Page 158 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

Alezya wasn’t fond of Kassein trying to keep her away from the battle, but she understood the baby was on his mind, and she could accept that.

However, she refused to be completely helpless.

Knowing she would be riding Kein alone, she was a bit nervous, but she liked that compromise, mostly because she knew the orange dragon would listen to what she wanted to do.

In fact, she was almost certain that between her and Kassein, Kein might be slightly more likely to listen to her; she wasn’t completely sure, but hopefully, she wouldn’t have to test it out.

“ The children dragons? ” she asked. “ They fly to Kalat Unshreik? ”

“ Yes ,” he said. “ Too small. ”

Alezya nodded. They could agree on that; she didn’t want Niiru or any of the younger dragons near the battle.

She’d come to really like Leni, Vele, and Bora, although their favorite pastime seemed to be terrorizing the humans around them.

She was curious about what kind of children had such turbulent dragons.

“Alezya?” Ekata called her. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I was just talking to them about the upcoming battle... I don’t think they mind us not picking the battle location.”

“As if we had a choice,” Ekut grunted, his fists on his hips. “Those bastards are trying to corner us in an area that will favor them. We will know by dawn though. Our scouts that have gone to negotiate should return by then.”

“If they aren’t slaughtered before they make their way back...” Ekata muttered. “Anyhow, are you sure they’re fine with our plan? They agreed?”

“They did,” she nodded. “I explained it to them, but I think Kassein and his sister here, Kiera, are confident enough that they will win. Kassein mentioned he wants me to ride his dragon, so...”

“You will ride his dragon?” Ekata muttered, sounding impressed. “Really?”

Alezya blushed, a bit embarrassed but proud.

“Yes,” she said. “I’ve only flown Kein alone once before, but... it should be fine.”

The two young women turned to Kiera and Kassein, who were in similar stances with their arms crossed. They were visibly waiting for them with the same calm posture, both radiating silent power.

“I’m not too worried,” Ekata scoffed. “Honestly, I’m not convinced just their clan leader and his sister wouldn’t be able to win this war by themselves.”

Indeed, if Kassein was impressive in terms of size, Kiera wasn’t far behind him.

She was imposingly tall and muscular for a woman, with a lean body and toned muscles that left no doubt about her fighting skills.

Not only that, but she was carrying a pair of long swords hanging at her sides, a smaller blade attached to her hip, and something like a bow attached to her back.

“I’ve seen them fight,” Alezya nodded. “They really are good. They are not just strong but incredible fighters as well. But we will need more to win this battle if what we’ve heard so far is true...”

All the accounts they had gotten so far from nearby clans and bold spies hinted at a large-scale battle coming.

Many clans that Alezya had never heard of before had left their mountains to partake in the fight; they had joined either her side or her father’s.

If it weren’t for the Dragon Clan being on their side, they would have been a lost cause.

From what they had heard, her father had already rallied over a dozen clans for sure, and the numbers were growing.

Alezya’s message had spread, begging people to trust the Dragon Clan to spare them, but from what they’d heard back, too many feared Kassein and his men too much to trust them.

She knew Ekata wasn’t saying it, but too few clans had decided to rally with them, while some had shamelessly announced they wouldn’t partake in the fight at all, coming up with excuses like they were too far to be concerned or they had too few fighters.

Alezya could understand their fears, but she wasn’t sure she would be willing to forgive cowardice once this was over.

There were too many lives at stake, and she had a feeling that those who had chosen to stay away from the fight had done so knowing that either way, they would win.

Either the Dragon Clan was gotten rid of, they would win and uphold their promises to stop hunting the survivors, or it had all been a trap and the Dragon Clan would keep hunting them anyway.

“We can definitely win,” Ekata nodded, “but what we need is to be sure we can coordinate the attacks with the Dragon Clan. They won’t know who to attack if we don’t tell them, and we can’t afford to have any of our fighters decimated by them.”

“I like the idea of Alezya flying above the battle,” Ekut nodded. “Since you’re the only one who speaks their language, you should be able to direct them where we need them.”

“...We should all know it,” Alezya frowned.

“What?” Ekata asked, confused.

“We should all learn their language,” Alezya insisted. “I can’t direct everyone, even from a dragon. What if something happens to me? No, I need all our clan chiefs to know the basics of the Dragon Clan’s language.”

“But how? I mean, we do have most of our allies gathered here or in the caves nearby, but–”

“Gather them now,” Alezya said.

Then, she turned around and, out of the blue, walked to the trio.

She passed Kassein and Kiera, who were watching her with the same curious expression, and grabbed Tievin’s sleeve.

The poor man had been busy trying to get Leni and Vele to stop chewing on his coat, but it only took one glance from Alezya for both young dragons to stop.

Then, she pulled on his cloak and dragged him over to the little gathering of clan chiefs.

“This is Tievin,” she said. “He’s their Clan Chief’s assistant or something, and most importantly, he’s an educated man. He does all their writing and reading, I think. He can teach us all.”

While the rest of the clan chiefs arrived, she turned to Tievin, who blinked, utterly confused. Alezya granted him a smile, but that only made him grimace nervously and step back.

“ Tievin, you teach us words, ” she said.

“ M-mi-mi dyiati? ” he mumbled. “ What are you –”

“ Us ,” she insisted, pointing at the clan chiefs and herself. “ You, Tievin. You teach us the Dragon Kulani words.”

“ An lestu taqin fahamu– ”

“ No,” Alezya stopped him. “ Tievin speak the dragon words. Tell us words. Dragon is dryagaan. More is inkir. Meat is taam.”

After a bit, Tievin turned to Kiera and Kassein, exchanging some words, but Kiera shrugged, while Kassein remained with his arms crossed and an implacable expression.

Then, Tievin let out a heavy sigh, combed his long hair back, and, to Alezya’s surprise, quietly arranged his layers of fur coats, which turned out to be three of them, to be able to sit down on the floor.

The young dragons immediately darted to try and bite his pen, his notepad, and whatever else they could, but a word from Alezya had them lying down and pouting around Tievin.

“ Thank you , Dyiati Alezya ,” Tievin said. “ This. This is mountain, yes?”

Alezya gestured for all the clan chiefs to sit down with her, and suddenly, the cave transformed into an impromptu classroom for a crash course in the language of the Dragon Clan.

Though reluctant at first, Tievin proved to be a surprisingly effective teacher. He filled every inch of his notepad with sketches, accompanied by exaggerated gestures and deliberate repetition of each word until the group grasped its meaning.

Even when his antics bordered on the ridiculous, he pressed on, his determination eclipsing any embarrassment.

The leaders sat around him, echoing each word and phrase, ensuring they could navigate basic conversations, issue simple directions, and piece together rudimentary sentences in the foreign tongue.

After a while, Alezya felt a warm presence behind her and leaned back against Kassein’s solid torso.

Where Lorey was patient and understanding, Tievin was an uncompromising instructor. As he made the Samial Clan Chief repeat the same word over and over, Alezya began to wonder if they’d have to intervene to save the man from being strangled out of sheer frustration.

Still, despite his relentless methods, Tievin’s efforts paid off.

By the end of the session, they had all mastered enough of the language for the battle ahead.

Alezya herself had learned how to give clear directions, indicate locations, and use critical commands like “retreat,” “forward,” “turn around,” and “attack.”

She had to admit, choosing Tievin had been a far better decision than she anticipated. Not only did he teach them the essentials, but he also provided invaluable insights into the structure of the Dragon Clan.

He introduced them to Kassein’s three senior fighters, explained their roles, and detailed how they could be most effective with their unique weaponry. Then, to everyone’s surprise, it was his turn to ask questions.

Alezya hadn’t expected it, but right when they’d thought they were done with his lesson, Tievin suddenly seized the opportunity and kept talking with his own barrage of questions.

One by one, he interrogated the clan chiefs about their fighters—their strategies, weaponry, and techniques—and even asked to see their weapons.

Though Tievin declined to handle the weapons himself, Kiera jumped in eagerly, her excitement growing with each new tool she inspected.

Before long, her enthusiasm escalated into challenging several men to duels outside, clearly reveling in the chance to test the strength and skills of other fighters.

Unlike his sister, Kassein appeared relatively indifferent to the proceedings, quietly observing everything as it unfolded.