Page 39 of Rejected By Dragons

Then it occurs to me. "Wait. That means they have Emergences here?"

King Zephyr and the Oracle told us that the magic had been lost to the unclaimed territories. That the dragons who lived there fought and clawed and snuck their ways into civilized kingdoms in search of their dragons.

I should have known it was another lie, but we were so cut off from the rest of the world.

She nods vigorously. "Twice a year. There's one coming up in just another month or so."

My head reels. "You know the date?"

Our Oracle announced them with a couple of weeks to spare, claiming she needed to search the stars.

"They can happen any time, silly." She rolls her eyes, clearly unaware of how she's rocking my world. "All you need is a little magic and a clear view of the stars." Her face lights up. "Will you stay for it? I won't have to be the only twenty-something-year-old with all the babies trying to connect with my dragon for the first freaking time?"

Dampness gathers at the corners of my eyes, but for once it's out of sheer happiness. When I was banished, I thought I'd lost any chance at ever summoning my dragon. The spark of hope I felt earlier only grows.

I don't know what the next couple of months may hold for me, but if there's an Emergence happening here, you bet your ass I'm going to show up for it. I was willing to risk everything for the chance to call my dragon forth in the Air Kingdom. That hasn't changed now that I'm in Unity. "Absolutely."

A new smile glows on Amy's face. Gone is her bitter, crestfallen expression. Gone is the loss and mourning in her voice. "I knew we met for a reason," she exclaims, crossing the kitchen toward me.

She holds out her hand, and I allow her to grasp it.

"You showed up yesterday, and I could just feel it. This, like, connection."

I didn't feel the same, but then again, I'm not half-witch.

Then it occurs to me--there's something else I'm not.

And I hate saying this, but I have to be sure. After all her talk about her ex yesterday...

I wince. "You know I'm straight, right?"

She rolls her eyes, instantly setting me at ease. "Obviously, tragically straight," she agrees, squeezing my hand tighter. "I promise I'm not trying to make a move."

"Okay." Phew.

"I mean connected like friends." She grins harder. "Best friends."

A warmth blooms in my chest. I've only ever had one best friend before. A part of me worries I'm betraying Brynn, but it's not as if Brynn won't always be special to me. I had to leave Wynrath Crest, and that means making new connections out here in the larger world.

"I'd like that," I agree.

Amy squeals and lets go of me to open her arms. She stops herself before actually hugging me, but I grin and tug her in.

"I thought you weren't a hugger," she pouts, wrapping her arms around me tight.

"I mean, we'd barely met when you tried the last time."

"Details, details." She pulls back, dropping her arms to her sides, a self-effacing smile curling her lips.

I sit back down, but before I can pick up my spoon again, the back door swings open.

Rhiannon enters, her gray hair up, and her clothes casual, like she was out getting in a bit of morning exercise. She whips off a pair of sporty sunglasses and blinks owlishly. When she spots me, she flinches momentarily. It only takes her a beat to recover. "Ember, good morning. I trust you slept well?"

"Like the dead," I agree. "Thank you so much for letting me stay."

"Of course," she says, poised again, even if her regal posture is quite the contrast to her attire. She gestures behind her, toward the door. "Your vehicle is parked in the alleyway. I heard from Carl that it's good as new."

Well, that's a relief--if also, probably, an exaggeration. "It was a ten-year-old rust bucket when I got it. If it runs at all, he's worked a miracle."

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