Page 77 of To Match A Dragon's Fire

“Is it the runes?” Her eyes were so bright, I could get lost in them. This was what I’d been missing for years. The spark of discovery. Fire that burned in awe of studying something new.

And I remembered why I’d lost it.

“If you want to see them, I’ll show you,” I said. “But I have to warn you that it’s the prophecy for the end of the world.”

“Mommy, what does he—”

“Nothing!” all three women cried as one.

Riley clamped her hands over Harper’s ears. “There are children in here.”

“My apologies.” I hadn’t been scolded in centuries, so the burn felt like a lashing.

“Let’s get the cookies.” Willow jumped to her feet.

“I can help with that.” Harper climbed down from her chair, prophecy forgotten in favor of sugar.

But Riley and Ember hadn’t lost interest.

“Does the government know about these runes?” Riley asked in a hurried whisper.

“He works for the government,” Ember explained, frowning as she turned to me. “Wait, you do, right? I just assumed…”

“I don’t,” I said. “But my species has a long-standing relationship with most human governments, especially the US government’s conservation department. We’ve managed seismic activity and acted as a liaison of sorts for Earth, and, in turn, they referred to us on environmental concerns.”

“Why don’t we know about this?” Ember asked.

“You wouldn’t—”

“Mass hysteria,” Riley answered, leaning back in her chair. “The bastard was right. Drew always said they were hiding something. I just didn’t know it was this. But if the general public were to find out, there would be chaos.”

I didn’t know who Drew was, but I already didn’t like him from the way Ember tensed when Riley spoke his name.

“Not necessarily,” I explained. “There’s more to it. Dragons prefer not to expose themselves. As do many other paranormal creatures. The government and our kind had an agreement. We were supposed to protect them and then they’d protect us.”

Ember must’ve seen the pain in my expression because her eyes softened with sympathy. “You’re speaking in past tense. What happened?”

I chuckled bitterly as I looked to the floor, wishing I could give her better news. “Earth has decided She no longer requires our assistance. We don’t have much use anymore.”

“Is that why…” Ember looked around, making sure Harper and Willow were still in the kitchen. “The earthquakes and everything else?”

I nodded. The guilt of not being able to protect Ember, or anyone, from this truth sat heavy in my gut. “Without the guardian’s strength absorbing Her excess energy, Earth is too turbulent. She’ll rearrange Herself in a new way, and I assume She’ll find a new steward when all this settles down.”

“And the runes foretell this?” Lines creased Ember’s forehead as she stared at me.

“From what we’ve studied, yes.”

“Can I see them now?” Ember pushed back her chair, moving to her feet before I could give a response.

“Of course.” Not that I’d deny her anything at this point. “But first, there’s something else I want to show you. Don’t worry. It’s on the way.”

23

Ember

Blast From the Past

I never thought I’d be so excited to read about the end of the world. Ancient runes? A secret dragon language? This was the stuff of my dreams.

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