Page 74 of The Heart of the Dragon

Kitra's eyes shuttered. "I'm afraid not. The magic that binds this realm is ancient, dark…and not well understood, even by most fae." She met my gaze, regret plain on her face. "The time differences between our worlds are unpredictable, and the spells used to facilitate travel are unstable at best."

"But you understand it?"

She shook her head. "Barely. My knowledge is still infantile and probably dangerous at best. But my mother knew it well and she passed it to me."

I had to admit that I was a little jealous that she had a mother who'd passed such a legacy on to her daughter. Especially one so rich in history and power.

"Do you know much about my fae parents?"

"A bit about your father. Because my father was king of his realm, he spent his fair amount of time around the courts and dealing with politics. I remember him referring to the dark fae king as unforgiving. A man very set in his ways and the ways of tradition. He wasn't interested in modernization. Unfortunately, I do not know anything about your mother. It's not even clear who she is."

I swallowed thickly. "Does that mean I'm a?—"

"I doubt you're illegitimate if that's what you're worried about. But the dark fae king did keep a harem, and he loved to keep secrets. He made it very unclear which wife bore which child. It seemed peculiar, but maybe it was a security thing."

"Maybe," I said, trying to wrap my head around this new information and what it all meant. I'd hit overload a long time ago, and now I just wanted to make sense of it all.

"You ready to ride?" I turned at her question to find Magnus back on the ground, his foot pawing at the ground and looking every bit as impatient with me as I imagined.

There were divots in the ground where he and Isaac walked that I had to work my way around. I looked back to see Kitra hadn't moved.

"Aren't you coming?"

She vehemently shook her head. "Nope. It would have to be a dire emergency to catch my feet off the ground again, and even then it might not happen." She must have seen the worry that had pulled my brows together. "But don't worry, you'll do fine. You can't let my hang ups about heights color this for you. There may come a time you will have to do this to save your own life or his and better that not be your first time. Trust me."

I measured her words while calculating my odds of survival. Unfortunately, none of this fit in any of my scientific boxes and I would have no choice but to do this on faith alone.

I swallowed hard and nodded. "I guess you’re right. It's now or never."

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Rose

As I approachedMagnus waiting for me in the field, I wiped my hands on my borrowed leather pants and prayed I’d be able to maintain my grip with sweaty, nervous hands.

Before I could wonder too long how in the world I would get to the spot I’d decided was my best option for survival, Magnus adjusted the position of his wing, basically turning it into a ramp.

I scrambled up as quickly as I could, appreciating the way he continued to move his wing to give me the platform I needed.

By the time I settled around his neck, my knees tucked underneath me, my entire body was shaking with nerves.

“You’ll be okay with him. I promise!” Kitra yelled from the ground.

“I might have more faith in that if there was a seatbelt or an oh shit handle for me to hold onto.”

Kitra laughed. “I don’t know what that means exactly but I think I get your drift. Grab a horn or slide your hands under the scales in front of you and you’ll find what you need.”

I did as she instructed and found that underneath those silky looking scales there were deep ridges that I could grab onto. It took me a little bit of feeling my way around until I found the most comfortable spot before I finally settled in. I'd still give anything for a strap or lap bar to hold me in, but this would have to make do.

Although in what world was this even normal? It was a rhetorical question with an obvious answer, but still. What we were about to do felt like the true definition of insanity. I was sitting on a dragon about to let him carry me off into the sky. I was either out of my mind, or the coolest woman on earth.

"Okay, I'm ready," I said aloud assuming that Magnus would still hear and understand me. And judging by the snort that came from him and the steam that followed, I figured I was right.

When he started to move, I held on for dear life and started praying, not to mention making promises. If I didn't plummet to my death, and I survived the fae realm, think of all the good I could still do in the world. Many families relied on my science with herbs to give them a better quality of life and I didn’t want anyone to suffer needlessly.

I could start over with another generation if or when I returned.

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