Page 85 of Oath of War
I turned my head to kiss Ormond’s bearded cheek. In the last few weeks, he’d stopped shaving, and I found the new look very appealing.
He smiled, his eyes softening, and I felt a fraction of the tension leave his body.
‘If that’s what you need, I will make the baths big enough to fit a dragon and ask our farmers to plant nivale flowers throughout the entire fortress,’ he said with such fire in his voice that I chuckled.
‘Annika, if we survive this, I will throw the world at your feet. Nothing will be too much, too distant, or too extravagant.’
‘I’m so going to throw those words back in your face one day, but for now we have company,’ I said, seeing Tomma and his dragon drawing closer.
We were flying over the mountain, and it was enchanting to see the host of dragons gliding in formation between the clouds and snow-topped peaks. I had never seen so many, but with riders coming from every fortress, the sky was filled with colourful scales that gleamed in the early winter sun.
‘Lord Commander, the scouts have returned from their reconnaissance. There’s a small swarm of spectrae up ahead, nothing two units couldn’t fight by themselves, even without Lady Annika’s help. We can put practise to good use with our lady’s backup. With your permission, of course.’
‘Go ahead, but ensure the dragons contact Vahin if they need help. I don’t want to lose any men for no reason.’
Tomma nodded, his dragon effortlessly drifting away, following an unspoken command.
‘Since I have some free time now, what would you like to talk about?’ I asked, watching twenty-four dragons form two units before wheeling away to create a perimeter around the two strongest dragons. It looked like a courtly dance, and I couldn’t stop smiling. ‘You trained them so well, Orm. I don’t think they need me at all.’
‘They don’t need you now, but we must be ready. In the meantime, let’s burn some ground. After all, we can’t have the dark fae empress resting on gnarled tree roots.’
‘Finally,’ Vahin said, ‘and don’t even think about including me in those bath plans of yours. Some pleasures I vehemently refuse.’ His protest made me laugh, and I observed the ground as he slowly descended over a desolate field near the border.
Without the shimmering barrier, the land felt oddly quiet. When we’d been here to check on the strange energy signatures, we’d discovered a sleeping army of monsters. Today, theterrain had changed, apparently settled and calm, as if nothing untoward had ever happened, and my anxiety grew. Without the Barrier crystal, the stasis spell should have worn off. I expected to see the area swarming with monsters, yet I couldn’t sense any signs of life or life-giving spells.
‘I don’t like it. It feels as if the Lich King wants us here,’ I said.
Orm nodded. ‘I know, but this is the best spot to make camp this close to the border, and I’m hoping we won’t be staying here for more than a night or two. As soon as the mages widen the passage, we’ll be marching to the other side.’
I nodded, relaxing against Orm while Vahin and the other dragons seared the ground with short bursts of fire. Deadwood and debris burst into flames with a fountain of sparks, and the heat vaporised any moisture in the ground, solidifying the loose dirt.
When the Barrier still stood, we’d had time to discuss ways to protect our ground troops from the olgoi worms. Ormond told the story of how dragons helped build the fortresses, turning rock and sand into dragon glass so tough that only hitting it with large amounts of aether could break it. Now, I got to observe how they did that with my own eyes as the space slowly turned into an even, dry, comfortable plateau suitable for a camp.
Soon after we finished and settled onto the ground, the two dragon rider units returned, all slightly battered but without having lost anyone. The men clowned around while their dragons dropped carcasses of freshly hunted deer in front of those who’d served as bait.
At my request, we erected our tent next to a heather moor, far from the scorched ground. I walked through the sea of purple flowers that the magnificent beasts had also chosen for their beds.
I looked at Vahin when I noticed his kin looking at me with a strange kind of reverence before slowly inclining their heads.
‘Vahin ...’ I asked. ‘What are they doing?’
‘They are recognising you as a last rider,’ he said. The warmth of his mind instinctively made me smile.
‘That sounds ominous. I’m not sure I like it?’ I teased, determined to understand.
‘I can’t help that, Little Flame. Dragons know when one of our own has selected their last rider, the ones who they’ll return to the aether with. You and Orm are mine, and my brethren are acknowledging your place in my life.’
‘I don’t know if I should be pleased or worried,’ I responded. ‘I’m not rushing behind the Veil, but if it happens, I want you to continue living. Memories are beautiful things, but they can’t replace a beating heart or warm dragon scales.’
A loud thump shook the ground behind me, and I turned to look at my black beast, whose scales gleamed with blue lightning as he curled around me.
‘Don’t talk about the Veil, Little Flame. There is no happiness without you. Nothing will take you away from me. Not gods, not monsters, not even death ... You are mine for as long as you wish to be mine,’he said, his hissing voice reverberating over the field. I stroked his eyelid, peppering it with little kisses until the coils of his body relaxed around me and the dark clouds lifted from his thoughts.
‘Shift your scaly arse and share, you dolt.’ The humour in Ormond’s voice made Vahin grumble, but he moved just enough for Orm to slide in to stand behind me. ‘May I ask what is going on here that you’re challenging the gods for my woman?’
‘Ourwoman,’ Vahin rumbled, his tail smacking the ground, making him look like a pouty toddler. I inhaled his metallic scent, rubbing my hand down his sleek scales while pushing back against Orm to give me some breathing space. Neither budged and whatever silent conversation they were having, I could only roll my eyes and wait.
‘Yes,ourwoman. Now let our woman go. Can’t you hear the marching army? They will be here soon, and as annoying as I find it, we need to welcome Talena and Reynard and help them settle their troops,’ Orm said finally, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me away from the dragon, who reluctantly uncoiled, releasing us.
