“If I want to give them a chance, this kingdom a chance, then they have to be respected among the others. We can’t be animals. We have to look toward the future and not the now.”
“Dash the thought from your mind, sister. It’s not the right way.”
But it was, and in that moment, Sigrid began to plan how she would gain control over the Beastkin once and for all.
4
Nadir
He sat on his blood-red horse in front of the castle, waiting for the first sign of movement on the sand. A courier had ridden ahead of the Earthen King. He wanted them to know when he was arriving, to ensure that no one was startled, the courier said.
Nadir had a feeling it was more to make sure that they were ready to receive him. There was a certain level of decorum kings expected. Nadir didn’t really care what people thought when he rode into the cities. But he did like to make a scene when he arrived, so he understood the king’s decisions in a sense.
His horse shied to the side, hide rippling with agitation. The warhorse was more suited to battle than it was to waiting, but Abdul had insisted they at least meet the king with their own forces.
A cloud appeared on the horizon, but not one that was filled with rain. Nadir pointed toward it with his scimitar. “And finally, there they are.”
Abdul snorted. “It’ll take them a while still to get here.”
“So we’re to sit on our horses, with half the army, and stand still while they arrive?”
“Patience, my boy.”
He didn’t have any. Nadir had lost patience the moment Beastkin had attacked his kingdom and he’d watched the woman he loved breathe fire over his home.
Nadir let out a soft snort, then swung his leg over his horse. Sliding down the hide of the beast, he soothed its twitches with quiet sounds. He pressed a hand against its neck and stroked the strong muscle that shifted beneath his palm. His horse didn’t want to wait for the Earthen folk any more than he did.
“Nadir,” Abdul said, his voice pitched low but clearly scolding. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re meant to stand with the army.”
“Why?”
“To show that you are here for us. That you are going to fight with them if they need you to.”
Nadir shook his head, patted the horse’s hide once more, then looked up at his advisor who sat straight and proud astride his own horse. “But we don’t need an army for this anymore. We need nothing more than me.”
The change rippled over him as easily as it was to change clothing. Nadir didn’t know when it had grown this easy for him to change. There was no pain. No guilt. Nothing more than the overwhelming sense of freedom that rolled in his gut until he didn’t know which way was up and which way was down.
Shaking his head, he shifted his neck to look back at the army of men who had all taken steps backwards. Those on horses tried to quiet their mounts which reared up in shock. But his own warhorse stood silent with legs locked.
A good, fearless horse. He hadn’t expected that.
He nodded at his advisor, then stretched his wings wide. He took a few beats and lifted into the air. Opening his jaw, he let out a roar that echoed over the desert. Fire bubbled in his chest, and he didn’t hesitate to let it free. Let the Earthen folk see for themselves the dragon their people had fought. Let them understand the fear which had caused their brethren to ultimately flee.
He looped around the Wildewyn army. Taking his time to peruse the amount of people the Earthen King had brought. There weren’t as many soldiers as he expected. Actually, it was a relatively small number of people who had crossed the border.
Did the king think he wasn’t in any danger from the Bymerians? He most certainly was. Nadir’s army could destroy this small army with little more than a thought.
Fire built in his chest at the slightest hint of anger in his body. He could destroy this army with nothing more than a breath.
A few of the soldiers looked up and pointed at him. The sound of their distressed shouts reached his ears and made him want to roar once more. They needed to understand that no one would attack this land again when dealing with Nadir personally. And that a full-grown male dragon was something to fear.
Still, they had come here in peace. A soft voice whispered in his mind that Sigrid would expect something better from him. That she would expect him to be a gracious host who would try to understand what these foreigners wanted.
Even now, these were the words that made the fire die in his chest. These were the thoughts that stilled the animal which wanted to crawl out of his chest and rend flesh from bone. The dragon wanted to feast on the approaching armies simply because they were within his territories. The man understood that politics had to be observed.
A sultan was there for his people. A dragon was only there for war.
Circling one last time, making a point that he was a dangerous man who should not be toyed with, Nadir landed in front of the army. He opened his jaws and hissed at them, the sound blasting sand into their faces.
By the time the sand settled, he was a man once more, kneeling in the sand with his fist pressed against it.
A wind tugged at the baggy, silk pants. The yellow fabric covered his entire body, and perhaps hid him from view until he stood up, his dark hair brushing in front of his face.
The feral grin which spread across his face likely did nothing to soothe the soldier’s nerves. A group of ten men raced forward, spears in their hands as they set themselves in front of a large, brown horse.
Nadir recognized the king. He was a man who easily stood out from the crowd with his broad shoulders, perfectly groomed beard, and eyes that could have sliced through ice. Blue as the sky, they found his gaze even through the line of shouting soldiers.
“Enough!” Hallmar bellowed, raising a hand curled in a fist. “Stand down.”
“Highness, we will fight the dragon for you,” one of the soldiers yelled in return.
At that, Hallmar swung off his horse and strode toward the man. He grabbed onto the edge of the soldier’s metal armor, right near his throat, and hauled the man toward him. “What did I say, soldier?”
“Stand down, Highness.”
Nadir could almost hear the man’s gulp from where he stood.
“Correct,” Hallmar said. He gave the man one more shake before tossing him aside. “Next time, follow orders immediately.”
The disobedience forgotten, the king strode toward Nadir with his hand outstretched. “It’s good to see you again, Sultan. I see you have some surprises to tell me.”
Nadir furrowed his brows, but stepped forward to greet the king in the same manner. He allowed the other man to grasp his forearm and shake it before tilting his head to the side and asking, “That’s it?”
“What’s it?”
“You have nothing more to say than I have surprises to tell you? As if we’re old friends?”
“Are we not?” Hallmar tugged him a step closer and dropped his voice. “I gave you my most precious possession in this world. I think we’re friends at this point, Nadir. Although, if you didn’t treat her as well as I think you did… well. Perhaps then we’re not.”
“We did start a war.”
Hallmar lifted a pale brow. “That you did. But wars are started between lovers every day. The first battle is always a little bloody, but that doesn’t mean the war is over. Now does it?”