Page 66 of Dragon Valley
“Have the Dragon Riders cut them off before they reach the mountain pass. You’ll have to move them north a bit to this ridge or so,” I pointed. “They still won’t see you coming, and the dragons can take out hundreds, if not thousands, before the rebels join the fray. It’ll mean less friendly fire that way.”
“And if they try to retreat, we can corral them in.” Azel gave a sinister smile. “Serve them up to your men for slaughter.”
“They’ve done the same to us for the past three years. Why not return the favor?”
“It’s done. I’ll inform the Riders of the new plan.” He reached out a hand and I clasped it. “We should be able to head them off by daybreak.” He turned to Nadiyah. “I assume you’ll want to ride Dusa into the fray?”
“Yes! I’m just as much a Rider as any of them.” Her green eyes dared him to argue. “Don’t try to keep me at home because of our bond.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Azel chuckled, stroking her cheek as he lowered onto the bed next to her for a long, lingering kiss. “I’ve always loved your fire. You know that.”
They kissed a few more times before he left the hut. A few minutes later we heard the beat of his dragon’s wings taking flight.
“Stop looking at maps and come here.” Nadi held her hands out to me and how could I resist?
I joined her under the furs, pulling her tight against me until she curled up with her head beneath my chin.
“Are you worried?” she asked in a small voice.
“A little,” I admitted. “For the past year or so, I’ve been worried that every battle might be our last. But somehow we’ve held on.”
“Thiswillbe the last battle,” she whispered. “I’m not sure how I know, but I feel the finality of it. It’s all going to end tomorrow.”
I stroked her hair. “Maybe that’s Azel’s vision abilities talking?”
“Maybe, I’m not sure. I don’t feel differently yet. Except that I feel him like I feel you now.” She looked up at me. “What do you think of him? Tell me honestly.”
“I don’t know him well enough yet,” I admitted. “But in the end, that doesn’t really matter. All I care about is that he’s good to you. And I can feel how happy he makes you. He makes you feel accepted among your people when you’ve always been a bit of an outsider.” I dropped a kiss to her nose. “I love that about you. And I love that he makes you feel safe to be yourself.”
Her sparkling green eyes made my heart flutter. “He’s changed,” she murmured more to herself than to me. “Not significantly, but like he’s more mature.”
“It seems like he’s gained a lot of wisdom in the past few weeks,” I offered. “More than he knows what to do with right now, but he’ll figure it out.”
She nodded. “He wouldn’t have used your idea before all of this. He was too proud. Back then, he would’ve never accepted a suggestion from an outsider but now…”
I rubbed her back and arms as she trailed off, her thoughts taking over her words.
“Now I don’t think we’ll be outsiders for much longer.”
* * *
Darkness still permeated the tent when I woke up. I didn’t even stop to think, just started dressing and securing my armor into place. Focus could not afford to be lost on a battle day. A wandering mind would be a death sentence.
It wasn’t until I secured my breastplate that I realized I could take deep breaths. Carefully I filled my lungs with air, then blew out a slow exhale. No pain at all in my ribs or chest.
I pulled back the flap of the hut to take a peek outside at the sky. The first light of day was just a blue sliver on the horizon, and the stars slowly disappeared as night time faded.
“Thank you, Dragon God,” I whispered. I didn’t worship Him but if I lived after this battle, I’d make a point to include Him in my pantheon. Now that He had a direct connection with Nadi, I had a feeling He’d start playing a more important role in my life.
A rustle and a soft, feminine murmuring came from the direction of the bed, followed by gentle kissing sounds.
“Caden, you up?” called Nadi’s voice, groggy from sleep.
“Right here, love.” I fumbled my way back to the bed until I found her body, her softness and heat calling for me like a siren.
Footsteps padded across the hut, then a warm, yellow glow filled the room as Azel lit the central fire. He was stark naked and apparently didn’t give a shit if I saw.
“The Riders are in position,” he reported, pulling on a pair of trousers. “All we need to do is join them.”
