Page 34 of Crown of Slumber

“I know.” Sorrow crossed her features, and her brows knitted together. “Are you ready?”

I swallowed the last bite of bread and nodded. Aurelia climbed atop Mal, but when I moved to join her, she shook her head. “You’ll be flying Jorey.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

A loud, indignant snort sounded to my left. I turned and found the silver dragon pawing at the ground, his sharp talons piercing the soil. On his back was a saddle identical to Mal’s.

I felt the blood drain from my face as I gaped at Aurelia. “You can’t be serious.”

“If he’s to be your dragon, you need to learn how to fly on your own.”

“Notnow!” I said weakly. “I thought we needed to move quickly! How do you expect to travel to the border at a decent pace when you have to coach a bumbling idiot to fly on his own?”

She arched an eyebrow at me, clearly amused. “Bumbling idiot? You? Never.”

“I know. I’m normally the picture of charisma and grace. So you must know that if I’ll go so far as to say I’m a bumbling idiot around dragons, then I mean it.”

The corners of her mouth twitched, but she wouldn’t look at me. Instead, she focused on tightening the straps of the buckle on Mal’s saddle. “What did you mean when you said you came into the forest to dance?”

I was silent for a moment, still fixated on the horrifying notion of riding a dragon on my own. “What?”

She finally looked at me, her eyes solemn. “When we first met, you said you came into the forest to dance. Clearly, that wasn’t true, but I can’t figure out how you were able to say it if it was a lie.”

“Oh.” I swallowed around a tight lump in my throat as I was reminded, once again, of the deception of our first meeting.

Except itwasn’ta deception. Not on my part. As much as she wanted to believe in my duplicity, I hadn’t known her identity then.

Perhaps I could demonstrate as much with a kernel of truth.

With a deep breath, I said, “I didn’t say that was my purpose for being in the woods. I said I often went into the forest to dance. Which, in my kingdom, is the truth. Every week we hold a Nightfire fete, which involves food and dancing and merriment. It’s a celebration of stars and the resources that make it possible for the fire to burn brightly.”

Aurelia’s brows knitted together in confusion. “And you do this… in the forest?”

“The entire event takes place outdoors. On the balconies, the verandas, the gardens, and, yes, the forest. It’s a celebration of nature and nightfall, so it’s best enjoyed where we can see the stars. The Crescent Glade is my favorite place to dance during the fete. It’s just outside my castle.”

She made a small sound in the back of her throat, and it wasn’t until I looked at her and noticed her lips twitching again that Irealized it was a small laugh. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I’m just having trouble picturing you dancing on your own in the forest. It seems rather silly.”

“Well, of course it would be silly to dance alone. But I always have a partner.”

Her expression cleared, and she nodded, ducking her head as she continued fiddling with the saddle. “Right. Of course.” She cleared her throat. “And, with your dwindling resources, what does your court do now? Do you continue with these Nightfire celebrations?”

My stomach twisted at the reminder that my people were suffering. The last I’d seen, one of the Nightfire braziers had gone out, and the southern sector had been attacked by unseelie beasts.

How many other sectors had lost their Nightfire? How many people had we lost to the unseelie tribes?

“No,” I said at last. “No, I believe my mother would have discontinued the fete for the time being. But I’m hopeful that our arrival can start it up again.” Something warm tickled the back of my hand, and I jumped, my heart lurching in my chest. Jorey had drawn closer and pressed his snout into my hand as if searching for treats. His warm breath tickled my skin.

Aurelia laughed. “Saddle up, prince. It’s time for your first flying lesson.”

Even though Aurelia had instructed me on how to tighten the saddle, I still felt like I was about to fall off.

But, to his credit, Jorey was a smooth flier, and, unlike Mal, his movements were slow and careful, as if he knew how nervous I was. My body was rigid, my arms wrapped around Jorey’s neck as his silver scales dug into my flesh, but I didn’t care. It kept me more securely on his back.

“He can sense your distress,” Aurelia said as she and Mal glided alongside me. “He won’t fly so fast if he thinks you are uneasy.”

“Iamuneasy,” I snapped. “I can’t just turn off the emotion, Aurelia.”

She chuckled. My terror amused her. “Relax, prince. I wouldn’t have put you on my dragon if I thought he would kill you. That would go against our bargain.”

---