Page 75 of The Silent Mountain
“Well, then,” Stefan clears his throat. “Now that’s settled, I will try to reach out to my informants, and I will send a messenger to Prince Flinn to meet our queen.”
“Tell him I will come to the border of the human realm,” I say. “You can fly me there, can’t you, Stefan?”
Stefan gazes at Favian, and once the latter nods, he agrees: “Yes, I can take you there.”
I wasn’t aware of the type of work an advisor does for the Dragon King. We don’t have this type of advisor in the werewolf kingdom, but now I slowly understand why they are so important here, especially with how secluded the dragons live. While Favian rules and makes decisions, Stefan acts in the background and keeps in touch with all that is happening in other realms, almost like a spy.
It takes him only a day to spread his metaphorical wings and reach out to his contacts. He has a couple of albatrosses and storm petrels, and even a seagull and an eagle, which he holds as companions or pets. He sent them all out to his friends in different realms, and I am amazed, to say the least.
The first to answer is my brother Flinn, who sends the albatross back the same day. “Prince Flinn is eager to see you,” Stefan tells me the next day. “He is currently at the border of the human kingdom, the Everlasting Desert, which is why he was able to get back to us so fast.”
“That’s surprisingly close,” Favian says.
“Wouldn’t that be the perfect chance to see him?” I ask.
“I was about to suggest the same,” Stefan says. “What does my king think?”
“He thinks it’s a good idea,” Favian says.
“His queen also believes it’s a good idea and is ready to fly off whenever possible,” I add with a serious expression.
Stefan and Favian look at each other before chuckling. “When do you want me to take you to the border, princess?” Stefan asks.
“Well, how about now?”
“Immediately?” Stefan asks.
“I don’t see any reason to postpone it to later,” I say. “We don’t know how long Flinn is at the borders. He might be called back or, for whatever reason, need to return to the human realm.”
“Well, if that’s your decision, I have nothing to oppose,” Favian says. “I would take you myself, but I need to handle things here.”
“I will be back by evening,” I assure him.
Favian squeezes my hand before turning to Stefan with an icy smile. “If something happens to her, I am killing you personally.”
“Of course,” Stefan says seriously, like his life wasn’t just threatened.
They truly have the weirdest relationship ever. Stefan is probably the closest to a beta in comparison to the werewolf kingdom, but my father and his beta were like brothers or best friends. They were incredibly close. He knew things about my father that only my mother knew.
I don’t linger on the thought and hurry to dress in a warm coat and grab a blanket. This flight will be longer than my usual trips with Favian. I soon realize I was right in dressing warmly because on Stefan’s back, I am carried over the mountains surrounding us and directly to the human borders. The dragons truly have a huge advantage with being able to fly. It’s amazing and makes traveling so much easier. However, riding on Stefan is not the same. I feel the safest with Favian, and his dragon radiates so much heat that I barely feel the cold. I simply feel comfortable, while I am more tense with Stefan.
The closer we get to the human realm, the warmer the weather gets. Flinn is currently residing in a small camp right between the two borders–werewolf and human realm–a small strip of no man’s land that both lands are allowed to use.
I can easily spot Flinn’s red hair in front of one of the tents. He gazes up towards us, his eyes widening before he starts waving like crazy. I am so relieved to see him and his broad smile. He has always been the closest to me. We both share our relaxed personality, our way of acting rather than brooding, and our red hair.
Once Stefan has landed, I jump off his back and hurry to my brother. Flinn meets me mid-way and grabs me, twirling me around. I laugh at his silly antics. “Good to see you still are the same idiot.”
“Back at you,” he grins. “I thought the prospect of becoming queen would have made you calmer, but seeing how you just rode here on a random dude-”
“He is Favian’s advisor,” I chuckle.
“Well, whatever, good to see that my favorite sister is still full of life.”
“I am so happy to see you,” I say. “You look well! So, the Everlasting Desert is good to you?”
“I wouldn’t go that far. Good is definitely a stretch,” he grins. “But you know, I am hard to get rid of, much to King Naseem’s displeasure. Poor little king. What about you? Happy with your dragon king?”
“Yes,” I say promptly. “And I love it in the Silent Mountain.”
