Page 22 of The Sapphire Dragon Prince
“Roosters mean chickens,” Azurus said, excitement radiating from him.
“And chickens mean the possibility of a purple feather,” I said.
Azurus laughed. “It’s our second challenge.”
I was so ready for it that I jumped to my feet and went to work cleaning up our camp. The sooner we could find a purple chicken feather the sooner we could return the requested items to Queen Gaia so she could heal me. And after the lovely night Azurus and I had just had, I wanted to heal and go into heat more than I’d wanted anything in my life.
Chapter
Eight
Azurus
Sleeping under the stars with Misha in my arms should have been a wonderful beautiful thing. It was, really. Nothing made me feel stronger and prouder than the feeling of my mate in my arms, his breathing calm and steady, all through the night. I knew Misha had been suffering from nightmares beyond the one he’d woken from that morning—it felt like days ago, but our journey so far had only been one day—so it was bliss to feel him sleeping soundly with me.
If only that peace and coziness we felt together had not come at the expense of my magic.
I’d tried to light the logs in the firepit with magic when we’d first found the camp and nothing had happened. Not so much as a spark. It didn’t matter how much I’d concentrated and willed my magic into being, the logs had remained cold. I’d tried to hide the truth from Misha, but I didn’t need to be bonded to him to know he was suspicious and concerned.
A dragon who couldn’t even summon fire was in serious trouble.
That trouble had continued when I couldn’t pitch the tent we’d brought with us magically. That should have been child’s play as well. Any of my brother’s eggs probably had enough magic to pitch a tent. I was so reduced that I didn’t even want to try to use magic for anything else. I didn’t want to know how bad it was.
And at the same time, I couldn’t remember being happier than I was with Misha tucked in my arms, snoring softly in the deepest sleep. It seemed utterly wrong that I could be so happy and so worried at the same time.
I wondered if Misha felt the same way.
“I don’t think there was a chicken farm so close to us last night,” Misha said as we scurried around the camp, packing up the food and tools we’d taken out of our packs the night before. “Is this Queen Gaia at work again?”
I laughed as I secured the top of my pack, then went to help Misha roll up the unused tent. “I’m certain of it,” I said. “Mother wants us to succeed. She wants everyone to be happy and whole. I’ve no doubt that she’s making this quest much easier than it could have been.”
Which, of course, begged the question of how easy it would be for us to find The Black Mirror when the time came.
The Black Mirror. Thoughts of that final obstacle froze me in my tracks as I crouched to help Misha with the tent. Without magic, Misha would be in incredible danger when we finally reached that evil artifact. I’d been uncertain about whether I could meet that challenge with my magic working perfectly. Now, I wondered if completing the quest was really a good idea.
“Are you certain you’re alright?” Misha asked me in the sweetest, most caring voice, resting a hand on my arm as I reached for the tent.
I drew in a breath. Misha was my mate. He deserved the truth. Once we were bonded I wouldn’t be able to hide something like this from him anyhow. But if he knew I was vulnerable, if he suspected I couldn’t actually protect him the way he needed protecting, it could make him worse just when he was starting to feel stronger.
I opted for giving him a cautious smile and placing my hand over his. “I will admit that I’m feeling a little out of sorts,” I said. “I don’t want to worry you, though.”
“Are you ill?” he asked, exactly the sort of alarm in his eyes that I didn’t want to see. “I did bring that first aid kit. Or should we call off the quest and go back to your mother? If you need to rest and get better, you shouldn’t be running around on a quest with me.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, touched by how someone with so many cares could put someone else first. “I would rather be here with you than anywhere else.”
Misha looked like he would protest, but before he could do more than open his mouth, one of the roosters cried out again, as if reminding us we had a task ahead of us.
I stood with a smile and glanced in the direction of the sound. True to Mother’s form, I could now see what looked like a vast poultry farm off in the distance.
“Let’s leave the tent,” I said, offering Misha a hand to help him to stand. “If we need to, I’d rather sleep under the stars with you again tonight.”
“That was wonderful,” Misha said with a bashful, alluring smile as he took my hand and stood. “I can’t remember the last time I slept so well, even though we weren’t in a bed.” He blushed beautifully and lowered his eyes slightly at the mention of a bed.
My mate was so adorable that it might just kill me, especially if he didn’t go into heat soon. The prospect of finally bringing on Misha’s heat was all the motivation I needed to keep going.
We finished packing our things then set out in the crisp, clear, morning sunshine in the direction of the poultry farm. It was completely incongruous to see such a gigantic farm out in the middle of nowhere, but then again, the situation had Mother’s magic written all over it. Wherever the poultry farm and the cherry orchard were naturally, she had brought them to us so that we could accomplish our quest as swiftly as possible.
As we made our final approach to the farm, I couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer volume of clucking and noise the massive yards filled with chickens made. It was still early and I guessed that at least half the chickens were still lodged in the long, tall rows of coops that ran the entire length of the farm, but a good many of them were outside as well.
