Page 105 of Consort's Dragon
“How can you hope to beat it without an army?”someone shouted from the gathered crowd.
“With cunning?”She didn’t mean to lilt it into a question.“I won’t deny it will be dangerous trying to rid the world of Zhos, but this is an instance where an army would work against me.I’m hoping a small group of us can infiltrate without notice.”An oxymoron seeing as how she’d be riding in on a dragon.“Once we remove the threat from Zhos, we will then deal with Benoit.”
“How are you supposed to fight something that can create monsters and steal people?”exclaimed a woman, clutching her apron.
“Not easily.I won’t deny my chances of success are low but that won’t stop me from doing everything in my power to succeed.”
The crowd mumbled and muttered.“Foolish, doomed to fail, might as well throw herself from the sea wall now since she’s wasting her life without an army.”
All valid assumptions and claims.Avera still had no clear idea of how she’d accomplish anything.Getting to the castle was the easy part.Entering it, confronting Zhos, defeating it?
“My companions and I will leave now.Wish us luck.”A lame finish to her speech.As they trekked up the road to exit the town where they’d have privacy and space, she noticed the crowd following, their numbers swelling.
Argent muttered from her side.“Too many hopes and ifs.That’s not how you convince people you’re going to win.”
“Then how?”she snapped.“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”
“By giving them a proper show of force.Like this.”
Before she could ask what Argent meant, he strode ahead of her, crossing through the pillars before turning around and lifting his arms to the sky.
“Griff, what’s he doing?”
Her consort leaned close to whisper, “Giving your people hope.”
Avera watched as Argent went from man to?—
“Monster!”someone screamed from the gathered crowd.
Dragon actually.A massive beast that towered over them all.
Griff boomed, “Fear not the dragon, for he is the queen’s ally and how we will win the fight!”
Someone shouted gleefully, “The queen’s got a dragon.”
“Two actually,” Starlight claimed before transforming as well.
The mood of the crowd shifted—at least from those who didn’t run in terror.They watched in awestruck silence as the dragons were harnessed for the riders and when Avera sat atop the beast, Josslyn approached and held something out.A tiara.Not the one her mother had worn, nor was the metal ringlet lavish, but Avera set it atop her head, and brandished her sword shouting, “For Daerva!”
The reply from her people as the dragons lifted into the air?
“All hail the dragon queen and her consort!”
With that rallying cry, they set off.
Chapter24
Fuck me,we’re doing this, Griff mused.Confront a fucking monster so terrifying even the dragons balked, with reason.After all, offering up one’s life, even if one could be re-hatched, wasn’t easy.
However, with a clever twist of words that held the truth, Avera had convinced Argent to help them on their mission.Whether or not he’d do more than fly them, though, remained doubtful.
Still, they were off to save the world and Griff couldn’t help but wonder if he should have kidnapped Avera and fled instead.Only, any escape would have been a temporary reprieve.If Zhos did go through with its threat, nowhere would be safe.The rift that would be opening was their only chance for a future.
Stop being so contemplative.You’re ruining my enjoyment of flight,Argent complained.
“Well, excuse me for having some trepidation,” Griff grumbled.He didn’t speak loudly, but despite the wind noise rushing past his features, Argent heard him.
You’re the one choosing to go on this mission.
