Page 136 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)
“Get back here! I said no stealing, you little shits!” She was shouting after them when he finally found her, standing before a group of their men and a pile of knocked-out opponents.
“We’re done here?” Kassein asked as soon as their eyes met.
“We are,” Kiera said. “There wasn’t much of a fight; many of them freaked out the second they saw the dragons inside.
.. Not that those brats did more than break stuff and run around.
Most of Sazaran’s and Kauser’s men have arrived too.
They’re blocking the path to the camp, checking the last corners, and knocking out those who wouldn’t back down. ”
“Casualties?”
“A few,” Kiera shrugged. “Some of their men wouldn’t stand down and fought until I killed them.
A couple more fell to their deaths on the east flank.
The captains are going around compiling reports, but basically, we’re good to go.
We might catch some more on our way to the next mountain.
At this pace, we could have three or four done before night falls. ”
“They’re not going to the next mountain,” Kassein informed his sister. “All of those I saw were fleeing in all directions, but they didn’t have any proper exit strategy.”
“They didn’t get any reinforcement either,” Kiera said, raising an eyebrow. “It sounds like Tiev was right; they’re not as tight as we thought. That’s good news for us though, isn’t it?”
Kassein nodded, although he didn’t care too much for this kind of good news; he was still annoyed that they would have to search each mountain individually to find Alezya.
He had a general idea of where her home was, but with all the tunnels and entrances, it wasn’t exact.
“Your woman’s tough,” Kiera said, reading his mind. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
“I need to get to the mountain she came from,” he said. “If they still have her, she might be injured or worse...”
“Shall we attack one of those which were most likely to be her home next? The next mountain over is the one she was always staring at, according to Lorey. It means she was quite far away when you first found her, but it’s not that unlikely.”
“Let’s do that.”
Kiera and Kassein worked together to lead the army to the next mountain they wanted to target, while the generals were tasked with making sure no man was left behind; as much as the generals and captains were reliable, they couldn’t forget that a large portion of the army was former criminals, and Kassein didn’t want to risk a single one of them harming a woman or attacking an innocent while he wasn’t watching.
Thankfully, most of the men were excited at the prospect of another battle and followed without protest, and because they were all mixed in larger groups, no man could be left alone without someone noticing they were missing.
They were halfway to the next mountain when they confirmed all the men had followed, minus those who had been killed in the first battle.
“I’m still impressed by this army of ruffians,” Kiera said. “I expected a lot more to rebel or try some shit.”
“Those who disobey know what awaits them,” Kassein simply commented.
“The Commander made a great example of the consequences of such actions,” Sazaran nodded.
“Many of our captains commended his strong hand in leading the camp. Between you and me, there are also many fights between the men, and those who have committed the worst crimes are often killed during the training duels by their opponents. After the Commander in Chief personally annihilated one of our worst units, we haven’t had any issue with someone stepping out of line.
Although, not all of our men are downright monsters.
Many are actually hoping to redeem themselves and turn over a new leaf! ”
Kassein let his sister talk to the generals, but he was surprised by how much they praised him.
He had never been very vocal in leading his camp. While he had never cared about being too hard on his men, never letting the slightest offense slide, and never backed down from drawing blood, he hadn’t expected his unforgivingness to be seen as strong and dependable leadership.
The more he listened to the General, the more Kassein realized his regular need for violence had made his command even more respected, if not feared, which might have been an unexpectedly valid way to force former criminals to stay in line.
And while he and Kein wouldn’t fight anymore, he certainly had no intention to let any man who disobeyed orders or tried to do vile acts under his watch get off easy; Kassein might not enjoy the position of Commander in Chief per se, but he had a strong sense of justice, respect from his generals, and the strength to make any man surrender.
“Kassein?” His sister dragged him out of his thoughts. “We’re almost there. What’s got you daydreaming? Your woman?”
He glanced ahead at the mountain they were indeed about to reach and the generals who had left their side to go and give orders to the men, tightening the ranks, splitting them to various entry points, and securing the route back.
Now it was just him and Kiera leading, and with the young dragons running around their legs, most of their soldiers remained at a reasonable pace behind.
“I just... I never wanted to lead this army, but the generals are praising me like I did something more than fight my dragon and kill murderers.”
His sister chuckled.
“Sometimes a leader with a lot of charisma is more than enough. It’s not like you were a complete slob either, from what I heard.
You showed up, attended meetings, solved conflicts, and exercised authority when they needed you to.
Tievin did the paperwork, but you were the one who kept the men doing their tasks rather than fighting or pulling some bullshit.
We were born and raised to be leaders, Kassein.
Don’t think you failed just because you didn’t rule an entire empire.
And I’m sure you’ll do great leading the north too.
Not every leader needs to be involved in every aspect of their territory; sometimes, trusting others to know what to do has its perks.
In a tense area with lots of fighting and an army of criminals, a stronger guy to show who is in charge might have been just what was needed.
Isn’t that the whole plan? Show the tribes who is the strongest and have them realize cooperation is in their interest. Sometimes diplomacy requires a bit of ass-kicking first, Kassein. Don’t worry; you’ve got things right.”
She patted his shoulder, and he nodded.
Either way, he couldn’t turn back now, and for Alezya’s sake, he wouldn’t back down. He didn’t care how many men he had to beat up to get to her, but she was his best reason to keep going.
If his strength could be used to protect and defend rather than intimidate and kill, that would already be more than enough for him.
They finally reached the next mountain, and this time, Kassein didn’t let his sister lead the battle on her own; they split up in one of the tunnels, and as soon as he encountered people from that tribe, the fighting began.
Not only was Kassein attacked merely a few steps after walking inside, but he heard the echoes of his men encountering various opponents all around too.
This time, the tribe had probably seen them coming and decided to put up more of a fight, but they were no match for him.
Moreover, the three dragons were already doing what they had been brought here for, dashing through the tunnels, causing panic amongst the enemy rank, and spreading chaos in every corner of the mountain; their favorite game seemed to be running as fast as they could through the loops of tunnels with excited growls, but to the tribespeople, it seemed to be the most terrifying occurrence ever.
After another corner, Kassein emerged in a larger cave, half a dozen of his men on his heels, and found an equal group of warriors waiting for them, looking prepared to fight.
Just then, Bora happened to be dashing from one tunnel again, and one of the tribesmen tried to take a swing at the young dragon.
While Bora froze at the sudden attack, Kassein stepped in, blocking the weapon with a furious glare; he had brought the young dragons to help, but he wouldn’t let any harm come to them.
Seeing it was safe, his niece’s pink dragon growled furiously and attacked the man’s leg in retribution.
Blood flew, and the battle started with Kassein’s men spreading to take on their opponents.
Perhaps alarmed by Bora’s growls, Vele and Leni also stopped racing to join the fight, and soon enough, their opponents were trying to run away before they lost limbs to their fangs. Kassein killed two men, and stopped, letting his men finish the fight there.
Just as he was looking around to assess the fight, something caught his attention. He froze, and turned his head, his heartbeat picking up a frantic rhythm.
“Alezya,” he muttered under his breath.
It was faint, but he recognized her smell.
He would have recognized her smell anywhere. Leaving his men to finish that fight, Kassein rushed down one of the tunnels, pushing or punching people out of his way, following the scent with growing hope.
She was near. He could smell Alezya’s faint scent, and the more he walked, the stronger it got.
Kassein was vaguely aware that he walked past ongoing battles, fleeing tribesmen, and had young dragons on his heels, but he couldn’t stop nor care about anything else.
He kept rushing through the tunnels, turning back when he got to dead ends, re-entering when he unexpectedly stumbled upon openings and cliffs.
Alezya’s smell was like a siren call he was desperate to find the source of, even if the stronger it got, the harder it was for him to find it.
Eventually, he reached a corridor that seemed narrower than the others, and he could almost physically feel the pull to its end. He had to bend so as not to hit his head, but he kept going, confused about this smaller area.