Page 21 of The Forgotten Throne

“No wonder the Clan Leaders don’t respect you. Their worst nightmare rode in on the back of a black dragon and stripped them of everything in one swift moment. It also makes more sense why you wouldn’t be as comfortable with vulgar language and the like from us. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. I might have been around the snobs of Creisal but I didn’t make any friends there for a reason. You’ll have to be patient with me as I learn how to act around a lady, but feel free to hit me again if I offend you. Sometimes it’s the only thing that gets through my thick skull,” Paxton said with a sigh.

“Don’t worry, we will be more than happy to help you out with that,” Cole answered with a grin.

“Leave it and drink your tea,” Jade ordered, cutting off whatever Paxton was going to say next. “We have the last stretch of this journey and then we’ll be in Sheca. There will be time enough later to deal with our own issues once we get everyone else settled.”

They all grunted their agreement and did as they were told, making me smile behind my cup at how they would work together for the good of our people.

Chapter Thirteen

Hidden Enemies

I couldn’t be more thankful to be out of the peaks and on the last leg of the trip into the valley. The weather turned warmer, and I could finally shed my thick cloak and let the sun warm my face and thaw out the rest of me. We’d decided to break for lunch to give the horses a rest with the downhill work they were doing as we zig-zagged over the terrain. Vasin and the other of my men who had dragons went ahead to Sheca to let everyone know that we were almost there. While we rested, Helena came to join me, reminding me that she’d asked to speak with me today, piquing my curiosity.

“It will be good to be someplace we can finally settle into. It’s been many years since I’ve spent my days on horseback and my rump is reminding me of the good old days,” Helena said with a chuckle.

“I couldn’t agree more. Even though I’d been training, I don’t think I was ready for this long of a journey either,” I shared, tearing off a chunk of dried meat to chew on. “I wouldn’t mind having something else to eat either. Three days of leather is about all I can manage.”

We fell into a simple silence. I could tell she was on the verge of telling me what she wanted to talk about but was searching for the right way to start. Shifting so I was facing her, I reached out and took her hand in mine, causing her to look at me. “Helena, whatever it is, you can tell me. You and Ballard have been nothing but kind and welcoming to me since I arrived. If there is something I can do to help, I will.”

“Bless you child, but I’m not worried about me. It’s you I’m worried about,” she said, patting my hand. “The other Clan Leaders don’t agree with this plan of combining our groups and I fear they are going to cause trouble.”

I knew they weren’t fans of the idea but the fact that she was worried enough to bring it up caught me by surprise. “Helena, what do you know?”

“Strictly speaking, I don’t know anything because it is forbidden for my husband to tell me what happens between Clan Leaders.” She paused and looked around as if to make sure we weren’t being overheard. “Although the other night, he might have been talking in his sleep and mentioned something about finding a way to keep you from becoming queen. They know that he supports you. They have been leaving him out of the loop on a fair amount of things, but he did catch part of a conversation they were having with the Norden King and Queen about how it might be better for them to make an alliance with someone other than the child who was ruling at the moment.”

“Are the rest of the leaders in agreement on this choice?” I asked, fear sitting in my stomach like a rock.

“That’s something I don’t know and haven’t been able to glean from other sources. But what I can tell you is that Acton is not voicing an opinion either way. He keeps his thoughts to himself for the most part, where Xio, Garold, and Porvan have always been more vocal. No matter what the vote was, no one ever knew which way he would lean until he gave his official vote. From what I know about Acton, he doesn’t rush into his choice and gives people a fair chance to prove themselves,” she explained, watching my expression closely. “My biggest fear in all this is that they won’t follow the rules and will make a deal without taking it through the proper channels. Things are tense with the king and queen when it comes to you. I heard about how you handled things with them before we all left and that did not go over well with them.”

Reaching out, I pulled Helena into a hug. “Thank you for coming to me about this, but for your own safety, I need you to stay out of it. Now that I have the information and know to be on the lookout, I’ll take it from here. You and Ballard have given so much to these people and I know you want the best for them as do I.”

“Cassarah, you remind me so much of my daughter, Cole’s mother, and I don’t think I could bear losing you like we did her,” Helena shared, pulling back to cup my face in her hands. “Promise me that you will be safe and don’t trust anyone but your guardians and Gavin. Not even me or Ballard when it comes to the Clan Leaders. They have remained in power for as long as they have for a reason, but once they view you as a threat, nothing will stop them.”

“I won’t let them take this from me. I’ve fought too hard to get where I am to have it stripped from me so easily,” I told her, my voice firm with resolve. “I am the Dragon Queen, and they will come to respect that.”

Moving on to lighter topics, I shared with her what I knew about Sheca and the people I’d met so far until Cole came up to us. “Sorry to be the one to cut in on girl time but if we want to make it there with any light left, Zan said we should be heading out.”

“That’s a fair call. This break took longer than I planned,” I agreed, holding out a hand for him to help me up.

His hand wrapped around mine, but I should have been prepared when I saw the glint of mischief in his eyes. Tugging on my hand with far more strength than he needed to, I stumbled right into his chest with a squeak as he closed his arms around me, so I didn’t bounce off of him. “Would you look at that. it seems I caught myself a little mouse. You know it’s getting rather hard to do that these days.”

“Don’t tease her, dear boy, or you’ll end up at the end of the list when she wants to spend alone time with someone,” Helena teased, patting him on the back as she headed off.

Ignoring his grandmother, he kept his attention on me. “What did she want? Looks like you had quite the conversation when she first sat down with you.”

“How would you know that? Were you stalking me?” I gasped overdramatically.

“Mouse, you should know by now that even when you think you’re alone, we always have eyes on you. What kind of guardians would we be if we left you unprotected?” Cole pointed out.

After what Helena just told me, I was more grateful for this than they realized. “We can’t talk here, but tonight all of us need to gather so I can share what your grandmother shared with me,” I whispered.

“Are you in danger?” Cole demanded, his body going rigid.

“I have a feeling that I’ll always be in danger, Cole, but I don’t think this danger will act in the next day or two,” I answered, letting my head fall to rest on his chest. “Let’s just pray we can get to Sheca in one piece so we can deal with the rest of the problems we have going on around us.”

Cole tightened his hold as he wrapped his body around mine as if he could infuse me with his strength. It was exactly what I needed in that moment, giving me the courage to not be okay for a moment as I gripped his shirt in my hands like a lifeline. “You sure you want to take on more of this craziness by becoming one of my consorts?”

“No place I’d rather be than guarding your back and keeping the crazy at bay. Not that your front isn’t nice too, but it’s not as romantic to say.” Cole smirked as he pulled me back then bent his head and placed a soft kiss on my lips. When he pulled away, I chased after him, wanting more. This caused him to chuckle. “Sorry, little mouse, but we have to keep it proper for the prying eyes around us and the fact we laid into Paxton about being respectful.”