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up water in places around the knees and crotch. Just great. This would be a
soggy, miserable trip to match his sullen mood.
Drake spared a moment to look over at Nellin and noted that Mace ever
prepared
had pulled an oilcloth from his pack and spread it over himself and Krysta. At
least they would be dry, but the knight s preparedness just drove home to
Drake how un-knightly he was himself. He d gone off on a quest without the
most basic of necessities.
All Jenet had was the leather pouch Drake had given her, filled with lotions
and creams for her wings. No oil cloth. No food. Nothing that could be useful
on a cross-
country journey.
A knight would have prepared.
Which only went to prove, Drake of the Five Lands was no dragon s knight.
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Before it got too dark to see, Mace signaled a halt and the dragons started
angling downward to find a place to weather the storm and get some sleep
before they carried on the search.
Dragons could literally sniff out caves. It was part of their basic survival
instincts.
Even though both Jenet and Nellin had been born and raised in the safety of
the Castle
Lair, they d been trained since a young age to rely on their natural
abilities. Still, both dragons claimed there was not one suitable cave in the
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area for their human friends to spend the night.
So the three curled up on the ground at the base of a relatively dry granite
cliff. The dragons arranged themselves on either side and held Mace s tarp
between them, making a little tent area for the humans, though it was small.
I ve got a dry shirt you can wear and some food in my pack. It s not much,
but we won t go hungry tonight.
Thanks for the loan. I just took off, not thinking about provisions or dry
clothes.
Don t be so hard on yourself, Drake. You re not trained as a knight, after
all.
Drake paused in the act of accepting the dry shirt from his friend. Mace
thought he read hurt in the other man s eyes for a moment and realized his
words might ve come out differently than intended.
Look, Drake
No. You re right. Drake reached out to snap up the shirt. I ll never live
up to my father s example. It s why I left. He shrugged as he tugged the
shirt on. I knew I d never be good enough for Jenet. There was real pain in
Drake s voice and he wouldn t meet Mace s eyes. This only proves, once again,
that I was right.
Mace was stunned. He d always admired Drake and the easy way skills like
archery and swordplay had come to him. By contrast, Mace had to work hard for
every small step forward when they were boys, training and learning together.
To Drake, everything had come naturally, yet he d never lorded it over the
younger or less skilled. Drake had
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FireDrake always pushed himself harder than anyone else could have. He
demanded a lot from himself. Almost too much.
But he d had a wild side. Drake had been a prankster and often got in trouble
for the mostly harmless jokes he played on his classmates. When that happened,
Sir Declan came down hard on the boy he clearly thought was far too frivolous.
Mace knew that was finally why Drake had left. There were few in the Castle
Lair who hadn t seen the way Drake took every condemnation and word of
correction from
Declan to heart. Few were really surprised when Drake took off for parts
unknown. But
Mace had missed him. They d been friends of a sort.
You were always good enough. Drake, you were better than all the others in
our age group, but you never saw it.
You re deluded. I couldn t put a foot right. Jenet will be better off when
she finds a man who is worthy of her.
If you truly believe that, Mace said at length, you really are a fool.
Look Drake turned on him, I appreciate the sentiment, but I have my own
life now. Away from Draconia. Away from my family. I ve found my niche and
it s working for me.
But what about Jenet?
Drake sighed. Like I said, she needs to find a knight who is her equal.
That s not me.
I think you re wrong, but we ll let it rest for now. At least until after we
eat.
Krysta was sorting through the food in Mace s pack, divvying up the meager
rations.
She handed each of the men a portion that was noticeably larger than what she
kept for herself. Distracted by her beauty, Mace let the matter go as he moved
to sit beside her.
The tension in the air wasn t lost on Krysta. Drake bristled when Mace settled
at her side. She feared a confrontation of some kind was next on the agenda
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and the men didn t disappoint. Apparently even among knights or
near-knights the male mind still had the same basic possessiveness.
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Too bad she d have to end such a long day by teaching these males a thing or
two about women.
Krysta sighed as she set aside her meal to look at the men. Drake was frowning
as he chewed mechanically and swallowed. Mace seemed oblivious to Drake s
temper
seemed being the operative word. She knew darn well he was fully aware of the
response his actions had provoked in his counterpart. The dragons watched all,
saying nothing.
It wasn t long before Drake couldn t hold his tongue any longer.
You two look cozy.
She should have seen it coming, but was still annoyed when Mace put his arm
around her shoulders and drew her against his side. Drake s eyes narrowed and
Krysta hated the way they d put her between them, like a bone for two dogs to
fight over. But this was something more than just male posturing. There were
dragons involved and all the tantalizing possibilities of knighthood. Krysta
wanted to see just how far they d go in their one-upmanship and learn where
she stood in the bargain.
She hadn t become a master spy by playing her cards too early, after all.
It s no secret Krysta and I have a relationship. Mace almost sounded as if
he was gloating, but he was too sober a man to actually gloat. Or so she
thought.
Funny Drake stood and tossed a scrap of crust away into the brush, I
thought
Krysta and had a relationship. Guess I was wrong.
I
You know full well we could both have what we want if you d just wake up and
accept what Jenet offers. Mace s words were tinged with surprising anger and
she saw an answering flush of emotion on Drake s face as he spun to confront
the knight.
It was time to step in. Elbowing her way free, she stood, as did Mace, to face
Drake.
What about what I want? She had their attention now. Did either of you ever
ask me if I d be interested in something more permanent? Did either of you
give me any reason to believe you want me for me and not just because I m a
convenient woman you both happen to like?
I more than just like you, honey, Drake was quick to point out.
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FireDrake
Spare me your rogue s ways, Drake. She turned her attention to the dragons.
And you two. She marched right up to Nellin and Jenet, facing them down as
they blinked at her in surprise. I m pretty sure you re trying to orchestrate
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