Page 84 of The Dragon Queen

“I do.”

My lips moved, my feet taking me closer to the three dragons, though I’m not sure why. I had no conscious idea about how to help and yet somehow there I was, standing before Obsidian’s muzzle, feeling his warm breath brush over me as I reached for the crystal eggs that found themselves in every one of my pockets.

An egg is a symbol of potential, of new beginnings, because until it hatches, who knew what would come out? I didn’t think the dragonstone was carved into this shape for any specific reason other than what it represented. Hatchlings were dragonkind’s future and so thisinformed their decision to create stone eggs. The past was embedded within them, memories, events that would’ve been otherwise lost with each generation, but Tanis’ vision made clear that the future was also contained within them. I grabbed several of the intact ones, then went to nick the scab on my finger when Glimmer intervened.

No.

Her eyes travelled to the horror of Obsidian’s wound, forcing me to stare at the way the metal had pierced his flesh.

And the sluggish flow of his blood.

I didn’t know what touching it would do to me. I think my men also had concerns, as I dimly heard them say something as I drew closer. It didn’t stop me from swiping my fingers through several drops of blood, the substance making the tips tingle, the only warning I got as I was hit by this.

Pain, it sizzled through me, striking out with an unpredictable crackle, just like Obsidian’s lightning, and with it came him. Dragons were immense creatures and their minds were just as big. He noted our connection instantly with all the focus of a predator, trying to pull free, because he wanted to protect me from what he was feeling.

He was a proud creature, the veteran of many a skirmish in the channel between Nevermere and the continent. Each time Brom saddled him up and led him out across the waves, he fulfilled an ancient purpose. His rider’s head was filled with orders and directives from the general, but Obsidian felt quite differently about their missions.

The memories of his ancestors went with him each time they came across a ship. When they set it on fire, wracked it with lightning, they did so to send a message. Nevermere was their territory and they would protect it with their very lives, ensuring no one else other than the humans they shared this island with reached its shores.

So why did one shoot him down?

The concept of war was a fuzzy one to him. He expected to meet the traitor dragons in the sky, use fangs and claws to showthem the error of their ways, then drop the battered bodies of their enemies before his queen.

Not this.

Not a cowardly attack without warning. Not by the humans he sought to protect. His chest was heaving now, with pain, with shame, with confusion and a growing sense of betrayal until my hand went out.

Easy.Great silver eyes flicked open and stared into mine.Easy, Obsidian.He stared at me closely, as if he wasn’t sure whether I was one of the good humans or bad, but he remembered me quickly enough.

Pippin…His voice was like a sigh exhaled in a great cave.Glimmer’s girl.I smiled and nodded.Brom’s mate.

Just so, I said with a nod.Now, everyone is very concerned about you.He didn’t like that, trying to rally, trying to get back on his feet and into the sky, proving his worth, but I pressed down on the hard plane between his eyes.And they want to help.

He helped. He protected Glimmer, made sure no one came within ten feet of her. He rode beside Darkspire to fight those capable of stealing dragon eggs, ready to eradicate them lest they think to do the same to Glimmer’s clutch when she bore them. He’d seen the ballista’s bolt before Brom had, flying forward to intercept it because he knew how Brom would feel if Draven fell. He tried to stop it, burn the javelin before it got close enough to strike, but it moved too fast. Every muscle had strained, but he failed.

He failed.

No.I choked back a sob. Perhaps the general was right to suggest I stay behind, because one fight in and I was already done with this war.No, Obsidian. You protected us with your life.Glimmer and Darkspire’s song grew to a feverish pitch, every nerve in my body vibrating.You kept them safe, and now we will help you.

Quickly, I showed him what I thought the men meant, a vision of them shoving the javelin through his wing joint. I tried very hard to mask how I expected him to respond, the resulting pain, but that’s not how this worked. Obsidian wasn’t a child. He was adragon, and he stared into my eyes, knowing what was coming and then nodding slightly.

“I’ll be fast, lad,” Brom said. “Fast as I can. Then we’ll get you some medical care.” His head whipped around as he spoke to Draven. “Where the hell are the healers?”

“Out looking for us, I hope,” Draven said, then stepped forward. “Obsidian, I can show you what we need to go. I’ve…” His breath caught in his chest. “I’ve done it before. You’ll come out of this in one piece. You’ll heal from this wound. I want to tell you that this won’t hurt you further.”

But he couldn’t.

Obsidian’s head rose until it was level with Draven’s.

Do what you must.

Chapter 40

“Look after my dragon,” Brom said to me. “Please.” His hand went to my cheek. “I’d want you close if it was me that had a projectile sticking through my shoulder.”

“You know I would be,” I said with a nod, then pulled away as he and Draven moved. Under Obsidian’s neck I went.

It seemed ridiculous, to give such a huge animal a hug, and yet that’s what I did. It was the only thing I could think of to offer him some kind of comfort. I remembered my mother holding me as my father was forced to cut out a bee sting I’d earned being silly in the flower garden. She’d stroked my hair and murmured words of comfort as I felt the sharp cut and then the steady throb as the stinger was forced out. A low rattle in Obsidian’s throat told me how he was coping with this.

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