The harpy's cry echoed off the mountain walls and vibrated through my bones.
"Shit."
Prince Camden's head snapped out of my shoulder and looked around warily. "What was that?"
I did my best to hide my panic. Now wasn't the time to act like a terrified little girl in front of the prince. "Harpy. If one's seen us, more will be on their way. Hey, you know how to use that sword, right?"
He snorted indignantly. "Of course I do, what kind of a question is that?"
A question one asked if they doubted their partner's skills. I didn't say that, though. Now was not the time to have trust issues. I couldn't do anything with him plastered against my back; he was going to have to fend them off if they tried to pluck us off Marco's back.
"You might have to use it," I told him, scanning the area for any moving shadows. "Marco, call for backup. The harpies know we're here, no point in being stealthy now."
The dragon inhaled deeply then released a bellow loud enough for every dragon in the valley to hear it. It was also loud enough to send my ears ringing, so I didn't hear the harpy swooping in, until it was right on top of us. Prince Camden jumped to his feet and swiped at it. I caught his belt to keep him balanced. Marco turned his head to try to grab another harpy with his teeth, but the motion moved his whole body. It distracted the prince and a harpy smacked him into me.
"Marco, focus on flying. I'll take care of them." He would be fine, he was too big of prey for them to dare go after. It was us I was worried about.
Grunting, I pulled Prince Camden down onto the saddle and told him to hold the handles; he wasn't going to be much use if he couldn't stay balanced on the dragon's back.
"What are you going to do?" he demanded, attempting to stand up again.
"I'm about to show you why my father asked me to guide you. Now sit your ass down and don't let the harpies knock you off. Duck!"
A harpy came in from the right, claws poised to grab his shoulder. He ducked in time and I swung my sword right into its gut. It toppled over the side and hit the cliff face.
"Kal!"
I spun around--and was hit head on by a harpy. It smacked me right in the chest with its hard skull and knocked me back into Prince Camden who had stood to catch me. It raised its claws for me; I thrust my sword forward and sliced into its belly. Hot blood sprayed my face, but I didn't have time to gag on the awful stench. I kicked the body off the side and slapped the next set of claws aside with my sword. It aimed its beak for my shoulder; I elbowed its face and threw my weight into the back of its neck, bringing it down onto Marco's back. Prince Camden finished it off with a quick flick of his blade.
He grinned wildly at my stunned look. He had been fending off his own harpy not two seconds ago! "You don't think I'm going to let you have all the fun, do you?" He grabbed my hand and yanked me behind him so he could cut into the next harpy coming our way.
Marco banked right when the prince had taken a step forward, sending him off balance. I grabbed his jacket to steady him, while I pushed another harpy out of the way. They pulled back, at least a dozen circling us from above.
The harpies' cries filled the air, sending a shock through my ears.
Shit.
"Cover your ears!" I commanded, already reaching for his. A harpy's cry was just the right pitch to stun-lock someone for a second. It was all they needed to knock us off Marco.
The sound pierced my ears, jarring my skull. Screaming, I rushed to cover my own ears. It was too late. While I'd taken a second to scream and squeeze my eyes shut, a pair of claws grasped my shoulders and lifted me off Marco's back. Ignoring the roaring pain soaring through my shoulders, I swung my legs up and locked them around the harpy's neck, cutting off its air. It croaked and dropped me. I was fully prepared to scream again in terror of being dropped five hundred feet, but a hand clasped around mine.
Prince Camden held the saddle handle with one hand and mine with his other, stretching over Marco's side, exposed to the harpies' attacks. If he got hit, we would both die.
"Marco, flip to your side!"
The dragon did without hesitation. Instead of being stretched off the side, the prince was draped over his shoulder, while I dangled between Marco's legs. He wrapped a claw around my waist.
"Let me go, Camden!"
"Are you insane!?"
"Marco's got me. Let me go now! Behind you!"
He released me into Marco's grasp, whirling for the harpy diving for him-
An arrow struck the harpy's chest. It went barreling down to the valley floor.
Giles let out a hoot on the back of Brady, excited his shot landed home. The rest of my brothers and their dragons blasted through the harpies surrounding us. Elesor wasn't too far behind them, tackling a harpy in the air and ripping it apart with her teeth.
While the harpies were quickly dispatched, I climbed up Marco's leg and settled into the saddle behind Prince Camden. I exhaled a relieved, haggard breath. "Welcome to the Randala Territory," I said to him, watching my brothers and their dragons easily finish off the remainder of the harpies. Elesor came to our side, tucking under Marco's wing to rub against him. The big dragon purred and tilted towards her.
Prince Camden craned his neck to look at me over his shoulder. "That was quite the welcoming. Are you okay?"
I waved off my injuries, though Dad was sure not going to be happy to see the six puncture wounds in my shoulders. "I'm fine. This is nothing." I only said it to downplay it. They throbbed angrily and I felt the blood seep through my clothes and dribble down my chest.
"Kal!" Casper called from above. "You guys all right?"
"Just dandy, Cas, thanks for the backup!"
"You're an idiot!" Kaden hollered at me from the right. "What are you thinking, flying at night--with a newbie, no less? I hope Da rings your neck!"
"She's a badass!" Giles cheered. "What do you expect? Gotta show off for the prince, right, Kal? Slick moves with that harpy, by the way." I didn't know which time he was referring to, but I beamed nevertheless. Anything that impressed my brothers was high praise.
"You're all mad," Prince Camden muttered so only I could hear him. "We could have died."
"Yeah, but we didn't," I said cheerily. "Welcome to the Randala Valley."
The flight home was filled with my brothers ′ gleeful cheers. They rode the high from the fight all the way back to Plum, hooting, shouting--the works. It was like they wanted another batch of harpies to attack us. They wouldn't, not with this large group--but harpies weren't the only creatures out here at night.
We made it Plum in one piece. From above, I watched as half of the village gathered around my house while the other half was stoking the bonfire in the field for the ritual tonight.
I groaned, forgetting all about the ceremony. I so wasn't in the mood for partying anymore. Curling up in bed or in Elesor's embrace was all I had the energy for.
Marco landed with a tired grunt in my backyard. Moaning, I slipped off Marco's back. I would have fallen on my face if Dad hadn't caught me. I groaned in protest when he gripped my shoulder; he scowled at me and ordered me to take off my jacket, despite the night chill.
Prince Camden hopped off Marco's back and stared at the log house then gazed around the large yard--his home for as long as he needed. It wasn't much to look at in the torchlight, so I wasn't surprised to see his dubious gaze; he would change his mind once the sun cast its light over the village.
"Dad, this is Prince Camden. Prince, this is my father, Grant Dricino." The blonde's eyes slowly trailed up to my dad's face, taking in his broad height, and swallowed. He might be the second tallest in his family, but Dad towered over him easily and it was hard to ignore the menace in his brown eyes when he stared him down. Dad gave every prince the same look. It was a "this is my house, so you better follow my fucking rules or you can consider yourself dragonling food" look that every prince shrank away from. Except Prince Camden. I didn't know if it was because he was stupid or if he honestly thought he could take my dad on, but he stuck his chin out defiantly when he shook his hand, apparently also matching his tight grip.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, sir. I've heard many things about you."
Dad flashed a dangerous grin, eyes dancing in the torchlight. "Bad things, I hope."
"The very worst. But my brothers also told me you're a big teddy bear when it comes to your daughter." His green eyes slid over to me mischievously.
"Not tonight, I'm not," Dad said then whirled on me, smacking the back of my head. Ouch, but I deserved it. "You idiot child! You should have stayed in a village tonight. Now look at you! You're going to swear your oath to Prince Camden and then you're going to march over to the healing hut and have them tend to your wounds. No partying for you tonight."
I wasn't about to tell him I was too exhausted to party so this worked out perfectly for me. Instead, I bowed my head in fake-shame and trudged through the village, listening to my brothers safely berate me now that Dad had displayed his discontent with me. Only Harry came to my side with a clean shirt so I didn't have to stand in the middle of everyone with a holy, blood-soaked shirt. Too tired to care who watched, I pulled the gross shirt over my head and replaced it with the clean one. Apparently the prince wasn't expecting such a bold thing from me and made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat, making a comment about inappropriate boorish women. Well, he better get used to it, because he was going to be living with seven unbashful Dricinos for the foreseeable future.
The village cheered as we approached the fields. The fire was massive and brought on a very welcoming heat, even from where I stood.
Lord Smythe emerged from the crowd to shake Prince Camden's hand. "If Grant's accommodations are not up to your standards, Your Highness, you are more than welcome to stay in my manor, " he told him, like how he told all the princes, hoping one day they would take him up on his offer so the Acker family wouldn't think we were all uncivilized in his good humble village.
Prince Camden smirked, though he did a good job at hiding it through his smouldering green eyes. "As appreciated as your offer is, Lord Smythe, my brothers before me have stayed with the Dricinos and have had some interesting tales to tell; I would like to keep up that tradition. Perhaps I will stop by for some coffee during my visit."
Huh, maybe he didn't dislike my brashness as much as he made it appear.
"Perhaps," the lord grumbled, looking for his wife in the crowd with his eyes. It was uncanny: each brother had declined his offer then amended by suggesting they get together for coffee. Every time, the prince never got around to having that coffee. Would Prince Camden be any different? Lord Smythe didn't think so and quickly left for his wife.
Giles snickered, appearing beside me and slapping my back. I grunted, viciously reminded that I was injured. My brother noticed my wince. "Oof, sorry, Kal. Serves you right for being an idiot, though."
"Your unconditional concern and love for me cannot be outweighed by anything else, dear brother," I grouched.
Grinning like a madman, he bumped me with his hip then he leaned in close to whisper in my ear. "If you want, I'll find you something you can drink to take the edge off."
"That would be much appreciated." Especially if all these people cheering were going to hug me like they were hugging Prince Camden. I was going to need a whole lot of something to take the edge off.
Winking, he blended into the crowd.
Dad found Lord Smythe feeling up his wife, with a beer in his hand, and whispered something in his ear. The lord's eyes met mine a moment then he nodded to Dad. He hopped onto a log and tapped his metal mug with a rock. "All right, people! All right! Quiet down!"
Did anyone pay attention? No. Why would they? There was free booze and food. Everyone was having a hell of a time. Casper was dancing with Bianca by the fire, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Kaden was making out with the butcher's daughter. Harry and Tallinn were brooding at a table silently, not being ones for parties, over a couple of drinks. Prince Camden was sitting on a log, surrounded by the most available women in Plum, eyeing their ample breasts and chucking back drink after drink. I hope his parents weren't worried about him fitting in with my village, because he appeared to be fitting in quite nicely with Amber and Cadence who obviously hadn't taken the time to know what an asshole he was before getting their grimy hands on him.
Grumbling, I drew my attention away from them and noticed Giles coming my way with a small flask. I frowned at him, disappointed in its size. If he thought that was going to help take the edge off. . . he didn't know me as well as he thought.
He handed it to me with a smug grin. "Here ya go, sis."
Skeptical, I sniffed its contents--then sneezed and almost dropped the flask. "What the hell is this?"
"My own concoction. I just made it up now, so I don't know if it's any good. You're my guinea pig, so let me know how it goes."
I was more of a beer person, but hey, if it eased the pain, why not give it a go? Bravely, I took a big sip. It burned on its way down my throat and definitely tasted nothing like beer, but since I hadn't eaten all day it went straight to my head. Giles put a hand gently on my shoulder to steady me.
"And?" he pressed eagerly, eyes dazzling with an impish glimmer from the firelight, making them look more amber than blue.
"Taste wise? Terrible for a beer drinker. For the pain? It's a miracle worker." I took another swig, enjoying the buzz numbing my mind. It helped me forget the pain and the fact that Mister Boorish Prince over there would be living in my house for the foreseeable future.
"Everyone, please!" Lord Smythe hushed. "Let us begin the ceremony!"
People cheered louder, only hearing the ceremony part. Poor Lord Smyth. If only he threw more parties like this, we wouldn't get too wild during the rare ones.
Rolling his eyes, Dad stuck two fingers under his tongue and whistled so loud it could summon a dragon from the other side of the valley--it'd been tested.
Everyone simmered down, finding a seat on a log or by the tables set up around the field.
"Thank you, Grant," Lord Smythe said smugly--as if he'd asked my father to call for everyone's attention. "As I was saying, let us begin the ceremony. Tallinn-- oh, sorry, Kal, Prince Camden, if you would be so kind as to come here."
I glanced over to Tallinn, who threw his mug at the ground and stormed off at Lord Smythe's slip up, then back to the lord, who was holding an awaiting hand out to me. Pretending the curious and judgy eyes of my fellow villagers didn't bother me, I waded through the crowd and met up with Prince Camden at the fire.
If I thought I was tipsy, he was outright drunk. He had to be if he was giving me those lusty eyes; he must be mistaking me for one of those floozies groping him on the other side of the fire. "You guys sure know how to party," he said to me, tipping forward so he was barely a foot away from me.
"We don't do it often, so when we do, we go a little overboard," I told him, not really sure how to deal with his closeness--or the heat rushing up to my cheeks. My Gods, he was even more handsome up in my face like this. Those deep green eyes were down right sexy and such a unique contrast to his ash blonde hair--a telltale sign he was an Acker. It was even more frustrating that he knew how hot he was and that his smile was growing bigger because he'd caught me giving him a thorough head-to-toe examination. It didn't help my imagination that I knew what was under that shirt.
Damn it. Stupid prince.
Lord Smythe handed me a knife. For a brief second, I thought he'd given it to me so I could stab the prince before my mind started imagining what he looked like without any clothes. Then I remembered we were standing in front of the entire village and were about to swear an oath to each other.
Get your mind out of the gutter, girl. . . . And no more drinking if this is what Giles' concoction is going to lead to.
Shaking my thoughts clear, I tightened my grasp on the knife's handle and tore my gaze away from Prince Camden to Lord Smythe. "I'm ready," I answered what I hoped was his question.
He nodded. "Do you, Kali Dricino, swear to do everything in your power to guide Prince Camden through his Rite of Passage and help him find a dragon worthy to name him Dragon Prince?"
I sliced the blade across my palm. Thank you, alcohol. "I do."
I handed the knife to the man in front of me, hilt first.
"Do you, Prince Camden, swear to follow Kali Dricino's guidance and to do everything in your power to find your dragon and to protect the people of your country with the powers entrusted in you by your partner?"
He only hesitated for a second before cutting the knife over his palm. "I do."
"Shake on it."
I extended my hand and grasped his firmly. Our blood melded together. For reasons no one will ever understand, our wounds healed as our hands held each other. What remained in our palms was the Dragon Prince insignia scarred on our skin. Mine would fade once my half of the oath was completed, but Prince Camden would forever bear the mark of the Dragon Prince. This was only the first step to our journey. Now came the hard part.