How to Drive a Dragon Crazy
Page 86
Éibhear took his travel bag, slinging it across his shoulders.
“Take this as well.” Aidan shoved the map of the Desert Lands at him. “For our queen, for our honor.”
Éibhear repeated the favorite Mì-runach saying, “For our queen, for our honor.” Then over the side he went, letting the wind lift his wings and his ears lead him to where that damn dog was tearing through the desert in search of his mistress.
Chapter 27
They were well into their meal when Gwenvael heard screams from outside. He looked up from his lamb and asked, “Did anyone know Mum was coming here tonight?”
Everyone was shaking their heads when Rhiannon stormed into the Great Hall . . . naked. Although Gwenvael was just grateful that she wasn’t trying to come inside while still in her dragonform. That always led to repairs and Annwyl complaining incessantly about the cost of good stone masons.
“Problems!” she yelled as she walked in. “Problems!”
Morfyd gasped at the sight of their naked mother and jumped up from the table. One of the servants tossed a fur cape to her before she’d even made it across the room and she immediately wrapped it around their mother’s shoulders at the same time their father rushed into the Great Hall. At least he had on leggings and was busy trying to pull on his boots.
“I wish you wouldn’t run from me like that,” he snarled at Rhiannon.
“We don’t have time for all these human issues about their naked bodies! We have problems!”
“It’s probably that idiot boy’s fault!” Bercelak lashed back.
Young Frederik’s head snapped up, his attention finally pulled away from the book he’d been reading all through dinner. Now that he had his reading spectacles and didn’t have to pretend he was as stupid as the rest of the males in his family, the boy always seemed to have a book in his hands.
Gwenvael leaned over and whispered to him, “He doesn’t mean you. You’re fine.”
“Oh. Good. Thanks.” Then back to his book Frederik went.
“What’s going on?” Briec demanded while still sounding amazingly bored. It was definitely a skill Gwenvael’s brother had. One none of Briec’s siblings had ever been able to master.
“We’ve been attacked! And betrayed!” Rhiannon announced.
Annwyl instantly stood, her hand on her sword, and Fearghus quickly ordered her to “sit down. Now.”
Grumbling, the human queen did just that. Fearghus had definitely gotten faster over the years at stopping his mate before the killing could commence. Something they all appreciated about Fearghus.
“Who’s attacking us?” Keita asked, needing this information so she could plot which poison would work best.
“Those bloody Sand Eaters have attacked my salt mines.”
“King Heru?” Fearghus asked. “He sent his troops to attack the salt mines? Is he in desperate need of salt?”
“No, he does not—” Rhiannon cut herself off. “He’s not attacking the salt mines, idiot. He’s attacking us!”
“Us as in all of us?” Briec asked. “Or us as in the royal you?”
“Bercelak!” Rhiannon bellowed.
Their father quickly took over, stepping in front of their mother and saying, “All we know is that the salt mines were attacked just a little while ago by a battalion of Sand Eaters.”
“Sent by King Heru?” Fearghus pushed.
“We don’t know.”
“Have we lost ground?” Briec asked.
“No.”
Fearghus and Briec glanced at each other and Gwenvael.
Frowning, Fearghus asked, “You’re saying that the troops we have on the Southland border repelled a full-on assault by Sand Eaters? Those troops did that?”
Because they’d had peace on that border for so long and the weather was so miserable, usually only the worst of their troops went to the salt mines. And, if they were attacked, it was assumed that those dragons would just give the rest of them enough time to gather resources and prepare to repel any efforts to push farther into their territory. Honestly, they were nothing more than disposable guard dogs.
Bercelak looked back at Rhiannon and she shrugged. “Tell them.”
Nodding, Bercelak said to them, “There were Mì-runach at the salt mines.”
Briec shook his head, confused. “Why were Mì-runach in—’”
“By the gods,” Talaith gasped. She shot to her feet. “Izzy!”
“She’s safe,” Bercelak quickly assured her. “Rhiannon talked to Brannie and she says Izzy is fine. Éibhear’s keeping her safe.”
“Éibhear’s with Izzy?” Briec turned accusing eyes on his mate. “And you knew, didn’t you?”
“Of course I knew. I guess I just don’t see what your problem with it could possibly be.”
“Don’t see the problem? How can you say that?”
“They’re not blood related, Briec. Unless, of course, it’s the fact that my daughter is not of royal blood that bothers you.”
“What?”
“Just admit it. That’s what this is really about. You don’t think my daughter’s good enough for your royal brother.”
“Actually,” Gwenvael clarified since Briec had become so angry his human face was almost as purple as Ragnar’s hair, “we don’t think that idiot is good enough for our little Izzy.”
“Take this as well.” Aidan shoved the map of the Desert Lands at him. “For our queen, for our honor.”
Éibhear repeated the favorite Mì-runach saying, “For our queen, for our honor.” Then over the side he went, letting the wind lift his wings and his ears lead him to where that damn dog was tearing through the desert in search of his mistress.
Chapter 27
They were well into their meal when Gwenvael heard screams from outside. He looked up from his lamb and asked, “Did anyone know Mum was coming here tonight?”
Everyone was shaking their heads when Rhiannon stormed into the Great Hall . . . naked. Although Gwenvael was just grateful that she wasn’t trying to come inside while still in her dragonform. That always led to repairs and Annwyl complaining incessantly about the cost of good stone masons.
“Problems!” she yelled as she walked in. “Problems!”
Morfyd gasped at the sight of their naked mother and jumped up from the table. One of the servants tossed a fur cape to her before she’d even made it across the room and she immediately wrapped it around their mother’s shoulders at the same time their father rushed into the Great Hall. At least he had on leggings and was busy trying to pull on his boots.
“I wish you wouldn’t run from me like that,” he snarled at Rhiannon.
“We don’t have time for all these human issues about their naked bodies! We have problems!”
“It’s probably that idiot boy’s fault!” Bercelak lashed back.
Young Frederik’s head snapped up, his attention finally pulled away from the book he’d been reading all through dinner. Now that he had his reading spectacles and didn’t have to pretend he was as stupid as the rest of the males in his family, the boy always seemed to have a book in his hands.
Gwenvael leaned over and whispered to him, “He doesn’t mean you. You’re fine.”
“Oh. Good. Thanks.” Then back to his book Frederik went.
“What’s going on?” Briec demanded while still sounding amazingly bored. It was definitely a skill Gwenvael’s brother had. One none of Briec’s siblings had ever been able to master.
“We’ve been attacked! And betrayed!” Rhiannon announced.
Annwyl instantly stood, her hand on her sword, and Fearghus quickly ordered her to “sit down. Now.”
Grumbling, the human queen did just that. Fearghus had definitely gotten faster over the years at stopping his mate before the killing could commence. Something they all appreciated about Fearghus.
“Who’s attacking us?” Keita asked, needing this information so she could plot which poison would work best.
“Those bloody Sand Eaters have attacked my salt mines.”
“King Heru?” Fearghus asked. “He sent his troops to attack the salt mines? Is he in desperate need of salt?”
“No, he does not—” Rhiannon cut herself off. “He’s not attacking the salt mines, idiot. He’s attacking us!”
“Us as in all of us?” Briec asked. “Or us as in the royal you?”
“Bercelak!” Rhiannon bellowed.
Their father quickly took over, stepping in front of their mother and saying, “All we know is that the salt mines were attacked just a little while ago by a battalion of Sand Eaters.”
“Sent by King Heru?” Fearghus pushed.
“We don’t know.”
“Have we lost ground?” Briec asked.
“No.”
Fearghus and Briec glanced at each other and Gwenvael.
Frowning, Fearghus asked, “You’re saying that the troops we have on the Southland border repelled a full-on assault by Sand Eaters? Those troops did that?”
Because they’d had peace on that border for so long and the weather was so miserable, usually only the worst of their troops went to the salt mines. And, if they were attacked, it was assumed that those dragons would just give the rest of them enough time to gather resources and prepare to repel any efforts to push farther into their territory. Honestly, they were nothing more than disposable guard dogs.
Bercelak looked back at Rhiannon and she shrugged. “Tell them.”
Nodding, Bercelak said to them, “There were Mì-runach at the salt mines.”
Briec shook his head, confused. “Why were Mì-runach in—’”
“By the gods,” Talaith gasped. She shot to her feet. “Izzy!”
“She’s safe,” Bercelak quickly assured her. “Rhiannon talked to Brannie and she says Izzy is fine. Éibhear’s keeping her safe.”
“Éibhear’s with Izzy?” Briec turned accusing eyes on his mate. “And you knew, didn’t you?”
“Of course I knew. I guess I just don’t see what your problem with it could possibly be.”
“Don’t see the problem? How can you say that?”
“They’re not blood related, Briec. Unless, of course, it’s the fact that my daughter is not of royal blood that bothers you.”
“What?”
“Just admit it. That’s what this is really about. You don’t think my daughter’s good enough for your royal brother.”
“Actually,” Gwenvael clarified since Briec had become so angry his human face was almost as purple as Ragnar’s hair, “we don’t think that idiot is good enough for our little Izzy.”
