Koldis the Green (DRAGONWALL SERIES 4)

CHAPTER 43: ARRIVING AT CAMP (BONUS!!)

Celenore

Claire kept her cloak firmly drawn around her. Beneath her thighs, Tourmaline was a bulk of muscle, racing over the landscape. He'd taken the lead now, allowing the other unicorns to fan out around him. He was the lord of all unicorns, after all, and refused nothing less.

Their journey had been nothing short of a blur, literally, as the landscape slid by, almost too quick to make out. In the North, while she'd traveled with Taylynn, it hadn't much bothered her. Everything had been white, covered in blankets of snow, with little to discern. But here, the snow was nearly melted, and there was much to see. From the copses of trees, to rolling hills, to rocky outcroppings, creeks, and even swift rivers, she barely registered each landmark. There and gone, with just a few blinks.

One thing was unmistakeable: Spring was out in full force and it was the prettiest she'd ever seen Dragonwall. A wealth of green was returning to the land. There were fields of wildflowers in shades of purple, pink, yellow and orange. Birds flirting for mates. Animals waking from a long slumber.

Part of her wanted to slow down, take it all in, this beautiful kingdom that was nearly hers, with nothing but a technicality separating her from it. As soon as she gave Talon her answer, her acceptance of him, she'd be queen in all but the purest formality. There'd be a bonding ceremony and coronation before she could truly call herself Dragonwall's queen. Even if Koldis already named her such.

She'd been careful to pick the prettiest places to stop. Careful to ensure everyone got adequate rest. She wouldn't show up on the eve of battle exhausted. And besides, there was time. According to Reyr's calculations and their efforts spent pouring over Dragonwall's maps, Talon's forces would be slow in reaching the rendezvous point, and even then, they'd need time to set up camp. Time for the Dwarg forces to arrive.

While that was happening, selected individuals would travel on foot, up around the inlet of Stormy Bay to Plymlet Lake, where they'd deposit the weapon that ought to be the dragon's downfall. But according to Taylynn, that wouldn't entirely work. The Sprite princess hadn't given any particulars. She wasn't sure why it wouldn't work, but that it wouldn't was no surprise. It seemed too easy: Dump a bunch of poison into a lake and expect an entire enemy to succumb.

Much time had been spent over the past day and a half considering Talon's plans. To kill the remaining dragons felt...wrong. Wrong in a way she couldn't describe. They'd been barbaric, leaving a trail of decimated towns and villages in their wake. Killing. Destroying. Belnesse had been the worst of those. And yet...was it right to punish them for something that was in their nature? How bloodthirsty were these beasts? How much of this nature was fueled by Kane? How much of it was purely draconic?

She tried to see things from their perspective. Dragonwall had been forged by dragons after the Awakening. This had been their home as much as it had belonged to humans, to Dwargs, to Sprites. But a few greedy beasts had turned half the clans against the other. They hadn't all been bad. There was Vigilance; he'd been reasonable.

What of today's dragons? Were they simply acting out to regain what had been stolen? Could they be peaceful if they felt adequately compensated for what was taken? After all, this Ice Clan wasn't the same as the one fifty thousand years ago, led by Rage. There was light and dark in everyone—

"Your Majesty, we should pause for a break—that rocky formation there." Feowen had come up beside Tourmaline, but only because Tourmaline permitted it.

"You know I'd prefer—"

"That I call you Claire. Yes, Cousin. I'm well aware." The corner of Feowen's mouth tipped up. "But for now, with your position being so new, I rather enjoy using the title."