Page 11 of Court of Rivals
He squeezes me back. “You better.”
I move on to Oswin, who isn’t laughing any longer. “This is real? Like, really real?”
“Like, really,reallyreal,” I tell him, then hug him tightly too.
He hugs me and whispers in my ear. “Remember, you might be a girl, but you’re not a girly girl. You’re practically a boy. You can handle anything they throw at you.”
“Thanks,” I say and release him.
Rowan looks at me, oddly serious. “I’ve heard all about the dragon riding academy. Be prepared. They try to break you. They try to make you fail. Just remember that you’re a Nightborne. Our people have an irritating way of staying alive. We’re like cockroaches, you just can’t kill us.”
I laugh. “I’ll remember.”
Cedric is next, trying his best to give me a stern look while his eyes fill. “If anyone messes with you, just write home. We’ll come and deal with them, and I don’t care if theyarenobel pricks.”
I touch his cheek, then pull him in for a hug. “I will.”
As I stop in front of my parents, I see that my mom is already crying. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe that you’re going sofar away, to a place known for being brutal and awful. You’re my baby girl. I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” I promise, then hug her tightly as she clings to me. It takes her a while, but she finally lets go.
Then, my father and I are staring at each other. He offers me his hand, and we shake. “Nightbornes do not cry, do not give up, do not fail. We succeed, despite the odds.”
Now, tears prick my eyes. “I understand.” Then I let go of his hand and wrap him in a hug. He crushes me to his chest, and I can’t be sure, but I think I hear him sniffle.
There’s not a dry eye in the house as I climb back on Ebron, with his help. I wave at everyone, and they wave back, before I dig my hands back between his scales. We launch into the sky, but as we soar over the treetops, I spot someone far below. Arthur. He sees me, his eyes widen, and he begins to give chase, but I simply wave, knowing he’s too far away to see me.
When he disappears from sight, I concentrate on what’s ahead of me as the wind snatches away my tears.Stormwrath Academy, here we come.
4
Harper
It’s our third day flying together, and the sun is starting to set. I know what that means. Time to rest. Which my ass, legs, and arms are endlessly grateful for. Who knew flying a dragon would be this physically intense?
“Where are we going to rest for the night?” I shout over the wind.
Ebron’s thoughts come to me loud and clear.Just up ahead. Unfortunately, I’m still healing from my attack or else we could push through longer into the night, if necessary.
“You seem to be doing very well.”
Dragons heal quickly, but we notice the changes in our bodies. I would not want to face a bone wyrm in the night in my current state.
I pet his scales. “I’m sorry. That was a brutal attack.”
He makes a low humming sound, almost like a cat purring.Male dragons prefer to be alone for most of their lives, but when they get to a certain age, they start to feel restless. They start to want more than their solitary life. It’s clear to me that I’ve reached that point,because I enjoy your company. Even though you’re only human.
I’m not sure whether or not I should be flattered, or insulted. “I like your company too. I just feel like you’re like a pet that I’ve spent my whole life bonded to.”
Don’t call me a pet.
I laugh. “Sorry, I just sometimes think you can get closer to animals than you can ever get to people, because they have such pure hearts. They don’t have any bad intentions, they just are who they are. That’s how you are to me.”
He makes the humming sound again as I continue to pet him.Alright, I will try not to be insulted by your referral of me as a pet, but only because you are correct about animals. Humans are inferior to most of animal kind.
“Gee, thanks.”
To be fair, you’re better than sheep. Sheep smell far worse than most humans, they make terribly irritating sounds, and their flavor is boring. Sometimes I don’t even think they’re worth eating. I hate sheep.
