Page 34 of The Diamond Dragon Prince
It was a simple observation, but the emotions I felt in Diamant through our bond were anything but simple. He was concerned on a level I hadn’t known from him before, unless it was concern for me. As he watched more and more exhausted, dirty, and bruised villagers appear over the crestof the hill, I felt something in him that was both protective and…heavy.
When I’d first met my dragon, he’d only been concerned with dancing and feasting and flirting. He’d lived a life of luxury and he hadn’t thought very far beyond that.
Something had changed in my mate, something deep and profound.
“If I didn’t know any better,” I told him with a teasing grin, “I would say that my rake dragon has grown a conscience.”
Diamant twitched as if I’d caught him doing something he shouldn’t have done. “I’ve always had a conscience,” he argued, threads of humor returning to his emotions. “I’ve just never had a cause.”
I was so proud of my mate that I could have burst.
I would have to show him later, however. Osric stepped in to take charge of the suffering villagers right away.
“How many of you were able to escape before the soldiers returned and how many of you are still left in the camp?” he asked as more of his men came forward to help the fleeing peasants.
I was concerned when the flood of people coming over the hill petered out. Many of the villagers must have still been stuck in the camp.
“Only about half of us were able to flee before they returned,” the beta told us. “Those among us who were weakest and youngest or oldest were too slow to escape. Milosh stayed behind to care for them. I…I fear for what might become of them since the soldiers are furious.”
“No harm will come to them,” Osric promised, sitting straighter in his saddle and addressing as many of the villagers as could hear him. “At least, no harm will come to them once we’ve rescued them from the camp.”
“He’ll make such a better king than Father,” Obi breathed out in admiration, gazing fondly at Osric. “It’s too bad he’s our cousin, because he’s a very handsome alpha.”
The comment was so silly in the midst of such a fraught moment that I couldn’t help but laugh. Some people, like Diamant, were in the process of important changes to their hearts and souls. Some, like Obi, would always be who they were, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
“We need to move on,” Osric charged us. “Time is of the essence. A small contingent will stay behind to tend to these people.”
That was all there was to it. When a true leader gave orders they were followed quickly and without question.
“And here I thought dragons were meant to be the strongest and most valiant creatures in the land,” Azurus said as he rode up to Diamant’s side. “This young Osric fellow has all of us beat.”
“Only because Emmerich won’t let us use our magic,” Diamant bantered in return.
Emmerich was close enough to hear and said, “Laws are laws. And now you see that magic isn’t necessary to win in this world.”
Rumi nodded sagely at Emmerich’s words. Those two really were peas in a pod. I wondered when Emmerich would get on with things and claim my brother as his own.
Those lighter thoughts carried me through as the front of the army reached the crest of the last hill. Osric had us dismount and leave our horses far enough down the hill that they would be out of sight to anyone keeping a lookout from the camp. He and his most trusted deputies, my brothers, even Misha, and our dragons crept up the hill until we lay flat on our bellies, or at least as flat as I could with an egg insideme, in a line.
We could just see the camp from where we lay. I noticed that Diamant, Emmerich, and Azurus all changed their eyes to dragon eyes so they could see farther than the rest of us.
“The camp appears to be in disarray,” Emmerich said, his brow knit in thought.
Osric glanced his way. “What makes you say that?”
I had the feeling he knew there was something different about Diamant, Emmerich, and Azurus.
“I see lots of movement,” Azurus reported, “but none of it is toward the fields or workhouses.”
“They’re trying to keep things under control,” I said, thinking out loud. “We need to attack now, while they’re still confused.”
“We need a solid plan of attack before we go in,” Osric said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with me.
“Whatever we do, we can’t let the prisoners be hurt in any way,” Diamant said. I could feel his genuine concern for whatever prisoners might be left through our bond.
“You care about the villagers of this world?” I asked, trying not to give away that Diamant and his kinsmen weren’t from here.
Diamant glanced at me. “I didn’t realize how much they were suffering. They’re good people. Everyone in this world that I’ve met, with a few exceptions, are good people just trying to live their lives and raise their families. They don’t have half the indulgences I’ve been privy to my entire life, but they still have so much happiness within them.”
