Page 146 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)
“Wait! There are more clans who will be willing to listen,” one of the younger clan leaders suddenly stepped forward. “If we can spread the word, we might rally more. Many don’t believe much in the Deklaan Clan but feel like there’s no other alternative. If we let them know...”
“It’s going to be complicated,” Ekata muttered. “We’re running out of time already. If we wait for everyone to make up their minds...”
“No, but we don’t have to wait,” Alezya stepped forward.
“Look, even if the men we fought go to my father’s or his allies tonight, they won’t attack us right away.
He was expecting an answer from the clans by dawn, right?
Let’s do the same. We don’t need to wait for each clan; just send scouts and spread the word that your clans have allied with the Dragon Clan and that there is an alternative to rallying with the Deklaan.
If they know there’s an alternative, they might rally around us.
We don’t even need them to fight Darak with us, only not to fight against the Dragon Clan.
I refuse to cause more casualties than necessary.
Let them flee or hide if they want; I’d rather them hide and survive than be forced into a meaningless battle they never wanted to risk their people with.
My father was always willing to risk other people’s lives rather than his own; I refuse to do the same.
People should be allowed to step away from a war they didn’t choose. ”
There were a few seconds of stunned silence after her words, and Ekata gave her a proud smile.
“Spoken like a true survivor and fighter,” she smiled before turning to the men.
“You heard her. Let all the clans know what we’re doing since there’s no hiding it from our enemies.
Darak might convince a lot of clans, but many will be tempted to step away if they can.
Those who want to fight with us are welcome too.
Let it be known to all the clans, not just the big ones.
Send scouts to every corner of the mountains, no matter how long it takes, and be sure the word is spread.
If we’re fighting for the future of all clans, they should know. ”
“We will spread the word,” one of the clan leaders said, and many nodded in agreement.
“Give us time to move our people away from Darak, warn our allies, and I promise my warriors and I will join the fight against this madman. We’ve wanted peace with the Dragon Clan for generations, one way or another.
If it is as simple as this, if we can finally get it, this is worth one last battle. ”
“I agree,” another clan leader said, crossing his arms. “Enough of this nonsense and enough of sending our men to die! Enough of Darak! If the Dragon Clan leader is reasonable enough to listen to a woman, what have we lost our sons for?”
“None of us want to fight alongside Darak,” one chimed in. “I’m sure some clans will refuse to fight at all if they can.”
“...Are you sure the Dragon Clan won’t attack us?” someone else asked, eyes drifting between Alezya and Kassein. “Are you certain you understand this man?”
Alezya hesitated for a second, and then she glanced toward the lake, the one with the large entrance toward the sea.
Then, she turned back to Kassein. He gave her a slight nod.
She wasn’t sure if he understood what she wanted to do or if he was just saying yes to anything she would ask, but anyway, she turned to the lake, holding his hand.
“Kein!” she shouted into the cave.
Her call echoed through the rocky walls, and for a few seconds, a stunned silence befell the large area.
Niiru was the first to move. The young dragon, which had been playing around in the water and primarily unnoticed until then, stood on all fours, head perked up, its tail swishing excitedly.
Some men who hadn’t noticed the small, dark dragon until then let out surprised gasps and shocked whispers, but they hadn’t seen anything yet.
Alezya couldn’t suppress a smile when a loud, menacing growl shook the entire cave, making the whole group of men jump and take several steps away for some.
Behind her, she felt Kassein’s torso press against her back again, his fingers tightening around hers.
Then, at the low entrance of their cave, Kein appeared.
The bronze dragon’s head peeked in first, and then, as it spotted Alezya, the dragon slowly crawled its way inside, triggering some panic among the crowd.
Thankfully, all children were long in bed by now, hence Niiru had found no playmates in the water, but there were plenty of adults present, the Munsa and their visitors, who all let out a concert of shouts, screams, and for some, freaked out enough to run into the nearest tunnel.
Kassein’s hands didn’t move, but after a beat, Alezya gave him a little smile over her shoulder before she stepped out of his embrace and toward the water.
Kein was slowly crawling its way inside, belly-deep in the water, its silver eyes scouring the area with interest. It was no wonder the dragon couldn’t have spotted this cave before; it was facing the sea at the northeastern end of the continent, the farthest away from its home, and its humongous body could barely fit through the opening.
The cave wasn’t even large enough for its wingspan.
Did the dragon find it now because Kassein was there, and it could sense its owner?
Had it just found the entrance following her voice since it had been in the area post-battle?
Alezya didn’t know, but she was grateful to see her scaled friend there.
While everyone else but Kassein was still frozen in fear, Alezya alone marched toward the dragon, not fearless but feeling braver than ever.
She hadn’t seen Kein in a while, and although she had missed the dragon, she was still aware it was a giant beast that didn’t think like humans.
It might have forgotten her, or it might be more resentful than Kassein for how they’d parted ways.
She had simply entrusted the dragon with her child and barked at it to fly away.
.. It wouldn’t be outlandish for Kein to be mad at her.
And yet, when she took her first steps in the water, the orange dragon let out a soft, long, gentle growl that made her smile. Alezya only had to extend her hand, and seconds later, Kein approached, pressing its hot snout against it.
“ Hello, my friend, ” she smiled. “I missed you.”
The dragon let out another growl and approached even closer, letting Alezya pet its neck as it curled its large body around her.
In the meantime, Niiru had already made its way to the giant dragon and was now fiercely trying to climb the mountain of scales.
It made Alezya chuckle at the sight of the tiny black dragon trying to climb Kein, who was eyeing it curiously.
When Niiru lost balance and rolled down the orange scales, only to land in a splash of water, Kein put its snout in the water and suddenly sneezed a wave at the young dragon.
Niiru let out an amused growl, rolling and jumping in the water, before it ran back toward Kein, unafraid, only to be grabbed in its maw and sent flying into the water with another splash.
Niiru jumped out of the water and ran back toward Kein for another round.
Meanwhile, Alezya smiled, petting her dragon friend.
“Thank you,” she whispered, pressing herself against its warm body.
Then, she turned toward the crowd gathered on the bank of the body of water while she pressed her body against Kein’s, its scales warming her back. Everyone was watching her like she was absolutely mad, their eyes wide in disbelief.
“This is Kein,” she said, the cave echoing her voice. “One of the dragons we’ve learned to fear our entire lives. And yet, when it could have killed me many times, this dragon saved my life, saved my baby’s life. He’s never hurt me either, and he is my friend now.”
She could see all of their stunned expressions, watching her stand fearlessly next to the incredible beast. Kein was still busy entertaining Niiru’s shenanigans, its snout pushing the young dragon around in the water.
Now that she could witness it entertaining a young dragon a fraction of its size, Alezya could barely remember how much she had once been terrified of Kein.
It was like the day its silver eyes had pinned her against the mountain, so sure she was about to die, was forever ago, but the truth was, it had merely been a few weeks.
Now, she trusted Kein far more than she trusted most men.
“He doesn’t eat humans,” she said. “Well, not to feed himself. The only time I’ve seen him do so was when some men assaulted me. Men from the Dragon Clan, and I’m sure it attacked men from the Deklaan Clan who hurt me too. If I asked, it would attack you too.”
There were a few shocked reactions, and some now seemed to back away from her as much as they were scared of the dragon. Only the Munsa Clan seemed unafraid. Kassein was standing with his arms crossed, his toes inches from the water, his eyes riveted on her at all times.
She gave him a little smile, thankful for his endless patience.
“Why does it... obey you?” a man asked. “C-could it obey someone else?”
Alezya knew there was probably a longer, more complex explanation that lay in her relationship with Kassein.
She glanced at him again and slowly detached herself from the dragon to close the distance to its owner.
Kassein’s hand was extended several seconds before she reached it, and he closed his fingers around hers, immediately pulling Alezya closer to him.
His skin was as warm as his dragon. She turned toward the small crowd.
“The short answer is because it wants to,” she said. “I spent time with them, and I befriended the dragon. I learned their language enough to know a few commands too.”
Then, she turned to the dragons.
“ Niiru, Kein? Growl, ” she ordered in Kassein’s language.