Page 140 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

Alezya peeked from under her hood to identify the others; given their attires, hairstyles, markings, and stances, she guessed they were facing the representatives of three or four clans.

They were exclusively male, which made Alezya feel unsettled right away, and she put a hand in the bag, gently petting Niiru’s warm body to soothe herself.

“Your claims are as empty as Darak’s,” one of the clan chiefs was saying in a hushed voice, and Alezya couldn’t remember seeing him at the gathering. “We came here because you claimed you could stop the dragon, but if this is all just a fallacy to go against the Deklaan Clan...”

“The Deklaan Clan will do nothing but sacrifice others,” Ekut insisted. “Whatever army they’re trying to rally will inevitably die. There’s no way we can win against the Dragon Clan.”

“We don’t have a choice!” they hissed back. “The Dragon Clan’s attacks are relentless! They’re coming for all of us, and if we don’t stand, we will be wiped out next!”

“No clan has been wiped out,” Ekata said. “You all heard the other clan chiefs. Most of them survived and were allowed to flee. Those who didn’t fight were let go!”

“Silence, woman!” one of the clan chiefs barked.

He was immediately greeted with not only Ekata’s furious glare, but also some from a few of the other men, and not just the ones from the Munsa Clan. Ekut gave his sister a sorry look before he spoke up again, careful to keep his voice low.

“Darak claims half of his clan’s warriors got wiped out,” he said, “but he claims so every other month, and you all know we can’t trust his words.

Every clan keeps sending men to fight the Dragon Clan, and they’re the ones who die, but Darak brings the same men completely uninjured to every gathering! ”

“We have no way to know what’s going on in the south,” one of the men insisted. “Even if Darak is lying, how would we know? The facts are that the Dragon Clan keeps attacking, and he’s the only one who knows–”

“My father is a liar,” Alezya said, suddenly stepping forward.

She exchanged a resigned glance with Ekata before she pulled back her hood with one hand, revealing her face. The foreign clans let out a collective gasp, and some stepped back in shock. She hadn’t expected such a reaction, but she didn’t give them time to recover.

“My father keeps sending men to their deaths,” she said.

“He lies to you all. We have no chance against the Dragon Clan, and the Deklaan Clan has survived all this time by feeding lies to the other clans to maintain the illusion of supremacy they do not have. The men he takes to the gathering aren’t a fraction of his warriors like he claims; it’s almost all of them.

I only know a handful of men who married into our clan and weren’t sent to their deaths. ”

She thought of Suolk, who had probably only survived so long for him to give children to her cousin. He was also likely to be sent off once they had enough.

She couldn’t believe she hadn’t realized the ramifications of her father’s evil doings before.

Alezya knew she had been kept oblivious and away from the affairs of her clan, but now that she had a glimpse of the bigger picture, the facts were piling up and showing things were worse than she could have imagined, and her father was a cruel man.

The men sent from other clans most likely didn’t survive long enough to even notice what was going on or report back, and living at the edge of the Deklaan Clan, she hadn’t been involved enough to notice foreign clansmen coming and disappearing either.

It was no wonder her father didn’t allow women at the gatherings; many would have probably spoken about losing their husbands and partners.

The men standing on the other side of the river all stared at her in disbelief, some more shocked than others.

“I-it’s that witch!” one of them shrieked. “The one they sent off to the Dragon Clan!”

“That witch is trying to save you all right now,” Ekata hissed. “How about you stop hiding and actually listen to someone who knows what they’re talking about? She’s the only one who’s spent time with the Dragon Clan and survived!”

“That witch commands the dragon,” a man with long white hair hissed, glaring at Alezya like she was evil personified. “Who knows if she isn’t just trying to trick us all to feed us to that beast?!”

“Why would you help us?” another chimed. “Half the clans want you dead right now!”

“Frankly, I’m doing this for those who don’t,” Alezya retorted.

“I am no murderer or coward like my father. I have nothing to gain by watching men die. I know the mountains, and I know that behind the warriors, dozens of families, wives, children, and elderly do not deserve to die. There are people like me, those who don’t get a say and are sacrificed to a meaningless cause anyway.

And I don’t want to stay mute or passive anymore.

I can’t. Not when so many lives are at stake, and I can do something to save them.

My cousin and her husband risked their lives to take care of my baby while I was with the Dragon Clan.

Ekata and Ekut of the Munsa Clan risked a lot by hiding me for a couple of days.

Many of you might want me dead, but you’re making foolish decisions out of fear on behalf of people who do not deserve to die pointlessly.

You all can feel free to join my father’s army and die if you please.

I do not care for powerful men who want to run to their deaths out of greed or pride.

Go for it. That’s your choice to make, no matter how foolish it is.

But I am standing here because there is a chance I can save many innocent lives by speaking up, and I refuse to be silenced or passive any longer. ”

The others seemed a bit torn over her words; Alezya thought she recognized a light of hope in the eyes of half of them, who were staring at her, but the others were exchanging looks, and she could tell they didn’t trust her.

“What do they want?” the younger man asked. “The Dragon Clan. Why are they attacking now?”

Alezya hesitated, exchanging a look with the twins before clearing her throat.

“I’m not sure,” she confessed. “They might be looking for me.”

The white-haired man’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s settled then,” he hissed. “We can just give them your head!”

Immediately, the Munsa Clan pulled Alezya to the rear of their group and drew their weapons, but on the other side, only half of the foreign clans had moved.

The two men who seemed to be escorting the white-haired man had drawn out weapons, but the others were exchanging nervous glances and looking between the white-haired man and Alezya, clearly unsure.

“What if we kill her and they attack us back?” one of the men whispered. “I have wives and children waiting for me back home. If we have a chance that the Dragon Clan might spare us...”

“You know our clan never fights if we can help it,” Ekut insisted. “What would we gain by lying to you?”

“Who is to say you haven’t already made an alliance with the Dragon Clan to sell us all out?” the old man hissed. “Let them conquer the mountains, feed us to their dragon in exchange for your own lives!”

“You heard the first accounts of the survivors, you stubborn old bat,” Ekata retorted.

“The Dragon Clan can send dragons inside the caves; they wouldn’t miss if they were trying to wipe us all out, and they certainly wouldn’t bother to ally with our clan!

This woman might be our best chance of survival, can’t you understand that?

She’s the only one who’s been with the Dragon Clan, survived, and even learned their language! ”

“...Do you really think we can be spared?” another man asked Alezya before the old man could speak again.

“I’m certain of it,” Alezya said firmly, taking a step forward despite the Munsa’s attempts to keep her at the back. “The Dragon Clan aren’t as bloodthirsty nor savage as we’ve been led to believe. Even dragons are kind, smart creatures.”

“They’re gods,” another man whispered. “How can we understand a man-eating god…?”

“They don’t eat humans to survive,” Alezya exclaimed, exasperated.

“The dragons don’t need to eat or attack us at all.

We have nothing they would want! Their clan is far bigger, richer, and stronger than any of our clans, or even all of us combined!

I ate meat at every meal when I was with them.

I was given new clothes every day, and their leader let me take whatever I wanted because, no matter what it was, he had dozens of them. ”

“You’re their whore,” the white-haired man hissed again. “You opened your legs for their leader in exchange for—”

“Look at their attacks!” Alezya insisted, pointing a finger toward the south.

“Their dragons could destroy the mountain if they wanted, collapse our caves, and murder dozens! Why are so many people allowed to survive if not because what they want isn’t there?

They’re not trying to conquer, they never meant to! ”

“Darak said it was because they managed to flee...”

“My father has been lying through his teeth for years,” Alezya retorted.

“He’s the one who’s been launching attacks and forcing them to respond in return!

I wasn’t sent to the Dragon Clan on some master plan; my own father chased me from my home once I wasn’t of any use to him anymore!

I was left for dead in the mountains when the Dragon Clan Chief found me and saved me.

The only reason I returned was for my child whom my father kept captive! ”

“...The cursed child,” someone muttered, immediately getting a glare from Alezya. “But... someone saw you feed it to the dragon.”

“My child is alive,” Alezya hissed, her eyes blurring with tears of frustration. “She is alive and safe with the Dragon Clan. And as soon as I get back to their Chief, I’ll see my baby again.”