she should not.”
“I’m well aware of how our cousin operates, sister. I have my guard up. Now I need you to do the same.”
“Don’t worry, Rhona,” Edana told her with a small smile, “we’ll handle Mum.”
Keita watched the big Lightning leave before she faced the dragon she adored—although she still hadn’t told Ragnar that she adored him. It wasn’t good to give a male that sort of information too early in the relationship. And yes! Five years was still too early in the relationship, no matter what her pesky aunts may believe.
“Why did you insist Vigholf go?” she asked.
“Because he would have driven me insane until Rhona returned. He won’t admit it, but he keeps an eye on her.”
“Whatever for?”
He smiled. She loved that smile. “Because he fancies her and has since the very beginning, I’d wager.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Keita admitted. “She hates him. Calls him the pest. One should never be a pest to a Cadwaladr female. That never works out well.”
Ragnar pulled Keita against him. “You shouldn’t underestimate my brother. Besides, the more protection you have, the happier I’ll be.” Ragnar placed both claws on either side of her face, gazed deep into her eyes. “Please, Keita. Please . . . don’t be stupid.”
“Thank you very much,” she said on a laugh.
“You know what I mean. You are, on your best day, foolhardy. You take dangerous chances. Especially when it comes to ensuring the safety of your kin.”
“I won’t do anything that will stop me from helping my kin.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t tell your brothers?” Keita’s three eldest brothers commanded their own troops with three generals reporting directly to each and the respective number of legions under each prince’s banner. It had been many years since Fearghus, Briec, and Gwenvael had led troops into battle, but they’d done well from the beginning, impressing even the hard-to-impress Northlanders with their skills.
“If Fearghus and Briec find out, they will leave and take half of Mother’s army with them, and the Cadwaladrs. You can’t afford that right now and my brothers will not be stopped. Not when it comes to this and no matter the protection you think is in place in Garbhán Isle. But Ren and I can handle this without going through all that.”
“And bringing your cousin?”
“Merely a formality to ensure our safety. Ren will be working Magicks, and his strength will be diminished. As will his focus. But Rhona will watch out for us like a ferocious demon dog from the underworld.”
He finally smiled. “I wouldn’t say that to her face.”
“No, no,” Keita replied with some seriousness. “She’s not like her sisters and mother. She’d not find that a compliment.”
Chapter 4
Rhona met Keita and Ren at one of the lower exits. As human, they’d take this tunnel out of the stronghold until they reached a safe distance and could finally fly. But seeing her younger cousin waiting patiently for her had Rhona remembering the last time she’d babysat Princess Keita when the Dragon Queen’s centaur nanny had been away from Devenallt Mountain for a few months. A few months that had been the longest in Rhona’s life. Yet Rhona loved Keita despite that past incident.
“Cousin!” Keita cheered when she saw her, running over to give Rhona a hug. “It’s been absolutely ages!”
“I saw you less than an hour ago.”
“Really?” Keita glanced off. “It felt longer.”
Rhona’s eyes briefly crossed before she asked, “Are you ready to go, cousin?”
“Aye. We are.”
Rhona stepped away from Keita and went to Ren. Her smile warm, she hugged him. “Hello, old friend.”
“Rhona. Are you ready for all this?”
“No. But to protect you from Keita, I’ll be there.”
Ren laughed and Keita pouted.
“Then let’s get on the road,” Rhona prodded, ready to be traveling.
Keita quickly sized her up. “You’re being very pushy, cousin.”
“The quicker this gets done, the quicker I can return to the battle.”
“And glory?”
“What else is there for a Cadwaladr?”
Keita patted Rhona’s shoulder. “You make me sad.”
Ragnar, also in human form, wrapped his arms around Keita, pulling her into his body. He hugged her tight, whispered something into her ear.
Although unable to give them complete privacy, Rhona turned away—and faced Vigholf. She frowned, noting he was dressed for travel with his big, human-sized but adjustable warhammer and ax tied to his back, a thin fur cape around his shoulders, and a travel bag over that.
“Why are you here?” she asked Vigholf.
“I’ll be coming along.”
Her eyes narrowed more. So much she could barely see. “Coming along where?”
“With Keita and Ren, for protection.”
Rhona slammed the butt of one of her emergency spears into the ground, her hand gripping the shaft tight. “They have me for that. I’m here to protect them.”
“Of course you are.” And the condescension came through loud and clear. She was surprised he didn’t pat her on the head like a trusted but crippled mutt.
“New spear?” he asked.
“No. One of my backups.”
“Have you thought about moving up to a short sword?”
“No.”
“They’re not hard to learn to work with. I could show you while we’re traveling.”
“I know how to use a short sword. As I’ve explained, I’m trained in all weapons.”
“But you still use a spear?”
“I like it.”
“For field use, I understand. But for this kind of mission . . . shouldn’t you have something a little less . . . cumbersome?”
Rhona pulled the spear back to demonstrate on his neck how cumbersome her weapon was, but Ragnar stepped between them.
“Check outside,” he told his brother. “Make sure it’s clear.”
Vigholf
