He grins. “Well, pet to the king, I wonder if you could send him a message for me?”
That must mean he plans to let me live, and to return me, so I say the only thing that makes sense. “I can do that.”
He leans in closer, energy crackling between us. “Tell him that the Hollowborn are ready to make a deal. An agreement of sorts. To create peace between our people.”
I’m shocked. There have only been a few times in history where there were tense peace agreements between our people. “Really?”
He nods. “We finally have something to offer you. Something of value.”
“And what’s that?”
“The answer to why male dragons aren’t being born. Your people are on the verge of dragons dying out. There are so few male dragons remaining that if you lose any more, there won’t be enough variety between them to have healthy dragons.”
Again, this man surprises me. “And what do you want for this information?”
“Peace. Trade between our people. The chance to have dragons of our own.”
I don’t know what to say. The Hollowborn are supposed to be frightening, undead, monstrous creatures. But the figure before me? He’s just a person. A scary-looking person, but a person allthe same. If what he is saying is true, then making peace with our enemies would be beneficial for everyone, especially if it brings more male baby dragons.
“Send him my message, won’t you?” he asks, the lilt to his voice makes my stomach clench.
“I will.”
“And when you have your response, you should fly to the south, past the city, to the mountain that looks like a thumb, and give us the king’s answer. And come alone. Should anyone else come with you, we’ll have to kill you all.”
“Okay,” I say, even though I don’t like the thought of doing such a thing.
He leans forward. I watch him warily. My eyes are wide as he comes inch by inch closer, and then he places his lips on mine. I’m about to jerk back, to say something, to do something, when he pushes me off his bone wyrm.
Screaming, I fall through the clouds and land on a hard surface. Blinking, I reach down and clench scales. Black scales.
Ebron!Relief and happiness flow through me at being reunited with my dragon.
I thought you fell into the water. I could not find you,Ebron tells me, concern in his voice.
I was on the back of a bone wyrm.
And you survived? Interesting. You are a warrior the likes of which no one has seen before.
Ebron switches directions. Other dragons come out of the clouds, their riders on their backs. There’s determination in their faces.This isn’t a drill any longer. It’s a battle.
And yet, I don’t see any of the Hollowborn now. As quickly as they came, they vanished. Suddenly, Prince Gareth explodes out of the clouds, his expression frantic. When he spots me, he swoops down and flies next to us.
“What happened to you? Ebron was searching for you in the water.”
“I was on the back of a bone wyrm!” I shout back.
His eyes widen. He makes a movement with his hand, and the other riders line up behind him. They dive back into the clouds, and Ebron and I continue to fly just beneath the clouds, waiting for any sign of a battle we should leap into, but there’s nothing. Just silence. Not that I expected something to happen. If the Hollowborn was there to deliver a message, he’d done his job. I doubted his people would stay around looking for a fight, especially when they’re seeking peace with us.
Soon all the dragon riders return from the clouds. It’s clear that the Hollowborn are gone, just like I thought. We missed them, and I can’t say I’m upset at the lack of a battle. As strange as what just happened was, I don’t really feel like having my first battle with the Hollowborn right now, especially if they came with a peaceful mission.
Prince Gareth flies up to my side. “Let’s head back to the academy!”
I nod, and Ebron steers us toward the academy. The other dragons follow. Every step of the way, I scan the skies, thinking of the golden-eyed Hollowborn. I wonder how close he is now, and if what he really wants is peace, or if this is some kind of trick. I guess I’ll never know. All I do know is that I’ve been charged with delivering this message to the king.
And I’m going to do it.
My thoughts drift back to the prophecy that female dragon riders and their male dragons bring about a time of peace for the Dravari people. I didn’t entirely believe that when I first heard it, but this can’t be a coincidence. I think I’m meant to be here, to deliver this message to the king. Maybe to bring about a peace that will lead to more male dragon babies.
