She moved closer, shifting to human so she could take the bottle of wine held out by one of her cousins and a blanket from one of her aunts.

“Heard you were back, little miss,” said her Aunt Bradana, one of Bercelak’s much older sisters. “You couldn’t come and visit until now?” Bradana’s voice was like wagon wheels over stone due, in part, to where her throat had been cut during a brutal battle nearly four centuries ago.

“Don’t question me, aunt,” Keita said, making sure to sound as imperious as possible. “I’ve had many royal things to do the last day involving cranky Lightnings and pouting brothers and gods-damn, evil bitch sisters!”

Grinning, all the females said, “Morfyd.”

After a healthy gulp of wine, Keita said, “Is it my fault she’s frigid? Is it my fault she could only find a human male who would tolerate all that piousness? Is it my fault she’s a bitter, bitter hag?”

“Yes, it is,” said one cousin.

“Shut up!” Keita sat down hard on the ground, her female kin laughing around her while she gulped several more mouthfuls of wine before handing the bottle off to someone else. “And can I just say I’m sick of everyone? Even you lot, and I haven’t seen most of you in ages. I should have stayed away.”

“You can’t forget your family, girl.” One of Bradana’s favorite sayings and a direct quote from Keita’s grandfather Ailean. “Because no matter where you go or what you do, they’ll always be your kin.”

“Kind of like a disease you can’t get rid of,” another cousin tossed in.

“Oy.” Bradana’s oldest daughter, Rhona, pointed at Keita. “Last I heard, you were training at Anubail Mountain with uh, Uncle Cadan’s oldest girl.”

“Elestren,” another aunt offered.

Keita rubbed her nose. “Right. That didn’t work out so well for me.”

“Too much work for you, princess?” Rhona teased, already a little bit drunk. Not surprising when Keita did a quick count of the number of empty wine bottles tossed off to the side. “We all know how you royals don’t like to do much.”

“They wanted me up at the break of dawn…to exercise. Why was that necessary? What was wrong with midafternoon? Or early evening? And all right, perhaps swords, battle axes, warhammers, and long axes were not quite right for my particular…skill level. I didn’t go there to learn how to fight with weapons anyway. I leave that amazing ability to you lovely She-dragons since you all seem to have a natural affinity for such things.” Another cousin shook her head. “No wonder your eyes are brown, you’re so full of—”

“But apparently my skills were so lacking that I was summarily dismissed by one and all, which seems rather unfair. I worked so hard for days…nearly a whole week even! And they were ready to toss me out because they felt I wasn’t learning fast enough.”

“All very true.” Bradana nodded in agreement and announced between sips, “But they really kicked you out because you took Elestren’s eye.”

Except for the crackling pit fire, all fell silent. Even the night animals.

And all her cousins and aunts gawked at her while Bradana continued to drink from her own bottle of wine and chuckle.

“I did not take her eye,” Keita gritted out. “Not on purpose. It was self-defense.” Keita reached over several of her female kin to snatch the bottle back from another of the aunts. “And even though I told them all it was self-defense, they still banned me from Anubail for my lifetime because—and this is according to those Royal Guard Council bastards—I don’t know or understand the rules of engagement, whatever the ass f**k that means.”

“Accident or not,” Bradana warned, “watch yourself with that Elestren, luv. She’s mean and not one for forgiving.”

“I can handle her,” Keita said again.

“In other words you’re completely avoiding her, eh?” Rhona asked.

“Perhaps a little,” Keita muttered, taking another sip. Finally feeling the light buzzing in her head that came with most drinks manufactured by her father’s side of the family, she nearly yelled, “And I’ll have you know I sent that cranky twat an array of beautiful eye patches in a variety of colors so she could wear them for any occasion!”

When she found all the females still staring at her, Keita asked,

“What?”

Rhona, clearly fighting a smile, glanced at all the cousins and aunts, before leaning forward and asking, “You sent her eye patches?”

“I was being nice! ”

Chapter Twenty-Two

After checking on his cousin—sleeping—and his brother—brooding—Ragnar spent a little time in his own room reading a few letters he’d taken with him from the Northlands but hadn’t had the time to review. Mostly from the commanders of different troops and units. And although the letters and missives were short, each filled him with growing unease until he was sure that Queen Rhiannon had been right. Whatever was going on in the Southlands greatly involved the Northlanders.

He also knew he wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon. He decided he needed a walk to help clear his head, but first he returned to his brother—still brooding—and gave him the letters.

“Read them.”

“All right.”

“Then, tomorrow, start talking to people.”

“About what?”