The likelihood of being seen in the field was slim in the first place, but I understood their caution. The dragon trade was incredibly profitable for these men, but also extremely dangerous. The Elf King had to keep up appearances, and I wouldn’t put it past him to throw someone in his dungeon, or even kill them just to set an example.
After all, he’d thrown Asta in his dungeon simply for stealing a bit of food, and that thought made my body tense as I drove the cart toward the meeting spot. I couldn’t believe the Elf King could be so cruel to his citizens.
As much as I felt Odin had made a grave mistake when it came to banishing the dragons, overall, I didn’t think he was a poor ruler. Asgardian citizens didn’t go hungry, and if there was an issue, they could take it to the council for help.
Of course, there were tribes who went against Odin, and the warbands would take them out, but they were few and far between.
Most of the citizens of Asgard were happy with how things were, myself included. We had a bustling marketplace where anyone could sell their wares, use of the Bifrost to visit other realms as long as we agreed to some conditions, and we were able to hunt or fish anywhere we pleased. I’d never heard of an Asgardian citizen going hungry like Asta had in Alfheim.
Before I’d met her and traveled to other realms, I hadn’t realized just how much of a utopia Asgard seemed to be compared to the other realms.
Then again, Vanaheim was probably the closest one could get to an actual utopia since the gods there made the place so incredibly euphoric, but I didn’t want to go back there ever again, no matter how wonderful it felt. I hadn’t been able to do anything but lay in the grass and stare up at the sky for hours on end while the girls danced naked in the field.
Aside from that, we’d nearly gotten trapped there since we were so unaware of what was going on that the portal had started to close without us even noticing. Blar hadn’t figured out how to teleport at that time, and while the girls and I were intoxicated from the Vanaheim air, the little dragons had been stuffing their faces with magic berries. Luckily, Blar woke me up just in time for me to get us back through the portal, but he definitely waited until the very last second so he could get as many berries as possible.
The sun had nearly risen as we made it to the spot in the field we’d met the dealers the day before, and once we were in the right area, I parked the cart and scanned our surroundings for places to hide.
The grass in the area had been flattened from the many meetings that obviously took place there, so there wasn’t any grass directly beside the cart to hide behind, but that was probably better since we were trying to lure the dwarves as close as possible.
“I think we can hide in the grass,” I said. “Kas can be in the cart while the rest of us take cover and wait for our chance to strike.”
“I think that’s a good plan.” Eira nodded. “It shouldn’t be an issue to get them close if there’s nobody out in the open. They’ll probably just assume the dealers are in the cart.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “We’ll just have to be careful not to be spotted in the grass.”
“We can stuff some of the grass in our hair,” Asta suggested. “That way they won’t be able to see the top of our heads.”
“Normally, I’d offer to hide you with a spell.” Kas pursed her lips. “But that won’t work this time.”
“No, it won’t,” I sighed and turned to Asta. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Oh, good,” the white-haired elf girl said, and she pulled her blade from her hip and cut a few pieces of grass nearby so she could push them into the braids she wore. Then she walked over to the grass and ducked down. “Can you see me?”
I tried to find her, and I even stood on top of the cart, but she was well-hidden.
“Not one bit.” I grinned.
“Yay!” she cheered, and she stood up, clapped, and bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “I’ll put some in yours and Eira’s hair, too.”
The elf girl started to cut some more pieces of grass, and I took in the sight of her in the dim morning light surrounded by the bright-yellow grass that matched her eyes. She wore her hair in two long braids so her elf ears stuck out the sides, and a few flyaways framed her face. She had on her yellow tunic and deep gray armor that was nearly black. Inger was on her shoulders, still half asleep, and the bright red dragon acted as a sort of accent piece for the entire ensemble. Asta’s slim waist and wide hips were accentuated by the breastplate of her aegis, and I couldn’t help but smile at how delicate she looked even when she was ready for battle and had a fire-breathing dragon on her shoulders.
Asta walked over to Eira, and the stark contrast between the two women was astounding. Whereas Asta appeared dainty even with her armor on, Eira appeared commanding and intimidating. The redhead’s jaw was set so her perfectly plump lips pouted just slightly, and her green eyes stared ahead with the focus of a soldier preparing for battle. Her long hair was pulled back into one thick braid that hung down her back, and she wore a simple short black sleeveless tunic perfect for moving around in. Her armor was a
