Dragon Sword (The Dragon Lord’s Bride #2)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“So what now?” I asked Will as we stepped off the bridge and onto the dirt road that followed the vali.

“Now we wait for the delivery,” Will told me as he strolled down the road with the gap on our left.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Is the soup that good?”

His eyes twinkled. “It is rather excellent as I taught her how to cook it, but it’s the side that interests me more.”

“The side?” I repeated.

“You’ll see,” he assured me as we continued on our little walk.

I wiggled in his arms. “You know, you don’t have to keep carrying me.”

Will merely adjusted my weight and kept walking. “You’re not heavy.”

I snorted and patted him on the shoulder. “Well, you got around that tricky subject just fine, but that isn’t what I meant. I can walk on my own.”

Will drew me closer to his chest as he pursed his lips. “Then you can tell me what happened to the human?”

My good humor faltered as I thought back to the pleading man. “He. . .he changed.”

“How?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. He kept complaining about a burning pain and then the black patches showed up all over his body. His eyes went all dark and he started attacking me. That’s when Luja showed up and scared him away.”

“You didn’t use your sword?”

I shrank into his arms and blushed. “I kind of forgot. . .”

Will turned his steps toward the forest where a lush patch of grass grew beneath a large tree. He knelt and lay my back against the trunk. I squirmed beneath his worried stare. “I’m sorry. I should not have left you.”

I shook my head. “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who forgot that I don’t need to be a damsel in distress.” I wrapped one of his hands around mine and smiled at him. “Not when I have the gift you gave me by being your bride.”

A faint smile accented his lips. Will leaned forward and pressed a light kiss against my forehead. He drew back and cupped my cheek in one hand. “And never have I once regretted that day.”

A devilish thought slipped into my mind and I grinned up at him. “Speaking of days past, did you really save the city from an angry bird attack?”

He leaned back on his butt and bent one knee in front of him. “More or less.”

I cocked my head to one side and studied him. “So what made you be around when that happened?”

“I was merely exploring the world after awakening only a few centuries before the attack,” he explained with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “Fate guided me there out of mere curiosity. At that time, the elves were more open to visitors and I had traveled with a caravan of traders to their small capital. We had been camped out there for six months before the attack came about.”

“Then you really did battle with the king of the eagles?” I guessed.

He nodded. “More or less.”

I frowned and tugged on his sleeve. “Is it more or less?”

He sighed and set a hand over mine where he massaged the top with his thumb. “I did battle the leader of the birds but I was young then. The duel came to a draw when we locked talons and crashed into the vali.”

My eyes widened. “You guys fell in? Did you fall into the water?”

He shook his head. “There were far more bridges lower down than there are now, more than just the old bridge that has survived. We toppled through those and came to a stop on one of the bottom tiers with me being fortunate enough to come out on top. By that time both of us were bleeding quite profusely and we decided to call a truce.”

I cocked my head to one side. “So the eagle just forgave them like that?”

Will leaned his head back and stared up at the blue sky above us with its drifting clouds. “Not quite. I offered myself as a vassal to them in exchange for them sparing the city.”

My jaw hit the ground and a strangled gasp escaped me. “You what?! ”

“In order to save the city, I offered my services to the eagles,” he rephrased.

I stared at him for a long moment before I shook the shock from my mind. “Wait a sec. You’re telling me that not only did you offer yourself to the eagles, but they understand what you were saying?”

He draped an arm over his bent leg and smiled at me. “Is that so hard to believe when your spouse is a dragon?”

I shrugged. “I-I don’t know. I mean, talking birds? And why didn’t they try to talk to the elves about the egg?”

“The elves took up offensive positions before talks could commence,” he explained to me. “Indeed, the guards atop the Vahti were too eager to show off the importance of their duties that they rang the attack bell rather than the warning bell.”

“There are two bells?”

“One to warn the people of danger and another to announce the arrival of dignitaries. The guards rang the one for danger and the soldiers of the king began a defensive attack as the eagles flew over the city.”

“So the elves could still ring those if something happened?” I guessed.

He nodded. “As far as I’m aware, both still hang up there.”

“I hope those don’t ring while we’re here,” I mused as I folded my arms over my chest. I cast a curious look at my husband. “How long were you their vassal?”

“I-”

He didn’t get a chance to answer as I noticed someone emerge from the gate fifty yards from where we sat. My distraction didn’t go unnoticed by Will and he half-turned. We watched a young guard pause at the gate and speak with the leader before he scurried across the bridge. The young elf held a small basket in his hands and hurried up to us.

He held out the basket to Will and bowed his head. “This is the food you desired from Alisa, Lord Thorn.”

Thorn stood with a smile and accepted the basket. “Thank you for your prompt service.”

The young man didn’t lift his head as he shook it. “Not at all, Lord Thorn.” He paused and cast a slightly fearful look at the other guards before he lowered his voice. “It’s an honor to serve you, sir, and I hope you can help us now as you have in the past.”

Thorn held up the basket. “This will help us indeed. Thank you.”

The young man nodded and hurried back into the city. The gates shut loudly behind him and the guards stood in a line forming another barrier to our entrance.

A fresh scent of spiced food floated over to me and I couldn’t help but lift my nose in appreciation. “That really does smell nice.”

Will offered me a smile and his hand. “Then let us have a bite to eat.”

I cast an anxious look at the woods. “Should we really be wandering around out here?”

“Are you worried when I’m around?” he teased as he offered me his arm. “Or do you believe I’ll make a habit out of leaving you?”

I snorted but accepted the hand. “I’m a little worried about being munched on by a mutant wolf no matter if you’re here or not.”

He helped me to my feet and drew me against his side. “Then I’ll just have to keep close to you.”

I pressed my hands against his chest and laughed. “This close?”

He grinned. “I could get closer but I would have to drop the basket.”

I leaned toward the container and sniffed the air. “It does smell nice, doesn’t it?”

His eyes had a mischievous twinkle in them as he led me into the woods. “Let’s have a taste.”

We traversed through the thick underbrush and I was glad when he stopped us at the first small clearing. Neither the road nor the city could be seen through the trees and all was quiet and calm. Will plopped us down onto a tuft of wild grass and set the basket down in front of us.

My stomach grumbled with anticipation but a question nagged my thoughts. “So are we going to be eating out like this until we figure out what’s wrong or are we leaving?”

“Neither,” Will answered as he reached into the basket and drew out a clay jar with a cork. Two soup cups and a small bowl of greens followed.

I stared at the greens and cocked my head to one side. “What’s so special about that side?”

Will grinned as he picked up the jar and popped the cork. A delicious beefy scent of stew wafted out of the mouth. “That isn’t the side.”

I blinked at him. “Then what is?”

“This.” He poured the soup into one of the mugs. And then kept pouring straight over the mouth of the container and onto the grass.

“Hey!” I protested as I grasped the jar.

Too late. The last of the delicious soup poured out and finished with a hard clank. Wait, a clank?