Page 18 of The Forgotten Throne

I felt someone step up beside me. The familiar presence alone told me who it was, so I relaxed. “Wasn’t sure if you were going to come back or just leave us to deal with a group of sulking grown men for the day,” Becka said.

“If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to either, but then talking to Vasin always seems to put things into perspective,” I shared. “How many do we have left on foot after this group heads out?”

“Hmm, I think a little under a hundred but there won’t be any more kids so that will help. This also means we will have plenty of tents if you don’t want uninvited guests again,” she mentioned, giving me a sideways glance. “Unless you enjoy having them keep you warm…”

Snapping my head to face her, I scowled. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Seems I was mistaken on how things went down last night then. One could only hope that you might be able to actually relax if a man blessed you with a few mind-blowing orgasms. Don’t look at me like that. The men might be a pain in the ass to deal with, but orgasms are always worth it,” Becka answered before she gave me a wink and headed off to the horses.

Unsure what to do with that statement, I decided to leave it alone. I wasn’t ready to deal with that part of what it meant to be in a relationship. I was just trying to wrap my head around the emotional aspect, and it was giving me anxiety. Thankfully, there were still a few more days before I had to cross that bridge.

Chapter Eleven

Let’s Try and Make Friends

The second day was much like the first, but the ground was steadier since we were working our way down the mountain slope. The next peak we had to cross wasn’t as steep or high so the last part of our journey would be easier, especially as we now had everyone on horseback. The second wave of dragons came to take the last of those on foot, leaving us with my guardians to watch over us in the air. Vasin suggested it might be wise to have someone hide out near the fortress to let us know if the Lost King was ready to actually attack us like we assumed he would. Having this information would also let me know how much time we had before he would start looking for where we went and if he knew about Sheca.

I called a halt to our trip early when we found a basin with a river and flat land that fit all of us. This time we lit fires and people gathered around them, warming themselves and chatting. Having spent most of my time with the Clan Leaders or my guardians, I felt like it was a good idea to travel and spend time at the various fires, listening to stories and learning more about my people. I don’t know if Becka and May talked to the guys, but they gave me space, letting my two female guards keep an eye on me as I wandered through the camp. I settled at one that was mostly people around my own age, trading stories of their first missions and the things they screwed up on.

“There I was hanging from the rafters, trying to pick the lock upside down when the owner of the safe walked in on me. We both just stared at each other for a moment, shocked to find one another there. I almost burst out laughing at the look on his face,” one man shared, chuckling as he told his tale.

“What did you do? Were you able to finish the job?” another asked, fully invested in the story.

The storyteller leaned forward as if he was going to tell us a secret. “I was in the wrong house. The one I needed to steal from was his neighbor. I misread the address of the home. All the houses in Errit are packed so close together it was a simple mistake. So, I high tailed it out of there and waited a few more days for things to settle down and then went to the house I was supposed to be at.”

Everyone cracked up while those closest slapped the man on his back in approval. Then all eyes turned to me next, and I realized they were waiting for a story about my first job… but I didn’t have one, not really.

“I haven’t had an official first job yet. There was a group of us that went on a training exercise—capture the flag—and during that event I was kidnapped. Guess you could say that was a major failure seeing as I was far too trusting in those around me. One of my own clan was working for the Lost King and sold me out to gain favor. I woke up to find myself tied up in the back of a wagon, almost to the border of Errit with no idea of what was going on,” I recounted. This seemed to surprise everyone, but I guess those from the other clans didn’t really know all that much about me.

“How did you get free?” someone asked.

Thinking back on that time that seemed so long ago but, in reality, was only a little over a week. “From the information that was given to them, they knew I could communicate with Vasin silently through my mental connection being his pair-bond. To stop this, they drugged me for most of the trip. Once I woke up, they made sure I didn’t try to reach out to him. I managed to do something they call a waking trance where you keep your eyes open, but you zone out like you would when meditating. I reached out, searching for my connection with Vasin, but I was too far away. I then caught a flash of something’s presence. I assumed it was Vasin. The distance made it hard to connect. Well, it seems I actually was speaking to Tahir—Jade’s dragon.”

“No way!” one of the women called out. “You can talk to other dragons? I didn’t think that was possible outside of the black dragon.”

“Is that why they call you the Dragon Queen, because you can communicate with other dragons besides your own?”

“I can’t believe the grim reaper saved your life. He never does something without there being payment involved,” a guy sneered.

It didn’t take me long to see that the clans had a very poor opinion of Jade, but I knew who he really was and that there must be some reason that everyone saw him this way. Someday he would tell me his story, but I wasn’t going to press him for it. That didn’t mean I was going to let others speak ill of him for no reason.

“Without even knowing who he was helping, Jade saved my life that night. Once I was free from the wagon, he had no reason to take it any further, but he landed and came to check on me. Once he found out who I was, his only goal was to get me back to the clans safely,” I defended.

“What she isn’t telling you all is that our Queen has a bit of a stubborn streak and wouldn’t let me keep her safe until she understood what was going on,” Jade interjected from where he appeared out of the shadows. “If she hadn’t pressed the issue, we never would have discovered the Lost King or saved Prince Gavin.”

“Are you telling me the two of you and a dragon attacked their camp?” the man who’d sneered at Jade helping me asked.

“That’s exactly what she’s saying and what we did. Of course, her blowing up the supply tent wasn’t part of the plan but worked out well for causing a distraction,” Jade boasted.

This seemed to get the whole group riled up, shooting questions at me left and right about the attack—how we managed to do it, if that’s where I hurt my leg, and how we made it out of there alive. It would seem that this story that I viewed as a failure, to them was something quite the opposite. Some of them moved closer, trying to get my attention from the others, making me start to feel very uncomfortable. I didn’t think they meant me any harm, but the intensity I was getting from them was too much for me and I didn’t know how to stop it.

“Okay, that’s enough story time from the Queen,” May cut in, silencing everyone. Seems that they feared my guardian enough not to push the matter and gave me my space. “If you would like to hear more, then learn to mind your manners and not barrage her with stupid questions. She might look like you but remember she has us and a black dragon backing her up, so don’t get any smart idea about cornering her.” Turning to me, she held out a hand, helping me to my feet and gave me a small smile as her eyes sparkled with humor.

May didn’t give a rat’s ass what other people thought of her as long as they didn’t cause trouble. I had no doubt that if they started something, she would end it faster than they could remember their own name. May was no lady-in-waiting like Becka could be. No, she was a warrior through and through, reminding me how lucky I was to have her at my back. She was hard to get to know, not really one to share or have girl talk with, but she proved to be in my corner with situations like this. Having her at my back meant I was safe no matter where I was, and that was something you didn’t find often in another person.

We moved to another fire, and this one is where I found the Clan Leaders with their partners or other family members still with us. Ballard’s wife, Helena, stood and gave me a hug, making me feel welcome as she pulled me to sit next to her.

“Goodness, child, you are a hard one to spend some time with these days,” Helena teased as she squeezed my hand. “How exciting is it that we get to venture into a new land? Well, I guess it’s new to us, seeing as this is where we originally came from. Is there anything you can share? I know what’s said in your meetings is for the leaders’ ears only, but I’m just bursting with curiosity.”