Evelyn gazed at the gorgeous emerald on her finger.
Is this what I want?
“It’s almost time.” Haydn pointed at the setting sun. “When it happens, I need you to stay quiet. No more screaming.”
“Why?” She squirmed. “What’s going to happen?”
“You’ll see. Don’t make a lot of noise.”
“You’re making me nervous.”
“Trust me.” Haydn kissed her neck to seal the command.
The butterflies in Evelyn’s stomach chased away her fear.
Haydn counted down the last of the sunlight. “Three… two… one…”
The mountain rumbled under them.
Does this fucking place have sunset earthquakes?
Dark figures appeared in the sky above them, flying out of a gap in the mountainside.
“Dragons!”
Haydn rested his head on Evelyn’s shoulder. “You’re my shield if they spot us. Your Fire magic works with dragon flames, right?”
“How the hell would I know?” she hissed.
The winged beasts soared and swooped over the valley. Some landed at a lake, while others sent bursts of fire into the air without a target. But many of them flew gently across the sky. Most dragons were jewel-toned, with scales in shades of blue, green, purple, or red. But the smallest ones appeared black.
“How many are there?” Evelyn asked.
“Two hundred and seventeen. This group is my favorite because they’re nocturnal. They sleep in the mountain during the day, then hunt at night.”
“That’s why they aren’t doing much right now,” she realized. “They’re stretching their wings because they just woke up.”
“Exactly. And none of them are bonded to fae like in other parts of Brevig. These dragons are completely wild but live together.”
“How did you even know they were here?”
“I heard stories and explored until I found the right mountain.”
“How many times have you seen this?”
“Dozens. It never gets old.”
Haydn and Evelyn fell into comfortable silence. Gradually, the herd thinned out as dragons flew off in different directions to search for breakfast.
Evelyn remembered where she was supposed to be and sat up. “Shit! Your weird Traveling magic doesn’t conveniently stop time in the original location, does it?”
“No, but if you hear of a way to do that, I’d love to learn.”
“My guards must be freaking out!” She tugged anxiously at her hair. “We disappeared off the beach!”
“I sent them a distraction, so they didn’t actually see us leave,” Haydn said calmly. “They would’ve turned around and noticed we were gone.”
“That’s not much better. They probably have the whole palace on lockdown by now.”
