WREN Book Three Prince of Dragons

Marching on

The first part of the journey to the capital had been uneventful. We flew as close as we dared. Landing in the outskirts of an isolated village, where we were to set up camp. The force that had flown with me was enough to create a village of our own. I was surprised to find, not only Yuri and her ice dragon team, but also Shayla and her wolf pack. I had a feeling Shea had something to do with that.

The village they selected was in the mountain across from the capital. It would take a team three days to walk across the area to reach the city in which my mother had lost her life. Yuri had hugged me upon seeing me slide from Tanwen’s back. She eyed me as she noted the difference in me.

“We’ve been here for about three months now.” She told me.

The locals were a farming community. They had never liked the royals being so close. It had taken Yuri nearly the entire time she had been here to get them to talk with her. But she were slowly growing on them. On the other hand, Shayla had fit right in.

“They are shifters.” I said watching the towns people move around.

If you could even call what we saw a town. There was a general store, a church, a small school house, and a post box. That was it. The rest of the village was scattered around the mountain to farm. One of the men that had come into town was eyeing us. He stood with his back to the store, glaring at us all, yet I sensed something familiar about him.

“Do we know each other?” I asked as I moved closer to him.

The man spit out a long stream of phlegmy tobacco juice, some of it stuck to the bristly dark brown beard on his face. “Nope.” The man growled out. His eyes flicking past me. I turned. Shea was watching me with the same wary look.

I was about to turn back to the man when I saw Greyson. He had his shoulders hunched up, his back to the man and was doing everything but looking at him.

“You know my uncle?” I asked

“Uncle? You Rosie’s kid?” the man spat again.

I chuckled. “No, I uh, well…” I paused how do I tell him about them.

“Leave him alone, Rohan!” the growl was more of a snarl. I flinched away.

Never in all the time I spent with the man had I ever heard him sound so pissed off. He stormed forward. Rohan smirked. A row of grimy brown teeth filled his face.  His hands dropped to his sides. He shifted his footing into a fighting stance.

“Uh, dad?” I glanced toward Shea.

The large wolf folded his arms over his chest, shrugging. But he had that smirk on his face. I was pulled back out of the way of the fight by Baram. We stood together as we watched the two men engage each other. I had never seen a man come so close to Greyson’s strength as this guy. Who was he?

Their feet dug trenches in the dirt as they struggled for the better footing. Their hands pummeled each other. Blood, spit and juice was flying everywhere. As we all stood in shock, a woman came out of the store. She looked thunderous. She marched up to the fighting men and began to clobber them with a rolling pin. The men separated. I sprang forward to protect Greyson but the women was laughing at him.

“Grey! You came back!” she cried hugging him tightly.

Greyson twirled her around calling her Winnie as they laughed. I looked to Rohan who was smirking now.

“He’s your brother.” I guessed. Rohan flicked his dark gaze toward me.

“That’s right. Haven’t seen him in nigh on thirty years. Ever since he got booted from the capital.” He stated.