Page 247 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“Quite a crowd you’ve got assembled here, Commander!” he exclaimed, putting his fists on his hips.
“These are all the tribes willing to fight alongside us,” Kassein explained. “It sounds like all the tribes are picking a side at the moment, and the Deklaan is trying to get the last word as to where the fight will happen. “
“Ha!” Kauser exclaimed. “Let them pick! Who cares? We can wipe out those people in a blink!”
“The goal isn’t to wipe them out,” Kiera hissed. “As much as I like a good rumble, we’re still officially trying to pacify the north. We will fight so long as they want to fight us, but no need for extra bloodshed.”
“As you wish, Princess,” Kauser grunted.
“Kiera is right,” Kassein said, ”and we can’t underestimate their knowledge of the terrain. We might walk into a trap or something. We will send scouts as soon as we know the location,but in the meantime, prepare for an all-out battle and coordinate Herken’s arrival with the rest of our troops.”
“Understood,” Kauser said.
The man left the cave, and Tievin let out a little sigh, tightening his cloak around him.
“Well, Commander, I shall make sure the troops are ready in time,” he nodded. “Thanks to General Herken’s arrival and the short delay until the battle, I am not too worried about resources. I wish there had been more time to map out the area properly, but I guess it would have been a challenge either way if our opponent had insisted on picking the battle place.”
“The Munsa,” Alezya said. “They tell friends where to go, where to battle. Kassein and Kiera and Kein... Strongest. They battle Deklaan first. Deklaan will want to battle Kassein. But Munsa and friends know where to battle best.”
Based on Alezya’s gestures, they could deduce that their allies would corner the enemy and attack from side positions while they took them head-on. Kassein nodded; that was fine with him. They had never intended to let the tribes do more than help, and this had always been his war.
“In other words, we’re to be the decoy,” Kiera grinned. “Fine by me. I like a challenge, and your men have been eager for a proper fight too.”
“We should keep Herken’s portion of the army at the back for support,” Kassein nodded. “If the Deklaan Tribe and their allies want to focus on our forces, they might as well be confused about how many of us there are. We can set up a camp near enough to the battle that they won’t be able to corner us and where our allies can retreat if things go wrong. Alezya will be able to show us where to go.”
Kiera and Tievin nodded, and Kassein turned to Alezya.
“We will wait to see where the DeklaanKulaniwants to fight,” he said. “We will listen to you and the Munsa. Whenthe battle starts, you can fly to the Onyx Castle with the baby dragons. We will–”
“No!”
Alezya’s blunt refusal took him by surprise. He was confused about what she was suddenly upset about, but before he could react, she went ahead and took his small dagger out of the sheath at his thigh and showed it to him.
“I battle too!” she insisted. “I don’t go to Onyx Castle! I battle the DeklaanKulaniwith Kassein and the Munsa!”
Kassein immediately stiffened.
“No,” he grunted, gently taking the dagger out of her hand. “You’re not coming. Kein will take you back to Lorey before the battle.”
“What?” Alezya frowned. “Kassein!”
“Ooooh, I was wondering when the honeymoon period was going to end,” Kiera grinned, crossing her arms. “I guess this is it.”
Her brother sent her a furious glare, but there was no wiping that smirk off Kiera’s face, and more importantly, Alezya was stepping forward, trying to take that dagger back.
“Kassein!” she protested, more anger in her voice.
“No,” he said. “You’re not fighting, Alezya. I am not putting you in danger.”
“This is my home!” she argued.
“The home that hurt you,” he said. “They hurt you before; I’m not letting that DeklaanKulanido it again. I am not letting you in the middle of danger, in the middle of a battle–”
“Not my home, men!” She rolled her eyes. “My home here! The mountains! The friends! The Munsa! All thekulani! My home, my friends! My battle, Kassein! I battle too!”
“No.”
“I come and battle too!” Alezya shouted angrily.
