Page 26 of Dragon Fight

“Why do I think there are more drills in my future?” Flynn replied drily.

“But we’ll be able to do it. Once the door to our suite is closed, we’ll be free to be who we really are.” Soren looked down at me and his frown vanished. “Free to show our woman how we truly feel about her.”

I sat up so I could crawl across to him and into his lap, needing to be closer to him, and he held me tight against him. There was something so solid, so true about him, and that was part of why he was such a skilful leader. He made you believe you could do the impossible, even despite the evidence.

“I’ve made clear to the general that we will continue Pippin’s training,” Brom said, watching the four of us. “That she wishes to learn how to fly Glimmer when she’s of age. I may have also signed our wing up for extra patrol duties.”

Ged groaned at that, but Flynn punched him in the arm.

“More patrols means more time with our girl’s arse sitting firmly between our thighs as we take her with us on dragonback. It means spending more time on isolated cliff tops and empty meadows, far away from prying eyes.”

“Oh. Ohh…” Ged grinned as he seemed to finally see the implications. “Nice one, Wing Commander.”

“But more than using those opportunities to spend unfettered time with Pippin,” Brom said, gazing over at me, “I think we need to spend a great deal more of our time in the air looking for more ruins. They are the remnants of a time when humans lived with the wild dragons, but there is more to it than that.” His eyes seemed to sharpen. “That crystal egg, Glimmer…” His focus shifted from me to Flynn. “You’ve seen them before. Pippin knew what to do to unlock it.”

Flynn hauled me out of Soren’s arms and into his, despite the drill sergeant’s protests. When Flynn wrapped his arms around me, I was more than content to be surrounded by his warmth. He pressed a kiss to the back of my neck and then explained what had transpired on our first visit to the ruins.

“Pippin and I had found one of the eggs when I took her out to show her those same ruins we all flew to when Zafira went into heat. I don’t know how Pippin knew what to do, but she did.”

“It was Glimmer,” I told them. “Somehow,sheknew that I had to claim the egg with my blood. And, when I did, I heard her.”

“Her?”

“Tanis, at least I think that’s what her name is. In one of the books on dragon lore in the keep’s library, they called her the first dragon.”

17

It wasn’t the original dragon we were thinking about the next morning, but Glimmer.

As we had our breakfast, Kay tried to draw me into the plans for the party, with the news that the event would be taking place tonight. Brom cut her off while she was starting to suggest the ways I could be involved.

“We need to continue Glimmer’s training,” he explained. “She needs to be developing her wing muscles now, before she gets too heavy.”

“Ifshe gets too heavy.” Draven walked into the room, greeting Brom’s parents warmly before continuing with his negative commentary. “She’s still woefully undersized for a dragon her age.”

“Then we’ll need to work hard to strengthen her and prepare her for a healthy adulthood,” Brom replied, and there was an edge to his voice.

Draven frowned, although as that was one of his habitual expressions when around me, it was hard to know what exactly had raised his displeasure. He sat down opposite Brom, fixing his eye on him as though about to address him further, but Kay interrupted.

“Ah well, it's probably for the best that Ada and Heather are coming over early. They can help with the preparations.” Kay said with a sigh. “You remember Ada, don’t you, Highness?” She peered at Draven. “She was quite the little hoyden, trailing after you two boys when you were young.”

“Oh yes, I remember Ada well,” Draven said, with a sly smile.

“She’s married to my cousin now,” Brom added. I wondered if there was a warning there. Draven’s eyes glinted dangerously, as though he heard the words as a challenge.

“And I’m sure she’d make any man lucky enough to possess her very happy. She was always so accommodating,” Draven replied.

“And she’s been beyond helpful with events like this,” Kay said with a smile, seeming not to sense the undercurrents at her table. “She comes over regularly to learn from me how to run the estate.” She nodded decisively. “She’ll be a brilliant Lady Emberly when the time comes.”

“Then we’ll be able to leave things in your more than capable hands,” Brom said, leaning back in his chair. Getting to his feet, he continued setting out our plans. “We’ll be down at the beach for the morning, training Glimmer.”

“Oh, this should be good,” Draven snickered. He made himself a hasty to-go breakfast, slapping some bacon and eggs inside a pillow-soft bread roll and then wrapping a napkin around it before rising as well.

“But your breakfast…?” Kay said to the prince.

“I’ll eat this delicious food on the sands,” he replied with a warm smile for Brom’s mother. “But the sight of a royal dragon struggling to find her wings? It’s something that definitely needs my attention.”

“Let the boy go,” Bernard said, from the end of the table, looking at his wife over the top of his correspondence. “Draven will be running the whole country in a few years. I’m certain he can ensure he’s got enough sustenance for the day. He’s not the same young lad who was dropped off here by his father all those years ago.”

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