Page 229 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“These are friends,” she said in his language, triggering some surprised gasps behind her. “They are theMunsa Clan, and otherclans, from other mountains. TheDeklaan Clan, my homeclan, they hunt them. They can be friends with DragonClan?”
Alezya knew her grammar was probably disastrous, but it mattered little as long as she got the message across. Kassein observed her for a long time, not giving a glance at the dozens of pairs of eyes on him.
“...Friends with Alezya?”
“Yes,” she replied instinctively. “TheMunsa Clan, they are my friends. Their friends are my friends too. They want to be friends with your DragonClan.”
Kassein’s eyes lifted from hers to look behind her, and Alezya stepped aside to see how the clans’ representatives would react.
To her surprise, after a couple of awkward seconds, several of them lowered their heads in an unequivocal, universal sign of submission.
It made Alezya choke up a little, for some reason. Her people, all the clans, had been terrified of the Dragon Clan for generations. They called Kassein and his relatives dragon tyrants; they’d been terrified of his family and their dragons their entire lives, and yet, right now, they were standing within inches of him and willingly putting their lives in his hands.
She knew it wasn’t much of a choice for them, and yet, she found herself a bit happy that they were choosing to trust thisstranger over her father. All because of her, one woman who had been the first to approach the Dragon Clan, learn their language, and... trust Kassein.
Alezya hadn’t had a choice in many of those things, with how events had unfolded, and a lot of it had merely been for the sake of her and Lumie’s survival, but it didn’t change the outcome.
“Are we good?” Ekata asked after a beat. “I mean, I’m glad he’s... here and willing to listen, but I think we need to get moving quickly. The word is going to spread fast, and we have a lot to do. Find more allies, move our people to a safer area, and decide what to do against Darak... We can’t stay here.”
“I agree,” Ekut nodded. “Darak is going to hear what happened and understand we’re allying with the Dragon Clan; there’s no turning back now. We have to move to the Dragon Clan’s position before they get to us.”
“Wait! There are more clans who will be willing to listen,” one of the younger clan leaders suddenly stepped forward. “If we can spread the word, we might rally more. Many don’t believe much in the Deklaan Clan but feel like there’s no other alternative. If we let them know...”
“It’s going to be complicated,” Ekata muttered. “We’re running out of time already. If we wait for everyone to make up their minds...”
“No, but we don’t have to wait,” Alezya stepped forward. “Look, even if the men we fought go to my father’s or his allies tonight, they won’t attack us right away. He was expecting an answer from the clans by dawn, right? Let’s do the same. We don’t need to wait for each clan; just send scouts and spread the word that your clans have allied with the Dragon Clan and that there is an alternative to rallying with the Deklaan. If they know there’s an alternative, they might rally around us. We don’t even need them to fight Darak with us, only not to fight against theDragon Clan. I refuse to cause more casualties than necessary. Let them flee or hide if they want; I’d rather them hide and survive than be forced into a meaningless battle they never wanted to risk their people with. My father was always willing to risk other people’s lives rather than his own; I refuse to do the same. People should be allowed to step away from a war they didn’t choose.”
There were a few seconds of stunned silence after her words, and Ekata gave her a proud smile.
“Spoken like a true survivor and fighter,” she smiled before turning to the men. “You heard her. Let all the clans know what we’re doing since there’s no hiding it from our enemies. Darak might convince a lot of clans, but many will be tempted to step away if they can. Those who want to fight with us are welcome too. Let it be known to all the clans, not just the big ones. Send scouts to every corner of the mountains, no matter how long it takes, and be sure the word is spread. If we’re fighting for the future of all clans, they should know.”
“We will spread the word,” one of the clan leaders said, and many nodded in agreement. “Give us time to move our people away from Darak, warn our allies, and I promise my warriors and I will join the fight against this madman. We’ve wanted peace with the Dragon Clan for generations, one way or another. If it is as simple as this, if we can finally get it, this is worth one last battle.”
“I agree,” another clan leader said, crossing his arms. “Enough of this nonsense and enough of sending our men to die! Enough of Darak! If the Dragon Clan leader is reasonable enough to listen to a woman, what have we lost our sons for?”
“None of us want to fight alongside Darak,” one chimed in. “I’m sure some clans will refuse to fight at all if they can.”
“...Are you sure the Dragon Clan won’t attack us?” someone else asked, eyes drifting between Alezya and Kassein. “Are you certain you understand this man?”
Alezya hesitated for a second, and then she glanced toward the lake, the one with the large entrance toward the sea. Then, she turned back to Kassein. He gave her a slight nod. She wasn’t sure if he understood what she wanted to do or if he was just saying yes to anything she would ask, but anyway, she turned to the lake, holding his hand.
“Kein!” she shouted into the cave.
Her call echoed through the rocky walls, and for a few seconds, a stunned silence befell the large area.
Niiru was the first to move. The young dragon, which had been playing around in the water and primarily unnoticed until then, stood on all fours, head perked up, its tail swishing excitedly. Some men who hadn’t noticed the small, dark dragon until then let out surprised gasps and shocked whispers, but they hadn’t seen anything yet. Alezya couldn’t suppress a smile when a loud, menacing growl shook the entire cave, making the whole group of men jump and take several steps away for some. Behind her, she felt Kassein’s torso press against her back again, his fingers tightening around hers.
Then, at the low entrance of their cave, Kein appeared.
The bronze dragon’s head peeked in first, and then, as it spotted Alezya, the dragon slowly crawled its way inside, triggering some panic among the crowd. Thankfully, all children were long in bed by now, hence Niiru had found no playmates in the water, but there were plenty of adults present, the Munsa and their visitors, who all let out a concert of shouts, screams, and for some, freaked out enough to run into the nearest tunnel. Kassein’s hands didn’t move, but after a beat, Alezya gave him a little smile over her shoulder before she stepped out of his embrace and toward the water.
Kein was slowly crawling its way inside, belly-deep in the water, its silver eyes scouring the area with interest. It was no wonder the dragon couldn’t have spotted this cave before; it was facing the sea at the northeastern end of the continent, the farthest away from its home, and its humongous body could barely fit through the opening. The cave wasn’t even large enough for its wingspan. Did the dragon find it now because Kassein was there, and it could sense its owner? Had it just found the entrance following her voice since it had been in the area post-battle? Alezya didn’t know, but she was grateful to see her scaled friend there.
While everyone else but Kassein was still frozen in fear, Alezya alone marched toward the dragon, not fearless but feeling braver than ever.
She hadn’t seen Kein in a while, and although she had missed the dragon, she was still aware it was a giant beast that didn’t think like humans. It might have forgotten her, or it might be more resentful than Kassein for how they’d parted ways. She had simply entrusted the dragon with her child and barked at it to fly away... It wouldn’t be outlandish for Kein to be mad at her.
And yet, when she took her first steps in the water, the orange dragon let out a soft, long, gentle growl that made her smile. Alezya only had to extend her hand, and seconds later, Kein approached, pressing its hot snout against it.
