A Tale of Dragons

Chapter 8

Rhys, who had been poisoned by more than one female over the years before he’d met and mated with the perfect She-dragon for him, mixed up something to calm Addolgar’s stomach and get him back on his feet.

Addolgar was grateful. The poison Katarina had fed him might not have killed him, but it had made him feel like ox shit. Now, however, he was standing over a still-unconscious Braith and explaining to his sister and brother exactly what had happened.

And what was at stake.

When he was done, Ghleanna looked him right in the eyes and said, “She’d be better off if you kill her now.”

“I am not killing her, Ghleanna.”

“So you’ll let Addiena do it? Because we both know the Queen will. We both know she’ll enjoy doing it. She’ll take her time with that one, make sure she gets lots of screams.”

“Stop. I don’t want to hear this. I’m going to help Braith. It’s up to you whether you help me.”

“So what do you want to do?” Rhys asked. “Hide her in your cave?”

“I think I should take her home.”

Rhys frowned. “To your cave?” And it was more a strong suggestion than a question.

“To Mum and Da’s house.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Ghleanna snapped. “You can’t take this bitch to Mum and Da’s.”

“She’s not a bitch.”

Braith moaned and her head rolled from one side to another, letting them know she was waking up. So Ghleanna slammed her back claw against the poor She-dragon’s head, knocking her out for a second time. “You’d put our parents at risk for some piece of tail?” Ghleanna demanded.

“She saved my life.”

“You can fight your own battles!”

“Not when I’m knocked out on my ass!”

“You mean knocked out on your fat ass!”

“My ass, like the rest of me, is perfection!”

“You two!” Rhys bellowed. “With the yelling! Cut it out!”

Annoyed with each other, Addolgar and Ghleanna folded their forearms over their chests and glared off in different directions.

Rhys sighed, and without even looking at him, Addolgar knew his brother was crossing his eyes. It was probably the same expression he always had on his face when he’d been forced to watch the pair of them when they were just hatchlings. He’d finally told their mother it wasn’t remotely fair. “They’d be better off with demons watching them. At least the demons would have a fighting chance!”

“We take her back to Mum and Da’s,” Rhys said.

“What is wrong with you two?” Ghleanna snarled.

“Do you think Da would make a different decision on this?”

“I love our father,” Ghleanna told them, “but he can be an irrational idiot. I won’t expose our mother to this.”

“She definitely wouldn’t make a different decision.”

“Because she hates Addiena. Loathes her. From years ago. The only time she’s ever irrational is when the Queen’s name comes up.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rhys decided. “We take her with us and let Mum and Da decide. If they’re fine with her staying, she stays. If not, she goes.”

“Fine,” Ghleanna growled. “But if this goes bad—I’m blaming you, Addolgar.”

Well . . . Addolgar had expected that last bit.

Braith brought her claws to her head and quickly realized her claws were now hands and that she was on a bed in what appeared to be a castle.

“That idiot,” she muttered. Because only a Cadwaladr could make this situation worse.

Braith sat up, tossing her legs over the side of the bed. But as soon as her feet touched the cold stone floor, she fell back on the bed, waiting for the spinning to stop.

She gingerly touched her forehead, felt where her head had been split open. Why . . . why would that big idiot ram her into a tree? If it was because he thought she’d been part of her father’s treachery, she would be in the Queen’s pits right now, awaiting execution. Instead, she was in a human bed, in human form—how he’d managed that, she had no idea—and trying desperately not to pass out again.

While lying there, Braith moved her jaw around. It, too, was swollen, although there was no lump.

Somehow she doubted Addolgar had done that to her, but she wouldn’t put it past one of his siblings.

Siblings who were probably all over this castle.

She knew that was where she was. In a castle, where the scent of fire dragons was in every nook and corner, which meant only one thing....

Because there was only one dragon she knew of who not only had a castle but actually lived in it rather than on it. And that dragon was Ailean the Wicked.

It made sense, though, didn’t it? Anytime Ailean’s offspring were concerned or confused or had done something that might get them put to death, they returned here for advice from their mother, Shalin the Innocent, or help from their father and the rest of the Cadwaladr Clan. But to Braith, coming here meant putting two very kind dragons at risk. Something she’d been trying to avoid from the beginning. She didn’t want any more innocents hurt because of her father.

The room finally stopped spinning, and Braith was able to sit up. When she felt strong enough, she stood. She took a few tentative steps, and since that felt good, she walked to the door and opened it. The servant standing in the hallway gasped at the sight of Braith. Quickly closing the door, Braith proceeded to look for something to wear. Since she only intended to be human until she made it to a clearing, she pulled a long cotton shirt out of a trunk and drew it over her head. It reached her knees, and she decided that would cover enough of her for the sensitive humans.

She went back to the door and again opened it. The servant was still there, cleaning up after one of the dogs running around. Head held high, Braith walked down the hallway and then down the stairs until she reached the first floor and the Main Hall.

As one of the main dining areas for the extensive Cadwaladr Clan, there were many tables, but only one was occupied. That’s where Addolgar and his parents sat eating their breakfast of meat and bread. Braith decided to forgo common courtesy and headed straight toward the open front doors.

She had barely passed the table when she heard, “Oy!”

Braith kept walking, not looking back, not answering. She merely had to get to the open double doors. She did, too. Making it outside and going down the stone steps. But as her bare feet stepped onto the courtyard, Ghleanna stood there, waiting for her.

“Going somewhere, Lady Braith?” Ghleanna asked.

“I have somewhere to be. So move.”

“Wait, wait.” Addolgar jogged down the steps, stopping by Braith’s side. “You can’t leave.”

“I can’t stay, Addolgar. You are putting your kin at risk. You know what the Queen will do—”

“Exactly,” he cut in. “I know what the Queen will do even though you did nothing wrong.”

“Then that’s what I’ll tell her.”

“Oh, please,” Ghleanna scoffed. “Do you really think that female will listen to you?”

“That female is our Queen. Now get out of my way.”

Braith pushed past Ghleanna, but the She-dragon caught her wrist, held her in place.

Letting out a sigh, Braith looked over her shoulder at Ghleanna.

“Perhaps,” Ghleanna murmured, “I wasn’t clear.”

“Actually,” Braith admitted, “you were.”

“Oy. Boy.”

Addolgar looked behind him and saw his father gesturing to him with his hand.

“But, Da—”

“Up here now.”

With a frustrated sigh, Addolgar jogged back up the stairs until he stood by his father’s side.

After Rhys had headed out to see if he could find out any more information about what all of Emyr’s plans might be while not alerting the Queen to what had already happened, Addolgar had sat down with his parents to talk about what their options were. What he hadn’t expected was to see Braith walking out of his parents’ home with, he was sure, the intention of turning herself in to the Queen.

“What is it, Da?” he asked Ailean, anxious to get Braith back inside.

“Just moving you out of the way, boy.”

“What are you talking—”

Before Addolgar could finish the question, his sister flipped up the steps, her back ramming into the hard stone. Snarling, Ghleanna pushed her short, black hair off her face before charging back down the stairs toward Braith. Addolgar began to follow, but his father quickly caught hold of his arm and held it.

“You don’t want to do that, boy.”