Dragon On Top (Dragon Kin #0.4)(10)

“Who is here with you?”

“A few of the younger ones. Cai, Hew, and Adain.”

“What? None of my sisters are here?” She was unable to hide her disappointment.

“They headed into the west for some new battle. But I think we weak male Cadwaladrs can handle protecting one royal, sister.”

“I guess you’ll do.”

“Gee. Thanks.”

“Well, don’t just stand there, you big ox. Go get them so we can be off.”

“All right.” He shoved the spear into her hands. “Kill the rest of this lot, would you? I’ll be right back.”

Once Addolgar walked away, the royal asked, “You really do hate me, don’t you?”

“Don’t be foolish. Of course, I don’t.” She began to work her way through the still-breathing humans at her feet, slamming the tip of the spear into a spot in their backs that would kill them quickly. There was no reason to prolong their suffering unless necessary. “Stop worrying. You’ll be fine. And as long as you’re under my protection, you have nothing to worry about.”

She finished off the last human, pulled the spear from his back, planted the tip in the ground, and leaned against the staff. She smiled at the royal. “Now doesn’t that make you feel better?”

Bram glanced at the bodies that surrounded them before answering, “Not really.”

“These are my brothers,” Addolgar said. “Cai the Green, Hew the Black, Adain the Yellow.”

“It’s gold, you bastard. I’m Adain the Gold.”

“Yellow. Gold.” Addolgar shrugged. “Who gives a centaur shit? Now,” he said to Bram, “they ain’t earned their names yet, but they ain’t half bad. You’ll be fine.”

“Yes,” Bram replied, “I feel safer already.”

“Good!” Addolgar boomed, missing the sarcasm completely. “Now . . . where’s Ghleanna?”

“She needed a few minutes alone,” Bram told him.

“Went to take a piss, did she?”

Cai slammed his sizable fist into his older brother’s shoulder. “Addolgar!”

“What?” And Bram saw that smirk. “It was just a question.”

“Don’t be such a bastard.”

“Don’t be such a suck-up,” Addolgar shot back.

“Why is he a suck-up?” Hew asked. “Because he doesn’t want you going on about our sister that way?”

“What way? All I asked was—”

“Shut it!” Adain snapped. “Blood and fire, you are such a bastard!”

“Fine. If the lot of you are going to get so girly about all this.” He turned away from his brothers and winked at Bram. And Bram, for the first time, felt a little more at ease. Especially since it seemed Addolgar would spend more time torturing his siblings than bothering with Bram.

“There you are!” Addolgar announced when his sister approached them. “The royal here said you went off to take a piss.”

“Don’t involve me in this,” Bram told him.

“Right,” Ghleanna sighed. “That seems a very Bram thing to do. Announce that I’m off to take a piss. Next he’ll tell you when I’m about to take a sh—”

“Can we just go?” Cai—thankfully—cut in.

Ghleanna sized the youngster up. “When did you get so girly?”

“So where are we taking him?” Addolgar asked.

“To the east,” Bram explained. “The Port of Awbrey. There will be a boat there that will take us up the coast to the Alsandair ports. I’ll meet my contact there.”

“A boat?” Adain asked, frowning. “Why are you taking a boat? Why not just fly into the Desert Lands?”

“Flying into the Desert Lands would be seen as a sign of aggression by the Sand Dragons. And it’s faster to go by sea than to walk.

“That far south,” Ghleanna explained, “we’ve always traveled by foot unless escorted.”

“Why not fly over the ocean then?”

Bram, Addolgar, and Ghleanna laughed outright at that.

“Gods,” Bram observed, “they are young.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’ve got much to learn about Sea Dragons,” Ghleanna answered.

Addolgar explained, “If more than one or two dragons fly too far over the ocean, the Fins will definitely consider that a sign of aggression.”

Hew asked Bram, “So you really can’t make it on your own?” Bram could make it by himself easily, but he had his reasons for not flying over the ocean, alone or otherwise. Very good reasons. “Are you feeble in some way?”

“Babysitting the royal is Bercelak’s idea.” Ghleanna told them. “You going to disagree with him, brothers?” When her younger siblings didn’t answer, she nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

“Do you have any fighting skills?” Hew pushed.

“I have a mighty flame.”

The three younger brothers glanced at each other. “Don’t we all?” Cai finally asked.

“Mine’s stronger.”

Cai shook his head. “Gods, that’s pathetic.”