Page 9 of Court of Rivals
And you are happy with your life the way it is? You do not long for adventure? You do not long for anything more than you have?
I open my mouth, then close it. Of course I long for more. I’ve read a hundred books with heroes who go on epic adventuresthat change the world. But my family ishere. My friends arehere. My town ishere. I might have imagined going out in the great big world, but going on a little adventure and becoming a dragon rider are two entirely different things.
It’s settled,he says.Now get on my back.
“And what happens if I don’t?” I ask nervously.
His big head swings close to me, until his mesmerizing eyes are close to my face.Then I’ll have to carry you in my claws, and I guarantee you’d prefer to be on my back.
It’s strange. The world seems to slow down at that moment. Every sound fades away. Then a rushing fills my ears along with the strange realization that I’m not going to get out of this. I’m going to be a dragon rider, and this will be my dragon.
My legs tremble. “I just have one request. Can we stop by my home, so I can gather my things and say goodbye to my family?”
He’s quiet, but then nods after a moment.But we must make this quick. We will be the first male dragon/female rider combination in many lifetimes. Our fate will not wait for us.
Trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach, I stare at the large dragon. “How do I get up?”
Humm, he mumbles, then after a moment he continues,step on my wing and I’ll raise you up to my back.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I move towards the dragon, then step on his wing as instructed. He lifts his wing, and I’m thrown onto his back. I gasp, straddling the massive beast the best I can, while trying to grab onto his scales. My panicked thoughts of how this could possibly work toss around my head as his wings start to beat.
Which way?
I’m going to throw up.“There!” I point.
Suddenly, the dragon launches into the sky. A scream tears from my lips, and I shove my hands between his scales, holdingon for dear life. Air rushes around me. The ground is far below. And I’m glad I haven’t eaten, because there’s nothing in my belly to throw up.
I’ve never imagined what it would be like to fly on the back of a dragon, but if I had, this wouldn’t be what I pictured. The wind batters me, claws at me, and I have to grip on tight or else risk being tossed off to fall to my death. My teeth clatter together, and the chill of the wind hurts my skin.
Look for your home, little human, or else we shall miss it.
The last thing I want to do is look down, but I do, because all of this is happening so fast. And if I miss my chance to stop at my home, my family won’t know what happened to me. They’ll assume I was killed in the forest, and I would hate to break all their hearts when a little bravery will allow me to speak to them one final time. Besides, it sounds like I’m restarting my life somewhere else. I wouldn’t mind having some of my belongings with me as I do.
I look down and my stomach lurches again as I realize just how high I’m up. If I fell from here, I’d be nothing but a smudge on the ground. Still, I push past my panic, eyes searching, then, my farm comes into sight.
“There!” I shout again, the word being torn away by the wind.
But he seems to understand because he tilts down, and my body inches forward as we head directly for my farm. My teeth are smacking together again. My head feels light. And then we land roughly on the ground not forty feet from my home.
He flutters his massive wings.Flying is good for healing.
My legs are shaking, but I move to slide off, then start falling off instead. He lifts his wing to catch me, then lowers me to the ground, where I remain, shaking. The door to the house opens,and my father steps out. His eyes widen when they land on the dragon, and he backs up, moving to slam the door.
“Wait!”
He hesitates as his gaze swings to me.
“This is my dragon.”
Mydragon?
“Calling you mine just simplifies things.”
Tell him that I am Ebron, God of the Sky, Warrior of Dragonkind, A Male Rarer Than Any Treasure–
“I’m not telling him that.”
My dad lingers in the doorway, his face pale. “Harper, come here. Slowly.”
