shouting. There was an increase in the sounds of swords clashing against swords and the thumps and thunder that came with battle.
“What in the Goddess’s name?” Rumi gasped as we looked around.
In the space of our kiss, everything had changed. The battle, which had been dozens of yards away in the emptier spaces of the meadow, was suddenly all around us. Men as close as a few feet from us were slicing their swords and knives through the air, as well as punching and kicking anyone who came close to them.
I realized with horror what was going on. “They’re attacking each other,” I said.
Elation turned to dread as I watched two of Osric’s soldiers, men who I had seen laughing and eating together not an hour before, locked in deadly combat. Beyond them, more of Osric’s soldiers had turned to attack one another. A few continued to battle Freslik’s men at the far edge of the melee, but all around us, friend was fighting friend.
“What happened?” Rumi asked, panic flying at me through our bond.
“The sorcerer,” I growled.
That was the only explanation. Whoever the traitor in Osric’s midst was, they’d clearly cast a spell over the entire army to cause them to fight each other.
It was bad. More than that, my vulnerable mate was in danger.
“We need to leave here,” I said, raising a hand, ready to create a doorway into the magical world to take my omega to safety.
“No!” Rumi shouted, glancing around desperately. “I can’t leave. Osric needs me. I can’t leave my brothers.”
I swore under my breath as Rumi clambered down from the wagon, grabbing one of the swords the bed contained.
“You’re not a fighter, love,” I told him, jumping down to stand beside him, like his shield.
“I’ve been practicing,” Rumi said with worry covered in thin bravado. “I can do this.”
