“I’ve always been very clear that I don’t like anyone besides the other dragon royals. And you didn’t mind that when it meant that I didn’t like your brother anymore.”
Jaik’s face instantly tensed. “Of course you’d bring Caldren into it. Listen I care about her and I care about you. You’re both exasperating and my life would be a lot easier if I didn’t.”
Then he clapped me on the shoulder. “But I need you to like her, Branok. I can’t lose her and I can’t lose our friendship. Don’t you make me choose. Get your head out of your ass.”
I rarely heard Jaik speak with any particular degree of passion. “I’ll try.”
She’d rebuffed my earliest attempts to get to know her, but if Jaik pushed us together, we’d both have to give each other a second chance. This might be my opportunity to reveal she was lying.
Or maybe it’d be my chance to discover she was innocent. It seemed unlikely, but perhaps.
“That’s all I ask.”
“Where is Lucien?”
“The healer says he’s still struggling with the after effects of the enchantment. He still can’t fly. Useless.” Jaik was furious at Lucien, and he’d jumped to suggest he stay behind. “He’s staying here.”
We planned to stay in the northern retreat, across from Alina’s tower. I was thrilled to keep Lucien a two-day hike from my sister.
“So all we have to do to get a vacation is fail to protect Honor?” As soon as I saw Jaik’s face, I knew that joke hadn’t landed. “Of course I will protect Honor with my life.”
“You’d better.”
I went to find Honor. Preparations for a big field exercise like this was organized chaos. Shifters grouped by type, preparing to travel by wing or paw.
She stood in the center of it all, her long red hair twisted around by the wind. Her eyes were bright and the bag slung over her shoulder was surprisingly small.
“Is this all you have?” I plucked the leather strap slung over her shoulder.
She looked up at me and smiled, that blindingly bright smile that seemed to bewitch my friends so easily. “Good morning to you too, Branok.”
“You’re going to ride with me. Buckle up. Horses don’t like dragon shifters, so they might be skittish.”
The blood seemed to drain from her face. Did she really not know how to ride? “Why are we going by horseback?”
“Dragons don’t let anyone ride them.”
Her brow furrowed slightly. “But the other day—”
“I know. That was a strange aberration on Jaik’s part.” I had the feeling Jaik would do anything to see Honor and Hanna smile, which was funny given the man hadn’t cracked a smile himself since he was ten years old. “But we can’t embarrass ourselves that way in front of the Academy.”
She nodded. “I understand. But do we have to go on horseback?”
“There are no carriages going out to the far north. The roads aren’t passable by carriage, and switching to sleds would be a major logistical operation. Can’t be done. Not even for you, Honor.”
The two of us went to the stables. The stable boy was already leading out two horses, a chestnut and a white.
Honor moved toward the horses with a slow practiced gait that made me think she was comfortable with horses. But then the horse shied away from her, and she caught her lower lip with her teeth. She looked disappointed.
“It’s just because I’m here.” I had the feeling that it was important to her that horses like her. “They always get skittish around wolves and bears and dragon shifters. Horses don’t like me ever since I became a shifter. But with enough sugar cubes and attention, I can generally win one over enough to tolerate me.”
“Why, Branok, I’m surprised to find out that you ever salve anyone’s feelings with sugar.”
I ignored her to draw a sugar cube out of my pocket, which I offered to one of the horses. The chestnut horse eyed me skeptically, then refused to look at me, staring off pointedly in a different direction.
I shrugged and moved to the white. I offered the sugar cube in my palm. The white regarded me skeptically, backing up a few steps until her lead was stretched tight. Then finally, she seemed to change her mind, and she moved toward me, before reluctantly pushing her nose into my hand and taking the sugar cube. Her wet tongue scraped against my palm, but I made myself hold still. “That’s right, girl. There’s no reason we can’t be friends.”
The chestnut was looking at me resentfully now.
“Can I try?” Honor asked.
“There’s no reason the horses wouldn’t like you. But fine.” I dropped a sugar cube into her hand. She seemed like she knew her way around horses, so I didn’t know if she would need to bribe them like I did.
She offered the sugar cube to the chestnut and with one final aggrieved look at the white, the chestnut worried her nose into Honor’s hand. Honor smiled so broadly, it seemed like a smile of relief.
“I can’t get a read on you. Are you familiar with horses or not?”
“I’ve always loved horses. I’m glad this one likes me despite your proximity.” She gave me a teasing look. “And I already knew you can’t get a read on me. You still think I’m evil, and I feel very certain that I’m not.”
“That’s just what you would say if you were evil.”
“Is there any way I can win you over, Branok? Perhaps with sugar cubes?”
“Don’t you have enough men licking your palm already?”
Honor chose to ignore me at that point. The two of us settled up our horses. Then we joined the rest of the Academy moving out, although everyone gave us a wide berth as our horses still danced skittishly. The wolves had shifted and were traveling as a pack, streaming ahead of us through the city streets. The whole city had turned out to see us off, it seemed. Children raced along the sides of our formation, laughing and shouting and waving, as if it were a parade.
“Do they see you off this way when you go to war, too?” Honor asked.
I had a glib response, but her eyes seemed sad despite the jaunty music, and I swallowed it. “No, not always. Sometimes it seems like there isn’t much fanfare anymore, but then, I’m not sure I need any fanfare when some of us are going to die.”
She looked as if this parade only reminded her of how bitterly war always ended. But then she seemed to brighten, as if she were forcing herself to cheer up. “So how did you get stuck on babysitting duty?”
“Jaik wants to be in the air where he has eyes on any threats.”
A smile curved her lips. “He thinks I’m a lot more important than I am.”
“There seem to be some people who don’t like you being alive very much, Honor.”
Arren had been furious at the attack on Honor’s life. He hid his emotions well, but I also knew him well.
He might not even have realized it yet himself, but our resident grouch was growing increasingly attached to the maid of mischief and sunshine.
“I feel very safe,” she said lightly. “Thank you, Branok. For riding with me today.”
“My pleasure,” I said.