Ahhh. Nothing like the true love and caring of the Cadwaladr Twins.
It was all as she’d expected and she was damn grateful for her kin. But what Ghleanna hadn’t expected. .
“The Twins would have been the least of the Fins’ problem if they hadn’t sent my girl back to me alive and well.”
Eyes wide, Ghleanna faced her father. He was in his battle armor, weapons strapped to him and ready. He hadn’t left her mother in ages to go into battle. He left that “to me brats.”
“Da?”
“I’m so glad you’re home, girl. So glad you’re safe.” Ghleanna swallowed past the lump in her throat before she threw herself into her father’s arms. Let them all say what they would about Ailean the Wicked — none of it mattered. His heart was as big as any ocean and the love he had for his offspring as mighty and strong as any mountain.
“I’m glad, too, Da. And what I said to you before—”
“It’s forgotten, Ghleanna. Don’t even think about it.” He pulled back. Smiled at her. “Understand?”
“Aye.”
“Good. And Bercelak’s sorry he couldn’t be here—”
“He can’t leave Rhiannon when we have traitors in our midst.”
“—but he said you’d understand.” Ailean gazed down at his daughter and Ghleanna saw in that one look how proud he was of her. “Now, what do we do next? Escort you and our Bram to the Sand Eaters? Or take you back to Rhiannon first?”
“First Feoras dies.”
As one, all the Cadwaladrs faced the forest behind them. . and Bram the Merciful.
Frowning, Kyna asked, “What was that?”
“Feoras dies,” Bram repeated.
“And why is that then?”
Bram walked toward them, his reliable traveling bag around his shoulder. “Because he betrayed the throne, betrayed our queen, tried to stop an important alliance that I’m sure he’ll try to stop again and, most importantly. .” Bram stood in front of Ghleanna now, his claw brushing along her jaw. “. . he tried to kill my Ghleanna. For that offense alone he dies.”
Cai rested his elbow on Ghleanna’s shoulder and asked, “But ain’t you the merciful one?”
“I am.” And, with his gaze never leaving Ghleanna’s, “But there are limits to my mercifulness, I’m afraid.”
Chapter 18
Ghleanna waited for Feoras about five miles from where Rhiannon had tracked the bastard down. The queen’s skills had, as Bram had said, gotten mighty. It seemed she could track nearly any dragon she wanted without ever leaving Devenallt Mountain unless the fugitive had the protection of a witch as strong as she. And Rhiannon had tracked Feoras here, not more than fifteen miles from where he’d tried to kill Ghleanna.
As Bram had said, Feoras and the rest of the soldiers he’d bribed, were waiting for Bram to return so they could finish the job that had been started.
And here Bram was, relaxing next to a tree, still in his dragon form, quietly scratching away on some parchment. Did he ever pay attention to anything going on around him that wasn’t on a piece of paper or in a bloody book? She doubted it. But he seemed to have complete faith in her. He still trusted her to protect him and that was all she needed to know.
She heard Feoras and his soldiers moving through the trees. They were quiet enough but Ghleanna knew what to listen for. The flutter of a leaf, the warning of a bird. . the slither of a tail.
Feoras came around a boulder, but he stopped when he saw Ghleanna standing there. He reared back in surprise, golden eyes blinking wide.
“Ghleanna?”
“Feoras.”
“I. .” His gaze shifted and he saw Bram leaning against that tree, still writing — and blatantly ignoring him.
“You. .?” she pushed when he stopped speaking. “You. . what? Thought I was dead?”
Feoras focused on her again. “I knew you wouldn’t go down that easy.” He leered. “You never did. . go down easy.”
“Not unless I want to.” She moved forward, pulling out her axes, holding one in each claw. “I am going to stop you here.”
“You’re going to try.” Soldiers moved out of the trees, some stopping and staring at her, also seemingly shocked to see her alive. If she survived this, her name would be legendary. “You going to take us all on? Are you into that now?”
“Your disrespect to Captain Ghleanna,” Bram said from his tree, his voice soft, “offends me.”
“Does it now?” Feoras said with a laugh. “Oh, well. Don’t want to offend Bram the Merciful. He might bore us to death with his vast knowledge of
Bram continued to scribble away on his parchment. “We did. Very close. In fact—” he finally looked up from his papers but he gazed at Ghleanna—“I love her. Have for years.”
“Gods!” Feoras laughed. “Are you really that desperate, friend? Because the honest truth is, when it comes to getting under a Cadwaladr wench’s tail, the last thing you need to do is tell them you love them.” He eyed Ghleanna and she couldn’t believe she’d ever found him attractive. “That’s how it is for all of them, but especially Ailean’s offspring. All whores. . just like their father.”
Ghleanna had heard it all before but, unlike her sisters, she never knew how to let it roll off her scales like rainwater. But that was before, wasn’t it? When she actually gave a centaur shit what other dragons thought. Now, however, she realized what her kin had been trying to tell her was true — she was a mighty She-dragon who could do better than Feoras the Traitor. A sad, jealous lizard not worthy of her time or her drunken whining. That being said, she also had no intention of letting Feoras goad her into a rash move. There was a plan, and she intended to stick with it.
But when Bram unleashed an explosion of flame that rammed into Feoras and half his soldiers, sending them flying back through the trees, decimating part of the forest in the process while setting fire to another part. . she had to admit she was surprised. And rather impressed.
“What?” Bram asked her when she could only gawk at him. “I thought you wanted them over in that clearing so they were surrounded by your kin.”
“I. . I did. It’s just I thought you were going to run and let them give chase. Not set the entire forest on fire.”
“I don’t run for anybody. I wouldn’t worry about the forest.” He glanced up at the sky. “It looks like it might rain. Besides, I warned you. . my flame is mighty.”
“I thought you were embellishing.”
“I don’t embellish.”
“I see that now.”
They stepped through a wall of flames and into the clearing as Feoras and his fellow traitors got to their claws.
Feoras was angry now. Bram could see that. Because it was one thing to be bested by a fellow Dragonwarrior, even a female, but by a politician? No. He wasn’t having that.
