I gasped. “They sound like some urban legend.”
He stroked my cheek. “They are no match for us as long as we spot them and attack first.”
“That’s not exactly comforting.” I bit my lip, wrapping my arms around myself.
Kane chuckled. “We are not far. It is only a short distance after this portal. To the final one which is very close to Boutrol’s lair. Like I said, you need to rest, little one.”
“Joy.” I bit my lip. “Better get out there before you’re dragged out.” I nodded to Wulfgar, who had appeared at the door of the carriage once again. This time, still on his horse.
“Kane?” Wulfgar raised his eyebrow.
“You are lucky you are my friend.” Kane kissed my cheek and climbed out of the confined quarters.
Wulfgar patted his back. “No. Dorian is lucky. As your friend, I have to speak to you like a brother. And, like a brother, you do not listen easily.” Wulfgar rode off to take his spot in the formation.
Mounting his horse, Kane looked back and smirked as I closed the door. “Alright men. Let’s move on.”
Dorian signaled, and we started moving again.
Kane was not wrong. The portals were not far apart. And when we had all passed through the final one, everyone tightened in formation and all dismounted.
“Men, prepare your weapons. We do not intend on needing them, but be sure your shields are readied as well. Dragons are unpredictable.” Dorian paced.
Handing the reigns to Lochlin, Kane patted Dorian’s shoulder. “You will not need them. Boutrol is an old friend of mine. And none of you will be close enough to…”
Dorian cleared his throat. “My liege…”
“Nor will you.” Kane squeezed his commanding officer’s shoulder and let go, strolling over to the carriage. “Wulfgar will join Auriena and me the rest of the way in. You all are to stay here, protect our horses and the carriage. Once we have what we need here, we are going to the Emalne villages in Hurthfeur.”
“But…”
Kane cut off Dorian, shooting him a warning look. He didn’t need to say anything further. Dorian fell into line and started ordering the men around unnecessarily
Wulfgar chuckled as the two men came to the carriage door. “Okay. You’re right. I wouldn’t want to be ordered around like that. I’ll take the brotherly role.”
“Careful.” Kane raised a single eyebrow.
A full-on roaring laugh emanated from Wulfgar. “Have you ever known me to be careful?” he patted Kane on the back and stopped, allowing his king to come in alone.
Kane, shook his head, grumbling.
I giggled. “You sure we should be trusting them?”
“With our lives, despite their insolence.”
“Then I trust them.” I kissed his cheek.
Some of the tension rolled off him, and he straightened up the best he could inside the carriage. “Take only what you will need for a few hours. You will ride with me. But a carriage will send a message we do not want to send. Wulfgar will accompany us. Are you up to it? Boutrol can scare the fiercest of warriors.”
I scoffed. “Me? I’m good. It’s just a dragon, no?” My feeble attempt to appear calm and collected didn’t even convince myself.
He took my hand in his. “You will be fine. I know him well.”
I nodded. “I’ll be right out.”
Kane returned my nod and exited. He and Wulfgar readied their steeds. Flinging a bag over my shoulder, I joined them. With one arm, Kane reached down and lifted me up in front of him, wrapping his arms around me to gain control of the reigns.
“How far is it?” I asked quietly.
Kane signaled for the horse to start moving. Responding to the commend, we started at a gallop with Wulfgar close behind. “A couple of hours.”
“Oh. Is that all.” My sarcastic tone was not hidden well.
He chuckled. “Yes. That is all.”
I leaned back into him. With one hand on the leather straps of the reigns, he wrapped his free arm around my waist, his hand holding my side and pulling me in close. “Is there a chance he will try to kill me?”
“There is a chance he will try to kill me,” he replied.
I sighed. “That’s not encouraging.
“I did not take you for the type that accepted lies of encouragement over the truth.” He steered us around an embankment.
“No.” I closed my eyes. “I do not.”
“No. You do not,” he agreed. “But, I will say that he and I share a respect for one another. So, as long as we do not give him reason to lose that respect for me, then he will respect you as the one I love.”
“I suppose there’s that.”
When I opened my eyes again, we were sprinting through a mess of barren trees and jagged rocks along a reddish brown landscape of grassless dirt.
The landscape seemed to stretch out just like that for as far as I could see as we rode along. That is, until I saw the snowcapped tops of a small mountain range off in the distance.
I sat up, causing the horse to slow with my movement. “Is that…”
Kane, not letting me go, slowed the horse’s pace even more. “That is Boutrol’s home. Let us hope he is there.”
“Or that he is not.” Wulfgar’s voice was full of caution.
“I need him to be there. I need to know how I got here,” I blurted out.
Both men were silent.
Sensing something not being said, I looked between then both. They were
