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I don’t know a lot of things. But one thing I do know, is that once you hear it, you fucking run. The distant cry of it splits the air. A deep, haunting bray. An alarm as hollow as any nightmare could conjure. The Carnyx.
“The one son,” she murmurs.
“The one son.” Her voice grows louder. “Chosen to lead them all. Wasn’t a son but a maid.”
“Until binds of death did that grave deed bade…”
“In death blood is shed!” she screams.
“But from blood there is life!” She explodes into maniacal laughter then rears back and slams her head against the glass.
“Restored by air and night to end allll ssstrifee.” Her words slow and morph into a slur.
When I was a kid, her episodes consisted of her singing as she watched the distant clouds roll by, swaying to whatever had entranced her. At the time, I thought it was an exaggerated song of the sun and night.
My fingers brush over its surface, and the stone hums against my skin as if it bottled the electricity of a storm. I pause, my intuition urging me to leave it there. Or report it to the Padmoor council. But something else calls me to it, as if something whispers on a breeze.
Because dragons are ruthless. Vicious and savage creatures determined to destroy anything and everything in their paths. They are loyal to none.
“I have something else,” I whisper as I pull out the stone and present it to him.
Willard sucks in a breath and takes a step back, his hand covering his open mouth.
“Where did you get that?” His voice is tight.
He hesitates. Cautiously, he takes the stone from me and inspects the surface with a gentle stroke.
He shoves the stone back into my chest, and my br...
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“Never mind! Don’t answer that.” His hand shaking, he points at the door. “Return it at once. Don’t te...
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“You shouldn’t have shown me that.”
Secrets never die, they’re just buried in a grave. Secrets never die, they’re just buried in a grave. Secrets never die, they’re just buried in a grave. Secrets never die, they’re jus
“Listen to me!” my mother shouts over the roaring flames. “Find Cole, and take her back to the Dragon Lands. You aren’t safe here. Don’t come back. Trust no one!”
My own satchel sits on the ground near the bed, the flap open, and the stone missing. Panicked, I scan the room, searching as flames creep closer. From the corner of my eye, an orange light reflects off a dark, shiny surface peeking from beneath the edge of my bed. I reach for the stone, but the surface singes my fingertips. Crying out, I jerk my hand back.
The stone, I realize, is no longer whole but fragmented into pieces. As though it’s been broken open like a chicken egg.
I drop to my knees and squint through darkness and smoke for a better look. A pair of reflective orbs shine back at me in the light of the dancing flames. Before I can register what’s before me, the orbs blink and race toward me. A small dark creature scampers up my arm and o...
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The creature blinks, taking another step forward as I wave the stick wildly. Its gaze locks onto the wood in my hands. As I swing the stick, part of it splits from the main branch and flies off a few yards away. The creature darts after it, trotting back toward me with the stick in its mouth.
The creature’s proximity affords me a chance to study it. Dazzling black scales armor its body, and nubbed horns line its small head. It’s about the size of a large lizard except…lizards don’t have wings. A dragon.
Something nudges my boot, and I look up. The creature sits, its eyes round as it chirps. It nuzzles against my leg, and I quickly shift away. My mother’s words an echoed whisper in my mind. Take her to the Dragon Lands. My mouth parts, and I wipe away rivers of tears. Her…who else would she have been referring to? The rest of what my mother said echoes in my mind. Find Cole, and take her to the Dragon Lands. You aren’t safe here. Don’t come back. Trust no one.
The hatchling scurries toward me again as I hold out an open hand to pause her, but the tip of her nose brushes my palm. A shock of energy sings in my hand and trembles up my arm, my body writhing in response. A burst of air flares out from around us, rustling the leaves of the trees and blades of grass.
Daeja. I don’t know how or why. There’s no one around me to whisper it, nor is it spelled out in the sky. But somehow I know that’s her name. I pull my hand back and look at my open palm. A faint white ring wraps around the middle finger of my left hand.
A leather strap ties the two front folds closed. I trace my forefinger over the insignia etched into the weathered brown cover, leaving a thin layer of dust coating my finger. The silhouette of a dragon perches on top of a capital A. The dragon’s long whip of a tail finishes out the crossbar of the letter. I edge open the cover, and my breath catches at the first page.
A Comprehensive Study of Dragons By Leland Blackwind Fire incarnate. Flame in flesh. Blood of power.
Most believe that the gods who created this world once resided here and created man and woman in their image. But they created dragons to embody the elemental forces. And to maintain peace and order amongst humans and creatures.
Man and woman were commanded to live in peace with dragons, trusting the dragons to provide a cosmic balance. And the dragons were to trust the humans’ laws. A system of checks and balances.
I turn and steal a glance at Daeja as she frolics through the tall grasses nearby. A blue butterfly floats past her, then circles back and lands on the tip of her nose. Daeja’s eyes widen, and her gaze flicks to me, her stance cautiously rigid. I give her a reassuring smile, and she looks back at the butterfly, its wings twitching in the breeze. In the blink of an eye, the butterfly lifts off her nose and flutters back through the clearing. Daeja chases after it, her immature wings flaring and disturbing her balance. She topples over then quickly rises again and stumbles as she continues her
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During my first shift on deliveries, a batch of crates arrived with ‘FRAGILE’ written in large letters across the wood. As I took the deliveries into the castle, a liquid sloshed inside the crates with each footstep.
I rub the heel of my hand over one eye and watch her figure blink out of existence before me. What the fuck, am I hallucinating?
She stretches her neck and flares her nostrils. Then, squeezing her eyes shut, she disappears again. Seconds later, she reappears.
“The rules in war are that the weakest links die. This mop will either be killed or get us killed. No use in giving the kid any hope.”
Ah yes! Our first look at Daddy D!
Willard spoke to me of a possible cure for my mother. There’s been accounts of people cured of lameness and disease in Stoneshire by a blue flame. He said sometimes there’s seasonal shifts in—”
“Don’t do this, please. This isn’t fair, Kat. You’re trapping me.”
“Trapping?”
If anything, I was trapped. If I stay here with him, I lose the only opportunity to save my mother. I may live the rest of my life in regret for not taking the chance. Even if it means going by myself....
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“Then if you feel so trapped, I’ll make it...
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“Kat, please, I love you. Can we please talk about this? I didn’t mean it like that—”
“Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me again. Leave me alone.”
Without another word, I race back home. Footsteps don’t follow me, and my name isn’t called out on the wind. He respects my request. Part of me wishes he didn’t.
Darian pours his flask into Cole’s mug, eyes trained on him in a silent challenge. “I like the way you try, Red.” Cole narrows his eyes, raises the mug, and downs the entire thing in a few gulps. A satisfied exhale slips off his lips. “Thanks.”
“Our fearless leader! Someday, I wanna be you when I grow up.”
I slip behind a tree and turn my focus to Daeja sitting on my shoulder. “I need you to understand me. You have to stay quiet. You stay hidden until I bring you out. Or we’re both dead.”
Hesitantly, I reach out to touch his cheek. Surging relief and longing constricts my throat. My mind races with all the things I want to say: I’m sorry. I love you. All the ‘I shouldn’t haves’.
“It’s been one hundred and forty-two days since I’ve told you how beautiful you are,” he slurs out.
He wraps his fingers around mine, both of our hands resting on his chest. “You’re with me. I’ll never let anything happen to you.”
