Dragon Riders of Etrea 2—Chapter 29

Once they passed through the narrow gap, Henrik turned to Meriel and offered her his arm. She looked amused for a moment, but reached up and gently held it. Her slender hand looked almost comically small against his massive upper arm. Together, they slowly walked toward Anslie’s cabin.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know you,” Henrik said.

She looked up at him. “I’m sure you are,” she replied.

Before he could say anything in return, Anslie emerged from her cabin, running at a full sprint. 

“Henrik!” she said excitedly.

Meriel calmly stepped to the side and Anslie leaped onto Henrik, holding onto his shoulders while wrapping her legs around him.

“I missed you so much!” she said, covering the side of his face with kisses.

Henrik laughed and squeezed her until she squeaked. “It’s really good to see you, Anslie.” He gently set her down and she immediately slipped an arm around his waist. “Let’s go see the others.”

The three of them walked to Anslie’s cabin and entered, one at a time. Rasud and Shel were seated next to each other, holding hands.

“Does Anslie keep a horse inside her cabin?” Rasud asked Isobel. “I swear, I smell the foulest—Henrik! Oh, I was just thinking of you.”

Henrik laughed and stepped closer to his old friend. Rasud embraced him and they clapped each other on the back.

“It’s good to see you,” he said, and to his surprise, Shel stood and hugged him as well. She felt like Isobel; all hard muscle covered in soft curves. Rasud was a lucky man.

Anslie walked up and grabbed his arm. He looked over and smiled as he saw her standing on her toes. Henrik bent down and kissed her, feeling only slightly awkward due to the other women in the room.

“Cider for everyone?” Rasud asked as he walked toward the shelves where Anslie kept her carved wooden mugs. A few people replied in the affirmative so Rasud gathered up six mugs.

While he poured their drinks, Henrik looked around for a place to sit. All the chairs were taken, so he went over to the bed and sat on the edge, right next to Isobel. She took one look at him, stood up, and then sat on his lap, sideways with an arm around his shoulders. She pecked him on the cheek and shifted a bit, getting comfortable.

Anslie watched them and smiled. “You two are cute together. I suppose we’ll have to work out a rotation or take turns or something.” She laughed at that.

Isobel squeezed Henrik and looked up at him. “Learning to share you won’t be easy. I want you every day, all for myself.” She sighed. “But, Anslie and Meriel are my closest human friends, so yes, we’ll have to work something out.”

“But we’re here for something much more serious,” Meriel said. She looked over at Isobel and Henrik.

“Yes, Anslie said there was trouble on the horizon,” Rasud said as he brought everyone mugs of cider. “And when you’re involved, Henrik, the trouble always seems to be especially problematic.”

Henrik gave him a wry look. “Thanks. Well, it’s a good thing you two have those new faces. The orcs are on their way, marching right for us.”

“I knew it,” Shel said in a quiet voice as she set her mug down. “I fucking knew it. Chie—Torgan is with them, isn’t he?”

Henrik noted she refused to call Torgan by his title any longer. That was good. “They’re coming this way, and will be here in a day or two.”

“How many?” Rasud asked.

“We estimated around five thousand troops in total,” Isobel said, looking up at Henrik. He nodded.. 

“Can the dragons just take care of them?” Rasud asked. 

Anslie shook her head. “It’s too risky. If we rode them, we’d be pincushioned with arrows in a matter of seconds. And even without us riding them, our dragons do have a few weak points. With that many soldiers, one of them would be bound to get a lucky strike in somewhere. I can’t risk my girl getting hurt.”

“Interestingly enough, Isobel tells me that Calduin could probably tear his way through their army,” Henrik said. 

Isobel nodded. “Yes, but we want to avoid that. He’s doing a great job of growing up calmly. Him losing his temper like that could be disastrous for the entire realm.”

Rasud slowly twisted his mug on the wooden table. “So, let me make sure I understand this properly. An army of five thousand orcs is marching right for us and will be here shortly. I’m assuming Torgan wants the egg. He probably doesn’t know it’s hatched.”

“That is probably correct,” Shel said. “Although he might think he can capture Calduin alive somehow.”

Isobel scoffed. “He would learn the hard way just how strong a snow dragon is. Even a child like Calduin.”

“And we have Emyss to worry about,” Meriel added. “Calduin is growing quickly. Soon, Emyss will feel his presence and start looking for him.” Her gaze swung to Henrik. “I hope you’re ready.”

“I have no choice but to be ready,” Henrik said.

“Do you think he’s coming for you?” Rasud asked Shel.

“Almost certainly,” she replied. Her hand shook and she grabbed her mug to stop the tremors. “I know I look different, but he has other shamans. They’ll be able to tell it’s me. He’s here for the dragon, but he won’t pass over an opportunity for revenge, since I betrayed him.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t let him hurt you,” Henrik said. He felt Isobel’s grip tighten slightly on him as he said that. 

“Thanks,” Shel replied. “I suppose the real question is how you’re going to handle an entire army of orcs, including the chief himself? There are only six of us, plus four dragons.”

“Let’s call it three and a half,” Rasud said with an amused smile.

Henrik had thought long and hard about this. Practically his entire journey from Isobel’s place to here, he had passed his time by pondering different scenarios. He thought about what orcs valued and what they saw as weakness. He thought about what would make them back down. All of his thoughts pointed to a very straightforward scenario.

He told his companions his plan. It was a simple plan, brutal in its efficiency. Everyone just stared at him for a moment. Even Isobel shifted on his lap to stare at him like he was an idiot.

“You can’t be serious,” Isobel said. “I know you’re brash, but—”

“I am,” Henrik replied.

“Haven’t we been through this before?” Rasud asked. “It’s a bad idea all around. We have the dragons, Shel and I have our magic, the ladies here have their magic. There are so many better options.”

“Yes, but those other options also have risks. I refuse to do anything that will jeopardize any of you.” Henrik squeezed Isobel briefly after saying that.

“I don’t know if your idea is brave or stupid,” Meriel said, tapping her lip. “Perhaps a bit of both. But it could work.”

“It’ll work,” Henrik said firmly. “Their honor won’t allow for anything else. It’s our only realistic option.”

“What are you two going to do?” Anslie asked Rasud and Shel.

Shel looked like she was going to be sick. Rasud reached out and took one of her hands in his.

“We’re here with all of you,” Rasud said. “All of us are a family, in a strange, slightly dysfunctional manner. At least, this is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a family. So no matter what, we will fight together.”

Shel smiled at him and nodded. “Yes. We will fight. Our magic can help tip the scales.”

“Yes, I also have to make sure you don’t die, old friend,” Rasud said to Henrik.

“I’ll be fine,” Henrik said. “Just make sure they don’t cheat.”

“Now that will take a lot of effort,” Rasud muttered.

“So, are we all going along with Henrik’s bad idea?” Anslie asked.

Several people opened their mouths but Henrik cut them off. “Yes. That is what we’re doing. And it’s not a bad idea, it just requires a certain situation. Fortunately, I know how to deal with their type.”

“Yes, at least you got your practice,” Rasud said.

“If you die, I will have Meriel bring you back from the dead so I can kill you myself,” Isobel said to Henrik. From the tone of her voice, she sounded serious.

Rasud tipped back his mug. “Once all this is done, I’m looking forward to settling down and starting a family with Shel.”

Shel blushed. She was still unused to what humans would call a normal life. She beamed a smile at Rasud, though.

“Is that the plan?” Henrik asked. “A house with a fireplace, a couple kids running around, sitting on a pile of gold?”

Rasud nodded, then looked over at Shel and gave her a gentle smile. “We have enough money, especially since you gave us your share, Henrik. We have enough that even our children will have gold in their coffers. I might have some fun and add a bit here and there, but I think I’m going to simply retire from being the best thief in all of Selfoss.”

Shel’s smile grew.

“What about your faces?” Henrik asked. “And, I’m assuming, the rest of your bodies. Are you going to remain human, or go back to your former selves?”

Rasud and Shel shared an uneasy look.

“We’ve talked about this,” Rasud said. “I feel like I have abandoned my true self, and I know Shel feels the same way. The change has not been easy. But the truth is, that spell was the single most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, and I never want to go through it again. Not for any reason.”

“I think I would rather die than feel like that again,” Shel said. “That was truly horrible. I still have nightmares about it sometimes.”

Rasud gave her a sympathetic smile. “And with our new faces, we can live a normal life in Selfoss. It would have been much more difficult for us, otherwise.” Rasud snapped his fingers. “Oh, and I have some investment ideas I wanted to run by you.”