Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Then again, at least her three years in command of the Riders Quadrant were during Brennan’s time and not mine. Things could always be worse. She could be stationed here, breathing down my neck with the constant reminder that Sorrengails always rise to the rank of wingleader.
A scream punctures the quiet of the forest to the north, and I turn my head just in time to see a stream of fire engulfing a small clearing in that general direction. Yep. Things could definitely be worse.
A tugging sensation in my chest pulls my attention a hundred yards to the west, where one tree sways after another, as if a dragon comes this way.
“Is that you?” I whisper, hope sparking in my chest.
Move, my instincts scream, and hair rises on the back of my arm.
I obey the feeling immediately, scurrying down the tree and slipping more than once when my short sword catches on the branches.
Violet would laugh if she could see me now, fumbling at one of the things she excels at. She’d kick my ass at academics, too, but the physicality of the Riders Quadrant would end her sweet smile in five seconds. Thank gods my little sister is studying to be a scribe like Dad and won’t ever know the fear that’s taken up residence in my veins since the moment I stepped onto the parapet.
“There’s something coming.” I jump the last six feet and land on the leaf-covered ground near where Cowan waits, bending my knees to absorb the impact, then brush my hands off on my pants.
“A red?” he asks, hope shining in his dark-brown eyes.
“I couldn’t see the scale color.” Definitely not saying I think it’s Teine, because there are few things I hate more than being wrong.
“Ugh.” He throws back his head and groans, speckled sunlight catching the dots of sweat on the warm brown skin of his cheeks.
“You’re welcome to climb yourself, if you think you can do a better job,” I offer, gesturing toward the trunk as I scour the tree line, hoping for a glimpse of whatever has my instincts on alert.
“I can’t help my height.” He jumps, reaching for the closest limb, but comes up short, his fingertips just brushing the bottom of the branch before he lands. “Trust me, if I could spontaneously sprout another couple of inches and catch up to you, I would.” He flashes a quick grin. “Then maybe I’d be the best in our year. Or at least I’d give you some competition.”
“I’m not the—”
Branches break nearby, and we both swing our heads to the left.
Please be Teine.
A ruby-red snout appears through the trees, low to the ground in combat position as the scorpiontail passes by about forty feet away, paying us no heed. I drop my gaze to the forest floor just in case the red looks our way, and every muscle in my body locks.
Fear drums on my heart with an increasing tempo and skitters down my spine. It is one thing to see the enormous dragons with their rippling scales, intimidating spikes, and fatal talons, even as close as they were after Parapet and Presentation. It’s quite another to have one stalk by and know today is the day it either bonds you or kills you. Given that the only connection I’ve felt has been to Teine, this red is likely to incinerate me if I give the slightest offense.
Cowan, on the other hand…
“There’s your red,” I whisper, glancing his way.
“Yeah it is.” He nods, and his shoulders rise and fall rapidly as he stares directly at the Red Scorpiontail. “Gods, this is really it.”
“Be careful—”
“I’ve got this,” he promises with a quick burst of a smile. “Even you can’t protect me from fate.” His bow bounces against his spine as he takes off into the woods, chasing after the dragon. “Good luck, Sorrengail!”
“See you on the flight field.”
Leaves rustle and I turn westward, gazing toward the branches swaying in the distance. That same arm-prickling sensation comes back twice as strong as the movement in the canopy draws closer.
Move.
My heart races, but I honor the intuition again, walking forward into the wide space between trees and stepping into full sunlight. The move exposes my back, and I can’t help but wonder if this dragon wants to see if I’ll make myself vulnerable for its favor.
I do, instantly questioning if the decision will put me on tomorrow’s death roll.
The treetops directly in front of me part, and my stomach lurches into my throat as the giant green appears twenty feet away, his wings folded in to fit through the forest.
It’s him. Teine.
The dragon lowers his massive head, swiveling it side to side like a hunter-green snake. A snake with legs. And claws. And teeth. Saliva drips from his fangs as he bares said teeth and stalks forward.