Page 13 of The Forgotten Throne

The group of them were so absorbed in their argument they hadn’t noticed I was there yet, but it gave me time to set the ground rules for the dragons.

“Vasin, make sure that every dragon knows that if one of my guardians doesn’t escort a person to them, they are not to take them anywhere. It appears our so-called leaders are throwing a temper tantrum.”

“Are they allowed to remove or retaliate against such advances? If someone gets bit or hit with a tail, I don’t want them to be in trouble.”

“I’m fine with them being able to defend themselves.”

“That will please a fair amount of them.”

Lifting my hand to my lips, I let out a shrill whistle that Becka taught me. It did the trick splendidly, grabbing all their attention and shutting them up. “It seems as if there is some confusion on what’s happening with our evacuation. Would anyone care to tell me what the matter is so I can clear it up?”

“Ah, Queen Cassarah, you're back.” Queen Mary sighed with relief, making her way over to me. “It seems that your guard here is telling us that the dragon riders are only taking the elderly or children, including us.”

“That is exactly what I expect to have happen,” I answered.

Queen Mary blinked at me as she processed my answer. “Surely, you don’t think that is a wise move. What about our safety?”

“What about theirs? As a queen you should understand putting your people ahead of your own needs. By doing this, it will show my people that the agreement we had to be allies wasn’t just a bunch of pretty words while you bide your time to betray us as your ancestors have done before. If you no longer want to be allies, then you are free to get on your dragons and fly to your sister. If you think she will offer you the protection you need at the standard you require,” I expressed with a tilt of my head, waiting for her reply.

“Your Majesty, do you really intend to just cast off an alliance with the Norden royalty so easily over refusing to take someone with them?” King Edward demanded.

“I’m not sure what the confusion is.” I turned my gaze to Gavin. “Was I unclear in what I said?”

Gavin tried to hold his face in a neutral expression, but I could see his lips twitching. “No, I think you explained yourself clearly.”

“Alright then, the choice is yours, Your Majesties. Are you an ally or are we parting ways here?” I inquired.

“Your Majesty, is this wise?” Garold pressed as he stepped up next to King Edward.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I looked up to the heavens and then back at the people before me. “Vasin will be taking two or three people himself as I ride with the group traveling by ground. I expect my fellow leaders to do the same or at least allow one other person to travel with them. If you do not wish to help an elder, then what about a child? Do you view them as a threat to your lives as well? I promise even though we train our children to fight, it’s to protect themselves not to be killers where there is no payoff.”

A snort came from somewhere to the left and my guess was it came from Cole. Apparently, lack of sleep and dealing with self-entitled nobility made me short tempered and petty, but even monks have their limits of being gracious to those around them.

“You plan to ride with them the whole way?” Acton asked, curiosity in his tone.

“Clearly I am not explaining myself well if I need to keep repeating what I’ve said. Yes, I will be riding the whole three days with my people.” I huffed. “If I expect them to make this journey then how can I place myself above them just for my own comfort? When I first came to the clans, I was asked to prove myself as one of you. I had to complete the same training everyone else does. Mercenary first, queen second. This is the way I want my people to see me, otherwise how can I ever expect them to trust me? Now, are there any more questions?” When no one answered after a moment, I nodded. “Alright, we need to take whatever supplies you want out of here to the ledge so we can load up the first group of dragons. Then we can commence with the people.” Grabbing a small crate of books, I turned on my heel and left, refusing to discuss this issue further.

With the help of the dragons, we were able to take far more with us, allowing for more food to be taken along for those of us traveling through the mountains. Once that was all completed, they were sent off and began the trip back to Sheca where the viceroy were working on setting up placement for our people once they arrived. I’d been a little worried that people would be scared to ride on the dragons but that was soon tossed from my mind. The excitement on their faces, young and old, was priceless as they greeted their dragon and rider. We fell into a good rhythm of getting them settled and buckled in before they took off, making short work of the whole ordeal.

King Edward and Queen Mary each took two children with them, as if they hadn’t tried to refuse the idea. I was glad to see that when push came to shove, they made the right choice for the future of their people and mine. The last to get settled was Vasin since he would be going without me. He was the only one I trusted to take Sal. As much as I’d love to see the first meeting between him and the viceroy, I knew I couldn’t go with. Instead, a little girl took my place, strapped and ready to fly with excited giggles and all.

“When you get there, ask for the viceroy. They are the men in charge and who are aware of the whole situation. Plus, I feel like you will find kindred spirits among them,” I said with a grin.

“Don’t you worry about me, Cassy, I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong while we wait for you and the rest to arrive,” Sal assured me with a wink.

“I know I don’t need to say this but keep me apprised of how the journey goes.”

“Don’t fret, Cass. I will look after the old man and the rest of them. You focus on those in your care. The journey won’t be without challenges. Once I’ve dropped them off, I will return to keep a lookout just like the others of your dragon-riding guardians.”

Hugging his large head, he hummed his pleasure before pulling away and leaping off the ledge. Jade, Paxton, and Zan flanked the group, keeping an eye on how things went as they too carried a passenger to Sheca. Now I was left with those of us who would be making the long trek through the mountains. Becka and I walked arm in arm as we made our way down to the stables. When we reached them, my leg was throbbing, having been on it way too much today and not having slept. Was I going to be able to make it through a long day’s ride?

As if reading my mind, Alto walked up to me with a knowing look of disapproval. “Your Majesty, you are not doing yourself any favors by being on your leg so much.”

“Once we get to Sheca, there will be time to rest. Until then, we need to keep moving forward,” I explained.

“Don’t make me have to slip something into your food to make you take it easy once we get there. I’m not going to have you push it to the point we might have to remove part of your leg due to infection.” Alto scowled at me, hands on her hips. When I nodded my understanding, she motioned for me to give her my hand. “Chew these roots if the pain gets bad. It will ease it without making you sleepy. Since I know you haven’t slept yet, these roasted beans will keep you awake. Typically, we brew them and drink the liquid but since we don’t have that luxury, this will have to do.”

She pressed a small leather pouch into my hand before heading off. I glanced at Becka, knowing that she was the one to tattle on me. She just grinned and tugged me over to the front of the procession of horses. Inali, my black mare, was saddled with packs filled with supplies, ready to set out on our journey. She snuffled my pockets, looking to make sure I wasn’t hiding any treats from her and snorted when she didn’t find any. I smiled at her as I rubbed her silky ears, trying to make up for not bringing her anything.