The whole room starts laughing. It’s booming laughter that becomes nearly hysterical. Like the very idea that the Hollowborn might not have wanted to kill me is ridiculous. It makes me pause and rethink my whole interaction with the man. This was my first time meeting a Hollowborn, but I’m certain every man in this room has met one before, and hadthe Hollowborn try to kill them, so my impression must be the wrong one.
I’ve heard all the stories of what our enemies are capable of from the time I was a child. And since coming here, I’ve been reading the books I’ve been given, and listening to the snippets I gather from the men. All of it has led me to believe the Hollowborn are deadly creatures with a thirst for killing anything living.
Well, everything led me to that impression until I actually met one.
Finally, Prince Alaric stops laughing and looks at me. “Harper, all Hollowborn want to kill us. It’s just the way they are. They’re bloodthirsty animals. Creatures of death and carnage. They seek us out because we are life. Because we can bond with the dragons. Because their lands lack all resources. All they want to do is take from us. To hurt us. Even when we’ve had brief moments of peace with them in the past, it never lasted long. They’re just not capable of being at peace with anyone or anything. Not with their dark souls.”
The older man stands from his chair. “The Hollowborn can never be trusted.”
“Elder Thorne is right,” the king says, his gaze sharpening as it moves from his advisor to me.
“I believe you,” I say, “of course I believe you. Every Dravari is aware of the stories. I’m just telling you what my experience was with him.”
I remember. He smiled at me. He smirked. He tucked my hair behind my ear. And he… Did he kiss me? He did. Sort of.
“Tell us what happened,” Prince Alaric says, his soft brown eyes looking into mine intently.
I’m incredibly nervous now. I have no idea why I was so eager to speak to the king. “Well, the Hollowborn and I… talked. He asked me questions. Then he asked what kind of sway I had withthe king before explaining that his people want to make a peace agreement with the Dravari people–”
Prince Gareth laughs again, but the sound isn’t friendly. “Peace? The Hollowborn was tricking you.”
“Peace brings us nothing,” Prince Lucien says with equal anger.
For some reason, their words bother me. They’re the leaders of our people. They shouldwantwhat’s best for us. That doesn’t mean being stupid and simply trusting our greatest enemies, but that also means not scoffing at the talk of peace, something that would benefit all our people.
“He said that he had something to offer us in exchange for making peace, and for trading with his people.”
“They have nothing to offer us,” King Stormvale says, his lip curling.
I press on. “He said they know why the dragons haven’t been having male hatchlings. He says that if we wait much longer to solve the lack of males, there won’t be enough of them to have healthy babies.”
The three princes start smirking, but it’s Prince Lucien that says, “They’re bullshitting you. They don’t know anything.”
Frustration rises inside of me, for some reason. Male dragons are almost more myth than reality now… at least except for Ebron. There’s clearly a problem, and we should be taking this offer, and what the Hollowborn said, seriously. Which means considering the Hollowborn’s offer.
“So, does that mean you don’t have any concerns about the dwindling number of male dragons?” I ask.
Their moods sour.
King Stormvale speaks, his tone serious. “The Hollowborn have never shown an interest in anything except taking the dragons for themselves and killing our people. I didn’t even know they werecapableof studying the dragons and learningabout them, but this must be the prophecy at work. Because out of all the things a Hollowborn could say, this is the only thing that I would consider working with one for. That, combined with the fact that legends say a female dragon rider and male dragon will bring about peace between us and the Hollowborns, is not something we can simply ignore. This could be fate. This could be the prophecy at work, presenting a chance for peace. Either way, we have to take this opportunity seriously.”
“You’re kidding,” Prince Lucien says, sounding shocked.
But the king’s expression doesn’t waver. “This is something worth looking into.”
Elder Thorne draws himself up taller. “Your highness. You can’t be serious. I’ve been with you, and your father before you, watched as we’ve been attacked by the Hollowborn over and over again. They are our enemies. That’s all they’ll ever be.”
“Maybe,” King Stormvale says slowly. “Maybe not.”
Elder Thorne doesn’t like that one bit. I can see it on his face. While the princes look angry, he looks like he’s calculating a math problem and not liking the answer.
“The Hollowborn said that I’m to fly alone to the south, past the city, to the mountain that looks like a thumb, with your response.”
King Stormvale’s expression grows thoughtful.
“Like hell,” Prince Gareth says, taking a step toward me. Then his gaze swings to his father. “You can’t seriously be considering letting her do that.”
“Of course he’s not,” Elder Thorne scoffs.
