Page 50 of The Final Battle

The Bronze Reaper Clan that I grew up in were warriors, if people needed help in a fight, we were who they came to. Our clan was simple and slightly more barbaric than others, but we lived in the harsh mountains closer to the Unclaimed Dragon lands. Not much grew, so we fought and scraped for everything we had. The black ink markings I bore on my skin proved my prowess in battle. Being the son to the Clan Leader meant I had expectations to live up to, and I did.

If you’d told me I’d be a consort to a queen of our own people, sitting at a fancy table, eating food I’ve never heard of before I would have laughed in your face. Why would I give up everything I worked for, to have that kind of life?

The answer to that would be… Cassarah.

My Cassy-Bear, the woman who was so strong, but allowed me to protect her. For the most part she let me guard her, shield her from dangers, even though she didn’t have to. From what Cole and Abbott told me she was a fighter in her own right. Even Jade had commented he was impressed with how she handled herself in the first encounter with the Lost King when they saved Gavin.

Now, that woman I cherished more than life itself, was growing life inside her. The urge to snatch her out of her chair and lock her away somewhere safe away from all of this rode me hard. If there was one thing Bronze Reapers treasured more than their reputation, it was children. Not many women chose to have them knowing the world was only becoming more dangerous. So when it occurred, those women were looked after by the whole clan and banned from taking any jobs that would endanger them.

This world was on the verge of another great war and my woman was in the dead center of it. How could I let her go after the Lost King now? Of course, if she knew what I was thinking I’d get my ass chewed out. She was as fierce as any Reaper and I had no doubt she’d take the same stance as many of them, furious at the coddling.

“Lovely, then we will plan to leave for the summer home in the morning. The trip isn’t long, about half a day’s ride in a carriage,“ Queen Catharine shared.

“Oh well, we would be going by dragon, so it might be slightly faster for us,“ Cassarah said.

The queen paled at this. “You can’t ride those beasts while you’re pregnant!“

The stony anger that appeared on Cassarah’s face at the queen calling Vasin a beast made me cringe. I’ve learned in our time together that there are not many things that will flip the switch and make cold Cassarah present herself—that was definitely one of them.

“Vasin is not a beast,“ Cassarah snapped. “He is my pair-bond who I would trust with my life and the lives of my children. There is nowhere safer than with him. Riding in a carriage we could be attacked, horses spooked and driven off a cliff, or a wheel breaks and we are stranded with no other option than to wait for help. No, your Majesty, I would much rather take my chances on the back of my dragon.“

Quickly, Queen Catharine realized her mistake, and took Cassarah’s scolding with grace. “I apologize, we here in Creisal don’t have much experience with dragons. I fear I’ve let the stories we’ve been told growing up influence me.“

“Your sister ended up with a dragon,“ Cassarah countered.

The queen nodded. “Yes, that happened after she was set to marry the late king. With her status this allowed her to be at the next dragon hatching. The golden dragon picked her and there you have it, a woman who’d never thought she’d have a chance as the second sibling secured a crown and a dragon.“

Interesting. The queen seemed bothered by this for some reason. “Were you ever at a dragon hatching?“ I asked.

She looked over in my direction and I could tell by the sour look on her face that she had… and not been picked. “I have attended one before I came to Creisal and that was more than enough interaction with a dragon for me. While all of your dragons seem to be well mannered, I’ve seen what they can do left un-paired. When food gets scarce in the Unclaimed Dragon Lands, they venture out here and go after our farmers’ livestock. The devastation they bring is unmanageable.“

“While I understand your experience with them has left a bad taste in your mouth, I do request you keep in mind that like people there are those that are good and those that are bad. In many ways, dragons have been slaves to us until recently. The reason Birthrights ever came into existence is the bond with dragons. Their connection to a human when cemented with a bite injecting their venom into us, is what gives us the magic that we share through the generations,“ Cassarah informed the queen.

The king and queen looked shocked.

“I won’t bore you with the details, since things have changed with the dragons and only those they choose to share their gift with will receive it. Thank you for this lovely lunch and I look forward to visiting your summer home you’ve described with such love,“ Cassarah said, rising to her feet. “I will retire to my rooms if you should need me for anything, King Thomas.“

Taking this as a signal, I shoved out of my chair and headed right for Cassarah. She smiled up at me as I took her hand, leading her out of the dining hall. Once we were back in the main section of the castle, I took a deep breath and rolled my neck to shake out the tension that had been building.

“Did you enjoy yourself, Day?“ Cassarah asked a teasing lilt to her words.

I glared down at her. “I’m not a man who was meant for palace niceties. My place is out in the training yards or on a job, a man of action.“

She nodded in understanding. “Trust me when I say I want our visit here to be as short as possible. I don’t find Creisal to be as agreeable to my senses as I first thought.“

“It’s certainly made an impression,“ Pax muttered as he fell into step with us. “I swear, the more time I spend here the happier I am that I never have to come back if I don’t want to. It’s part of the reason that I would take any and all jobs I could to keep from being trapped here.“

“That surprises me,“ I commented. “This seems just like the kind of people you would hang around. So many secrets for you to learn and use against people.“

“Maybe that’s who I was, but someone seems to have been rubbing off on me and I couldn’t imagine having to deal with all that drama now. Just seeing Percilla the other night made me so uncomfortable, nothing about her appealed to me in the slightest,“ Pax shared, shivering at the thought. “Speaking of her, I really should take some time to catch up with her father. I feel like he might be useful to us.“

Cassarah reached out and grasped his arm, drawing his attention. “I would greatly like to meet this man as well.“

Pax’s eyebrows rose at this. “What possible reason would you have to do that?“

“He was a great influence on your life and possibly to apologize for my actions towards his daughter. Whichever one you think he’ll believe more,“ she answered with a shrug.

“Oh spitfire, I do truly love that brain of yours, it comes up with the best situations.“ Paxton praised kissing her on the cheek. “Alright, I’ll be off to visit my old friend and see what he’s up to.“