Dragon's Challenge - D. R. Rosier Page 0,74
out of the room.
He looked around for something to bang his head against. What had been her point?
His women were all right outside the door, except for the princess and Cinder, not that the latter was one of his women. He was about to follow Shar out to join them, when he remembered April wanted to talk to him alone.
“April?”
She appeared right in front of his face, which made him flinch back as she grinned mischievously at him.
“Imp.”
She snorted, “I’m not an imp. I thought of something last night. A way perhaps for you to avoid any bloodshed. But it’s… risky. Perhaps even riskier than fighting her on a battlefield during an active battle, but it would head off a lot of loss of life for no reason. The armies might not even fight at all.”
He shook his head, “I’ve been trying to think of something ever since I found out. What’d I miss?”
She smirked, “What are the oldest laws? The laws that even trump the rules of a walkabout?”
He frowned, “The laws around a challenge. But that won’t work, there are specific rules that prevent an unrecognized adult from entering into a challenge. It was done that way so older but weaker dragons didn’t try to take out the competition before they were of age. That’s why my sister doesn’t just attack me directly.”
She shook her head, “That was the intent, but technically not completely true. The laws of challenge prohibit an adult from challenging a stronger but still growing into adulthood opponent. But there’s no law against the reverse. There was no need for one, since the idea of a juvenile challenging a full adult is… well, it’s crazy.”
He snorted, “True, but I’m going to have to fight her anyway. I might as well try to take her out before the battle begins. Then they won’t have to fight, though it could still go either way.”
She bit her lip, “Yes, except for two things. In a challenge your bonded can’t assist you, and the laws of challenge override all rules and restrictions in a walkabout.”
He froze as the meaning of her words sunk in. If he tried to stop the slaughter, and challenged his sister before the armies engaged, he couldn’t depend on Shar and the others to help him take her down. He also wouldn’t be fighting with swords, without the walkabout restrictions getting in the way, they’d be fighting in their true forms, with breath, claws, and teeth.
He’d have little choice, if he challenged her then she would surely turn, and he’d have no choice but to match her or be destroyed out of hand.
But it was a lot riskier. He’d be honor bound to make sure the others didn’t help him take her down, which in truth was probably his best hope of taking her down and not dying. Was maybe saving the lives of a couple of thousand humans worth that risk? Worth the sharper chances for him to lose everything?
Probably not, chances were the armies would fight anyway, but he wasn’t a coward, and it was his fault it was happening in the first place. Not his fault really, but he was why his sister was doing it. It would also shame his sister and extricate himself from an interkingdom conflict he had no business being a part of. Plus, his beloved wife cared deeply for her kingdom and the people in it, and he himself felt protective over them to a certain extent.
He would do it, now he just had to convince his bonded that it was a good idea.
“I’m sorry, April. I have to try. I’ll bring it up at the next meeting.”
He was sorry, because it was clear April didn’t want him to do it. She’d just done her duty in bringing the idea to him, and she feared for him. It was what it was.
Chapter Nineteen
It’d been a busy day, and it was shortly after dinnertime. Instead of sating his women in the princess’s suite, he’d agreed to talk to Cinder first in private, who’d been unusually quiet all day long. He was in his own suite, alone with her, while his monsters and succubus were guarding the princess in Cinder’s stead.
The phoenix truly was stunning. Her fiery red hair and orange ochre eyes were framed and set around and in a beautiful aristocratic face. Her sharp cheekbones and strong nose adding to her beauty and her full ruby lips were rather distracting. She had a long graceful neck,