Free The Dragon's Prize by Sophie Park Page B

balanced a skillet on the fire and started to pull some of their road meat and bread out of the pack.
    “They train us.”  Sandra shrugged.  It wasn’t the part of guard training that she’d really enjoyed, but she knew the value of it.  “In everything… I’ve just never had a chance to put it to use.”
    “Well, then it’s an adventure!”  Mira flashed a grin, then set about making a stew.  She chopped the dried meat and hard bread up, then added the herbs and some tubers she’d found in the forest while Sandra was busy with the horses.
    “Right.  Adventure.”  Sandra combed a hand through her hair and tried not to feel useless watching Mira’s expert meal preparation.  “Those are always grand and exciting.  I don’t remember much about stews or camping in the epics.”
    “They cut those parts out.”  Mira shrugged.  “I imagine most great adventures consist of a whole lot of nothing followed by the very small exciting part that they actually tell you.”
    “Hmm.”
    “Anyway, there will be excitement enough when we get to the mountains.”  Mira’s knife skills were impressive, and soon the skillet was bubbling and smelling far better than anything Sandra could have prepared.  “Speaking of which, do you have a plan?”
    “Kill the dragon.  Save the prince.  Profit.”
    “Oh.  Well, that’s good then.”  Mira sent her a wicked grin.  “No worries.”
    “None.”
    “You’ve got it all in hand.”
    “I do.”
    They stared at each other, smiling.
    “We’re going to die.”
    “No, come on.  We’ll think of something.  We have weeks!”  Sandra gestured at the forest all around them.  “And basically nothing to do but plan.”
    “Or brood on our imminent deaths.”
    “You can go, you know?”  Sandra suddenly got serious.  “There’s nothing stopping you from leaving.”
    “Loyalty?”
    “To the prince?”
    “To you.”
    “You know, I’m not that great a person.”  Sandra laughed bitterly.  “I got us into this mess in the first place, didn’t I?”
    “And now you’re risking your life for no other reason than to save your kingdom!”
    “I’m a guard.  It’s sort of what we train for.”
    “I don’t see any of them out here.”  Mira stopped for a moment to stir the stew and keep it from burning.  “Just someone they were ready to execute and a maid who got herself stuck in the middle of it.”
    “Well.”  Sandra couldn’t think of a good response to that.  “I guess they trained me better than the others?”
    “I guess.”  Mira took a quick taste of the stew, then added a few pinches of salt from a small bag in her pack.  “You’re not a dog, you know?”
    “What?”
    “You make yourself sound like… a tool.  A dog.”
    “Mira…”
    “No, listen.  You’re the best of them, and they can’t even see it!  They treat you like a bad taste in their mouths.”
    “Mira… thank-you.”  Sandra couldn’t help but feel proud and happy hearing Mira say those  things.  She stood up, which was much easier this time, and hugged her friend.
    “I just hope I can help.”
    “Well that stew smells great.”
    “It’s trail rations and scavenged plants.”  Mira shrugged, then pulled the skillet off the fire.  “Not exactly fancy fair.”
    “Better than just trail rations.”  Sandra considered the fire she’d made.  “Or burnt trail rations.”
    “I don’t think you can burn them.”  Mira smiled.  “They’re basically leather and rock.”
    “Oh, I can burn anything I set my mind to.”
    “I’m sure.”
    “Let’s eat!”
    Rather than dirtying a plate, they put an oilskin across their knees to keep from burning themselves and balanced the skillet between them.  They set about the stew hungrily, famished from the trials of the morning and the travel of the afternoon.
    Sandra intended to say something about how good it was, but instead couldn’t stop eating.  Mira was right, it was simple, but it still tasted