A Tale of Two Dragons. G.A. Aiken

looked around him and rolled her eyes. “So typical.”

      “What?”

      “A royal. You’re as bad as the idiot over here.”

      Bercelak blinked, looked away from the Queen as she spoke to her Dragon’s Maids. “Do you mean me?”

      “Yes. You. Both of you. Always going for these simpering weak royals. Where did you get that from anyway?”

      “Dad?” Addolgar asked.

      “Don’t insult our mother. She may be a royal, but she’s hardly weak and she definitely doesn’t simper.”

      “Who says this one simpers?” Addolgar studied the royal She-dragon speaking to the Queen. A pretty, gold dragoness with long, luxurious hair and light gold eyes. “Her legs are sturdy enough.”

      “Bloody twigs, if you ask me.”

      “I didn’t ask you. I just wanted to know who she is.”

      “She’s Lady Katarina from the Western Mountain territories. Her father is Lord Berg.”

      “Addiena hates Berg,” Bercelak reminded them.

      Addolgar felt a quick bolt of panic. “Gods, we don’t have to kill her, do we?”

      “No.”

      “Good. ’Cause she’s cute.”

      Ghleanna sighed. “Idiots.”

      “Why am I an idiot?” Bercelak wanted to know.

      “Let me count the ways,” a voice muttered from behind them.

      Surprised at that retort coming from Braith, Addolgar and Ghleanna laughed, but Bercelak turned around, faced the Elder’s daughter.

      Braith blinked and asked, “Did I say that out loud?”

      “You did,” Bercelak growled.

      She gave a small shrug of good-sized shoulders for such a supposedly weak royal female. “Sorry.”

      “Lady Braith!” Queen Addiena called out from her throne. “Perfect timing, my dear! Come forward. Come forward. I have someone for you to meet.”

      “Yes, my Queen,” Braith said.

      And that’s when Addolgar noticed something. The few times Addolgar had met Braith, the royal had never looked him in the eye, but she didn’t seem to have that same problem with Bercelak. In fact, as she walked around him, she held Bercelak’s gaze, almost challenging him. Perhaps she had more bite with those fangs than any of them had realized.

      “What are you smirking at?” Bercelak barked at him.

      “I didn’t know I was,” Addolgar replied.

      “Well, you were.”

      The brothers were silent for nearly a minute until Addolgar noted, “You’re awfully tense.”

      “Shut up.”

      “Braith, I don’t think you’ve met Lady Katarina. Lord Berg’s daughter.”

      Braith nodded at the fellow royal.

      “Now,” the Queen went on, “I thought you would be perfect to travel with Lady Katarina on her way back to the Western Mountains.”

      Braith and Katarina locked gazes, and Braith knew in that moment that she was not alone in not wanting to go on this trip.... Katarina didn’t want her to go either. Braith had no idea why Katarina felt that, nor did she care to know since, in the end, they both had the same desire.

      The problem was Addiena. How to handle her?

      “Your Majesty,” Braith tried, “I truly appreciate this honor, but I’m not sure I’m the best one for such a role.”

      “And I’m sure you are. Your father suggested you himself.”

      Braith tried not to frown, but it was hard. “My father suggested me for this? Really? My father.”

      The Queen laughed. “Oh, Lady Braith. You’re so adorable. See, Lady Katarina? You’ll be entertained by Lady Braith’s humor all the way home. Won’t that be fun?”

      Katarina gave a reluctant nod. “Of course, Your Majesty. She seems quite entertaining.”

      “Now I’m sure you have,” Addiena sneered, “very important things to do, Lady Braith. We all know how busy you are.” And no, her sarcasm wasn’t lost on Braith or anyone else standing within a twenty-league radius. “But I’d really like Lady Katarina to have a female companion along for this trip. She’ll be simply surrounded by males and you know how those Western Mountain dragons are about their females.” Did she mean the Western Mountain dragons that were, in fact, Southland dragons? Then yes, Braith knew the Western Mountain dragons because they were just like every other bloody fire-breathing dragon in the Southlands.

      Gods, this She-dragon!

      “But—”

      “Now, if you’re concerned that you’ll be at risk on this trip because of those horrible Lightnings and what they did to poor Lady Davon, please, both of you, don’t worry. You’ll be protected by my best escorts. Your father chose them himself, Lady Braith.”

      Was that really supposed to mean something to Braith? Because, ya know . . . it didn’t.

      “Of course, Your Majesty.”

      “Tell me, my Queen,” Katarina asked softly, “will you be sending your troops into the Northlands to retrieve Lady Davon? As you know, the Northlanders do not kill our She-dragons, just force them into a Claiming.”

      “I know,” the Queen said, sadly shaking her head. “It’s truly horrible what these Lightnings do to our poor sisters. But sending my army into Northland territory would be seen as an act of aggression with the Hordes and I’m . . . just not sure we’re ready for war.”

      Ready for war over one meaningless She-dragon was what the Queen really meant. Because if there was one thing they all knew, her dragon army was always ready for war. They thrived on it the way the Sea dragons thrived on water. Still, the Queen would do nothing until she was ready.

      “So we’re agreed?” the Queen asked, although they all knew she wasn’t asking a damn thing. To be honest, Braith would rather her just make it an order. Playing these constant political games with the female did nothing but chafe the bloody scales off Braith’s ass.

      Addolgar smiled at his brother’s announcement. “I’d love to,” he announced.

      “Of course you would.” Bercelak glared at his brother. “But this isn’t a time for you to be trying to get under some royal’s tail. You have a duty to our Queen. Do not fail her because you’re busy trying to fuck Berg’s daughter.”

      Placing his claw against his chest, Addolgar reared back and gasped, “Brother! How could you say such a thing? How could you question my—”

      “Oh, shut up.”

      Addolgar chuckled. “I don’t know why you’re getting so upset about this. She won’t be the first royal I’ve ever escorted.”

      “I’m not upset. But I’m concerned. Something . . .”

      “Something what?”

      Bercelak shook his head. “I don’t know. But watch your back, brother. With gods-damn Lightnings coming over our borders to snatch our females, we don’t exactly have time to be battling bloody Thracius and the Iron dragons in the west as well. And this is Berg’s daughter we’re talking about. So this is no time to be lazy.”

      Addolgar understood that. Lady Katarina’s father and his dragon army kept the Iron dragons, who lived—and plotted—on the other side of the Western Mountains, from trying to invade Dark Plains at every possible opportunity.

      Of