Cassandra would never get used to the Imperial Concubine treating a humongous beast like Krai as she would a mischievous child. The dragon ignored the mother, and scooted to Cassandra’s side, sniffing her frantically. She sighed and put her hand on the dragon’s warm scales, feeling a bit better by its contact.
“Where is your Master?” she sighed.
Krai growled softly, lying down next to her, though it was big enough for Cassandra to still caress its head. As she was waiting for her Prince to arrive, Cassandra remembered something she had meant to ask Kareen.
“Some of the first Prince’s concubines approached me earlier.”
“Did they?”
Cassandra explained their brief exchange to Kareen in a few words, looking for her opinion on the two concubines. The Imperial Concubine stayed silent for a few seconds, but she didn’t seem too surprised.
“I don’t think those two have any ill intentions,” she said. “They are aware Sephir is weak, and could die in the upcoming years. If it happens, those women will need someone’s protection in the Imperial Palace. They are probably thinking you might be the next Empress, and are taking an early start on befriending you.”
“Why would anyone want to attack widows?” asked Cassandra, confused. “No concubine can get on the Empress throne without their Prince becoming Emperor first…”
“They may lose their Prince, but those two have children. When a new Emperor gets on the throne, he often gets rid of the potential competition, as much and as fast as he can. That includes his brothers’ male descendants. Those women are probably hoping you’ll watch out for their children if anything happens.”
Cassandra hadn’t thought of things that way. Kairen’s nephews were also potential rivals. If she remembered correctly, he had seven of them already. Prince Sephir had one son and two daughters so far, but he could still have more. Those concubines were probably seeking her protection, just in case… However, Cassandra doubted Kairen himself would take any action against the children unless he had a good reason to.
Cassandra realized she had never seen any of the Princes’ children. Were they all staying with their mothers, out of harms’ way? Maybe in different locations than the Imperial Palace? She knew she wouldn’t want her son here unless she had no choice. It was too dangerous for a young heir. Just like her son, Kairen’s nephews probably each had young dragons, too.
“How many dragons are there in total?” asked Cassandra.
She had just realized, not only did the young Princes’ have dragons, but also, like Srai, some dragons had probably outlived their masters as well!
Kareen seemed hesitant.
“As far as I know, about twenty. There are only seven adult dragons, that I know of for sure, but the old schmuck might be hiding more.”
Cassandra realized Kareen was right… The Emperor could have kept some of his dead brothers’ dragons, or some of his nephews’. No wonder the Dragon Empire was so strong compared to other countries. Not only do they have dragons, but their enemies couldn’t even know how many there really were!
She wondered if all the rumors she had heard about the army of dragons were true. Cassandra couldn’t help but think it would be a truly beautiful sight to see all seven flying together.
“Cassandra!”
She sat up at the Prince’s call.
Kairen came in like a storm, headed right her way, looking half-worried, half-furious. Shareen was behind him, but Cassandra only got a quick glimpse of her. Her Prince immediately grabbed her in his arms, carrying her like she weighed nothing once again.
“Are you injured?” he asked while scanning her all over.
“No, no I’m fine, I just got a bit of a fright…”
“That sister knows when to get her in trouble,” said Kareen.
In a few words, Cassandra tried to explain what had happened, from the moment Phetra had appeared in her garden. At each sentence, the War God’s eyes darkened scaringly. Cassandra was worried he would get mad at Missandra, while she thought Kareen had already scolded and scared her enough.
“So?” said Kareen. “What are you going to do now?”
“That bitch Phetra needs a lesson”, hissed Shareen. “A real one.”
“Wait, Missandra provoked her,” said Cassandra. “What if she gets punished?”
“Actually,” said Kareen, “your sister could use some punishment.”
Right after that, she walked off, leaving the siblings and Cassandra alone in the garden. She was worried.
“I know I shouldn’t have let Missandra provoke Phetra,” she said. “But I just couldn’t stop my sister, and things got out of hand so fast…”
