Page 75 of Oath of War
‘What the—?’ I muttered, pulling the covers over my naked body, but our friends seemed oblivious to our state of undress. Worse, Orm didn’t seem to care either, and I had to grab his arm in hopes he wouldn’t jump out of bed to chase our visitors away.
‘You’re back,’ Bryna said as she sat down next to me. ‘These fuckers wouldn’t tell me anything, and you didn’t come see me ... I thought you were lost, especially when I had to chain your man to the forge. You should’ve come to see me as soon as you arrived.’
The next thing I knew, my face was crushed against her ample bosom while I frantically tried to protect my modesty.
‘I was exhausted. I’m so sorry,’ I said, my bones groaning from the friendly pats she delivered to my back.
‘We know,’ Katja said, ‘and your two idiots didn’t bother saying a word, either. The guards only said that the commanderhad landed. What if you’d needed help? And where’s Alaric? I need him in the infirmary.’ She was jabbing her finger into Tomma’s chest, and the poor dragon rider withered under her accusing stare.
‘You were tired from trying to help Zalesie’s survivors—oof,’ Tomma grunted as Katja stomped on his foot with such force that even I felt it. I realised that her attempt to silence him, coupled with Bryna’s affectionate behaviour, were my friends’ way of showing their worry about my reaction to the news.
‘I know about Zalesie,’ I said, untangling myself from Bryna’s smothering embrace. ‘We flew there as soon as I found out.’
My words silenced everyone.
Katja’s shoulders sagged. ‘Are you alright?’ she asked quietly.
I shook my head. ‘No. How can we be alright? They destroyed our home and all those people ... I’m not alright, but I’ll survive, and that undead bastard will pay for this.’
Orm shifted, pulling me back from Bryna to hug me. ‘There will be time to reunite later, but as you can all see, Annika is uninjured. Unless you want to inspect my very naked body, I suggest you give us time to get dressed, and we can meet in my office in an hour,’ he said, his grumpy tone leaving no doubt it was an order.
‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ Bryna said. ‘You’re not the first man I’ve seen naked, Commander.’
Ormond’s answering growl was enough for Katja to roll her eyes. ‘Oh, shift your green arse off their bed, Bryna. No ogling that one—he’s taken,’ she said before looking Tomma up and down. ‘This one’s off limits, too.’
The smile that blossomed on the injured rider’s face was worth a thousand words, and meek as a puppy, he let her lead him away. Bryna sighed deeply and followed, closing the door behind her.
Orm nuzzled my hair. ‘They care about you, Nivale.’
Contrary to everything that had happened in the last few days, their affectionate chaos made me chuckle. ‘I care for them too, but not enough to share. Get yourself dressed,Commander, and don’t you dare offer yourself again.’ Orm grinned as he leapt off the bed, presenting his perfectly chiselled body to the world. I slapped his thigh. ‘No teasing. Get dressed, Ursus.’
‘I’m not.’ He winked. ‘Well, maybe a little. I just wanted to keep seeing that beautiful smile,’ he said, standing in front of me. ‘I know difficult times are coming, but I will tease you, love you, and prove to you that life is worth living over and over again. As long as I can make you smile, whatever burden fate throws on my shoulders, I will bear it.’
I had no answer. I kissed Orm softly, marvelling at the gentle heart under those stern eyes and thick muscles.
‘A dragon would never choose someone unworthy to bond with,’ came Vahin’s thought, ‘although I was beginning to reconsider my choices after last night’s inferno. Coaxing the berserker out of him ... Really?’
I blushed, scolding him playfully, ‘Neither would I, so stop peeking into my thoughts.’
When we arrived at Ormond’s office, everyone was already seated, except for his adjutant, who grumbled under his breath about missing documents while rifling through a chaotic stack of paperwork on Orm’s desk.
The space was incredibly crowded, so as Orm dropped into his chair, I casually leaned against the back of it, content to remain standing. That is, until he let out an annoyed grunt and, without warning, yanked me onto his lap. The audacity earned him a sharp glare and a solid punch to the shoulder. Fully justified, in my opinion.
He was quiet for a moment, letting everybody settle down before he nodded to the adjutant. ‘Please take notes. I want everything from this meeting’s discussion to be written down and sent to my brother.’ The old soldier inclined his head, fumbling with his inkwell and preparing a quill and paper.
‘First things first,’ Orm went on, ‘we’re expecting an army from Dagome and the allied forces of the dark and light fae, as well as the dwarven kingdom.’
The clattering of a goblet hitting the floor reverberated throughout the room. One of the younger officers quickly picked it up and bowed in apology. ‘I’m sorry, my lord. But how? For years, we’ve known the senile old king has been dismantling Dagome’s army, and now you’re telling us it’s headed here, and that the Lowland Kingdoms have honoured the alliance? How?’
The other riders nodded, wanting to hear the answer.
‘Lady Annika,’ Orm replied. ‘She has managed to receive the endorsement of a goddess, so when my Nivale told them to honour their promises, they listened.’ I noticed the mischief in his eyes just as I drew a breath to correct him. ‘Right after she proclaimed my brother king, of course.’
The pure glee in his voice made me want to punch him again but the eyes of everyone in the room had turned to focus on me at his declaration.
‘Fucking hell, I’m friends with a kingmaker,’ Bryna roared, and not even an elbow in the ribs from Katja could shut her up. ‘Ouch! Stop elbowing me, woman, or I will sew padded vambraces to your sharp bones.’
Katja ignored her, getting straight to the point. ‘That’s so Ani. I’m half expecting her to say it was just an accident, but as good as that news is for Dagome, we don’t have enough space in Varta Fortress to accommodate three armies and their support. Especially not after relocating the survivors from Zalesie.’
