Page 36 of The Diamond Dragon Prince
“We have help this time,” Leo insisted, walking back down the hill to comfort his brother. “We finally have a champion with a claim to the throne who can save us all.”
I believed that to be true and was as glad as anyone from the cruel world, but I also sensed that thread of bitterness within my mate that regretted he wasn’t the chosen one.
More than that, I felt the waves of pain and urgency that continued to pulse through him as our egg begged to be birthed. It made me wonder if I’d made a mistake in not simply stealing Leo away, like I had in Berk, to finish what desperately needed to be done.
“I…I cannot do it,” Prince Misha said, lowering his head and bursting into tears. “I know I’m a prince and I’m supposed to be strong and brave, like the rest of you, but I’m just not. I cannot stay in this world. I’m not a fighter, not a hero. I’m just an omega.”
“Sometimes it is those who fancy themselves just an omega that rise to the greatest challenges and do the most good,” Azurus reassured him, rubbing his back. “I will be with you the entire time. Nothing will dare to harm you while I’m by your side.”
I’d never been so proud of my brother. We were both doing the same thing, protecting and supporting our fated mates, but in such vastly different ways.
Emmerich sent me a sideways look that hinted he felt the same way. For that quick, powerful moment, I felt a sense of belonging with not only my kinsmen, but our mates as well that made me feel as if we could accomplish anything together.
That sense of elation lasted until we all started up the hill again only to be met by one of the scouts Osric had sent to the crest of the hill earlier to keep an eye on the enemy rushing back down with wide eyes and a flushed face.
“There’s another army!” the woman called out. “There’s another army coming over the opposite hill!”
All of my good feelings switched to alarm as our group picked up our pace and charged the rest of the way up the hill.
“Good Goddess,” Emmerich huffed once we reached the top of the hill and saw what the scout had been talking about.
I rarely saw Emmerich shocked or taken by surprise, but as the new army marched over the opposite hill and down into the valley with the work camp, I felt the same sort of astonishment.
“Those are King Freslik’s banners,” I said, transforming to my dragon eyes so that I could see clearly across the distance.
“My father has sent an army to the work camp?” Leo asked, moving closer to me, almost as if he would be able to see through my eyes if he touched me.
Once he had better control of the magic he wielded through me he probably would be able to see that far if he wanted to. For the moment, however, the rest of the humans would have to rely on the word of dragons for reconnaissance.
“It’s definitely King Freslik,” Azurus confirmed what I was seeing. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s the bastard himself riding at the front of his men.”
I felt Leo’s alarm and excitement, which was a contrast to Emmerich’s almost teasing, “I’m surprised Freslik isn’t hiding at the back of his army.”
“We need to attack now,” Osric said, striding up the hill behind us.
I glanced back and saw his entire army prepared and beginning their march up to join us.
“Are you certain you want to fight a battle like this today?” Leo asked him, still looking like he was ready to ride into the fight with him.
Osric answered with a grim nod. “If we don’t fight it now, we might not get another chance. As far as I am aware, my uncle doesn’t know I exist or that I have plans to take his throne. This might be the one chance we have to surprise him.”
Leo smiled. “Then I say we charge.”
“We’re ready to fight with you and for you,” Prince Obi added, stars in his eyes for his cousin.
“Form ranks with my elite fighters,” Osric ordered us. “With any luck, we can finish this today and win the kingdom back from despair and treachery now.”
One of Osric’s deputies whooped enthusiastically at that. The cry was taken up by others, and in short order, the entire army was shouting energetically as they picked up their pace and charged over the hill.
“Are you ready for this?” I asked Leo as we joined the charge.
“As I’ll ever be,” Leo answered.
His bloodthirsty smile faltered and he nearly missed a step a few moments later. I felt the pinch of pain in his belly from our egg. Leo might have been ready to ride to the ends of this earth for the cause he believed in, but our egg, as primitive as it still was, just wanted to make it out into the world as soon as possible.
The air in the valley with the work camp sizzled in anticipation of the coming battle as our army rushed to fillthe space along our side. I had faith in Osric and his men, but the closer we drew to the work camp, the more I began to see that King Freslik’s army wasn’t as ill-prepared as the rest of the mercenary soldiers Leo and I had encountered in our last few days of fighting.
I didn’t have time to wonder whether we were walking into a battle that might be harder than we’d anticipated before that battle began.
