So, no, it wasn’t the pyre that had bothered her. But the singing. For five days, the two women stood in the middle of the courtyard with their sister’s rotting corpse and sang songs of mourning to her “trapped” spirit.

Finally, on the fifth day, they’d built a funeral pyre and put their sister upon it and set her aflame.

Dagmar had let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was all over.

It wasn’t.

What came next was five more days of singing songs of celebration for their sister’s “freed” spirit.

And despite ten days of continuous singing, their horrid voices not only didn’t fade, but they bloody traveled. For miles, their voices traveled.

Once the mourning and celebration were over, the two Riders had gone on to obey Annwyl’s orders . . . by following Dagmar around. As if they were her dogs. But, unlike her dogs, they couldn’t follow orders. At least not from her. The Daughters of the Steppes had no respect for the “North-women” as they called Dagmar’s womenfolk. They thought them weak and unworthy of the respect they offered warrior women like Annwyl and Izzy.

Lately she’d been finding them camped outside her room inside the castle, like two stray dogs that had latched on to her for some reason. Except Dagmar’s dogs smelled better.

“Where have you two been?” Dagmar asked the women, since they rarely left her side these days.

“We do not trust these lizards the Dragon Queen has put in charge of your lands. So we went around to make sure all is well.”

“Those lizards,” Var informed them, “are my kin. I’d strongly suggest you remember that.”

“Does it not bother you, boy,” Nika, the eldest sister asked, “to be half of one thing and half of another? Would you not rather be all human, like me and my sister?”

Var laughed until he noticed the sisters did not join him. “Oh. You’re serious?”

“Come, Oksana,” Nika ordered her sister. “Let us go feed.”

They came up the steps, Oksana pausing to glare at Var. “I think our amazing daughters deserve better than this . . . strange boy.”

Var smirked, looking more like his father than Dagmar wanted to think about.

Leaning in, he said to the Rider, “I can unhinge my jaw and swallow your soul whole . . . or you can get out of my sight, Oksana Kolesova of the Mountain Movers of the Lands of Pain in the Far Reaches of the Steppes of the Outerplains.”

Lifting her chin, trying to at least pretend she wasn’t terrified at the threat of her soul ending up inside Dagmar’s son, Oksana sniffed and followed her sister into the Main Hall.

“Can you really do that?” Frederick asked Var.

“Do what?”

“Swallow her soul whole?”

Var snorted. “Of course not . . . but I can unhinge my jaw.” He shrugged at Frederick’s concerned expression. “At least I don’t have a tail. Some of my fellow Abominations have tails.”

* * *

Elina Shestakova of the Black Bear Riders of the Midnight Mountains of Despair in the Far Reaches of the Steppes of the Outerplains came out of her room, tying the black patch she often wore to cover her missing eye, only to immediately stop when she found the Kolesova sisters waiting for her.

She hated dealing with the Kolesova sisters. They were nice enough, usually. But they were such—such!—pains in the ass.

But they were here to protect Dagmar Reinholdt who Elina had become quite fond of over the last few years.

“Do you want something, Kolesovas?” she asked in the language of their people as her stomach grumbled. “You are denying me food.”

“You have become soft, Elina Shestakova, living among these decadent people who give you everything.”

“Yes. I know. My sister informed me of that last time she was here. I’ve just learned to accept it. Is there anything else?”

“That boy,” Nika said.

“You’ll have to be much more specific.”

“Dagmar Reinholdt’s son. Is he a demon who can eat souls?”

“Are you talking about Var?”

“Yes.”

Talaith, mate of Briec the Mighty, and mother of her own Abomination, was heading toward the Main Hall. She smiled at Elina as she walked by.

She caught Talaith’s arm and pulled her close. “Nika and Oksana want to know if our Var is a demon who eats souls.”

The two women stared at each other for a long moment before they faced the Kolesova sisters and said together, “Yes. Yes, he is.”

“Thank you, Elina Shestakova; Talaith, the brown one—”

“I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

“—we now know to avoid the boy. But I think the Northwoman is safe with him. He seems to like her. As much as a demon can like anyone.”

Talaith nodded. “Excellent point.”

The Kolesova sisters walked off and Elina let out a breath. “Thank you, Talaith.”

“Let me ask you, Elina . . .” Talaith put her hand on Elina’s shoulder and leaned in close. “. . . can we kill them with honor? You know, give them that glorious death they’re so desperate for? So we can stop having these bizarre conversations in the hallway.”

“Sadly, Kolesovas are very hard to kill. I know this because many have tried.” The two women made their way to the Main Hall and dinner. “But I am sure that if anyone can figure out how to kill them . . . it will be Dagmar Reinholdt.”

“And she is so close, my friend.” Talaith sighed out. “So close.”

Chapter Eleven

Aidan awoke before the two suns rose. He sat up and ran his hands through his hair, immediately noticing that Brannie was gone.

Getting up, he glanced over at the only other one who was awake. Rhona. Her hair was wet and she was already dressed to face the hard travels ahead.

Aidan motioned to Brannie’s empty bedroll and Rhona jerked her thumb west, through the trees.

Yawning, he eased his way out of the camp so he didn’t wake the others and headed west. Eventually he heard running water. He came through the trees just as Brannie broke the surface of the water, heading straight up into the still-dark sky. Her dragon form spun several times, hovering over that lake—and Aidan couldn’t look away.

What short tail? Her tail was . . . perfection.

Brannie spun one more time, turned over, and shot back down until she hit the lake.

Aidan jerked back but not fast enough, and he ended up drenched from head to foot.

With his arms spread out from his body, Aidan watched Brannie step from the lake in human form. She dug her fingers into her medium-length hair and shook the black strands out. It wasn’t until she flipped her head back that she saw Aidan standing there. And laughed.

“Yes, yes. Very funny,” he said with a smile.

“Just shift,” she told him around her laughter. “That’ll dry you off quick enough.”

Aidan did as Brannie suggested and she was right. When he went back to human, he and his new chain mail were completely dry.

“Anyone else up?” she asked, combing her hair off her face with her fingers.

“Just Rhona.”

“Of course.”

Aidan went to the lake’s edge and crouched down. He scooped water into his hand and brought it to his mouth, drinking deeply. He took several more scoops before standing and turning....

Brannie’s ass was right there. She’d bent over at the waist to shake her hair out once again. Was she doing this on purpose? Because he didn’t appreciate it one bit.

He leaned down and grabbed the robe that went with their surcoat and placed it over Brannie’s shoulders when she stood up.

She looked down at the robe, then up at Aidan.

“Uh . . . why?” she asked, appearing confused.

Stepping away from Brannie and facing her, he didn’t answer her question. “What’s our plan for today?”

Brannie frowned, black eyes watching him closely. After a few seconds, she replied, “Believe it or not, I’m leaving that up to Keita.” Without warning, she suddenly tossed the robe off her shoulders. Hands on her hips, she stood there. “This is really her mission. So, wherever we go, it will be up to her.”