Chapter Eight
Landon
Vale towered behind Landon as Blaze lay back on the bed, his naked cock bobbing in front of Landon's face.
"Swallow me down, like your King showed you," Blaze murmured.
At that very moment, Vale moved, lining his formidable erection up against Landon's puckered hole.
Landon was lost. This was all he wanted. His body still sang from earlier when he'd been caught between two powerful men. They'd held him tightly and shown him pleasure he'd never imagined.
Then, the room jolted, and Landon sat up suddenly. Blaze and Vale were both there but frozen. The room darkened, and Landon didn't know if it was his vision blurring or the light being extinguished. He looked down in hopes that Vale or Blaze had woken up. He screamed, their bodies were gone.
"Little Pebble all alone," a voice sang to him from the darkness.
"Who's there? I'm-I'm only dreaming." He hoped that was true.
"Aren't we all? I don't know you, little Pebble. But you've worked quickly. Stuck between two rocks—"
Landon opened his eyes. When he'd gone to bed, he'd been satisfied, boneless. He'd been unable to do anything more than allow his eyelids to slide shut. The reason why that was flooded his mind all at once.
All the kissing…the licking…the suck—
The hard, warm body to his right stirred and Landon froze. He was still in the same bed with the same people, having made the same mistake he'd made the night before. Truthfully, he'd been worried for the two and when they'd both found him the night before, he'd been so relieved it had felt like he'd gotten a glass of sea berry wine after all. Then things had…gotten out of hand.
You didn't have sex, at least you have that. But was what they did very much different from sex? Shame grew inside him like a ball of snow rolling down a hill, gathering until it was a monster of the size it was before. Stuck between two rocks. The voice in his dream had been utterly unfamiliar but also accurate. The men on either side of him might as well have been rocks for how unmovable they were proving. As the seconds passed, Landon understood with more clarity that he needed to get out of that bed, out of that castle and back to his own island before he messed anything else up.
Because, it was clear that these two men were mates, even if they didn't want to accept it. They told Landon the night before that he had allowed them to be together, and now he would remove himself, so they truly could be. His heart gave a soft twang of sadness. He was comfortable between these two men. The night before, he'd felt satiated in a completely unfamiliar way, but he'd also felt accepted. These two men wanted to be around him despite his clumsiness or inadequacy as a guard.
He couldn't thank them by hanging around. The idea that he was there to help protect against the Golden Grandmother was a joke anyway. If the emerald dragons found themselves in a position that they needed to protect themselves from the ancient dragon, no one would be turning his direction for help.
Except, as Landon attempted to slide out by slipping down to the foot of the bed, Vale only tightened his hold around Landon's middle while Blaze lazily set his hand on Landon's ass. He stifled a moan, but his dick didn't even try to obey.
"It isn't morning yet," Vale mumbled without opening his eyes.
"Because you say so?" Blaze responded with his eyes closed as well.
Landon grinned without meaning to. There was a casual calm between these two men developed from years of being around each other. Landon wasn't jealous of it, the opposite, he loved it when they acted like this. Not like two political adversaries after each other's throats, but like friends who had centuries of companionship. Again, you have no place here, go, Pebble!"
He pushed down from the headboard, slipping down the comforter. He'd gone under the blanket, instead of over and now he was stuck and lost. The cover was still tucked tightly under the mattress and Landon couldn't get it to tug free. It got hotter by the millisecond and it was dark. Vale moved, and Landon squeaked as his bottom half rolled toward him, revealing the King's erect and naked cock.
"Whatever you're doing down there, I like it," Vale murmured.
Folded almost in half in his attempt to get free, Landon pushed up and the blanket gave way a little, but he was still trapped. He sighed. "I'm stuck."
"Hm?" Blaze replied, amused.
There was movement from the top of the bed and then light and blissfully fresh, cool air. "Do you need some help?" Vale asked, poking his head down under the blankets.
Landon tried looking away, the movement just brought him closer to Vale's erection which he seemed unabashedly fine with. "Can you just, like, kick the blanket free down here?" Landon asked.
Blaze's head joined Vale's. "Why? That way leads away from the bed."
They were going to make him spell it out and they were going to enjoy it. "I was trying to slip out."
Vale bent down, allowing the blanket to cover his upper half so he was underneath it with Landon. "It doesn't look like that."
It took only moments for Blaze to join them. "I'm ready for round two."
Despite himself, Landon smiled. Three grown men huddling under a blanket, it had to look odd. And it wasn't at all what he intended! "Look, last night was great. More than great. Last night was…whoa. But—"
"Oh, how I hate that word," Vale drawled.
"But can't you see how I am in the way here? It's like one of those old games I played in school. A group of items and one of the things is not like the others. That's me. I don't belong…here." I don't deserve it either!
Blaze looked around where they were. "I think there is a strong argument that none of us belong here. I for one, would rather you on the other side of the bed. Maybe on your knees? Or your back? Or, I could hold you in the air above me while Vale—"
"I like the idea of that," Vale replied.
"You didn't let me finish," Blaze snapped.
"I didn't think I had to."
Landon set a soft palm on both men's forearms and they looked down at him, their faces clearing away the annoyance that had been beginning to grow there. "This is fun, but it isn't right. You two have a history. Do you see the excitement in your people's faces when they see the two of you together? It's like their parents split up and got back together. And then there's me…the mistress…mister?" He didn't know what it was called, but he knew how it felt. Letting this continue was like doing a disservice to the entire island of emerald dragons.
Vale and Blaze looked at each other and a soft dread filled Landon. They weren't going to just let him go.
"Okay, I can see you've really thought this out," Vale replied.
Landon cocked his head to the side.
Blaze nodded along. "Clearly, after a night like last night couldn't convince you to stay, then you must mean what you say."
Landon's eyes went from one formidable dragon to the next. "O-kay…I'll just go then…"
Vale held the top of the blanket tightly. "You should at least let us try again to convince you," he said with a knowing smile that Blaze quickly returned.
"It's only fair."
"What?" Landon sputtered. "No, that isn't fair. It's…playing dirty."
Without warning, Vale pulled Landon up out from under the blankets and into a tight embrace. "How else do you expect us to play?" he asked as Blaze slid behind Landon, rubbing his ass while teasing between his cheeks. "You see, I did some thinking as well. I don't want either of you to leave." He looked over Landon's head so that he could make eye contact with Blaze. "Either of you," he repeated.
Warmth exploded in Landon's chest. He'd meant what he said when he'd told them that he thought they deserved to be together. But at that moment, a seed of hope lodged in his heart. Could he also belong? How? What do you bring to this table? He wasn't strong or firm. He couldn't command an island of people peacefully for centuries. Landon attempted to turn from him, a move that only brought him face to face with Blaze.
"Stay," Blaze whispered, caressing his cheek.
Landon's mind grew fuzzy. Both men slept naked, a fact that became harder to ignore with every second. "Until when?" Landon heard his traitorous mouth ask.
"Until forever," Vale replied a moment before Blaze claimed his mouth in a searing kiss.
He should have been worried about morning breath, or, you know, destroying the fragile bond that was beginning to grow between these two fierce lovers. But, Landon couldn't ignore his selfish streak and he accepted everything Blaze had to give him. Then, he turned his head around and did the same with Vale. His beast had been uninterested while Landon had been trying to escape and had been less than entertained by the talk that came after. But right now? His beast was awake and roaring for more. Except, his inexperience meant he longed for things he didn't have the words for. A whimper escaped his lips.
"What is it?" Vale asked.
Landon's erection throbbed, the rest of him felt pulled so tight he would be surprised if he snapped in half. His nipples, tightened into stiff peaks, scraped against the fabric of the blanket, adding fodder to the fire burning through his body. "I want…" He didn't have the words, but he had the actions. Landon pushed back and for a moment, Blaze didn't let him go as if still afraid he was trying to leave. He must have seen the desire burning in Landon's eyes because he let him slip free the next moment.
Now, the two men were on their backs on the bed looking at Landon who sat on his knees halfway down the mattress. He didn't know where this foolish bravery was coming from but from the looks on the other men's faces, they enjoyed what he was doing so far. He pulled the blanket down, revealing a pair of the most beautiful cocks he'd ever see. Landon licked his lips and bent down over Vale's throbbing erection. He set his tongue against it, marveling at how soft it still felt even while being so hard. Like stone wrapped in velvet, he explored the taste and feel all the way down to the base where Vale's curly hair tickled his nose and made him aware of exactly what he was doing.
"You look so handsome down there," Vale murmured.
Landon smiled and kissed the length of him up to the tip where his lips brushed against a pearl of fluid that had gathered. He licked it and groaned. The King's taste was wild and powerful. Landon couldn't say he enjoyed the flavor, but the act, the raw, primal nature of consuming his pleasure, shot arrows of lust through his body. He straightened and settled his lips on Blaze's dick. He'd been waiting so patiently that Landon gave him an extra lick starting from the base and going all the way up.
"Holy hell," Blaze murmured. He turned his head to Vale and they shared a passionate kiss, the sight of which made a jet of pre-cum shoot out of Landon's dick and soak into the bedding.
He kept Vale in his left hand, stroking him softly as he made out with Blaze's dick. He kissed and licked the spongy head, nibbling down the length where he took an experimental lick against Blaze's balls. He nearly shot off the bed, making Landon smile. He wrapped his right hand around the man and stroked him as well. With matching tugs, he rubbed the men at the same time, drunk on the power of controlling two powerful creatures with just his hands. When he looked up at their faces and witnessed not just the naked desire but need in their expressions, he smiled wickedly. This was him. He was making them feel this way.
"Turn around," Vale ordered with a tone that took away any confusion as to who was in charge.
Landon furrowed his eyebrows. Turn around? Where?
Blaze must have seen that Landon didn't understand because he bent down and lifted Landon, spinning him easily around so that he was still on his knees, but bent over and facing the opposite direction. He was still dick level and quickly returned his hands to their rightful spots, but now, his ass was up, exposed and face level to the two men behind him.
Landon clenched his muscles in excitement. His hole ached, screaming to be filled. At least, he thought that's what his body wanted. This was all new and he could only take it one sensation at a time. You shouldn't even be here! He screamed to himself. But the moment he felt small kisses at the swell of his ass, he told himself to shut up. He was getting this moment, even if it was the only one he got.
"If it's too much, hold up your hand," Vale told him. Before Landon could wonder what would be too much, he felt Vale's hand at the back of his head, leading him toward Blaze's dick. He parted his mouth obediently and was rewarded with a mouth full of dick. Vale's hand pressed gently but insistently, urging him a little further than he might have gone on his own. Vale stopped before he gagged though and simply held him there while Blaze's guttural moans filled the room.
Then, thick, confident fingers spread his cheeks open. They probed down to his hole, teasing the outer ring of muscles before slipping further down to cup his balls. Landon moaned around the dick in his mouth.
"Fuck, that feels amazing," Blaze said, dipping the tip of his finger inside Landon's hole. He whimpered, wondering when the pain would come. He'd heard that this would hurt, that it could. In fact, the other guards in his division made sex sound like something you did to someone else, using their body for your own pleasure. While Landon definitely felt used, he didn't feel like he wasn't getting pleasure in return. That couldn't have become clearer when he felt something cool at his backside and then, Blaze's finger, or Vale's—from his position he honestly couldn't tell—slipped inside past his first line of defense.
Vale's hand clenched, pulling Landon's hair until Blaze's dick popped out of his mouth with a slurping noise. He wasted no time guiding Landon over to his own dick but this time he didn't push Landon's face down. "Lick the tip," Vale told him and he complied. "I want you to wait until you can't stand it anymore until your body demands that you suck me," Vale said.
Landon understood the words but not the emotion. He enjoyed this, but why would his body demand he—
Just then, Blaze slipped the rest of his finger in, his passage smoothed by something that allowed Blaze's finger to slide in and out of Landon without much resistance. Landon wailed, his back bending beneath the pleasure. When a third hand reached for Landon's dick it was his turn to vault into the air. Luckily, he had two strong men to catch and hold him.
With a hand wrapped around his erection and now two fingers up his ass, Landon finally understood what Vale had meant. The craving to fill his mouth up as well was impossible to ignore. He nearly swallowed the King's cock in his excitement and it wasn't until the head hit the back of his throat that Landon felt satisfied.
The next few minutes were a blur of moans. Landon lost count of who touched him where. He sucked Vale's dick only to have his mouth pulled away and guided to the other. Landon's core tightened. His orgasm bubbled just under the surface. The finger in his ass hooked, brushing a, until that moment, untouched part of his body. He screamed, the noise muffled by the insistent flesh in his mouth as the other hand tugged purposefully at his dick. Holding back was a lost cause and Landon gave up. His climax sent him over the edge, quickening the pace at which he sucked. He was still orgasming when the first dick came in his mouth. He instinctively swallowed the liquid before settling his lips around the second dick and bringing him to a roaring orgasm.
After, Landon simply let his body flop to the side. He was still upside down on the bed, his ass was in someone's face, but he was too boneless to care.
A few minutes of catching his breath later Vale barked out, "Will you stay now?"
Despite his efforts, a part of Landon always knew he would. He opened his mouth to say as much when there was a knock at the door. He froze. Was he supposed to be there? Was Blaze? He peeked at the man under his arm and saw that Blaze was entirely undisturbed by the visitor.
"One moment," Vale called out, getting to his feet and slipping on a pair of loose pants. "Take him into my washroom. Morning has come," he said with resignation.
Blaze lifted Landon up like he weighed no more than a child and cradled him against his chest like he was one. Vale threw them one last longing look before turning away and toward the door.
Inside the washroom, they could both still hear the conversation in the other room and neither Blaze nor Landon attempted to mask the fact that they were eavesdropping. Landon spared the space a quick glance. In a different circumstance, he would have been flat out impressed by his surroundings. Never was the marriage between nature and man as apparent as in this room. It looked like a jungle that grew around stone. The air was warm, and a fountain trickled in the corner. In the center of the space was a sunken pool, the clear water reflected the surface as puffs of steam rose into the air.
"Sir," Juniper said, her voice rushed, and a tad panicked. "There are reports from the gardeners of a black dragon circling the island. He keeps swooping down before rising again. They think he's looking for the tunnel."
"Why can't other dragons see the tunnel?" Landon asked Blaze quietly.
"Pollen from the plants is visible to only an emerald dragon. To all others, it is like camouflage." Blaze set Landon in the pool of water and absently began rubbing his skin with a cloth. Landon let the man care for him, sensing that Blaze needed to as much as Landon wanted him to. He looked into the dragon's face. He looked older than Vale, though Landon knew they were the same age. The black hair of his temples was dusted with grays and he had crinkles at the corners of his eyes that were most visible when he smiled. His green eyes were brighter and more beautiful than anything that grew in that room. The most noticeable difference between him and Vale was the scar that ran down the side of his face from the end of his eyebrow down to his chin.
"How did this happen?" Landon asked, letting his fingers barely brush the skin there. Blaze closed his eyes and held onto Landon's hand, keeping him there.
"That was a choice. And a statement."
"A protest?" Landon asked.
"Of sorts."
The next moment Vale entered, his eyes falling on the two of them. Blaze sat outside the pool with Landon submerged in the water. "I have to go topside," Vale said begrudgingly. "You two should stay here and continue."
"Like hell," Landon said, getting to his feet. He looked down, seeing the water sluice down his naked body and he squeaked, letting himself fall back down under the water.
Vale laughed affectionately and sat beside Blaze. "It's too dangerous. The onyx dragon could be here to harm us."
"More reason why you shouldn't go alone," Blaze replied. He handed Landon a towel that he used to wrap around his lower half. "But, Landon…"
Landon sliced his hand through the air, cutting off what Blaze had been about to say. He'd been about to tell Landon he shouldn't go. Well, Landon was having exactly none of that. "Technically I am a diamond dragon guard on loan, which makes me the only guard on this island." Thankfully, the two perfect men didn't mention that he was pretty crap as a guard.
***
"Stay near me," Vale ordered Landon as they shifted and prepared to meet the onyx dragon. "I want to feel your breath on my neck," he commanded, and Landon rolled his eyes. "I heard that," Vale snapped.
Beside them, Blaze chuckled. The sound came out as a rumbling growl. They climbed up the tunnel, a process that was much slower than bursting through the dome, but Vale explained it was also safer. The gardeners would immediately destroy the tunnel after them so once they were out, that was it. "I've got your back," he said, and the rumbling tone of his dragon's voice was just a little bit deeper than when he was in his human form. All dragons could speak telepathically when in their dragon forms. It was much like speaking out loud in that there were limits of distance.
Blaze's assurance reminded Landon of when he had his back. He shivered as he replayed the moment when Blaze's fingers had filled his ass. Would a cock feel better? Or would it be too big? Now that Landon had his first look at both of them, he wondered how they would ever fit.
"Stay focused," Vale snapped not unkindly. They didn't know what this dragon was here for and if the state of their messenger was any indication, he wasn't here to share a coffee and chat.
They climbed toward the light at the end of the tunnel and when they emerged, Landon waited for Vale to take flight before pushing up off the green overgrowth and into the sky. The wind caught his diamond wings as he flapped them once, getting enough momentum to launch his body past Vale, He hadn't meant to shoot up so far. Vale didn't like it either and when he caught up, he gave Landon a low warning growl.
"I told you to stay back," Vale grumbled.
"I didn't mean to!"
"I've got him, Vale, don't worry," Blaze's low tone filled Landon's mind.
"If you have me then who has him?" Landon asked.
Above them, a bored, unfamiliar voice broke into their conversation. "Should I come back?' the droll voice asked.
Landon looked up, seeing nothing. He kept quiet though as they continued to climb, breaking through the cloud line into a bright, blue-sky world. It was impossible to miss the great big, shining black dragon flapping his wings just fast enough so that he remained in one spot. He moved oddly, like wet fog but with substance.
Like a shadow, Landon thought, surprised. He'd figured the whole shadow business was all talk. "Wow."
Both Vale and Blaze growled.
"A King and his mates?" The onyx dragon eyed them with open curiosity.
Mates? They couldn't be that!
"And who are you?" Vale asked brusquely. Landon didn't think it was to speak to a foreign King with such an obstinate tone but believed Vale knew more about Kinging than he did.
The black dragon managed to gather his muscles, pausing in mid-air to strike a regal pose. "I'm the King, of course," he replied.
"Like hell," Blaze replied as Vale let a burst of fire out of his mouth and into the air. It burned bright before extinguishing just to the right of the onyx dragon's head. A warning shot.
As the slick black dragon's narrowed gaze settled on Landon he discovered why the other two hadn't wanted him there. He was a liability in a situation like this. The onyx dragon had found their weak link. Landon slipped back, fully hiding behind Blaze. It was only slightly humiliating, hiding like a child, but if it allowed the two men to concentrate, he would take it.
"You're smarter than I thought the Emerald King would be."
Blaze roared at this, adding his own fire to the sky. From Landon's vantage point, he couldn't see the commotion in front of the Blaze which allowed him to see what was happening below them.
"He's not alone," Landon announced as two other onyx dragons circled from beneath them like sharks toward a seal.
Both Blaze and Vale moved faster than Landon's eyes could keep up. They were blurs as they set up a loose formation around him. The onyx dragon smiled smugly, a terrifying site while he was in his dragon form.
"I take back what I said. Our King would never show his hand so easily. In a moment of danger, who did you both choose to protect? The tiny foreign dragon behind you. Not your people or your kingdom."
"You could never gain access into The Garden on your own."
"That's what you believe."
They were losing altitude, slowly drifting back down to solid ground. Landon's claws clenched the foliage when they landed. All that talking while staying in one place in the sky was making him dizzy. The other onyx dragons landed behind him. Then, the onyx dragon in front did something Landon never expected. He shifted.
In his human form, the dragon's skin was olive toned. His body, as naked as the day he was born, was well muscled and the man clearly had no misgivings standing in front of complete strangers without a stitch on. Though, his nudity wasn't even the most noticeable thing about him. The man's entire body, from neck to ankles, was littered with scars. Some looked like bite marks from a beast Landon didn't want to imagine. Others looked like knife wounds, a few claw wounds, Landon got the idea this man wasn't well liked.
"Getting your fill, little diamond?" the man asked suggestively.
Blaze and Vale closed ranks in front of him. They remained in their dragon forms.
"I keep forgetting that I come in peace," the man joked. "My name is Luca, I am the Shadow King's brother and come with his full authority."
"His authority means nothing here," Vale replied. "Tell me why you harmed our messenger or get off my island. This meeting has already gone on too long with zero substance."
Luca flicked a bit of dirt out from under a pointed fingernail. Landon found it odd he should be worried about cleaning his fingers while he stood with his national treasures on full display, but he thought maybe the gesture was part of Luca's act. If he seemed bored, he couldn't seem worried, scared or nervous. "A regrettable mistake. Our King thought you meant to harm our people. Your message sounded as if the three tribes were colluding against us. We understand that of the tribes, we are the most misunderstood. And yet, despite the substandard treatment, we are strong."
"You are also long-winded," Blaze added.
Shocked at first, Landon slowly saw what his two men were doing, keeping Luca off his guard, interrupting and never giving him a chance to crawl up his soapbox. They operated smoothly and seamlessly, a perfect pair, just as Landon had said.
"Our message remains the same. We would like to plan a meeting with your King. The Golden Grandmother affects us all and he should have a say. If he doesn't want one, we'll move forward without his say."
"The Shadow King has no concern over what you do with your own prisoner," Luca replied as the dragons behind him grew restless.
Vale's words were laced with sarcasm. "I think it best for the King's messenger to allow his King to make those sorts of decisions."
Finally, Luca's face burned red with anger, Vale had gotten an emotion out of him. "I am here with his full authority!"
"But you aren't him. Until you're King, don't speak for one. This meeting is over, I'll wait for your King's official reply." Vale turned from them, showing his back like he hadn't a care in the world over them attacking him.
Landon wasn't quite so brave and kept one eye on the dark dragons. He saw Luca's internal fight. For a terrifying moment, Landon worried Luca would attack, but he managed to calm himself so that the veins in his neck didn't stick out quite so much. He jumped into the air, shifting midway and soaring from them like a rocket as his guards followed.
"You'll need to hold my tail. The tunnel is gone, and the gardeners haven't had time to grow a new one."
Needing to swim through the water with Vale's tail in his mouth was the final cherry topping on Landon's mortification sundae. He'd proven useless during the meeting and now, he needed to enter back in through the dome like a child holding his parent's hand. Vale managed to shoot them through the dome directly above his quarters. They landed on his balcony, the other two shifting as they fell while Landon waited for there to be something solid beneath him before he tried.
"Can you believe what he said? About us being mates?" Landon sputtered.
Vale simply replied, "We are."
Landon froze. "We who?"
"We, us, you, Blaze, me. Honestly, didn't you suspect there was a reason we can't keep our hands off you?"
Blaze set a warm hand on his shoulder. "I figured it out the day before, when I first saw you."
"Well, I knew the moment I saw him days before you even got here!"
Landon lifted his hands, settling a palm on the chest of the man on either side of him. "Enough, you are both very smart, and also mates. Duh. But, me…I'm an interloper, I'm—"
"King Vale!" Juniper shouted on the other side of his door. The next moment it swung open, slamming against the wall.
"That can't be good," Blaze commented as Juniper stepped in, her eyes looking a little crazy as she surveyed the room.
Then she opened her mouth and spoke. "The second field is dead, my King. The only roses we have left in this entire kingdom are in your private stash."
***
Landon signed the last letter he'd finished and rolled it tightly before handing it, along with the one he'd written his mother to the messenger. He'd probably written and re-written the letter a few hundred times while he rode that fine line of trying to keep his King informed while not betraying his other King. In the end, he told King Sebastian the basics, that they'd made contact with a representative from the onyx dragon tribe, that they were waiting for word but that things were still in turmoil. He didn't mention the roses or how freaked out that was making everyone.
According to Vale, the gardeners kept their elixir in a diluted form that was useless for consumption by a dragon but would allow them to still manipulate the plants. They were going to try to use that to grow more from the King's supply, but no one knew how well that would work since the roses normally required an undiluted mixture.
At least the dome wasn't going to crack and collapse over their heads.
After sending word—the letter to his mother contained much more personal details regarding the men he had met—he decided to visit the market to prepare something special for Blaze and Vale since they'd been hard at work since they'd gotten the word from Juniper.
As he walked down, the emerald dragons spotted him and whispered. He encountered more than one scowl and when he passed a woman carrying her baby, the baby smiled at Landon which he reciprocated. That made the mother angry as she shielded her child, turning like her body was a shield.
No stranger to adversity, Landon continued and tried to ignore the stares. Soon, he began to hear the whispers.
"Diamond foreigner, everything was fine before he got here!"
"He's cursed! King Vale should send him home, or to the graveyard!"
That one made Landon shudder. He hoped to never visit the dungeons beneath them ever again. While he'd had a huge meal planned, maybe he would have to settle with just baking some fresh bread. He slipped into the first stand he saw that looked like it was selling baking materials. The merchant, a short man with frizzy white hair lifted his lip when he saw Landon approach.
"We're closed," he said with a scowl.
Shame and embarrassment normally would have had Landon turning and leaving. There were clearly other customers shopping. The stand wasn't closed, only to him. The Foreigner. Except, he wasn't baking the bread for himself, he was baking it for Vale and Blaze. They likely hadn't thought of their own stomachs all day and would be starving.
"You don't look closed," Landon replied, impressed with his own bravery.
"You may have bewitched the King into doing your bidding, but you have no control here," the man told him. "This is my shop, and I say it is closed."
There was being brave in the face of a bully and deciding when it wasn't safe to do so. The other customers had stopped their shopping at stepped closer, caging Landon in. "Fine," he said with his hands raised. "I'll go. But I swear, this happening, it isn't my fault." Landon realized he'd made a mistake the moment the words left his lips. It was as if simply admitting there was a problem in the kingdom was like admitting he was the cause.
"As if we believe you," a young woman muttered.
"Probably trying to curse us right now!" another one added.
"We should put a stop to it while we still can!" another voice added to the buzz that grew louder with each angry addition.
Landon spun around toward the exit and found it blocked by a group much larger than was there moments before. He saw the angry, scared faces and understood finally the concept of mob mentality. Alone, these dragons were likely fine, understanding people. Right now, they were a beast that demanded blood.