Page 52 of Rejected By Dragons

Freya shakes her head. "I do. You were the star. It's a good thing you were here."

My throat tightens, a hard lump forming there.

All those times in Wynrath Crest, I was ridiculed or even punished for having knowledge about the other kingdoms. Here, that knowledge is celebrated. Sure, we're all a little rattled by so much talk about Shadow Dragons. But the looks people are giving me bear actual, honest admiration. Not suspicion or fear.

I lift my drink. "What can I say?" I manage. "I'm really, really happy to be here."

* * *

It's after midnight by the time we get home. To my surprise, the lights are on in the living room. Rhiannon's usually early to bed, early to rise, but apparently not tonight.

Amy takes it in stride. "Hey, Mom," she calls. She rolls her eyes and whispers to me, "It doesn't matter how many times I tell her I'm a grown woman. She always waits up."

That's...really sweet, actually.

The couch creaks, and soft footsteps approach. Rhiannon appears around the doorway, her gray hair in a loose braid. She's a fearsome dragon and a shrewd businesswoman by day, but by night, she wears a flower-printed robe and bunny slippers.

"Have fun?" Rhiannon asks.

"Yup." Amy hangs up her jacket by the door and skips across the room to her mom. "Beat 'em all in a landslide."

Rhiannon presents her cheek for a kiss, which Amy bestows upon her without hesitation. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Amy pulls away and heads into the kitchen, where she grabs a jar of peanut butter from the cabinet and a spoon. "Though you should really be congratulating Ember. She was our ace in the hole. She knew everything about Shadow Dragons."

It's subtle, but Rhiannon's eye flutter wider, and her breath hitches. She looks to me. "Is that so?"

"Not everything," I rush to counter. "Just, like, stupid trivia stuff."

Amy laughs around a spoonful of peanut butter. "Don't sell yourself short. You were amazing."

I was--it's true. But that's almost the problem. People in Unity might not be as xenophobic as the ones in Wynrath Crest, but the Shadow Dragons are boogeymen for a reason. Their kind terrorized the four peaceful kingdoms for centuries, and in the Great War, they were a powerful destructive force, blamed with the disappearance of the Water Kingdom, along with untold deaths.

What does knowing so much about them say about me?

I shake my head, trying again to demur. "I don't even know where all of that came from. It was like"--I raise my closed fist to my temple and explode my fingers outward--"poof. It all just appeared in my head."

Rhiannon has that look on her face again. She tilts her head to the side. "Well, it sounds like it came in useful."

"Yeah," I agree, though my chest is tight.

"It is incredible," Rhiannon says slowly. "The things we find, hiding in the shadows of our minds."

A tingle skitters down my spine. I force a smile. Her expression is pleasant enough. She's not intimating anything here, is she?

I choose to take her words at face value. "Yeah. It is."

Chapter Fourteen

EMBER

If my unexpected success at Shadow-Dragon-themed trivia leaves Rhiannon with any lingering doubts about my trustworthiness, she sure doesn't let them affect our working relationship. With the peace summit between the Stone and Fire Dragon kingdoms barreling down on us, the pace of incoming shipments has hit a frenzy.

As we start to fall behind, Rhiannon pulls me aside. "Here," she tells me, wiping sweat from her brow after hauling a particularly heavy set of texts to the back room. "You've earned it."

I hold out my hand, and she drops a cool metal key into my palm. My eyes widen.

"You can come and go as you please now." She narrows one eye, but she doesn't look menacing. "The inventory is still all protected, of course."

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