Dragon Blood

Fifty-Five: Drums of War

Skylar watched in dismay as Orion, Jonathan, Kellan, Leo, and Hal rounded up the soldiers and dragons. The soldiers stepped into a tight formation like the well-trained men they were, while the dragons were settled into a looser group, talking among themselves. They would shift when they were closer to the edge of the territory, when they were ready to face Draco. Zachariah was the only one in his dragon form at the moment. Percy, Olly, and Jed had flown to the edge of the territory to keep an eye on Draco's advancing army. They were using their clan connection to keep in contact with Zachariah, who would then alert Leo or Orion if something was wrong.

Jonathan trotted around on his white stallion, shouting orders at his men. He was dressed in his full metal armor and the deep blue colors of Trael, as were the rest of the soldiers. His well-used sword swung at his hip, but Skylar knew he could pull it out at a moment's notice. The other two dozen knights were also mounted on their war horses. They would be on the front lines, while the foot soldiers would be behind. The dragons were going to do their best to keep the foot soldiers out of the fighting for as long as possible. Draco's army was just too large, the odds to great, to risk them needlessly. Only the archers mounted on the dragons' backs would be on the battlefield from the start.

The knight urged his horse over to where Orion and Leo stood talking with Hal. His steed pranced, excited by all of the activity, but she watched as Orion reached out to calm the creature. She was reminded of why she loved him when it settled at his gentle touch, and she knew exactly how the animal felt. She was also calmer at the touch of Orion.

Orion patted the horse's forehead before one of his arms swung out the gesture at the gathered army, the expression on his face making it clear he and Jonathan were arguing about something. There was too much activity for her to hear his voice, but she recognized the tension in each man's shoulders. Jonathan likely wanted to lead his men into battle, but everyone had agreed that was a bad idea. Orion would be the one leading the dragons, and the humans would hold back until absolutely necessary. Orion would be the first dragon the army saw, the first one they aimed at, the first they shot at...

A lump formed in her throat and she put a hand over her mouth, forcing herself to turn away. She wanted to go with him, to help protect him. To do something other than stay behind. She felt helpless and the fighting hadn't even started yet. A tear escaped and raced down her cheek. She shouldn't be crying, she needed to be strong, but she couldn't stop thinking about the danger Orion would be in. She had all the faith in the world in his abilities, but all it would take was one lucky shot and her world would end.

She felt like she was going to throw up at even the thought of such a thing happening. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to get a hold of herself. It didn't help that her dragon was worrying about their mate as well. Normally the beast was far more optimistic when it came to fighting and winning, but she knew Draco. She knew what he was capable of, and it scared her.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she started. She quickly wiped her cheeks before turning to face whoever wanted her attention. She shouldn't have been surprised to find gold eyes staring down at her in worry. She realized he must have sensed her turmoil and come to check on her. She had done nothing in her life to deserve him.

Orion's frown deepened when he saw her tears. "Hey," he whispered soothingly, "don't cry." His strong hands came up to caress her cheeks, his thumbs brushing the new tears away.

She pressed her lips together and reached forward to grasp two handfuls of his soft shirt. No armor for the dragons. When they shifted, they would have the greatest armor in the world: dragon scales. She reached up to touch the necklace that rested beneath the white of Orion's shirt, the one made of her scale. She traced the outline and leaned forward to plant a soft kiss over it. She would be with him, or at least a part of her would.