The ground shakes, and a rumble sounds off in the distance. As I approach, the picture comes into full frame, and the sight iscaptivating,so unexpected.
Dragons.
So. Many. Dragons. My brain can’t comprehend what it’s seeing. My eyes wander, not knowing where to land. Large heads turn my way, analyzing me as I get closer.
Thank the gods. They’ve been bickering all morning,Voraxis whines.
Are these the same dragons from the other meadow?
Some, but not all.His answer doesn’t surprise me. I assumed there were more out in the realm, but it surprises me how close they are to the kingdom.
I told you. No barriers.
Off to the side, in the midst of all the winged creatures, stands Sintharion and Odeyssa. And from the looks of it, things haven’t changed much since last night. Her arms cross over her chest, and one eyebrow hikes to her hairline while Sintharion stares at her with a menacing grin.
“Dessa, you know as well as I that the dragon you bond with is a projection of you,” Sin states, and it makes me pause. That’s news to me.
Odeyssa scoffs. “In what realm am I submissive?”
Sin’s features darken, a glint of mischief sparkling in his eyes. “A realm that begs to be explored.” She quickly averts her gaze as heat begins spreading over her cheeks.
Clearing my throat, Odeyssa swings her gaze my way; however, Sintharion leaves his glued to her. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“Don’t be. I was just remembering why I haven’t seen him in a hundred years.”
“Don’t be like that, Puppet.” She rolls her eyes in annoyance, and I decide I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with this right now.
“You have a dragon too?” I ask.
“Of course. All the royals have one. It’s in our blood.” As she speaks, movement catches my eye. A violet dragon barrels down the field at top speed, only stopping when reaching Odeyssa, staring at her expectantly.
“I’m assuming this is your dragon.”
“You would be correct. This is Kaida. Although she’s smaller than the other dragons and acts a bit…submissive, she’s fierce.” Kaida turns to face Voraxis and me, nodding her head once, essentially agreeing with what Odeyssa said.
“She’s beautiful,” I state, mesmerized by the way the sun reflects off her scales. Although she’s still absolutely massive, she doesn’t come close to Voraxis’s size.
Odeyssa’s features soften. “Yeah, she’s pretty spectacular. Still gets on my nerves, though.” She holds her hand out, and Kaida presses her forehead into the touch.
Letting them have their moment, I can’t help but get what Sintharion said out of my head. “You said that your dragon is a projection of you—what does that mean exactly?” I’ve been curious on how the bonds work since it happened. Maybe now I’ll finally get some answers.
“It’s true that every royal bloodline has a dragon, butwhenyou meet your bonded is unknown,” Sintharion replies with full conviction. “Some wait lifetimes for theirs to appear. In Odeyssa’s case, she had to wait…” He trails off, looking toward Odeyssa to give him the correct answer.
“234 years,” she fills in, like it’s a completely normal amount of time. Her answer shocks me, and I’m sure the way my eyes widen at her admission gives it away. But neither of them comment on it. Instead, Sintharion picks up right where he left off.
“Yes, that’s right. Forgive me, the centuries start to blend together after enough of them pass. Anyway…long story short, your best and worst qualities will be presented in your dragon.”
“Interesting. So, only royals can bond with dragons?”
“Not exactly, but it’s rare that it happens outside the bloodline.” He takes a pregnant pause before adding, “So I guess that means you’re the exception.” Right, because not everyone knows I’m the lost princess of Astralis. From the outside looking in, I’m just a sad, lonely girl who happens to be lost.
Before I can ask any further questions, movement on the left catches my eye, and we all swing our gazes to Queen Aslan coming through the trees.
“I thought I would find you here,” Aslan comments.
“Oh, yes, Mother. How ever did you know?” Sintharion’s words drip with sarcasm, like there’s a joke hidden between the lines that I’m missing.
Aslan lets out a small chuckle. “Well, why don’t you two make yourselves busy. Kallie and I have some things to discuss.” My brows furrow, and Odeyssa and I must have the same thought, because our eyes meet for a second before pulling back toward the queen.
