Page 46 of Dragon Fight

“And if they manage to get wind that there are more dragons, more eggs to be found up here…”

He didn’t bother to finish the sentence because we all knew. Harlston, Skane, even Cantlyn and Tharfield. Every duke would cast his eyes northward, send his men out on expeditions seeking Dragon Home, because stumbling upon even just one nest of eggs would completely change the fortunes of any duchy in a coming war. Draven’s next words broke the grim silence.

“That civil war will not be one dragons can keep out of.”

29

“I’ve put you all in here,” Judith said, ushering us into a room that looked more like a warehouse than a bedroom. The doorway could’ve fitted all six of us standing next to each other, it was that broad, enabling our dragons to follow us into the huge space. There was one massive bed in the centre of the room, and a series of large clusters of well-worn stone set at intervals around the room, abutting the walls.

I soon found out their purpose.

Cloudy went over to one group of stones and breathed a small stream of fire over them, maintaining the flame until the stones glowed a dark red. He crawled onto the pile, nestling down in the hard rocks like he was on the softest of beds. Obsidian did the same for four other piles so that each of the big dragons could hunker down to rest. All of them settled, except Darkspire. The dark green dragon just eyed the stones suspiciously.

“You may as well rest now. Her Majesty has gone to speak to the other elders in the enclave and…” Judith smiled wryly, “well, you’ve already seen what an argumentative lot they can be. She’ll be gone for a while.”

“If that’s the case,” Draven said, “can I prevail upon you for another room? While Glimmer has claimed all four of my wing mates, she has not claimed my dragon.” His gaze shifted to me, a raw expression in his eyes. “Nor has Pippin claimed me.”

“Her Majesty said you were all to rest in the same room,” Judith replied, “so here you’ll stay.”

“But—”

“Any arguments, you’ll need to have with the queen.” The woman cut him off decisively. “Well beyond my authority, deciding where you sleep or don’t. I’ll have some of the lads bring you some food and drink shortly. Get comfortable and settle in, because you’re not to leave this room until Her Majesty returns.”

Judith had a lot of the same matter-of-fact confidence as Cook, back on my estate. Having told us all what was what, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

“You needn’t worry, Draven,” Ged said, as he prowled over to me and swept me up in his arms. I yelped when he dropped me down onto the bed. “It’s a big room, plenty of space for everyone.”

Cloudy lifted his head to peer across the room at us, communicating silently with his rider.

“I know, you big lunk.” Ged crawled onto the bed to gaze down at me, his eyes sparkling. “He’s telling me I need to mate with you again, and soon. He says it’s because it strengthens the bonds between us, but—”

I shoved him off me, scrambling free to go and stand beside my dragon who was looking about her, as though deciding where she would sleep.

“Not yet,” I said. “We’ve discovered a lot, but I have a million questions.”

I dropped down into a squat to get down to Glimmer’s level so I could look her in the eye, because the days of holding her in my arms were now over. While I might still be able to manage it strength-wise, there was something else that made me feel it was the wrong thing to do. I didn’t randomly go and sweep other young women up into my arms. They weren’t children anymore and it would feel wrong to do so. And that’s how I felt about Glimmer.

So…My thought was a tentative little tendril, striking out and across the distance between us, which felt far larger than I’d experienced before.

You want to know if this was the right move, she told me.If this is where we should be?I nodded slowly, feeling like I was diving into those golden eyes.For the balance to be restored, the queen must rise.

I flinched as I remembered that sentence being intoned when I’d touched the crystal egg at the ruin near Brom’s family estate.

But what does that mean?I asked.

Glimmer stared back at me before responding.

This is the path we must walk.She tilted her head to one side and I mirrored her.But not today. Go and mate your men, because I am tired.

And with that she marched away from me and up to Cloudy, one of the big dragon’s eyes opening as she climbed in between his legs and then let out a sigh as the warmth of the stones hit her.

I looked over at her and tried to ask more questions, wondering what the hell she meant, but for the first time since she’d hatched, my dragon shut out my communications. My thoughts felt like they bounced off an invisible barrier. I realised that we would not be talking any further about this, not until she was ready. I blinked, feeling a little odd at this change in our relationship. As I straightened up, something else caught my eye.

Draven and Brom were talking intently on the other side of the space, standing part-way into a tall window opening, a large balcony apparent beyond it. Their bodies were close, their heads closer. The exchange looked like a conversation, not a prelude to a sexual encounter, but… It wasn’t hard for me to swap those intent looks to intense ones, their rapidly delivered sentences to something much more sensual, and me to imagine the gap between their bodies to be closed as they grasped at each other.

“Glimmer doesn’t want to talk right now,” I announced. “But I have other questions.”

“You’d have to have many,” Soren said with a shake of his head, coming over to pull me into his embrace. The urge to stay within the comfort of his arms was very strong. “I scarcely know what to think myself. I’ve taught more cadets about the Battle of the Two Queens than I can count, but never have I told the ending like that.” He glanced around the room, taking in the small carvings on the walls, the way it was built to cater for dragon kind. “Though there’s no disputing any of this.”

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