Carys nodded, the wrinkles on her face deepening with a smile as she touched my cheeks.
Now that we weren’t on foot, walking north, the trip to the coast on dragonback was quick. We flew out from Carys’s cottage and over the coastline to the village where Dylan lived.
From there, we could see a boat. It was little more than a pinprick on the horizon, but Aderyn must’ve recognized it, because his growl rumbled under my thighs.
“Don’t worry,” I said, smoothing my hand up his neck. “This will be quick.”
When we got closer, we heard the Destovians shouting below us. I only had a moment to panic as a bolt shot through the air before Aderyn folded his wings tight and dove.
Unharmed, he gripped the boat’s railings and the whole thing tipped as men shouted and clung to masts and nearby ropes.
We could’ve lit them all aflame from the air, and been well justified in it.
Bet would have wanted me to kill them all—every Destovian on that ship and more besides. For a flourish, he’d likely leave the dismembered heads of the Destovians on deck and send their boat floating into the sea between their empire and Llangard.
I wasn’t even sure that he was wrong. The Destovians had tried our patience at every turn, and when they’d failed to achieve their aims, they’d resorted to kidnapping and violence.
It was unwise to leave an enemy like that alive, and Bet would’ve had them torn out root and stem.
Bet also could’ve ended up in a war, though. It wasn’t mercy to the Destovians that moved me, so much as watching Dylan limp around his mother’s kitchen.
If I had my say, Llangard would never be a kingdom engaged in regular wars with any of their neighbors.
We had better things to do than to die unnecessarily.
Frankly, I had better things to do than waste more than a breath on Lord Forov or his contingent.
“Your man is dead,” I announced. “He came upon our shores with violence in mind, and paid the price for it. Shall I assume he acted alone?”
Finally, I found Forov in the crowd and arched a brow at him.
But he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring at Aderyn, and I was gratified to see him lean back.
“You will leave these shores,” I announced, “never to return. If we so much as see a Destovian flag on the horizon, our dragon clans will ensure your ships never reach shore.”
The muscles around Lord Forov’s eyes twitched. He was livid, and with Aderyn’s enormous head craned over my shoulder and a snarl pulling back his emerald-green lips, Forov didn’t dare say a word.
Still, I leaned forward, baring my own teeth. “Try me, I beg you, and see how long your empire survives dragon fire.”
He swallowed and glanced away, and I hoped that we’d made enough of an impact. If Destovia had any dragons, they certainly weren’t treated as partners and citizens. We’d set up a curtain of defense from the clouds all the way to the ocean’s surface, patrolled by dragons, and I would have to trust that kept us safe.
It felt a little easier now that I could trust myself.
Aderyn shuffled, bunched down, and sprang into the air again. This time, no bolts flew at us.
I held on as we glided from the boat back to shore. The villagers stepped back and Aderyn landed on the sand. He took acouple steps to adjust his weight before he lowered his neck so I could slip down.
“Turn, if you would,” I said.
The villagers complied, though it wasn’t like dragons were especially bashful about showing a bit of skin. Tristram was, but he’d grown up in the Spires, hiding.
The issue was me. I didn’t want to show Aderyn off to the world when he was so freshly mine, so when he shifted back, I wrapped my coat around him.
“All right?” I said as I slipped my hands beneath the curtain of his hair.
His neck was unusually warm, like he could still open his mouth and breathe fire at any moment. I lifted the hair from beneath his collar and let it fall silkily around his shoulders.
He nodded. Only once I had his assurance could I turn and face my people.
