Page 128 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)
“Commander.”
He didn’t react to the General’s voice.
Kassein was holding another man at the end of his sword, bleeding on the ground. He would have felt sorry if the man hadn’t fought him with blatant hatred in his eyes, or if he hadn’t pushed a woman out of his way to get to him earlier. Now, there was no mercy left.
Kassein wasn’t sure what foolishness made those tribesmen more eager to fight him than to protect their women, but he would never understand. He finished the job and glanced around, furious.
The fight was over, and by all accounts, they should have won. The tribesmen who weren’t dead or bleeding were fleeing.
And yet, it felt more like a defeat than a victory to him. How could it be otherwise when he hadn’t found the one he’d come for?
“Commander,” General Sazaran repeated, a bit louder.
“...She wasn’t here.”
His own words sounded choked up. Even from behind, one could see the tense muscles of his neck strained with fury.
Kassein angrily turned around and walked out of there, finding the first opening he could to set foot in the snow. The fresh, crisp, white coat immediately turned into a crimson puddle under him.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t find the lady, Commander,” General Sazaran said, “but the attack was a success. Our men are scouring the last tunnels we can find and have reported a handful leading toward more pathways. It sounds like your and the Princess’ theory about them using countless tunnels to travel was right.
The remnants of this tribe are fleeing to wherever they–”
“Let them go,” Kassein interrupted him with a furious hiss, glaring at the General. “I was clear. Let them go and spread the word that I’m coming for the tribes.”
I’m coming for her , was what he truly wanted to say.
Kassein hoped that, no matter how far away she was, Alezya would hear what had happened here. That she would know he was looking for her. Stubbornly. Desperately.
He returned his eyes to the skies, witnessing Kein helplessly circle again, flying over every mountain and clearing, his dragon’s silver eyes scouring every crack, cave, and corner it could, looking for that pair of dark eyes they both missed.
Kassein watched, powerless, as his dragon let out furious growls in the skies, terrifying every tribesman back into their mountain but failing to make the one woman they were seeking appear.
Where was she? Every second that passed, Kassein felt like he’d rather be stabbed than worry. He hadn’t experienced this level of agony since his sister’s incident. He couldn’t breathe every time he worried about how cold, hungry, or hurt she could be at this very moment.
He’d rather be the one to suffer, and he’d swap places in an instant, anything but the thought of Alezya going through torment.
“Commander,” Sazaran said. “What do we do with the ones we captured? Shall we bring them back to the camp?”
“No,” Kassein said. “Let them go. We need as many of them as possible to spread the word of what we’re capable of.”
“Annihilation?”
“...Or mercy.” Kassein turned around, going back inside.
He’d picked this mountain, and one of the tribes they’d fought with the most, to make a point. He knew that was all part of the plan, and yet, while going in, he’d been helplessly hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, he’d find her there. Maybe Lumie would be able to sleep with her mom tonight.
Every time he thought of how little time the two of them must have had together, he felt even more sorry.
The pull to frantically search every mountain was almost as strong as the one to fly back to the Onyx Castle and check on the little girl.
It would be painful to face Lumie without her mother, but at least he would be able to check on one of them.
“I will give the orders, Commander,” Sazaran said. “May I dare say, your command today...”
Kassein gave him a warning glance, but the General’s expression didn’t falter; the man only straightened more, standing tall with a respectful nod.
“It was a perfect demonstration, Commander in Chief,” he said with a loud, solemn voice. “You may not enjoy it, but you do have the charisma a leader needs. Many men will remember the attack today.”
Kassein didn’t grant him a response.
He wasn’t proud of this achievement, and he cared little for how much his men admired his strength.
He needed to be even stronger, strong enough that Alezya wouldn’t have to carry her burden alone and away from him.
He only enjoyed the respite fighting gave him from being anxious about Alezya, even if it was only for a moment.
Kassein took one of the tunnels that would lead him back out of the mountain and toward their camp.
He was keeping an eye on their surroundings for any incoming attack, but given how much of a one-sided slaughter this had been, it was unlikely.
Even if their opponents had seen them coming, they had been utterly unprepared for the attack.
Why would they have been? Kassein had led so few excursions into the mountains, and they’d never wandered inside the tunnels, only taking on their scouts outside; they’d never led a raid like they had today.
Their enemies had stood no chance, and while most of their warriors had been foolish to fight until they had lost their lives, any non-fighters had fled the second they could.
And Kassein’s orders had been clear about letting them escape, so anyone who had stayed behind had basically chosen death.
.. He had lost a few men, but his losses were a fraction of what that tribe had experienced.
A lot of tribesmen had survived, but they had scattered in the mountains, and he doubted they’d dare to attack his camp again.
He did hope the survivors had noted that this hadn’t been a full-on massacre. Kein hadn’t even touched the ones who had stepped out, far too busy looking for Alezya.
“We’re going back,” he simply said after a while.
“Leave them alone. Don’t let the men grab any valuables either.
We don’t need any. We’re leaving with what we brought, and if anyone disobeys, teach them a lesson.
And I want a full report from each unit captain before sundown.
As soon as my sister gets back, we’re attacking again. ”
“Understood, Commander,” Sazaran said, “but are you sure we don’t want to keep any hostages...?”
Kassein pinned him with a furious glare.
“No. There’s no point in negotiations; they don’t have what we want.”
Other tribes would get the message either way and without Alezya, they couldn’t talk to her people.
His men behind him, he left the mountain tunnels and slowly started making his way back to the camp, but every so often, he couldn’t help but glance southwest toward the Onyx Castle.
He didn’t know how long it would take for Kiera to convince his sister-in-law to part with the triplets’ dragons to help him out, and come back from the Eastern Kingdom.
After a hesitation, he stopped in his tracks and watched as Kein made one last loop before heading toward him.
“Commander?” Sazaran gave him and Kein a couple of nervous glances.
“I’m going to the Onyx Castle for a bit.”
“Don’t you want to come back and celebrate this victory with the men?”
Kassein gave Sazaran an annoyed look; he’d never celebrated with his men and barely considered this a victory.
The General gave him a resolute nod.
“...I understand, Commander. I shall head back and make sure those reports are ready for you when you return.”
Thus, Sazaran led the men down the mountain while Kassein went off-path to climb on his dragon’s back.
He and Kein couldn’t resist the urge to do one last survey of the mountains. Far too many hours had passed since Alezya’s departure, and he knew that, even by foot, she could have reached the edge of the continent already.
There was hardly a human soul out on the mountains, and he wondered how fast the word would spread about today’s battle. The tribes had probably seen Kein on the prowl and decided to hide in fear.
Alezya was the only one with nothing to fear from his dragon...
“Let’s head home,” he muttered as his dragon was already turning around.
Kassein realized he’d just called the Onyx Castle “home” for the first time in years. He didn’t want to linger on the idea, but he could feel how it pulled on his heartstrings nonetheless.
Although they were tainted by melancholy and bitterness, one tragedy didn’t erase all the good memories he had at the Onyx Castle or of his childhood.
When Kassein was still a warm and loving brother, and his siblings didn’t think his dragon was mad... Even flying Kein, like he was at present, felt like a strange miracle.
Yet, for once, he and his dragon were of the same mind, aching to protect Lumie and find Alezya.
Kassein still couldn’t feel like he was anything but a fraud commanding the North Army, but for once, he felt like he had to step into those shoes and actually try to fill them the best he could. For Lumie and Alezya.
They landed minutes later, and while Kein immediately darted to the remaining egg, Kassein walked into the Onyx Castle.
It didn’t take long to find them; he only had to follow the excited giggles of a little girl, which made his heart feel a bit lighter before he even pushed the door open.
“Come on, Lumie! You can do it, sweetheart!” Lorey was encouraging her.
To his surprise, Lumie was standing, albeit unstably, with her chubby little hands holding onto a stool.
Her butt kept wobbling a bit, and her head was turned to Lorey with a big, bright smile. On the other side of her, Lady Nebora was standing with her arms spread, ready to catch the little girl if she were to fall.
Nebora was an old friend of their mother’s. She had always been a beautiful woman, and even now, she was aging very gracefully, with a few white streaks in her dark hair and crow’s feet that emphasized her piercing dark eyes.