Page 216 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
Kassein ignored her protests, and as soon as he located the dark gray dragon, he climbed on and had his sister’s dragon take off in the direction of the Onyx Castle.
He knew Kiera wasn’t that reluctant, or else Kiki would have never taken off.
Although it was indeed selfish of him to abandon his army in the mountains and spend the night at the Onyx Castle, he was desperate to check on Lumie.
Moreover, he knew his army didn’t need him for the night; even though they had hiked in the mountains all day, the battles hadn’t been nearly as exhausting as they had anticipated, and they would have no problem guarding a camp in the hills from attacks for the night.
Kassein was far more anxious about Lumie spending another night without her mom, and he urged Kiki to fly south as fast as possible.
He made it long after night had fallen, but to his surprise, he found Lorey and Lumie out in the gardens of the Onyx Castle.
Both raised their heads as soon as they noticed Kiki’s silhouette and as soon as Lumie broke into a huge smile upon seeing him, Kassein couldn’t help but smile back and jump down from the dragon to get to her.
This time, the little girl had been changed into proper clothes, a tiny outfit made of comfortable wool and gray fur, which covered her hands and feet too, only leaving her face visible under a cute hood.
“Hello, little moon,” he whispered as he hugged the little girl.
“Welcome back,” Lorey smiled. “Did everything go well up there?”
“We didn’t find Alezya,” he said, “but the fights were easy; most fled before our arrival.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe you’ll have better luck tomorrow. Hello, Kiki.”
Understandably, his sister’s dragon went to Lorey’s side while he was all focused on Lumie. The baby girl was looking up at him while chewing her mitten, her cheeks rosy.
Kassein smiled and handed her the little toy he had found.
“Is this yours?” he whispered.
After a second, the little girl’s eyes opened wide with recognition, and she took the toy with a squeal of delight.
“Your room and the nursery are ready,” Lorey informed him. “Are you spending the night?”
“Lumie is sleeping with me,” he decided, “but I left Kiera in charge; I’ll leave before sunrise.”
“Understood,” Lorey said with an approving nod, following him inside. “I’ll be sure to wake up to take care of her and see you off, then. Now, will you tell me how much mischief the triplets got up to?”
Chapter 17
Alezya tightened her fur coat around her, her eyes riveted on her little window of the sky. The sun was starting to set, but she could still feel the tension growing in the mountains. It was the second day since she had arrived in the Munsa Clan, and while they were far away, all eyes had been fixated on the other end of the mountains, to the far south, to watch the absolute mayhem that was going on. For clans who rarely communicated, she felt like the panicked rumors about the Dragon Clan’s attacks were spreading incredibly fast. It was impossible to miss Kein’s large figure, as the orange dragon had been hovering above the mountains restlessly.
If she could, Alezya would have found the nearest cliff and shouted for the orange dragon to see her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure Kein would have made it to her before she was killed.
While the Munsa Clan had been hiding her for almost three days now, many of the other clans were searching for her.
Ekata and Ekut’s worries had been quickly confirmed: her father, Darak, had not only put a price on her head but had also convinced the other clans that the Dragon Clan’s attacks were somehow her doing. According to him, the only way to stop the destruction was to kill Alezya.
She was grateful that the Munsa Clan was among those who distrusted him, but the word was spreading fast. Ekut and Ekata were carefully reaching out to select clan leaders, trying to determine who might be willing to hear her out and who wouldbetray her the moment they learned she was in the Munsa Clan’s care.
Confined to their mountain, she remained hidden from prying eyes yet desperate for information. She was grateful for the meals, the warm clothes, and even the way her hair had been braided in the Munsa style, but she knew this was only the calm before the storm. From what she had gathered, the Dragon Clan’s attacks were unlike anything before. These were not brief, scattered skirmishes where warriors clashed and quickly withdrew. Entire mountains were being raided, and clans were driven from their homes. Worse, the Dragon Clan was no longer retreating after their attacks; they were staying.
All Alezya could see were glimpses of Kein from time to time, and she was desperate for every bit of information the Munsa Clan scouts brought back. Panic was rising, and displaced clans were seeking refuge elsewhere. As fear spread, more and more clans leaned toward her father’s plan, believing they had to fight back before it was their turn.
Some, however, were unsettled by something unexpected. While the first accounts described savagery and chaos, the more survivors gathered, the more confusing the truth became. Many of them, expecting to be slaughtered, had instead been allowed to leave, walking past their attackers without a fight. That knowledge gave Alezya a flicker of pride, knowing it had to be Kassein’s doing. He was leading the charge, yet sparing as many as he could. More importantly, it was causing fractures in her father’s plan. The more clans questioned the true purpose of these raids, the less unified they became.
When the Deklaan Clan was attacked more violently than the others, or so they claimed, they were the first to declare that the clans had to retaliate immediately. But few were willing to take the fight to the Dragon Clan head-on. Many stillclung to the hope that if they stayed out of it, they would be spared. According to Ekata’s latest reports from clan gatherings, leaders were divided; some prayed the dragon would pass them by, others debated fleeing before they arrived, and still others weighed their chances of survival if they followed Darak into war.
Meanwhile, Ekut and Ekata continued their delicate work.
