Page 18 of Kiss of Death
“I’m fine,” he said quickly. “We lost over half of our ships. The Northern Kingdoms took the greatest casualties. Riviana Star came out the most unscathed, but they didn’t have many soldiers in the fight since they’re still recovering from the battle in Riviana Star.”
“What about the Brigandine Empire?”
“They seemed to fare the best. Lost the least number of ships.”
“I guess that doesn’t surprise me. What about the dragons?”
He took a slow breath, like he didn’t want to answer the question. “We lost a lot of dragons.”
I immediately bowed my head in despair.
“At least a quarter.”
“No.” I closed my eyes.
“Yeah…it’s…yeah.” He bowed his head too.
They gave their lives for their kin and their home and their queen. Khazmuda lowered his head so he could look at us both.And I know I can speak on their behalf when I say they wouldn’t have changed anything, even if they’d known the outcome. We’ve always believed in the many over the one. Their hatchlings will live on and have their own hatchlings in a world where their kin are free. That’s what matters.He moved his cheek and gently swiped it against me before he did the same to my brother.I’ve informed your mother of the outcome of the battle, but she would love to see you.He gave my brother a playful nudge forward.
Together, we walked across the courtyard, the dead already piled into a single bonfire and burned there away from the trees. The smell of blossoms was obscured by the stench, but at least that stench was cloaked in victory.
When we made it to our parents’ chambers, she immediately pulled us both into her arms with a tearstained face. She was shorter than both of us, so her head stopped at my chin. She hugged us tightly in our thick armor and kept her eyes shut, savoring the moment that her children had returned to her unharmed.
It was minutes before she pulled away, her skin pale and absent of blood, the bags under her eyes puffy. She grabbed one of our hands each and held them together between her palms like she wanted to feel our pulses. “I know not all mothers are as lucky as I am. I know so many soldiers didn’t make it home today.”
Many, many soldiers didn’t. And many dragons didn’t either.
“Your father prepared both of you so well. This victory is his legacy.”
“It is,” I said in agreement, knowing he deserved all the credit.
My mother took a deep and heavy breath before she released it, letting go of all her pain in that moment. “Now that those assholes have been defeated, we need to repair our kingdom. Pay widows and mothers for their losses. Make sure our people are fed and sheltered as we rebuild. That’s the priority. No need to rebuild our ships and forge new weapons to replace what we lost yet.”
“I agree,” I said. “Hawk and I will stay here for a week to help, but then we’ll start our new mission—to find the platinum to heal Dad.”
“Where will you go if you don’t know where to search?” she asked.
“I’ll search this whole world until I find it,” I said simply.
Hawk nodded in agreement. “We’ll find it, Mom.”
She squeezed both of our hands before she finally let them go. “Khazmuda tells me that the Kingsnake Vampires are the saviors in this battle. But how do we know them?” She looked at me, already assuming the association was mine.
“Um, remember when I told you about that vampire I met when I set sail with the crew?” I’d already shared this story with my brother, but it was still awkward to repeat it. “Well, I pleaded for him to come to our aid…and he did.”
Her eyebrows rose slightly. “He came all the way here with three hundred ships and an entire army?”
“Yeah…”
“From the other side of the world?”
“Looks that way.” I felt guiltier and guiltier with every passing second. My intention had never been to lead Viper on, to make him think there was a chance of us having more than the fling we’d shared in that warm cabin. When I’d pleaded for his help, I’d dismissed his affection, but that didn’t seem to be enough to stomp out the flames in his heart. I owed that man everything, and that was an awkward position to be in.
My mother didn’t press the conversation further. In happier times, she would have had a joke or a taunt to share. “Well, we owe that man everything. Make sure he has accommodations here in the castle until he’s well enough to return home. We’ll make sure his men are taken care of and provided accommodations in the meantime.”
“They’re vampires,” Hawk said. “So I’m not sure how he’ll feed them.”
“I don’t think we have to worry about them preying on our people,” I said. “They wouldn’t have sailed all the way here to help us, just to eat us instead.”
