Page 103 of First Light

“He can’t be. Makes him the perfect partner.” Duncan strode past her, his cloak also stripped away and his massive arms bare to the shoulder. “How is it?”

“Stubborn,” Angus glared at something glowing in the coals. “Almost as stubborn as you.” He took a pair of tongs and lifted a red-hot piece of metal from the fire. “It’s thin; we could do with more if he was willing to give it.”

Duncan turned to Cadell and held out his arms. “You’re here.”

Cadell glanced at Carys. “I don’t want to scare her.”

Angus looked at Carys from the corner of her eye. “That one doesn’t scare easily. Her father made her brave.”

Carys looked at the strange creature. “What do you know about my father?”

“No questions right now.” Angus waved at Cadell. “Do it, dragon. We’ve been working on this thing for too long, and he’ll need it soon.”

“You’ll have to melt the blade down and reforge it,” Cadell said. “It will take time.”

“Time I have,” Angus said. “Do it.”

Duncan walked to the forge and picked up the glowing metal with the tongs Angus had put down. He sighed deeply and leaned on a low stone wall. “Unfortunately, I agree with Angus. The extra weight will be worth it if you’re willing to do it.”

Cadell looked at Carys. “We’ve come this far,” he said in a low voice. “But this is the last time.”

“It’s all we’ll need,” Angus said.

The dragon walked to a clearing on the other side of the forge and stepped out of his human skin and into his beast, spreading his wings and taking to the sky with a fantastic roar.

Carys’s heart leaped in her chest as she watched Cadell soar overhead, his body breaking the sky as he flew back and forth, clearly stretching his wings.

She whispered, “He really hates being human.”

Duncan walked over and looked up. “Aye, it’s not natural for them.”

She looked at Duncan, then at Angus. “So you built a secret forge so the fae don’t know you’re forging iron weapons.”

“You guessed that in one,” he said.

“Where are you getting the iron?”

Duncan said, “You’ll find out shortly.” He looked down. “Lachlan doesn’t know about it either, so not a word.”

“Why not?”

“He’s shit at keeping secrets.” Duncan glanced at Angus. “And this is a very big secret.”

“I thought the fae wouldn’t let any iron be mined or brought into Briton.”

“We’re not mining it.” Duncan glanced at Angus. “I’d like to say I managed to sneak some from the Brightlands through the fae gate, but I’m not that clever.”

Angus walked behind the forge and yelled, “He’s definitely not that clever.”

Duncan watched the sky. “Have you ever heard that phrase ‘forged from the blood of myenemies’?”

Carys blinked. “I’d always assumed that was a metaphor because I’m not really a fan of mass murder to get tiny amounts of iron from human blood.”

“Turns out you can forge iron made from the blood of friends too.” Duncan watched the dragon flying overhead. “If that blood is willingly given.”

“Oh my God.” Carys got to her feet. “Are you telling me?—”

“The amount of iron in human blood is minuscule compared to the amount in dragon blood.” Duncan walked toward the meadow as Cadell circled closer.