“Want to sit for a moment?” Haedan motions toward a table.
Daegan gives a curt nod.
“Should I…” I begin to ask, unsure if I should join. He answers my question before I finish, taking my hand and leading me with him.
Daegan looks impatient as he sits, glaring at them.
“Shit wasn’t going well in Ellyar. We all left before it got worse, but… that might have just made them madder.”
“What do you mean?” I interject, unable to help myself. My stomach is in knots suddenly.
Raevel, the dark-haired one, answers me. “The king has been pissed off since you left. He thinks we have something to do with it.”
“As in, all the dragons?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Well,” Daegan says, rubbing his jaw. “We knew that might happen. Good thing we didn’t plan on going back.”
Haeden looks between the two of us, finally catching on. He doesn’t look particularly pleased. “He’s going to declare a war on us if we take the princess back to Torrynth.”
“Then he declares a war,” Daegan says with a lethal tone. “She’s not going back there.”
The males across from us say nothing.
“I have a feeling he’s been looking to start one anyway,” Daegan says. “It’s not enough that we’re barely surviving as it is,” he adds a little more quietly.
They look at him, waiting for more direction, I think.
“You can likely make the next town if you leave now, let my father know we’re coming. We’ll be heading that way as well in the morning, but we need rest. Thank you for staying back to warn us.”
With that, they’re dismissed, and they each give him a curt nod before flashing me one last glare.
“Now what?” I ask, defeated.
“Nothing’s changed. We’re still on the same path. They may end up giving us a little more trouble than we hoped, but maybe not. No one wants a war, not even the elves. They’re all too comfortable in their little village.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He releases a sigh, then glances back at the group. “We need to fill them in.”
I follow him, and then we sit back down with Raef, Meela, and Rhydra, filling them in.
No one is all that surprised. I think we’re all still a little numb.
Meela releases a dramatic sigh. “I hope once we get to Torrynth, we can settle there for a while. I’m tired of all the inns, a different bed every night, drinking in the bar every night…”
“That would be nice,” I agree. I turn to Daegan. “Will there be… room for us? A place to stay for a while?”
“Yes. You’re staying with me in the palace, obviously.” His eyes focus more intensely on me, lowering his voice. “You’re never sleeping apart from me again, Elle. That’s a promise.”
I smile and nod in agreement. “Yeah. It’s just… it’s your home. I didn’t know if you wanted everyone—”
“To know about us? I don’t give a fuck.”
I glance at Meela for a flash as she chortles. “Thank the stars you worked that shit out,” she mumbles.
Rhydra watches us from across the table. “A dragon and an elf. Who knew.” She shakes her head.
