“And what do you want me to do about your cults?”
“Find them. Kill them all. Make sure to leave a nice, bloody message that Duke Salebiri and his Chramnesind cult will know is from me. From what I’ve seen of you . . . I think that’s something you can do.”
“You think I am what the world says? A barbarian Rider preferring to kill rather than talk?”
“Yes,” the queen immediately replied.
Kachka nodded. “You are right. I am. Now tell me more about your Chramnesind cult, Southland queen.”
“I understand all of this except one thing, brother.”
“What?”
“Why are the Mì-runach here?”
“Well—”
“No, Gaius. No politics. No centaur shit. Just tell me.”
Gaius let out a sigh. “I wanted you to be protected by someone outside the empire. So I sent word to Rhiannon. Asking her to send someone to protect you. I thought that she would send a Cadwaladr. They may not be smart, but they’re effective.”
“And the crazy bitch sent her Mì-runach instead? That’s lovely.”
“Well, if anything, they can be trusted. Their loyalty is to their queen, and our alliance with the Southland dragons and the human queen is ironclad.”
“So you say.”
“One queen is insane and obsessed with proving her honor. The other likes me. You can guess which is which. The bottom line is . . . I trust them both, and they wouldn’t send anyone they couldn’t trust themselves. That would embarrass them. Nothing they hate more than being embarrassed.” He put his arms around his sister’s shoulders, pulled her into his chest, hugged her tight. “But if you don’t want me to go—”
“Don’t even finish that statement,” his sister warned, her voice nearly angry. “I am not a hatchling, Gaius. I’m as strong as you, just different.”
“And we rule this empire together.”
“Aunt L?titia won’t like that. She thinks it should just be you.”
“L?titia is just a nosey old biddy.” Gaius looked at the door and called out, “Who should mind her own business!”
“I’m only trying to help!” L?titia yelled back. “And stop giggling! You’re not hatchlings anymore! You’re rulers!”
Kachka tied off her travel pack, slung it, her bow, and a quiver of arrows over her shoulder, and walked out into the hallway. She made her way down to the Great Hall and found her sister sitting on one of the tables, in deep conversation with her mate, the black dragon Celyn. When she saw Kachka, she let out a relieved breath.
“Death found you well this day,” she nearly cheered.
“Yes. Now I must go.”
“Go? Go where?”
“To find honor or death.”
“Morfyd said the queen was upset about the temples on her land. So she is sending you to stop the ones raiding those temples,” Elina guessed.
“Yes.”
The dragon’s back straightened. “Wait . . . what? What are you doing?”
Kachka ignored him, because he was male and this was an important discussion about battle plans. A discussion only women could truly understand.
“Will you bring some of her weak soldiers with you?”
“No, no. She offered them. But what could they do except clomp around and make too much noise, letting all enemies know we are coming. They would be useless. Instead, I return to homeland. Find strong woman to fight by my side.”
“Good.”
“But it will be dangerous. So if I do not return in the next year or two, and you get no message, assume my death,” Kachka stated flatly, “and make sure to perform sacred rites so that I can meet our ancestors in next world.”
“I will,” Elina promised. “And I will cut my face deep in honor of your death.”
“Thank you, sister.”
They gripped each other’s forearms and nodded, knowing this might be the last time they saw the other alive.
With nothing else to say, Kachka headed toward the big doors.
But she’d only moved a few feet before Celyn barked, “Is that it?”
“Is what it?” Elina asked.
“A promise of self-mutilation and a nod? Is that all you have to say when you may never see each other again?”
Elina frowned. “As opposed to what, dolt?”
“I don’t know. A hug? A kiss good-bye? Something!”
With a shake of her head, Elina let out a long, pained sigh. “Go, sister. You have important work to do and no time for . . .” She waved her hand at the aghast dragon standing beside her, mouth open in confusion. “. . . whatever this is.”
“Take good care of your dragon,” Kachka said as she moved on. “He will need your protection, being so weak and pathetic.”
“Weak? I am a mighty dragon of the Southland—”
The sisters’ combined laughter drowned out the rest of that ridiculous statement and sent Kachka off on a better note than she could have ever asked for.
Chapter Two