Page 245 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“They might take a while,” Kiera frowned. “We’ve made our position a bit clear with how much ruckus we made, but it might take them all day to come to us.”
“It might be worth using Lady Alezya’s knowledge to meet those people halfway,” Tievin noted. “You might save some hours by walking through the mountains to meet them before they get here, since the Commander and Lady Kiera quite effectively emptied the previous mountains...”
“Let’s move the army along,” Kiera nodded. “No point in staying here either. And Herken mentioned things have beenquiet on his side, I think the tribes won’t dare touch the camp with us here. We should consider having him send some of his men to secure the route back...”
“Let’s have the whole army come up here,” Kassein suddenly decided.
“What?” Tievin squeaked. “But, sir, the camp–”
“The camp is nothing but a bunch of tents and supplies in the middle of nowhere,” Kassein hissed. “If we empty it and bring it all up here with us, it doesn’t matter. I’d rather ensure we have enough men up here to win whatever war is coming than have a third of my men guarding a piece of land.”
“...It’s a good point,” Kiera said. “If anything happens to the camp, so what? As you said, it’s in the middle of nowhere; it’s not like there’s a village nearby for them to raid or something. Even if they did try to reach the village, it would take them days by foot, and Nebora and Lorey would know what to do.”
“Well,” Tievin nodded, ”it does sound like a sound decision, sir. I shall organize the General’s arrival and coordinate with all three generals to move the army to follow you with minimal risks and optimal supplies.”
“I’ll fly Kiki back to the camp to tell Herken,” Kiera said, ”and then I’ll tour the mountains and see if I can gather any intel. Do you want me to fly Kein too, just so the enemy doesn’t know our position? Not that I trust his crazy ass not to throw me off, but...”
“Kein will fly off,” Kassein said. “I’ll have him roam the mountains, be sure the tribes feel that we’re coming for them, friend or foe.”
“You’re keeping the three terrors,” Kiera said.
“I think Alezya can handle them,” Kassein said with a smug smirk.
His sister rolled her eyes.
“Alright, whatever. See you all later!”
Just like that, she left to find Kiki outside, and soon after, they heard Kein take off with a growl too.
“We are going to find the Munsa and yourkulanifriends,” Kassein told Alezya. “We’re taking the baby dragons with us. Tievin will follow us with the army.”
“May I suggest you take a unit with you?” Tievin said. “I think I remember that the young Captain Dajan had some positive interactions with Lady Alezya, sir. Keeping some men with you might be helpful if you are to walk ahead.”
“Fine,” Kassein nodded.
It didn’t take long to find the young and eager Captain Dajan and his men, and within the hour, their little scouting unit was ready to depart, Alezya and a tiny herd of young dragons leading them.
While Niiru was sticking by her side, the triplets were happy to run ahead in the tunnels, even if they got lost a couple of times and had to turn back, enough that Alezya quickly learned all three of their names from Kassein and that they were his ten-year-old nephews’ and niece’s dragons.
The dragons were quite efficient in clearing the path ahead, as their sense of smell easily led them to formerly occupied areas, toward random animals’ lairs even, and emptied the tunnels rather quickly. A couple of times, they heard scared human voices running away, but Alezya ignored them, focusing on the direction she was headed. They didn’t stay in the tunnels long and, instead, resurfaced on one of the mountains, switching to traveling outside, which was better for keeping an eye on the dragons and the movements ahead.
As planned, Kein was roaming above their heads, guaranteeing that their enemies wouldn’t dare show, so they could make good progress by avoiding the indoor mazes of tunnels and cramped caves and taking a main road instead. Still, they walked for a long time, only stopping for a quick lunchbreak, and Kassein was impressed with Alezya’s endurance. He had already noticed she had a great physique under her injuries, but it was his first time seeing her thrive in her environment, and he could easily see how she had survived so long in the mountains while being poorly treated by her tribe. Twice, she designated bushes or herbs with edible food for his men to stock up on, and she once prevented them from falling into a crevice nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Every time they had to climb, she made it look like she was as light as a feather and as nimble as a young dragon. Although he positioned himself to secure her position at all times and only let her hand go when he had to, Kassein felt a bit of pride seeing Alezya move around like this was a casual walk.
Meanwhile, Dajan and his men were beginning to tire from the relentless challenges of the trek; shoes trudging through thick snow, the uneven footing, and the constant shifts between steep ascents, swift descents, and sudden climbs were taking a toll on the men. None of them complained when a woman was leading them without showing a hint of fatigue herself, but it was clear they were exhausted.
It wasn’t until later in the day, close to the late afternoon, that Alezya suddenly froze and recalled the adventurous young dragons with a gentle whistle.
When Bora, the most stubborn of the trio, failed to return, Kassein clicked his tongue angrily, prompting the young dragon’s immediate sheepish return and a curious glance from Alezya.
He raised his eyebrows, but before he could say something, someone appeared ahead of them. Immediately, many of his men put their hands on their weapons, but Kassein raised his hand to stop them.
He was watching Alezya’s demeanor, and she didn’t seem nervous about whoever they’d run into. As soon as the personwas within range, Alezya spoke to them, and they exchanged words for a couple of seconds before Kassein saw her shoulders relax.
“It’s friends,” she said.
“The Munsa?”
