Page 14 of Court of Rivals
He’s right. It’s like they’re under some kind of spell. Some power beyond anything we’ve seen before.Is this some new danger from the Hollowborn?
“Prepare yourself!”I tell them, withdrawing my sword, even though I don’t know what good it’ll do against this creature.
It comes even closer, so close I can make out small details. It’s definitely a dragon. A black dragon. But it’s bigger than any I’ve seen before. Easily four times the size of Sylvara.
Could it be…?No, it couldn’t. It’s impossible. But whatever it is, it’s coming in fast.
My eyes narrow. “Holy shit! Get out of the way! It’s heading straight for us!”
All of us scramble out of the open training yard, racing to get beneath the shelter of the roofs that are the walkways surrounding the open training yard. Within seconds of the last rider diving beneath the wall, the massive beast comes crashing into the training yard. Dust rises up around it, and it throws back its head and roars, flames leaping from its mouth.
Then, it lowers itself and the woman on its back comes into view. A woman. Riding a dragon. The largest dragon I’ve ever seen. She has long blonde hair swept back from her face, the strands tangled by the wind. A face more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen, big hazel eyes, and sharp cheekbones. She looks tiny on the dragon, but she’s tall and well-built for a woman.
Who is this woman?
And what in the hell is going on? None of this makes sense. And I don’t like things that don’t make sense.
Her eyes sweep over all of us, then connect with me. Her voice comes out soft, feminine, but sure. “Uh, hi. Is this where the… the dragon riders come to train?”
6
Harper
Everyone is staring at us. I mean, I’d stare at us too, but surely they’ve seen dragons before. Hell, wejustflew through a couple dozen of them, so why is everyone acting like I have a fish on my head?
Maybe it’s because Ebron is so big. That’s got to be it.
My gaze moves back to the man I’d addressed my words to. I get the feeling he’s the leader here. Maybe because he’s taller than the other men, a lot taller. There are only two men that stand close to his height, but other than them, he dwarfs the others. He’s wearing all expensive-looking black leather, nearly the same shade as his shoulder-length black hair. And rather than looking frightened, like the others, there’s something sharp and cunning about his expression.
I try again, clearing my throat, and meeting the man’s deep blue eyes once more. “I’m Harper Nightborne, and I’ve come to train as a dragon rider.”
Introduce me too.Ebron, God of the Sky, King of All He Sees.
My stomach flips nervously. “And this is Ebron, God of the Sky, King of All He Sees.”
In my mind, Ebron makes a pleased sound.And mater of all females. Gods are there a lot of females here… more than I imagined.
“I’m not going to say that.” I mumble to him, then I consider his words. “Is that why you brought me here? All the ladies?”
I get the sense that he’s amused.
“Did you sayhe?” one man asks, stepping forward.
This man has neatly-trimmed brown hair, brown eyes so dark that they’re almost black, and the same strong jaw and cheekbones as the other man. Something about their impossibly beautiful faces makes me think they might be brothers, but who could possibly know for sure?
“Yes,he,” I tell them, trying to sound brave and certain, and not at all like the frightened little kid I feel like I am inside. “Ebron is a male dragon.”
All the men who surround me begin to murmur amongst themselves, and I don’t blame them. I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around the fact that not only do male dragons exist, one chose me as his rider.
“And you’re a girl dragon rider?” the brown-haired man asks, his gaze sweeping over me.
“She’s a woman, Prince Alaric, that’s obvious to every man in the room,” another person says.
This man has shoulder-length blond hair and impossibly green eyes. His lips are curved into a smile as he squeezes the other man’s shoulder, radiating amusement, but I sense something deeper. Confusion. Or perhaps interest in me and my dragon.
“There are no female dragon riders,” the man with black hair says coldly, eyeing Ebron. “If your dragon seeks a rider, we will surely find someone worthy of such a beast.”
To my shock, Ebron rears back, and I have to grip on tightly to his scales to keep from falling. He throws back his head androars angrily, then thrashes.I will have no other rider.Youwill be my rider.He settles back down, and I see the men have scattered in fear.
