A sentiment bellowed at Braith. And one that made her giggle.

“What’s so funny?” he grumbled.

“You’re much more terrifying when you’re cheerful. When you’re surly, you just sound like a cranky hatchling.” She thought a moment before adding, “Like Bercelak.”

“There’s no need to be so bloody rude, Braith of the Darkness!”

Her smile lit up the chamber and it brought Addolgar joy to see it. But he was feeling very cranky because he was in pain, so he refused to tell her any of that. Instead, he snapped, “You should have gone after your father yesterday while he was still on Outer Plains territory. Like I told you to.”

“And left you to die?”

“If necessary.”

“That would have been bloody stupid.”

“The fact is that now we’ll have to travel deep into Northland territory to retrieve your father.”

“You said he wouldn’t go there.”

“I said he wouldn’t stay there. I didn’t say he wouldn’t go there. But we can’t wait for him to return here with a bloody Lightning Horde at his back.”

“I don’t know why you’re getting angry at me. When we discussed this last night—”

“Last night I was drunk on that demon wine your aunts make! This morning I see everything quite clearly!”

“Well, you know what else you can see clearly?” she snarled. “My ass! As I walk away!”

Then she was off the bed and gone from the chamber, leaving him alone, in pain, and still cranky.

Surprisingly, yelling at her had not made him feel any better.

Braith walked until she’d found her way outside. Once she stood under the early morning suns, she took in a deep breath of the cool Outer Plains air and tried to stop herself from going back inside and pummeling Addolgar the Brainless. Because he deserved a right good pummeling!

“Good morn, cousin.”

Braith turned and saw three of her cousins sunning themselves on boulders. Like lizards. Lizards in human form.

“What are you doing?” Braith asked.

“Enjoying the suns,” replied one.

“It gives our scales a lovely bright hue,” said another.

Braith blinked. “Except you’re all in your human form. So how does that help your scales?”

They stared at her for several seconds before one stated, “You’re a bit of a know-it-all, aren’t you?”

“How is that . . .” Braith shook her head. She wouldn’t go from arguing with one idiot to arguing with three.

When Braith didn’t say anything, one of her cousins asked, “Do you think your father would have really killed you if our mums tried to contact you?”

“Yes,” Braith said plainly. She’d accepted the truth of that late in the evening as Addolgar had slept beside her.

“That’s so sad.”

Braith shrugged. “Eh.” She could no longer dig up the energy to care about what her father did, would do, or would like to do. If he’d had his chance, he probably would have strangled her as soon as she’d hatched, but he’d always been a bit terrified of her mum. With good reason. Her mother would have twisted his head around until it popped off his shoulders if he’d ever touched Braith.

“Well, uh . . .”

“Braith,” Braith filled in for them.

“We remember. I think I remember playing with you when we were hatchlings. You’re Braith, and I’m Caron, Crystin’s eldest. This is Ffraid, Owena’s middle daughter. And this is Delyth, Aledwen’s eldest.”

“We’re glad you’re here, cousin,” Ffraid told Braith. “Our mums worried over you constantly. So now maybe they’ll shut up about you.”

For some reason, the muttered words made Braith chuckle.

“And now that you’re safe with us,” Ffraid went on, “we can show your father what it really means to f**k with the House of Penarddun.”

“Aye,” Caron agreed. “Once we get your father back here, we’ll deal with him.”

“Get him back here?” Braith asked.

“Aye. Mum sent out Heledd—that’s Aledwen’s younger daughter you chatted with last night—and two of Ffraid’s sisters. They’re good trackers. They’ll track him. And once we know where the bastard is, together we’ll hunt him down and show him that Queen Addiena should be the least of his fears.”

Braith stepped closer to her cousins. “Hunt him down . . . together?”

“Oh, luv,” Caron said sadly, “do you still care about what happens to your father?”

“No,” Braith said flatly. “I guess I’m just trying to understand. All of you will be coming with me and Addolgar . . . into Horde territory to help me bring in my father?”

The three She-dragons sat up and gazed at Braith.

“Of course that’s what we mean,” Delyth replied. “You’re no longer in this alone, Braith of the Darkness. You’re one of us.”

“And that bastard father of yours no longer holds your safety over our heads,” Ffraid added.

“But I wouldn’t worry, cousin,” Caron said, lifting her face up toward the sunlight and closing her eyes. “He’ll be out of your life soon enough and then you can decide what you’ll do next.”

“Do next?”

“Like move here with us for training,” Delyth said.