Battle Ground, Indiana

Claire was not thrilled about her new house guests. They were not patient like Cyrus. Koldis looked at her as if she were a monster, Jovari avoided her gaze altogether, and Reyr simply wore an expression of defeat. They hardly conversed, and when they did, they did so telepathically to exclude her.

Cyrus was no longer in the yard beside the cornfield. He'd been wrapped in blankets and secured with twine. He now rested on the porch. Koldis insisted on standing watch beside Cyrus all night, probably because he couldn't stomach being around her. She was happier for it, eager to be rid of his ominous gaze.

Long after dark, she cooked dinner for everyone. She hoped it might win them over, but she was wrong. The only one who thanked her was Reyr. Of the three, he had the kindest heart.

What a miserable night!

When she finally retired to her bedroom, she cried herself to sleep. Her dreams were filled with strange scenes, strange people, and strange events. As if her brain no longer belonged to her. As though her mind had met another's.

In the morning, she woke to find dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. Inside, she felt dead, and she didn't know how long it would take to heal.

Your sadness will not last an eternity, reasoned her mind, the voice that now lived there.

It certainly felt like it would.

The Drengr were eager to depart. They gathered in the kitchen for their morning meal. After their ungrateful display the night before, she didn't bother cooking them breakfast. They could scrounge up their own damned food for all she cared.

They hid their grief by arguing. This morning, she was their sole topic. Neither Koldis nor Jovari wished to bring her back to Dragonwall, despite Reyr insisting upon it the day before. All the same arguments came back.

"Why should we burden ourselves with her?" Koldis asked. "She's hiding something."

Jovari was no better. "You know the laws regarding the Gates, Reyr. Are you truly willing to take such a risk?"

When that didn't work, their tactics changed. "Are you not ashamed to carry this human upon your back?" Koldis asked, sneering with contempt intended for her. "I mean truly. It is an abomination to carry her! What would your Gemma think? What will other people think? Other Drengr?"

Her face burned hot. They said these things to hurt her and she knew it.

Reyr scowled. "What choice have I, Koldis? You expect me to carry her in my claws? We have a long way to go before reaching Kastali Dun, and she'll slip through my grasp long before that."

"I'm not that heavy." Her angry mutter was hardly a whisper.

"It's not your weight, but rather, Reyr's dignity at stake." Koldis glared at her. She scowled back at him.

Be patient with them, said the same voice of reason she'd been trying hard to ignore. Grief has clouded their judgement.

How was she supposed to be patient when they were being so mean? And why was she arguing with the voice in her head? Was she really that crazy?

"To Undirfold with my dignity!" said Reyr. "Have I not already failed? My dignity is lost. Claire comes with us, end of discussion."

Once that was settled, they prepared to depart. To her relief, she was allowed to pack some belongings. "Make it quick," Jovari snapped.

Taking his advice, she jumped from her seat and rushed upstairs. In her bedroom, she frantically began gathering belongings. When she had a pile of stuff, she inventoried it. Protein bars, candy she'd found lying around her room, because she was a sugar addict, bottles of water, at least ten pairs of undies, a couple of bras, two changes of clothes that included her sturdiest pairs of denim, a travel pack of toiletries and other feminine products, the bedroll she used for hunting trips with her dad, the revolver and with its extra ammunition, and finally, the leather pouch containing the Dragon Stones.

The Drengr had searched for the Dragon Stones the night before. She saw their panic when they couldn't be located. They expected Cyrus to have them, and when he didn't, they accused her of stealing them. She denied it, because she did not physically have them. Koldis insisted on searching her, patting her down with his harsh hands. Only after they failed to find them were they satisfied with her word. Little did they know, they were safely locked in the house safe. She did not retrieve them until it was prudent to do so.

With everything gathered, she stuffed the pile into her Osprey hiking backpack, which was now bursting at the seams. Finally, she scribbled a note to her parents reassuring them that she was okay. She left it on her bed. At least they would know she was alive once they returned from their trip.

The final preparations she made were outdoors for the farm animals. She ensured their food stores were full. The farm hands would be returning from dead-week the day after tomorrow, so the animals would be okay.

With everything in order, they assembled on the farmhouse lawn. The morning's glaring sunlight beat down on them. "Do you have everything you wish to bring?" Reyr asked. "Yes, I think so." She shouldered her pack, nearly buckling under its weight.

"Good. It is time to go." He led her away. "You will be flying with me."

She knew why. None of the others could stomach the idea of flying with her. She held her tongue, even though she had plenty to say on the matter.

"Once I transform, you will climb upon my back. I have no harness, so you will have to hold on tight." She nodded as he spoke. "And I should warn you, in our dragon form we cannot speak to you. We Drengr do not possess the ability for human speech when we are dragons. However, you may call to us if needed. We can hear and understand you."

"Right." She already knew this but pretended otherwise. Happy with her understanding, Reyr moved away from her. Koldis was already in his dragon form near the barn. Cyrus's shrouded body was strapped to his back.

Without further warning, Jovari and Reyr also shifted, their clothes melting away as their bodies grew. In an instant, they transformed into hulking dragons. Her jaw dropped as she watched the change.

In the brightness of day, the sunlight glittered off their scaly hides. Their beauty swept everything from her mind. She almost forgot how poorly they treated her—almost.

Up close, they were much larger than the one she saw falling from the sky. This presented her with a significant challenge. It took multiple tries to hoist herself from Reyr's foreleg to his back. With each failed attempt, she heard Koldis snort impatiently. He was laughing at her but she did her best to ignore it. Why did he have to be so mean?

She finally succeeded, swinging her right leg up and over. Then she did her best to get comfortable with the hard scales beneath her rear. Her backpack was strapped to her shoulders, but tall enough to rest behind her, eliminating its weight.

In spite of everything, it was difficult to believe what was happening. She looked from one dragon to the next. What a sight! Their eyes sparkled with color, and their bodies were both beautiful and fierce. Each hulking shape was covered in dazzling scales from head to tail, and the spikes on those tail-tips were different styles. The underside of their bodies turned from scales to smooth, snake-like skin. It was impossible to decide which appearance was the most impressive.

Koldis was a stunning shade of emerald green. He stood a bit taller in the shoulder than Jovari. Jovari's scales were the color of blue sapphire. Each glassy scale shimmered in the sunlight. However, it was Reyr's form that dominated the scene. His hulking body was larger than both of his companions. His scales were a brilliant golden color. It gave him a statuesque appearance, like something malted in gold standing guard in front of an important building.

"I am ready to leave this forsaken place." Koldis broke the mental silence, intruding into her mind. They shared a few final confirmations telepathically. She continued to pretend she couldn't hear them. She had bigger fish to fry, much bigger fish. Her best bet was keeping her mouth shut, complying with their orders, and getting to the king as soon as possible—those were the inklings of urgency her Promise created. Already she was eager to be rid of it, feeling cursed.

Several moments passed before she heard Reyr's orders to launch. A giant roar escaped his jaws, vibrating up through his throat. His rumbling gave the death place of Cyrus a final goodbye, and then they were in motion.

With a great leap, Reyr propelled her upward. Her body jolted as the downward force of gravity took effect. She felt heavy, like she was being squished. Then suddenly the ground fell away. Huge golden wings at least twenty feet in length stretched out from both sides of Reyr's body, catching the wind.

As they ascended, she was alight with sensation. Her heart hammered violently in her chest. The wind whistled as it rushed past her ears. Her head began adapting to the pressure change. And once they gained some altitude, her ears plugged up and popped.

Beneath her, she felt the smooth hard scales of Reyr's neck. They were almost too hot to touch. As soon as she got over the sensations of lifting off, she allowed herself to look around. The scene that greeted her was unbelievable. There were white cotton ball clouds not far above them, and beneath them, the ground stretched out in little green and brown patches. The world was better this way—detached—as if she wasn't part of the heavens or the earth. She was somewhere in between. It was exactly how her heart felt when she lost Cyrus—disconnected from everything, lost in her own grief.

Jovari's voice sounded in her mind. "Reyr," he said. "Let's get out of here. Lead us to the Gate."

And that was that—she was off to Dragonwall. 

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