Page 59 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)
Standing with his arms crossed, Kassein was staring at the pile of burning bodies, clothes, and armor with a frown.
“The tribes are getting bolder,” Tievin commented with a soulless tone.
Kassein didn’t grant him a response. His anger could be felt, silent but deadly, and surprisingly efficient at keeping the surrounding soldiers’ heads down on their tasks.
If anything had gone wrong, the outcome would have been much worse.
If it wasn’t for Alezya letting them know that those men were infected, they would have had a disease ravaging their ranks.
.. Another team would have cleaned after the battle, doubling the number of men possibly infected.
The bodies would have been dragged back outside the wall, as usual, to let their tribe have the opportunity to get their bodies back if they wanted to. But this...?
He and Kiera would have most likely been spared thanks to their Dragon Blood which made them resistant and immune to most common diseases, but his men would have been at risk. Lorey, Tievin, and Alezya would have been exposed.
He had gotten too complacent. The endless victories against the tribes had made him soft.
Or was it since Alezya’s arrival? No, she had fueled his anger more than anything.
To think they dared to do such a thing to her, twice, he had no second thoughts about harming them back.
But to think they wouldn’t be afraid to spread disease amongst them. ..
He took a deep breath, trying to keep his anger under control.
“...Why aren’t they back yet?” he groaned.
Tievin raised an eyebrow before checking the sky.
“I sent Kiki with towels and clean clothes a little while ago,” he said, “but you know how Princess Kiera is... If they are enjoying themselves, the ladies might stay longer. ...Isn’t it a good thing, Commander? It leaves you more time to take care of things here. Without hindrance.”
Kassein glared, and Tievin looked down. He’d better not name which one he thought of as a hindrance.
.. however, he was right. Kassein had been in a hurry to send them to a safe place to take care of things here.
All the men who had partaken in the battle had been isolated and sent for a thorough washing, the bodies were being burned a few paces outside the camp, and another unit was busy double-checking the area where the battle had occurred to make sure they hadn’t missed anything.He hadn’t even kept one of the bodies for the medical unit to examine; he didn’t want to take the smallest risk, not with his men. ..
He felt even more furious when he imagined what would have happened if his brother had come to hear of this.
Ever since he’d taken the North Army all the way to the edge of the continent, he and the tribes had been in a stand-off, but despite the almost daily battles, he had few deaths to record and more men who were joining their ranks than the ones he lost. His army was growing at a steady pace.
He wondered if his brother ever got worried about what he could do with such an army under his command...
He turned around, heading back toward the camp to let the pile burn.
Kassein didn’t even let his men outside; it was too risky for them, and there was no point in guarding a pile of burning bodies, thus the unit who had come along walked back past the wall behind him, and they closed it again.
He heard a few of them let out a faint sigh of relief once the wood touched the snow, closing off their camp.
“Sir,” said one of the soldiers, smartly addressing Tievin rather than their Commander in Chief, “the units who took part in the battle are now all done cleaning themselves and the quarantine zone is ready for them. As instructed, the medical unit has been installed nearby to keep them under watch for the next two weeks.”
“Well done,” Tievin nodded. “Make sure we keep an accurate record of all of them, and the progress of their health if there is any. No one is allowed out of the quarantine zone until they have gotten the medical unit’s approval, or it will be considered treason.”
“Yes, sir. General Herken already said he would take full responsibility for his brigades being involved!”
“Good.”
The soldier bowed and walked away. Tievin tightened his coat around himself with a tired expression.
He wished he’d had the luxury of extending his bath too, like the ladies, but he didn’t.
Instead, both he and Kassein had hurried through a thorough washing to get back into overseeing the aftermath of the battle and making sure no mistakes were committed.
The Commander in Chief’s hair was still wet, and Tievin couldn’t suppress a shiver every time he saw his bare torso exposed to the wind.
Those dragons and their immunity against the cold. ..
Kassein had changed completely but only bothered to put on clean leather pants and a fur cape, under which he was naked.
The point of the fur cape over his bare skin, Tievin didn’t really understand.
Perhaps to avoid the gazes of the soldiers who couldn’t help but gawk at the orange scales on his skin. ..
The orange scales got Tievin looking back toward the mountains.
If he had doubted the Commander in Chief’s silent anger, one just had to take a look at his dragon.
After dropping the three women at the hot springs, Kein had come back for a vengeful attack on the tribes and was still going at it.
The echoes of his furious growls were now reverberating between the mountains and all the way to the camp, where the men couldn’t help but send nervous glances, despite the dragon being far away.
Tievin even felt a little bit sorry for those tribes.
An attack from one of them had triggered the dragon’s anger to hunt them all.
.. Those people better stay hidden for the next few hours.
This got him thinking about Alezya, that woman their Commander had been guarding so stubbornly.
Another reason Tievin had suggested Kiera’s presence was that his sister would be much more efficient at convincing the Prince on any matter regarding that woman, and he had been right.
She had been the first to raise some doubts about that woman, voicing what Tievin wouldn’t have risked his neck for.
Now, he hoped the Commander in Chief would perhaps be a little less blind and deaf to the risks of keeping that woman amongst them...
Although, it would be more difficult after she’d proven herself on this occasion.
Tievin himself was quite confused. He had been wary of her, but that woman had been so quick to reveal the enemy’s wicked scheme.
Had her morals prevailed? Or did she not care about a tribe that wasn’t her own?
Or had she been worried for her own safety?
If the tribes acted independently from one another as he’d theorized, this woman surely was only one tribe’s doing, and the others probably cared little for her.
She had quite literally risked her life to warn them about the disease, but perhaps this had all been to save herself first and foremost.
Tievin glanced at the Commander in Chief’s perfectly still figure.
His dark green eyes were back to glaring at the mountains in the general direction his dragon was still wreaking havoc.
It was clear he was getting a bit more smitten every day with that woman.
While Tievin could understand a young man his age would easily find himself disarmed by the sudden presence of a woman after years of being exiled in the north, he could only see this was all going to be too troublesome.
.. There was a reason women weren’t usually allowed here.
More than one good reason, even. Several very good reasons.
“Your Highness, the tent for Her Highness and Lady Lorey is also ready, and their belongings have been moved,” Tievin said. “M-may I suggest again—”
“No.”
Kassein’s firm rebuttal tone had Tievin pinch his lips together to hold back his frustration.
“I am just saying, for a lady’s comfort, it might be better for her to—”
“No.”
Tievin mentally prayed for himself. Was there any way to change His Highness’ mind without risking his neck?
He wasn’t foolish enough to attempt a third time, but really, how long was that woman going to be staying in the Commander’s tent?
Not only was it improper for her to be sharing his accommodations, but the soldiers were starting to talk.
No matter how much he tried to do some damage control, men confined in a military camp could be worse than bored widows when it came to gossip!
Tievin had hoped that Kiera would put some common sense into her brother’s head, but she hadn’t even commented on the situation, nor seemed to be alarmed by it.
He massaged his eyelids. Really, he was now starting to wonder if he hadn’t made a terrible mistake in suggesting His Highness summon assistance.
Now he was going to have to deal with the actions of two of them. ..
“Double the people guarding the wall, and have men surveying the mountain at all times,” Kassein suddenly said. “I want reports on everything that happens up there, any sighting of them.”
Tievin frowned. The Prince had never been this interested in whatever was going on in the mountain. He barely even cared about the attacks, unless he needed to relieve his nerves in battle...
He glanced at the mountain.
“Yes, Your Highness. Although, thanks to your dragon’s intervention, I doubt any of them will show themselves for a while...”
Kassein didn’t answer, but just then, Kein happened to appear in between two mountains, flying with what looked like some impatience.