Dash groaned. “’Course I did. She weighs nothing. Make some noise, Dragon.”
“Didn’t want to interrupt you, Lord Unicorn.”
Was he really unicorn nobility? What was his rank? Was he important? Given his bearing, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was high ranking. Not that it mattered. She was just curious. She’d never met a unicorn noble.
Before he could comment or she could ask about it, Tanis heard the sound of men approaching. This time, there was no mistaking it.
It was a group of them.
Dash quickly moved them from the road, deeper into the woods so the humans wouldn’t see them. Halla shrank herself to the size of a butterfly while Tanis slid from Dash’s back to lower herself to the ground so she could hide in the underbrush.
As the riders came closer, she saw that there were eight men of warrior age, though two were still relatively young. All were covered in furs and appeared gruff. Smelly, in her opinion. Not that she wanted to get close enough to smell them. This was quite close enough. She already had bile in her throat. Any closer and she might actually yield to the urge to unload the contents of her stomach.
The one who rode behind the leader scratched at his hairy chest. “How much further is it?”
“Least two more days... maybe three. Less if we ride through the nights,” the leader said.
The one who’d spoken first growled low in his throat. “My arse is tired of this journey.”
“Yea, but we’re going to see the dragon skull,” a young one in the back said. “Imagine the luck it’ll bring us if we touch it.”
The leader shook his head. “You keep saying that, but all I can think is that it wasn’t so lucky for the dragon what lost its head.”
Fury rushed through her that they’d dare make light of her brother’s tragedy. Tanis started to rise, but Dash lightly placed a hoof over her rump.
“Don’t move.”His voice was loud and clear in her mind.
She knew he was right. Still, it was hard to lie here while they bantered so over her brother. As if his life meant nothing.
How dare they!
Thankfully, they passed quickly. Even so, she wanted to run them down and thrash them for being so callous.
If only she were still a dragon, they’d be on fire…
But you’re not a dragon.
True. Still, she wasn’t without skills. And she did have a sword. She was sure she could have taken them. Or at least a few of them, and make them bleed.
Most of all, she wanted to scream out in frustration.
Damn me.
Dash waited until the humans were completely out of sight before he lifted his hoof from her rear.
She glared at him as she pushed herself up from the ground. “Was that necessary?”
“Were you planning to run at them?”
Sort of. “Wasn’t really a plan. More like a reaction.”
“A bad one. Need I remind you, Dragon, you’re currently human, with no powers?”
No, he didn’t. And that irritated her as much as his calm demeanor and tone. “Youhave powers,” she reminded him.
“I do, indeed.”
She arched a brow at his agreeable tone. “Would you not have helped?”
