Page 17 of The Naga Inventor's Clever Mate

Zathar had called a meeting, and humans and warriors gathered around the campfire to listen to what he had to say. The morning air was turning crisp, and several females sat huddled beneath thick furs to stay warm. Kalani was curled in Iave’s lap, and it made me happy to see how relaxed my often closed-off friend looked.

My mate didn’t have a mate to provide warmth or warm furs for her, but she wasn’t lacking in aid. At least three hunters had offered her a warm skin to wrap around her shoulders. The sight made me bristle, my scales rattling against my spine, but I didn’t interfere. The whole point was to make everyone think she wasn’t mine, so word couldn’t get back to the Thunder Rock Queen and put her in danger.

Min-Ji’s eyes lifted from the proffered furs to me in a quick flick, but she didn’t let them linger. Instead, she gave the three hunters a sunny smile and took all three of the offered furs. That was smart, even if I didn’t like it. It wouldn’t make any of the bachelors think she preferred one over the others. I still took note of the three males so I could make sure to keep an eye on them, and maybe question the others about their background. Only one came from Thunder Rock, and I had to begrudgingly admit that Ezho was a good male.

“Thank you all for coming here. We’ve got an important announcement and a list of tasks to divide before winter comes.” Zathar kicked off the meeting with an air of authority, showing his princely roots by the way he made each person feel personally welcomed. Not everyone was used to being so included in the making of important decisions.

I knew what my friend was going to say next—the announcement he was talking about—but it tied my stomach up in knots anyway. Artek had made the decision last night, just before I’d gone to see Min-Ji, and I still hadn’t made peace with it. “Reid requires more aid than we can offer him here at Ahoshaga. It’s been decided that he needs to be seen by our most learned Shamans. That means taking him to the Sacred Training Grounds.”

His words made a deep hush settle over the crowd. The humans would not know what this meant, but it had an impact on the Naga. Only younglings sent to train to be Shamans, and Queens were allowed to visit the place. My fingers tangled with the disk dangling from a worn leather string around my neck: my invitation. An invitation that had never been withdrawn, though it certainly would be after this mission was over. A final closing of a chapter in my life.

“As Artek needs to remain here to care for our pregnant females and the other Clans under his care, it will be Corin who escorts Reid to the Shamans.” If Zathar’s previous statement had made an impact, this one was like one of my explosions. Voices erupted as hunters uttered their surprise and began to protest or agree with this decision. I wasn’t a Shaman; I had no right to visit a sacred place like that.

“Silence!” Zathar thundered as the voices grew angry. I looked from our leader to Min-Ji; her opinion was the only one that mattered. She didn’t know what any of this meant, but the steady look on her face was reassuring. When she gave me a nod, I felt a little calmer.

“This isn’t one of those decisions we’re putting to a vote. We are not letting Reid die, and this is the only way to save him. Understood? Corin has been to the Sacred Training Grounds. He knows all the Shaman teachers. I will remind you that Corin was once meant to train as a Shaman. Out of all of us, he is the most suited to go. Or do you want to put our females at risk by sending Artek?” That shut the crowd up, and they shared uneasy looks while some fervently shook their heads. Nobody wanted to risk the pregnant women.

“Zathar is right. This is the only way we can take care of everyone,” Krashe said in a tone that brooked no argument. The former Bitter Storm Warlord leveled a fierce glare at the handful of Bitter Storm Naga that had joined us. Out of the gathered hunters, they had objected most strenuously, but obeying Krashe was ingrained in them. They mutely nodded their agreement.

“Then it’s settled. Corin and Reid will be flown by Zsekhet for the first leg of the journey, then continue on foot for the last stretch. They will leave immediately.” My bag with supplies was already waiting at the entrance of the town, and Artek was preparing Reid for travel as we spoke. I didn’t feel ready to go, not even a little, but like Zathar had said, this was the only option we had.

“Hang on!” Min-Ji’s voice pierced the silence with a vibrant, confident note. I’d started to turn away, my tail feeling so heavy that it was a struggle to move. Her voice yanked me back to the present, to her. “He’s not going alone,” she said. “I’m going with him.” She had crossed her arms over her chest and stood with her feet braced hip-width apart, offering Zathar her most determined expression. I knew that look; it meant business. You didn’t change her mind when she looked at you like that.

I thought I was the only one unable to resist it, but Zathar pursed his lips and lowered his brow as he contemplated her. His fingers stroked the sharp horn that jutted from his chin as he thought. I didn’t know what I wanted. Taking her with me was a bad idea. It would be like the rescue missions from the tunnels all over again, and there was no way I’d be able to stay away from her if she and I spent more time together. But my heart felt lighter when I thought of facing my old teachers with her at my side. It wouldn’t feel so bad. I wouldn’t be alone.

I had told no one that Min-Ji was my mate, not even Zathar or Iave, who were my closest friends. When the two of them shared a silent look, a feeling crawled across my scales, reminding me that I couldn’t keep secrets from them. They knew. Ah, blazing suns… “Agreed,” Zathar said, a smug smile pulling at his mouth as he glanced at me. Then he looked down at his own mate, his pregnant Vera, who was leaning against his side with a devious look in her blue eyes. “Min-Ji accompanies them.”

I only had eyes for the look of victory on my mate’s face.

***

Min-Ji

I had only flown on a dragon once before, when we’d visited Artek’s home lower down the mountain to get the translators installed or updated. Today would be my second time, and I tingled with excitement at the prospect. Flying space shuttles had been my job for over five years, and I kind of missed it now that I was grounded on Serant.

Not that I wanted to attempt to fly anything on this treacherous planet. While we’d been here, there had already been two reports of ‘skyships’ falling from the skies. Something about this planet made flying near it extremely treacherous, and until us, the Naga had never met anyone who’d survived such a crash. I didn’t want to crash again, but I still missed flying.

Flying on a huge, golden dragon wasn’t the same as flying a shuttle. I wouldn’t be in control, for one, and it also came with the rush of air against my skin and frigid temperatures high in the sky. They were wrapping Reid in several layers of fur as they prepped him to be carried in the dragon’s claws. I’d need to do the same to stay warm.

“Did you pack enough?” Cosima asked me quietly from beside my left elbow. The tiny redhead was bundled from chin to toe in thick fur clothing, holding a fur parka for me to pull on. Her face was flushed red because she was too warm right now, but she knew better than anyone how to dress for flight. I didn’t doubt that I’d need that parka once we got up there.

“Yes,” I assured her, but I still slapped a hand down to touch the flap of my satchel. Had I packed enough food this time? And enough furs to sleep on? I didn’t have one of those little heater machines that Corin had. I hoped he’d taken his because the nights were getting cold outside. The first hints of fall were in the air, and I’d learned that winter followed shortly on its heels on this planet. I wasn’t counting on cuddles, especially not when Zsekhet and Cosima would be camping with us the first night.

Triff was also taking up a lot of space, but I couldn’t possibly leave the bot behind. He was tucked under the flap, though I’d pulled it back enough that his sensor array stuck over the edge. I imagined that he preferred being able to see. He certainly seemed content, his lights blinking lazily. Cosima smirked at the bot. “Not the most conventional companion, but I like it.” When she reached out to gently pat Triff on his round upper dome, the bot beeped happily.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on with you and Corin?” the woman said while she nudged me closer to the huge front paw of the dragon. It was a little scary to consider that the enormous claws were big enough to pick up a car. The golden scales were the size of dinner plates along Sesethul’s flank, and when he tilted his head and curled his neck, I was staring into an eye with a long, slitted pupil. A primal, atavistic response rose at the back of my brain, warning me to get away from a beast as huge as this.

Cosima was as calm as a cucumber when she pointed out the right hand- and footholds for me to climb onto the dragon. She’d done it a million times by now, and she was as relaxed around the golden monster as she was around her golden mate. From the shy and often depressed girl she’d been when we first got here, it was an amazing transformation. I was happy for her, but I wasn’t happy that she was no longer too shy to pry into my personal life.

“What makes you say anything is going on?” I asked her while I carefully avoided looking at her. I had the perfect excuse: I was scaling the paw of a dragon so I could sit on his back. It needed all my concentration. She made a scoffing noise, and I could easily picture her rolling her eyes. My hand located one of the evenly spaced spikes along Sesethul’s back, and I hauled myself to the top with a slight grunt. She could roll her eyes, but I still didn’t want to talk, not until I’d figured this out. I didn’t want her pity.

I should have counted on the fact that Cosima was far better at climbing onto her mate’s dragon companion than I was. She’d scaled that beastie in no time and perched backward between two spikes so she could look me in the eye. “Now spill, Min-Ji. You’re my friend. You were there for me. Let me help you.” How could I refuse that?

Meeting her stare, I groaned dramatically and then glanced down Ses’ flank to check if anyone was within hearing range. That was high up; the dragon wasreallybig. I didn’t have a fear of heights, but it definitely made me feel a little uncomfortable. The funny thing was, you could still be a pilot and fear standing on a ledge. It felt very different being strapped into a harness inside a cockpit.

There was a group of Naga hunters to my right, watching from the direction of the meat-smoking shed with gloomy expressions. I knew why they looked like that; they were upset that I was going to be alone with Corin on this mission. They saw their chances of having a mate slip from their grasp. Well, too bad. I was never going to be theirs anyway.

On the other side of Ses, by the statues that flanked the entrance into Haven’s town area, the rest of the humans and their Naga mates had gathered. Vera waved when she saw me look, and then Kalani joined in. I started to smile automatically and wave back just as enthusiastically. “Come on, nobody can hear you. Talk!” Cosima wasn’t as patient as she used to be, either. It suited her.

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