“I’m not saying we should kil him.”
“That’s good because we can’t.”
“But maybe we can wound him. Make it so Gaius can get to him. Finish him. Otherwise he’s going to fly away and this won’t end.”
“You’re as crazy as Annwyl.”
“But she’s been right. Crazy, but right.” She pressed her hand to Brannie’s shoulder. “Al we need to do is wound him, Bran. Then we run for our lives.”
“You promise?”
She patted her. “I promise. I have plans! Can’t be promoted to general if I’m dead.”
“Yes. That eases my concern, cousin.”
And Izzy’s laugh . . . did not make it any better either.
“There had to be an easier way for him to do that,” Rhona complained, trying to wipe the dirt off her scales from where she’d slid into the ground.
“Be glad you shifted back before we got here.” Vigholf winced. “Some of Gaius’s human troops didn’t fare so wel .” She looked around, nodded. “At least we’re here. We’re back. I need to find my sisters.” Rhona started to walk off, but Vigholf caught her claw. “Be careful. We have much to discuss when this is over.”
“Aye,” she agreed. “We do.”
He nodded and said, “Behind you.”
Using her spear, she turned and impaled the Iron that had been running at her. She dragged him around and Vigholf brought his hammer down, cracking the bastard’s skul , and finishing him up.
They smiled at each other for a long moment before Rhona unfurled her wings and took to the skies, spearing Irons as she went along.
Letting out a sigh and trying to ignore how hard he’d become just watching her do that, Vigholf turned and came snout-to-snout with his brother.
“So . . . you’re alive then?” Ragnar asked.
“Last time I looked.”
“And that dragon over there? With what I’m sure Keita wil refer to as the ‘sexy eye patch’?”
“Gaius. The Rebel King.”
“So Annwyl did it then?”
“Did you real y have any doubt?”
Ragnar shook his head. “Not real y.”
Vigholf hefted his weapon, resting it against his shoulder. “Let’s get this done, brother. We’ve got an overlord to get rid of, I’ve got a female to Claim, and we have some Tribesmen to stomp out at Garbhán Isle.”
Ragnar sighed. “So much bloody work. Can’t wait to take a proper holiday.”
“We’re Northlanders. We don’t take holidays.”
“Oh, for the love of the gods, shut the battle-fuck up.”
Brastias breathed a bit easier when he saw an aerial assault in the form of three She-dragons. They were smal ish, but that seemed to only make them faster—and a wee bit meaner. They tossed the Sovereigns around like toy soldiers and happily destroyed attack weapons aimed at dragons.
One of them flew down to Brastias, slamming her back legs down and crushing several soldiers he’d been fighting with.
“Go!” she ordered, pointing toward where the army had been headed. “Annwyl’s there. Fighting alone!” Shocked, Brastias stopped a moment to stare at the She-dragon.
“Wel , don’t just stand there, you clod! Move!”
He whistled over his horse and mounted. “Danelin! Cal the troops to me! We go to Annwyl!” He couldn’t help but smile a little at his second in command. “We go to our queen.”
Rhona came around the corner to find Annwyl decimating what looked to be Sovereign commanders while on horseback and Annwyl’s troops pouring out of a side pass to engage the Sovereign soldiers.
“Rhona!” a trio of voices screeched and then the triplets were there, hugging her, squealing like little hatchlings.
She hugged them back, so glad to see them wel and strong.
“I’m so glad you’re back, Rhona,” Edana said. “To be honest, we don’t know how you do any of it. Running everything. It’s a bloody nightmare, it is.”
“Edana was busy trying to be you,” Breena teased.
“We laughed at her,” Nesta admitted.
“I’m glad you’re al okay. Where are we?” Rhona asked.
The triplets immediately turned serious, and Edana spoke first. “They set a trap for us, Rhona. They built a trap right under our bloody tunnel.”
“We started to find them inside the caves a day or two ago, but we thought there was just another entrance we missed. But they were under us the whole time.”
“They were waiting for the time to strike,” Breena added. “And they did, this morning. Leveling the Polycarp Mountains first, drawing us out.”
“How many did we lose?” Rhona asked, never one to shirk from real numbers and real information. Even when every fel ow soldier they lost cut her like glass.
“A few of the recruits,” Edana replied. “We were al evacuating the tunnels when they struck. Took the floor out from under us in one fel swoop.” Nesta looked down, her pain evident. “We lost Austel , Rhona. They had stakes built under the tunnel and when it went—” Rhona raised her claw, cutting her off. “Austel ’s dead? Where are Éibhear and Celyn?” Austel was never far from those two. So if he was in those tunnels, chances were high that so were her stupid, stupid cousins.
“Fighting the Irons coming through the tunnel.”
“But they’l send their Elites that way. Those two can’t handle—”
“Celyn went back for Éibhear,” Edana explained. “Éibhear wouldn’t leave. He’s angry, Rhona.” And the triplets said together, “Very, very angry.”
“I think he blames himself,” Nesta said softly. “For Austel .”
“I don’t know about now,” Edana went on, “but for a while, Éibhear was the only thing keeping the Irons back until Gwenvael and Briec showed up with their troops.”
Breena nodded and said, “Meinhard’s there too.”
“So what do you want us to do, sister?” Edana asked.
“I need you to get the word out. We’ve got the Rebel King here, helping us defeat Thracius.”
“Who?”
“I’l explain later. He and his troops are Irons and Sovereigns too, but they’re no friends of the overlord. The dragons wear their hair long and the humans are in black and silver, not the red and gold our enemies wear. I need you to get the word out to al the commanders. Al of them.” She sighed a little. “Especial y Mum. They have to know Gaius and his troops are part of the al iance. They’re not to be purposely harmed by us.
Especial y Gaius. He may be the only one who can kil Thracius. Now go tel everyone.” Once her sisters were gone, Rhona dropped down beside Annwyl.
“Annwyl! Are you al right?”
The monarch pul ed her sword out of another corpse. “I’m fine. Feel great! How are we doing?”
“I don’t know yet. It was a trap, Annwyl. The Irons came up through the tunnels. I want to go and check in with the troops stil inside.”
“Go. I’m fine.” She grinned and motioned to her army riding in from the pass. “My troops are here. And look, Morfyd’s arrived.” She waved her swords to get Morfyd’s attention, forcing Rhona to lean far back so she wasn’t hit with the damn things.
“Morfyd!” the queen screamed out. “Oy! Morfyd! ” When Morfyd was heading toward them, Annwyl waved Rhona away. “Help the others. I’m fine.” Rhona nodded and was about to lift off when Annwyl said, “Oh! And by the way. The triplets were great. You taught them wel .” Surprised, Rhona stuttered, “Oh, uh . . . thank—”
“Go. Let me finish here, then I’l see if my troops can help Gaius.”
“Thanks, Annwyl.”
“No.” And, for a brief second, Rhona saw the real Annwyl. The sane one who loved her offspring and mate and adored her people, was wil ing to die for them. More than once. “Thank you. For everything.” Then that crazed smile returned, and Annwyl said, “Now go. I’ve got so many heads to take before the day is over.”
Morfyd slid to a stop in front of them after dragging her claws through a few of the Sovereign troops.
“Morfyd!” Annwyl cheerful y greeted her Battle Mage.
“You cow!” Morfyd snarled in return.
Annwyl gasped. “What are you yel ing at me for? What did I do?”
“What did you do? You left! That’s what you did, you impossible female! With no word to me! To Brastias! And you took my ridiculously impressionable niece and young cousin with you!”
“Don’t you dare yel at me, Princess! I’m queen. I rule! And if I want to go off on a suicide mission with or without your niece and cousin, I can!
Because I’m queen!”
“You are the most foolish, insufferable, intolerable female I’ve ever known!”
“And you’re a whiny royal! There! I said it! Now everyone wil know the truth!” Not about to get in the middle of this, Rhona unfurled her wings and took to the skies, heading toward the caves and whatever nightmare awaited her there.
Chapter 34
Word quickly spread among the Southland and Northland troops that the Irons with the long hair and black sashes over their breastplates, were in fact Rebel troops. Vigholf would have to say he was impressed, too, by the way they fought. The Rebels were brutal and merciless to what was once their own. But that could be because they and those they loved had been treated so heartlessly.
Yet none of them had been able to get near Thracius. And, with a glance, Vigholf could see that it was driving the young king mad to see his uncle so close but stil out of reach. Gaius must long to get his claws around the male’s throat and squeeze the life from him after what he al owed his daughter to do to Gaius’s sister. The king kept trying, though, flying up and over the fighting masses. But each time he was taken down by the Iron troops before he could get close enough. The Irons hadn’t managed to kil the young dragon—although they continued to try—but they were successful y halting his efforts to reach their overlord.
Ragnar caught Vigholf’s arm, pul ed him in close. “I pul ed Meinhard’s troops from the tunnels. They’re coming in from the right. Take your troops and circle around to the left. Fearghus and I wil push the Irons back. Understand?” He did. It would be like catching a rat in a pincer and squeezing.
Vigholf let out a low whistle, and without making a fuss, he and his troops moved into position.
Rhona flew into the mountain cave they’d cal ed home for the last five years. A home now fil ed with the bodies of comrades and enemies.
Snarling, pissed at herself for not realizing what the Irons had been planning al along, she headed toward the tunnel, pushing and impaling her way through the battling troops. She came around a corner but quickly brought up her shield, a broadsword slamming into it seconds before it would have cleaved her head open.
“Rhona?”
Rhona lowered her shield. “Mum.”