“Alright, then,” I whispered. I bolted down the hall and opened the exterior door. “Would you like to be free, little guys?”
They scampered out through the opening.
I watched as they raced across the stone platform and leaped, landing on the grass and scrambling across the open area. They disappeared into the woods.
I didn’t chide myself for having tears in my eyes.
After assisting Brenna, she dismissed us.
Reyla appeared unchanged by what happened the night before. I still felt horrified.
I returned to the suite I shared with Vexxion and dropped onto the sofa, tuggingEmber’s Shadowonto my lap. My carved dragon stood on the table where I’d left it. I swear it watched me, though such a thing wasn’t possible.
I skimmed the chapter on bonding with dragons, though I didn’t get much out of it that I didn’t already know. Treat them kindly. Finally, I had validation. There were a few short phrasesin italics, and I whispered them into the air, though nothing happened.
With a shake of my head, I dismissed this chapter as simple lore and turned to the one entitledThe Lost Fae.
Lost fae, huh? I’d heard of other fae kingdoms on distant continents, but as far as I knew, they hadn’t reached out to us and no one here had spoken to them.
What kind of world might there be far from this one?
With a shrug, I flipped past Lost Fae to the chapter about bone coins. But I’d only read the first line when someone knocked on the door.
I rose and crept over to the panel, leaning against it rather than haphazardly opening it. You never knew who might blast you with magic if you did something like that. If I’d learned nothing else since leaving the fortress, it was caution.
“Who’s there?” I called out.
No reply.
I spoke again.
Still no reply.
I cracked the door and peeked through but found no one there.
Leaning out, I peered down the hall in both directions, but I still didn’t see anyone around. With a grunt, I stepped back inside and closed the door. I returned to the sofa and sat, opening the book once more. A subtle sound drew my attention to the table.
The wooden dragon’s left front leg twitched as if he was about to take a step.
My gasp echoed in the room. I tossed aside the book andleaned close to the figurine, but he didn’t move. Had I imagined it? I lifted the dragon, turning it every which way and tugging on the leg that remained as stable as, well, wood.
“The carving did not move,” I whispered, holding it up to eye-level and squinting at it. It stared right back at me with the same beady eyes and unmoving body Vexxion had formed into this position.
“What do you think, Drask?” I asked my pet sitting on his perch.
He ignored me, still staring out the window.
“I’m losing my mind,” I said.
Drask chirped.
“Thanks, buddy.”
I needed to do something productive.
Tossing the book onto the coffee table and placing the carved dragon on top of it, I dressed in leathers, and ran through a series of exercises Vexxion had taught me.
Then I practiced with blades, throwing them at the target I created and hung on the back of the door.
