“The ones who are shades of blue, seafoam green, or lavender are usually water blessed,” I say.“The shades of earthy green, brown, amber, orange, gunmetal grey, or even occasionally black are earth blessed.”
“And we all know the strike blessed.”Norm points at the sky where they’re dipping and diving in and out of strikes of lightning.
“The strike blessed—shameless showoffs,” I say.
Hyperion laughs.Ah, Liz.You’re more trouble than you’re worth, but you are always entertaining.
She’s not wrong about them showing off, Azar says.
That’s what makes it funny.Hyperion sighs.He’s a real drag, newly reborn baby Azar, huh?Bonding with Hyperion about his brother’s cluelessness is unexpected.
I kind of love it, but we have more important things to do.
“Some of the humans we brought back are semi-bright,” I say.“We’d already found humans for Agrippa and Phileas when we realized a few weren’t quite as bright as the others.”
We only need brights,Hyperion says.
“But they do still shine, and they can hear the dragon-talk in their heads.We should probably test whether they can be bonded sooner rather than later, since we might encounter the same thing again tomorrow.”
Oh good,Hyperion says.You brought deficient ones.What blessed wants to risk being shackled to a human who might not allow them to eat?
“I hadn’t even considered that my semi-bright light might cause harm to one of the blessed.”Andre was the first semi-bright we identified, and he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.“I—they don’t have to risk bonding me.”
“Surely one of the dragons around here is brave enough to try.”I leap into the air and take off, joining the throngs of dragons who are now flying in slow circles around our new group.
“Wow, that’s amazing,” Norm says.“I wanted to see you fly all day.”
“Can we get some?”Karen asks.
“I wouldlovewings,” Norm says.
“We’re not exactly sure why I got them,” I say.“But who knows?”
I’ll try bonding one of the lower-light humans, Elizabeth Chadwick.Plumeria slides out of the river bank and walks toward the humans slowly.Even her movement on land reminds me of the flow of water—shining scales and shimmying motion.She’s such a bright, light blue that it lifts my heart just seeing her.
I’m not the only one who thinks so.
For centuries, the earth blessed have been the weak ones among us,Plumeria says.They had no wings.They could take human shapes.They could consume food, and because they were weak, the rest of us ate them.
I hadn’t exactly shared all of this story.
Some of the humans look horrified, but a few look fascinated.They might be too dragon-blind to even process what she’s saying.
Now the water blessed are the weak ones.We have no wings, and we have no prince of our people who also rules as the Recovery Leader.She pivots, sliding right between the twenty-something semi-brights and ten brights we brought back.I understand how it feels to not bequitewhat everyone else wants.I can’t fly, but if you’re willing to join me, and if you like water, I’ll try bonding you.
You can always kill them if it doesn’t work,Hyperion says,and bond another human who can help you.
I plunge toward him, furious, my hands reaching for my hilts while my wings flap rapidly.
We won’t be killing any bonded,Azar says.
I wouldn’t do that anyway,Plumeria says.We’re both taking a risk here—I’m willing to accept the consequences of it.
It’s probably for the best that I don’t attack Hyperion.As I swing wide, I notice he’s smiling.Clearly my anger really worried him.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did kill me.”A curvy woman steps out of the crowd, right in front of Plumeria.“I’m here because I have dreamed every single night of my life, almost, that I’m a dragon rider.I’ve read every book I could find.I’ve watched all the movies.The only time I really feltrightin my own skin was at Disney World when I rode theAvatarride.If I ever harmed you in any way—” She shakes her head.“I’d rather die.”
What’s your name?Plumeria, without having witnessed the scene between Phileas or Agrippa, lowers her head, her eyes on level with the curvy woman.And are you afraid of water?
