Rhona looked Caswyn, Uther and, finally, Aidan over before announcing, “These dragons are Mì-runach. Slow. Lumbering. Like bears.” She shrugged. “They run naked and screaming into battle to terrify the weak and startle the strong. So I will give them very good weapons that fit their”—she thought a moment—“skills. That fit their skills better than your weapon. Okay?”

Brannie opened her mouth, but Rhona quickly cut her off with “Good.”

Not bothering to argue any of this with Rhona the Fearless—she’d always made her feelings on the Mì-runach abundantly clear—Aidan held up the new equipment she’d provided and asked, “Anything we need to know about this?”

“Chain mail shirt and leggings, sword belt, and weapons will shift with you. Chain mail boots are for when you are human, but when you shift to dragon, they will turn into greaves to protect your lower legs and cover your heel tendons.” She handed each a dark red cape and stated, “These are bewitched. They’ll shift when you do and the color will change as needed. Shadows will be your friends in these.”

“Will we be invisible?” Uther asked.

And the look Rhona gave him . . . no wonder she didn’t trust him with Brannie’s weapon. “No.”

Uther recoiled a bit. “I was just asking.”

“These surcoats are like the capes and have the crest of a royal family that hasn’t chosen sides one way or the other. It should keep you safe enough on these roads.”

After the clothes, Rhona handed out swords and short daggers for eating, expertly crafted by her and her father. Once done, she gave Uther a big ax, Caswyn a medium-sized hammer. And Aidan she gave a long-bladed dagger. All these weapons would change size when the wielder did.

Aidan held up his long-bladed dagger. “What am I to do with this, Rhona the Fearless?”

“What you do best,” she replied with a wink.

Then she handed Brannie an ax, a war hammer, and a gladius. All for her and her alone.

“But me stick?” Brannie asked.

“Looks like a stick. Use it when they least expect it.”

With a yawn, Rhona pointed at the meat over the fire. “Is that done? I’m starving and we need to get some sleep. We start early tomorrow.”

Uther and Caswyn pushed past Rhona, the triplets, and the dragon protectors traveling with them to be first in line for food. Then Rhona had to pry a hammer from one of the triplets, who tried to use it to crush the pair’s heads in.

Chuckling, Aidan slipped the dagger into its sheath.

“What did Rhona mean?” Brannie asked. “What do you do best?”

“When I first came for training, I was known for my skill of sneaking up on the other trainees and slamming their heads against walls.”

Brannie smirked. “Give you a hard time, did they?”

“I was the only royal in that class. They thought I was easy prey. I enjoyed pointing out how wrong they were. Sadly, my trainers didn’t appreciate my . . . reluctance to stop my reign of terror against my enemies.”