Page 8 of The Silent Mountain (Under the Werewolf Crown #2)

eight

The Birds

*ALANA*

I t’s the second time I’ve ridden on Favian’s back, or rather his dragon’s. I spread my arms, allowing the wind to dance around me. Favian indulges me by flying higher just to sink suddenly, making me cling to his neck, laughing.

I can’t believe you enjoy that, he links me.

Favian barely talks to me or anyone through mind link, so it feels unusual at first, but not unwelcome. He prevents using his mind link so that his dragons can get stronger and heal mentally. Maybe, now he feels more comfortable reaching out that way. It’s a good sign. I never imagined flying would be this fun, I admit.

With how you love adrenaline, I shouldn’t be surprised.

I’m not chasing an adrenaline high usually, I defend myself while touching the scales of his neck. I guess it’s different when it’s my favorite dragon.

Are you saying you weren’t the type of girl to jump down cliffs into the water and dive into the ice-cold water or-

Alright, alright, you called me out, I chuckle.

Hold on tight, he says, the smirk evident in his voice.

I cling to his neck, squealing when he twirls his body around and then picks up his speed. I wonder if the stunt he showed me a few nights ago would also work if we jumped together. Could he catch me from the air?

There is no time to ask him, however, as we slowly reach the shore. Despite Favian showing off his skills, we are still the first to arrive. He lets me slide down his back, and I take the moment to gently touch his dragon’s nose, snuggling against it. “Thank you.”

When Favian shifts back, he smiles at me. His smile is wiped off his face, though, the moment his eyes move to the distance. “By Aengus,” he mutters.

It takes a while to register. I’m so used to hearing my goddess’s name that it still feels foreign to hear the dragon’s deity. I don’t ponder on it for long because, noticing the shocked expression on Favian’s face, I turn around to follow his gaze, my mouth dropping open.

“Goddess,” I blurt out, taking a step toward the terrifying scene in front of me.

Favian grabs my wrist and pulls me back. “Don’t,” he says. “Let’s tread carefully.”

“You are right,” I mutter, while my gaze moves over the usually so beautiful shore, covered in ice and snow, now covered in hundreds of dead birds. I feel sick at the image. Only a few days ago, I was flying with Favian over the ocean, and there were birds flying with us. Now… so many are lying here dead. “How can this happen?”

“I don’t know,” Favian says. “It never has before.”

He turns his stare slightly up towards the sky, where Stefan’s green dragon carries Cassie, followed by Barbara’s brown and Ludwig’s red ones. The moment they land and shift, their faces carry the same shocked expression as Favian’s had.

“This is…“ Stefan looks around. “This is… I don’t have any words.”

“Am I correct in saying this never happened before?” Favian asks him.

“You are right, Your Highness,” he says. “As long as I lived in the dragon kingdom, nothing like this happened. Also, none of the books I have studied indicated anything alike.”

“I haven’t encountered anything like that either,” Barbara admits. “Not until the first albatross we saw.”

“It’s the same for me,” Ludwig says.

Stefan looks at me. “What about the werewolves? Is this something you are acquainted with?”

“No. Certainly not to that extent.”

Cassie has stayed silent. Now, she takes a step closer, eyeing everything fearfully. Her fingers clench onto Stefan’s arm. “It’s not natural,” she whispers.

“Are you certain?” Favian asks.

“Yes. I might be a horrible witch, but I can sense it.”

“Is it a curse?” Favian wants to know.

“Possibly,” she mutters. “But I can’t say for sure. They could as well have been experimented on.”

“I thought… if it’s cursed, it’s cursed,” Ludwig says.

“It’s not that simple,” Cassie explains. “Okay, imagine a witch putting a curse directly on you. Yes, it would mean you are cursed. But she could as well curse a situation, and you stumble into it. You can get cursed through what you do. Or it could be a disease, and that could be cursed. Alternatively, like the bitch-witch Penelope did… she woke up ancient creatures, but their waking up was cursed, and so they were too, and furthermore, their curse spread onto other beings.” She pauses, taking a breath to catch some air. “That’s what I meant, with it not being simple. I’m sure it’s dark magic.”

“Cassie,” I say with a smile. “You seem to know a lot. That’s fantastic.”

Cassie turns red like an overripe tomato. “I read a lot,” she blurts out. “I… no one bothered with me, and I was bored, so I read.” She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “My practical skills are pretty much useless.”

“You are not useless,” I reassure her. “You just need practice.”

“You are so nice, Warrior Princess,” Cassie says before bursting into tears and hurrying into my arms. I hug her, patting her back while Ludwig looks at us amused, and Barbara in slight disbelief. Favian’s eyebrow ticks slightly, as it always does when he is annoyed.

Oh, our dragon is jealous?

Of course he is, Ros says, sounding quite pleased. He knows we like men and women the same. Not like we would ever do anything with this innocent child.

I like that Favian, despite being jealous of my proximity to Cassie, doesn’t intervene. He is the Dragon King, and his inner beast is possessive, but he is respectful of my boundaries and of my relationships to others.

I don’t want to push his boundaries either, so I gently push Cassie away. “I am sure you will be useful to the Dragon King and the kingdom.” I smile. “Who knows, maybe you will find your mate here?”

Cassie lets out a squeal of shock and stumbles backward, right into Stefan’s chest. She looks up at him, turning red again. My intention wasn’t to push her into the arms of one of the guys, but rather to gently nudge her in the direction of settling down here and finding a home in the Silent Mountain.

But well…

“Certainly not me,” Stefan grins. “I am probably too old for you. Ludwig there is younger.”

“Still seven years older than her,” Ludwig mutters, sounding not too pleased. I know he has lost his first mate already; I also know that he met his mate right when he turned eighteen, which is why he is still so young, yet widowed.

A sad fate.

“What about young Prince Elio!?” Ludwig says, probably to deflect the attention from him to someone else.

“My little brother?” Favian frowns. It’s cute how protective he is of Elio, like an overly doting father.

“How about our handsome young king, then?” Stefan offers.

Cassie casts a glance at Favian before freezing in fear. “No,” she whispers.

I furrow my brows, grabbing Favian’s arm and growling at Stefan. The audacity to have him offer my mate to someone else! “That’s certainly a no,” I hiss, feeling how Ros claws at my mind, wanting to come out to put this impertinent dragon in his place.

Favian looks surprised and a little pleased. “You heard,” he says to Cassie. “I’m promised to someone, and I’m very loyal to this bond.”

His words warm my chest and calm Ros down.

“Alright,” Barbara says, glaring at Ludwig and Stefan. “I would like you two to stop with the nonsense.”

“What!?” Ludwig grumbles. “I didn’t start it!”

Barbara rolls her eyes and turns towards Favian and me. “King Favian, Princess Alana, I would suggest taking some of the birds back to the kingdom to examine them.”

“I was thinking of something similar,” Favian says. “We can’t keep flying Cassie back and forth here.”

“But… but let’s not bring them into the proximity of the clan,” Cassie whispers. “Up the mountain, yes, and close to the clan, but not right into its borders.”

“A witch being superstitious?” Ludwig asks, surprised.

“I’m not superstitious,” she blurts out. “It’s just… we don’t know what it is that killed them, and yes, it might also be bad luck.”

“I agree with Cassie,” I say. “Albeit not because of bad luck, but we don’t want to carry anything to our fellow clan members.”

“I want a few warriors stationed here at the shore,” Favian orders. “Stefan, put together a team. Make sure it’s shifters who are willing and mentally up for this draining task. I don’t want it to be those who are still too broken. And make sure they will be rewarded well. I want the payment to be good.”

“I will make sure to follow through with this immediately upon our return,” Stefan promises.

“May I suggest something?” Barbara asks.

“Of course,” Favian encourages her.

“If we take some of the birds up the mountains, should we build a small base, a camp maybe, for research purposes? It could be guarded and separated from the clan.”

“That’s a good idea, very thorough thinking, Barbara,” he praises her.

The tips of Barbara’s ears turn slightly pink at his praise. She tries not to look too proud, but I know what it means to her to be praised by the king in person. The dragons used to be very elitist. To have Favian talk to her, know her name, and listen to her ideas means so much to her, and to many other dragon shifters.

“How about I put you at the head of the team?” Favian offers. “Like Stefan, collect suitable warriors around you.”

“Yes!” She beams. “Thank you, Your Highness!”

With nothing else to do, because no one wants to step too deep into the landscape covered with dead birds out of fear of it being a contagious curse, we retreat.

Back at the clan, Favian makes sure to summon Frederick and the small team of healers around him. They are all still learning from him and are not on par with his skills.

Cassie is with them.

Favian explains the situation to them, and all of them are eager to get to work. The curse doesn’t seem to scare them, and I’m not surprised by that. I know that my youngest sister is similar. In the name of science, nothing truly seems to terrify her. She is rather curious and wants to find out the truth behind things.

“Cassie,” Favian calls her back before she can leave with the other healers. “I have one other thing to discuss with you.”

“Yes?” She eyes him curiously.

“Princess Alana is being tormented by nightmares. I want you to look into that and possibly find something that can bring her a peaceful sleep.”

He is one to talk! I think, unamused. He doesn’t sleep at all, but wants to make sure I sleep peacefully. Well, he is right with one thing, though, the nightmares are suffocating, and they don’t even make sense. Last time, I dreamed of drowning, a fear I’ve never had. I even dreamed of getting lost, another fear I usually don’t have, as my wolf senses are sharp, and it’s incredibly difficult for a werewolf to get lost anywhere.

Aside from the time I attacked Favian, I only sleepwalked once in the span of a week. It’s all a bit worrying. “I agree,” I say. “I would like you to look into that, especially because I sleepwalk.”

“Did you sleepwalk before?” she asks.

“No, never.”

Cassie frowns. “I will read up on that issue,” she promises. “And see what the books suggest. Maybe I can brew something.” She pauses. “Talking about brewing and books…”

“Yes,” Favian answers before she can even ask. “Feel free to put together a list of what you need. I will order everything. We will put together your laboratory in a small hut, not in close proximity to other houses, so you can’t accidentally hurt anyone.”

Anyone else might have found that insulting to hear, but Cassie just squeals. “This is perfect! I’m starting to like it here! So, when you say anything…”

“I mean anything,” he says. “I trust you not to ask for the impossible, mind you. Use common sense.” He pauses. “We have a very well-stocked library here. Look through it, and if you need additional books, add them to the list.”

Cassie nods and beams at him before hurrying off to start with her many new tasks. I thought it would be slightly too much for her, but it seems like having something to do and being needed is rather motivating for her.

“Do we have the funds for this?” I ask Favian carefully. “If not, I could-“

“We have,” he says with a smile. “My parents left me a fortune. I have never shown you the treasury, have I?”

I shake my head.

“I will do that later today, but it’s filled to the brim. Previously, our wealth was just used for the ranked members and royals, but I would like to use it to rebuild the kingdom. I think it’s beneficial to invest some money so that we can grow. Eventually, I want to reopen the mines. Our gemstone resources have always been our main export.”

He is right; we’ll be able to make a lot of money for the clan that way. There is also hope that the dragon shifters will recover, spread out to more clans, and inhabit the entirety of the Silent Mountain once again.

I like having a goal in front of me; it motivates me. It’s been a while since I felt this type of motivation. Since I lost Ita, I have been in a huge slump, and sometimes, when I think about her or when my memories catch up with me, I still am.

I left my family and friends behind to come here, everything I’ve known, but it does feel like a fresh start. Maybe I needed exactly that.