Chapter
4
Rhona met Keita and Ren at one of the
lower exits. As human, they’d take this tunnel out of the
stronghold until they reached a safe distance and could finally
fly. But seeing her younger cousin waiting patiently for her had
Rhona remembering the last time she’d babysat Princess Keita when
the Dragon Queen’s centaur nanny had been away from Devenallt
Mountain for a few months. A few months that had been the longest
in Rhona’s life. Yet Rhona loved Keita despite that past
incident.
“Cousin!” Keita cheered when she saw
her, running over to give Rhona a hug. “It’s been absolutely
ages!”
“I saw you less than an hour
ago.”
“Really?” Keita glanced off. “It felt
longer.”
Rhona’s eyes briefly crossed before she
asked, “Are you ready to go, cousin?”
“Aye. We are.”
Rhona stepped away from Keita and went
to Ren. Her smile warm, she hugged him. “Hello, old
friend.”
“Rhona. Are you ready for all
this?”
“No. But to protect you from Keita,
I’ll be there.”
Ren laughed and Keita
pouted.
“Then let’s get on the road,” Rhona
prodded, ready to be traveling.
Keita quickly sized her up. “You’re
being very pushy, cousin.”
“The quicker this gets done, the
quicker I can return to the battle.”
“And glory?”
“What else is there for a
Cadwaladr?”
Keita patted Rhona’s shoulder. “You
make me sad.”
Ragnar, also in human form, wrapped his
arms around Keita, pulling her into his body. He hugged her tight,
whispered something into her ear.
Although unable to give them complete
privacy, Rhona turned away—and faced Vigholf. She frowned, noting
he was dressed for travel with his big, human-sized but adjustable
warhammer and ax tied to his back, a thin fur cape around his
shoulders, and a travel bag over that.
“Why are you here?” she asked
Vigholf.
“I’ll be coming along.”
Her eyes narrowed more. So much she
could barely see. “Coming along where?”
“With Keita and Ren, for
protection.”
Rhona slammed the butt of one of her
emergency spears into the ground, her hand gripping the shaft
tight. “They have me for that. I’m here to protect them.”
“Of course you are.” And the
condescension came through loud and clear. She was surprised he
didn’t pat her on the head like a trusted but crippled
mutt.
“New spear?” he asked.
“No. One of my backups.”
“Have you thought about moving up to a
short sword?”
“No.”
“They’re not hard to learn to work
with. I could show you while we’re traveling.”
“I know how to use a short sword. As
I’ve explained, I’m trained in all weapons.”
“But you still use a
spear?”
“I like it.”
“For field use, I understand. But for
this kind of mission . . . shouldn’t you have something a little
less . . . cumbersome?”
Rhona pulled the spear back to
demonstrate on his neck how cumbersome her weapon was, but Ragnar
stepped between them.
“Check outside,” he told his brother.
“Make sure it’s clear.”
Vigholf walked off and Ragnar faced
her.
“I know,” he said before she could
speak. “I know.”
“How can two brothers be so bloody
different?”
“Let him do this,” Ragnar pleaded with
a smile. “He’ll feel better and—”
“So will you?”
He shrugged. “She’s my Keita. Knowing
that both you and my
brother protect her on this trip will give me nothing but ease. And
you’ll find out soon enough why this trip is so important. So for
me—and my sanity—do this.”
Dammit. If it had been anyone else . .
. but it was Ragnar. From the beginning he’d impressed Rhona. Fair,
smart, and a strong commander, he never questioned whether she or
any female could or should fight. He simply assumed if you were in
the army you could do your job. He was rare for a Lightning. His
brother, however . . .
“Rhona?” Ragnar pushed.
She nodded, but with reluctance. “All
right. But you’ll owe me, Dragonlord—for putting up with
him.”
“Fair enough.” Ragnar winked and
motioned at Keita. “And you’ll protect her?”
“She’s blood, my lord. I’ll protect her
with my life.”
“Good. Because she is my life.”
Rhona smiled. “That I
know.”
Vigholf crouched low by the small cave
entrance, big enough only for a human. He raised his arm, lifted
his hand, and then he heard it. The signal from Meinhard letting
him know that it was—as best he could tell—all clear. Vigholf
waited another second, then two. When he was sure, he brought his
hand down.
Rhona came out first. Her gaze swept
the area. After a moment, she moved quickly and kept
low.
Keita and the Eastlander rushed out
behind her, keeping low, keeping quiet. He looked back at the exit
one last time, his brother standing there watching them go. They
locked gazes, the need for words and good-byes long gone. On this
trip anything could happen to Vigholf, and during a war anything
could happen to Ragnar. It was the way of the warrior and something
they’d accepted long ago. But they wouldn’t dwell on that. Instead,
Vigholf nodded at his brother, took one more look around, but
seeing nothing strange or out of place, he followed the others and
headed to the Southlands.