Page 24 of The Silent Mountain
“You are right, Your Highness,” he says. “As long as I lived in the dragon kingdom, nothing like this happened. Also, none of the books I have studied indicated anything alike.”
“I haven’t encountered anything like that either,” Barbara admits. “Not until the first albatross we saw.”
“It’s the same for me,” Ludwig says.
Stefan looks at me. “What about the werewolves? Is this something you are acquainted with?”
“No. Certainly not to that extent.”
Cassie has stayed silent. Now, she takes a step closer, eyeing everything fearfully. Her fingers clench onto Stefan’s arm. “It’s not natural,” she whispers.
“Are you certain?” Favian asks.
“Yes. I might be a horrible witch, but I can sense it.”
“Is it a curse?” Favian wants to know.
“Possibly,” she mutters. “But I can’t say for sure. They could as well have been experimented on.”
“I thought… if it’s cursed, it’s cursed,” Ludwig says.
“It’s not that simple,” Cassie explains. “Okay, imagine a witch putting a curse directly on you. Yes, it would mean you are cursed. But she could as well curse a situation, and you stumble into it. You can get cursed through what you do. Or it could be a disease, and that could be cursed. Alternatively, like the bitch-witch Penelope did… she woke up ancient creatures, but their waking up was cursed, and so they were too, and furthermore, their curse spread onto other beings.” She pauses, taking a breath to catch some air. “That’s what I meant, with it not being simple. I’m sure it’s dark magic.”
“Cassie,” I say with a smile. “You seem to know a lot. That’s fantastic.”
Cassie turns red like an overripe tomato. “I read a lot,” she blurts out. “I… no one bothered with me, and I was bored, so I read.” She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “My practical skills are pretty much useless.”
“You are not useless,” I reassure her. “You just need practice.”
“You are so nice, Warrior Princess,” Cassie says before bursting into tears and hurrying into my arms. I hug her, patting her back while Ludwig looks at us amused, and Barbara in slight disbelief. Favian’s eyebrow ticks slightly, as it always does when he is annoyed.
Oh, our dragon is jealous?
Of course he is,Ros says, sounding quite pleased.He knows we like men and women the same. Not like we would ever do anything with this innocent child.
I like that Favian, despite being jealous of my proximity to Cassie, doesn’t intervene. He is the Dragon King, and his inner beast is possessive, but he is respectful of my boundaries and of my relationships to others.
I don’t want to push his boundaries either, so I gently push Cassie away. “I am sure you will be useful to the Dragon King and the kingdom.” I smile. “Who knows, maybe you will find your mate here?”
Cassie lets out a squeal of shock and stumbles backward, right into Stefan’s chest. She looks up at him, turning red again. My intention wasn’t to push her into the arms of one of the guys, but rather to gently nudge her in the direction of settling down here and finding a home in the Silent Mountain.
But well…
“Certainly not me,” Stefan grins. “I am probably too old for you. Ludwig there is younger.”
“Still seven years older than her,” Ludwig mutters, sounding not too pleased. I know he has lost his first mate already; I also know that he met his mate right when he turned eighteen, which is why he is still so young, yet widowed.
A sad fate.
“What about young Prince Elio!?” Ludwig says, probably to deflect the attention from him to someone else.
“My little brother?” Favian frowns. It’s cute how protective he is of Elio, like an overly doting father.
“How about our handsome young king, then?” Stefan offers.
Cassie casts a glance at Favian before freezing in fear. “No,” she whispers.
I furrow my brows, grabbing Favian’s arm and growling at Stefan. The audacity to have him offer my mate to someone else! “That’s certainly a no,” I hiss, feeling how Ros claws at my mind, wanting to come out to put this impertinent dragon in his place.
