“No,” the queen replied simply, quietly. Almost as if she were talking to herself. “I like you. I like your sister. Her general lack of emotion has a soothing quality. I want you both to stay. For as long as you both want or need.”

“That is kind, but I am not sure Dagmar Reinholdt would agree with you.”

“Because Dagmar’s sane.” Annwyl nodded. “She’s sane.”

“Queen Annwyl . . . ?”

The royal started walking. “I have to go.”

“Let me come with you.”

“No. You stay here.” Annwyl faced her. She might have smiled under all that damn hair, but who could truly tell? “If anyone asks, just say I’ll be back.”

She suddenly pushed her hair away from her face and Elina realized just how pretty Annwyl was. Clearly, Talan got his looks from his mother while Talwyn took after her father and grandfather. Not that she’d suffered in any way by taking after the males of her clan. Not like some women did.

Annwyl leaned in and kissed Elina on the forehead. “Your sacrifices will not be forgotten, mighty Rider,” she murmured before turning away and taking a few steps.

The queen pulled out something she’d tucked into the top of her leather boot. “Here, before I forget. Keita asked me to give this to you.” She tossed the item and Elina caught it.

It was a black eye patch.

“She said you can wear that as part of your everyday collection. I have no idea what that means.” Annwyl finally walked off, throwing over her shoulder, “But you don’t need to wear anything at all to cover your damaged eye, Elina Shestakova. No one here cares about your scars. Gods know, they don’t seem to care about mine.”

Elina looked down at the eye patch she now clutched in her hand. She could tuck it into the top of her boot and forget about it. Annwyl was right. No one here cared about her scars. But then she remembered Celyn taking off her patch the night before. The way his hands had felt against her skin. The way he’d kissed her afterward.

Smiling, Elina tied the patch around her eye and went to the training field to practice.

Celyn reached for Elina, but his hand only touched fur bedding. A barked, “Get up!” startled him from wondrous sleep.

“What? What’s wrong?” Celyn asked, reaching for his sword.

“I could have killed you twenty times over by now, idiot.”

Celyn sighed. “And a good morning to you, Uncle Bercelak.”

“Get up and get to work.”

“Is there a problem?”

“You are the queen’s protector . . . so go protect her.”

Celyn frowned. “Wait . . . is there a problem?”

Bercelak glanced out the stained-glass window. “The day feels . . . wrong.”

“Oh . . . okay, then.”

His uncle glowered at him. “Once you get some wear on your scales, boy, you’ll learn to trust your instincts. Until then . . . you’ll trust mine. Or find out that I don’t play favorites once you piss me off.”

“And the love of an uncle fills the room!”

“Get. Moving.”

“I’m up. I’m up.” Celyn threw off the covers and stood, taking a moment to stretch his muscles.

“What the hells happened to you?” his uncle demanded.

Celyn looked down at his naked body. “What?”

“You look like you were gnawed on by beavers.”

Celyn grinned. “Jealous?”

“Moving! Now!” Bercelak bellowed. “I’ll meet you down by the lake. I want the whole Clan involved.”

Celyn pulled on his clothes and went in search of Elina, since he couldn’t leave without seeing her first. Thankfully, he passed his mum in the hallway.

“Can you get to Devenallt Mountain? I shouldn’t be too long.”

His mother smiled. “Your oh-so-important queen has more than enough guards surrounding her precious ass.”

“I know that. You know that. You know who doesn’t know that?”

“Me idiot brother?”

“I should round up a few of my brethren who like to spend their off-duty hours at the human pubs. Plus, I have to find Elina before I go. I don’t know how long Uncle Bercelak will have his bad feelings about the day.”

“What?”

“That’s what he said. That the day felt wrong to him.”

“Huh.” Ghleanna nodded and patted him on the shoulder. “You go. Take care of what you need to. I’ll be by Rhiannon’s side until you get there.”

“All right. Thanks, Mum. Oh . . . and Mum?”

“Yeah?”

“Do me a favor.”

“Another one?”

“Don’t fight with Rhiannon over Da. She just does that to make you and Uncle Bercelak crazed.”

“What are you talking about?” his mother asked, eyes wide as if she was completely confused by what her son was saying. “Me? Argue with dear, sweet Rhiannon? Celyn . . . don’t be foolish.”

Celyn let out a sigh. “Uh-huh.”

Annwyl walked deep into the forest, following the screams until she reached the edge of royal farmland.

The screaming came from panicked cows, including the one the old She-dragon had pinned to the ground with the help of a long tree trunk engraved with runes that she held in her left claw. She tore open the animal’s midsection and dug her snout deep inside, devouring her fill while the cow held on to life longer than Annwyl was used to. All the dragons she knew, if they craved fresh meat, killed their prey quickly before eating. Usually with a quickly snapped neck.