River Horse

Chapter Sixteen

Uhhh, hi there.... *tries to hide behind hands*

I KNOW I'M LATE I'M SORRYYY

Passover happened first, then Easter, and then my bunny died :'( this chapter is dedicated to Big Pete, the most adorable rabbit in the world.

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ALICIA

"You have to wear some kind of armor!" Jocelyn growled, shoving the shining steel plates at me. They were things of beauty, gleaming and inlaid with a black metal that formed flowing designs.

I shook my head and pushed them away. "Too heavy. I want to be able to move properly."

She glared at me in exasperation. "You're a kelpie," she pointed out. "This will be nothing to you!"

I crossed my arms defiantly. "It limits my flexibility and definitely slows me down. Mist dragons are fast and agile. I need to be able to move freely," I argued.

"And what if one gets behind you or swats you or breathes fire? Because dragons tend to do that!"

"Then I had better be careful," I snapped. "Because there is no way in hell that I'm going to weigh myself down with hunks of metal!"

Jocelyn let out an explosive breath. "There is no way in hell that I'm letting you out on the battlefield without some sort of protection," she growled.

I smirked. "What can you do to stop me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Besides drug you, knock you unconscious or lock you in your room? Gee, I have no idea!"

I clenched my fists. "I don't know how you do things in Nevada," I began, my voice low and harsh, "But where I come from, a kelpie who isn't a shaman or an elder has no authority over another!"

She rolled her eyes and said, "I am the oldest among us, and therefore I assume full authority in place of a shaman or an elder."

"Well then, I'm disobeying your orders!"

"Only if you want to bring dishonor on your family."

"So you would make my entire family suffer because of a silly conflict?"

"I'm not the one being an immature brat. How do you think they'll react when they find out how selfishly you acted?"

"I'm pretty sure that they would be happier if I could fight properly."

"I'm pretty sure that they would he happier if you would stop being so goddamn stubborn and wear some armor so you can come back in one piece!"

"Maybe I would be able to avoid attacks if I can actually move out of the way."

"Well, we'll see how that attitude serves you when the fighting starts."

"I guess we will!"

We stood glaring at each other until Kye tapped Jocelyn on the shoulder. "I think we all know by now that if Alicia doesn't want to do something, she won't," he said humorously.

Jocelyn gave him a look, and he backed away with a grin. "Just saying!" he said as he joined Joltin at a rack of helmets.

We were standing the elves' expansive armory, surrounded by shelves and racks full of well-polished weapons and armor. Elves bustled from one end to the other doing various errands, from cleaning the weapons to forging them, and some were picking out new ones.

"Alicia, please," Jocelyn pleaded desperately, catching my attention. "For your own safety, just wear some armor!"

I sighed and rubbed my temples. I absolutely despised armor, but I knew that going into battle against dragons with little to no protection was more than idiocy; it was suicidal. Not only did they have razor teeth and claws, but one blast of their fiery breath could roast a man in seconds. And disobeying a direct order would bring shame to my name.