Page 58 of Bound By Honey

Soon a dim light appeared in the distance. When she reached the tunnel's end, all that awaited them was a large opening in the side of a mountain with no obvious way to climb down or escape. Sage stopped, surveying their surroundings in case some hidden path or secret exit existed, but all appeared quiet and empty, with no sign of dragons or fae guarding this entrance, at least not yet anyway.

As she turned to leave, she heard a faint growling. Sage whirled around and the outside light allowed her to see a large dragon with razor-sharp teeth and piercing green eyes. This was not the kind of dragon she was expecting to encounter. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized the creature was blocking her way.

Sage's palms grew sweaty as she tried to back away, and the dragon seemed to be inching closer and closer with every passing second. Its eyes glanced back and forth between her and the dragonling. She had to do something fast before the dragon attacked her. She thought back to all her mother's stories about dragons and how to communicate with them. Taking a deep breath, she slowly extended her hand toward the dragon in a gesture of peace.

The dragon seemed to hesitate before leaning forward and sniffing her hand. Hot breath passed over her fingertips, but instead of biting her, the dragon nuzzled its nose against her palm.

She sighed in relief that she had managed to communicate with the dragon. The dragonling by her side let out a chirping noise, which seemed to attract the attention of the larger dragon. Sage could see the curiosity in the dragon's eyes as it looked at the dragonling.

She slowly reached for the dragonling and held it up toward the larger one. The dragonling sniffed the larger one's nose, and the two seemed to exchange a silent message before the larger dragon let out a deep rumbling purr. Sage couldn't believe her eyes as they nuzzled each other and couldn't help but wonder if this was the parent. It didn't matter, really, as long as the larger one accepted the dragonling and, in turn, accepted Sage as well.

Without thinking, Sage stepped away from the two to give them space, only to find her feet slipping out from under her. She tumbled out of the large entrance to the cave and found herself falling with nothing to grab onto other than the sheer rock cliff, which she knew would injure her if she grabbed it wrong. Her mind raced: What could she do?

Sage's heart raced as she hurtled toward the rocky cliff face, moments away from certain death. She steeled herself for impact when a sudden small sound pierced the air—the screech of a dragonling emerging from above her. Fear coursed through Sage's veins as a giant dragon flew out of the cave and dove with incredible speed toward her. Its talons grasped her and, with one powerful flap of its wings, they were soaring to safety to the bottom of the mountain, where it delicately placed her on solid ground.

As she lay there, an image flashed in her mind; it was of herself saving the dragon eggs from earlier. She could almost feel a sense of thanks from the dragon as if it were trying to communicate with her in some way.

This must be how dragons communicated with each other—through images and feelings rather than words. She smiled as she looked up at the dragon that was now staring back at her with curiosity. Only a moment passed before the dragonling joined them. Its first flight was unsure and haphazard as it learned to use its wings.

A giggle escaped Sage as it attempted to land, only to find itself in a tangle of its wings on the hard stone floor. The large dragon nuzzled the dragonling, checking for injury before returning its focus to her.

Sage couldn’t remember any other ways to communicate with the dragons. They were obviously intelligent, especially if they had been part of a treaty at one point in time.

"Thank you," Sage said. "For saving me, I mean."

She watched the dragons for any sign of understanding. Another image of the dragonling following her into the tunnel flashed in her head.

Sage swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "I didn't know it was following me. I didn't mean to take it."

More images flashed in her mind. Disappearing as quickly as they appeared. A large silver dragon with a fae on its back. Them eating together in the forest. The fae tossing part of their meal for the dragon to catch. Scene after scene flashed, all accompanied with the sense of friendship and a deep bond.

The large dragon nudged the dragonling toward Sage.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

For a moment nothing happened until one last image appeared in her mind. She startled at the view of her own face. Fire engulfed the dragon behind her and a single feeling was sent to her. The feeling of family. Her heart melted a little as her gaze moved to the dragonling looking up at her. It had claimed her as family.

Found Family

RocksraineddownuponSage as a figure, who she recognized as the crown prince, scrambled down from the rocky ledge above her. The thunderous roar of an enraged dragon followed close behind him. With a loud yell, he lost his grip and tumbled to the ground in a heap at Sage's feet. Before she could react, the dragon chasing him had also plummeted, and its long tail collided with her body, sending her flying into the rock wall beside her.

The rock wall met her face, the dragon's tail pinned under a rock, as she groaned in pain. The dust around her swirled with the chaos of the dragons chasing the prince, their wings flapping and creating dust clouds. Above the howling of the dragon, Sage heard a voice.

"Sage!" It was Prince Finn, his urgency ringing throughout the canyon. "Get out of the way!"

Sage was pulled to the side. Sawyer, Colby, and Asher surrounded her, their magic ready. The prince's hands firmly gripped her shoulders and a reassuring warmth rushed through her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, assessing her for any injuries.

Sage nodded and then looked back in shock. The large dragon and the dragonling had also followed suit and were now standing guard around Sage and the Charming Four, ready to protect them from further attack. Sage felt a swell of pride and respect toward her newfound guardians and blinked back tears.

Prince Finn turned to Sage, his eyes full of concern. "What's going on?"

He let go of her shoulders and stepped away, moving toward the prone figure of his brother. As the dragons watched him warily, he bent down to see if his brother was still alive. After confirming that he was, Finn straightened and addressed them all.

"I am Prince Finn," he began, his voice strong and determined. "I have been looking for you in order to form a new treaty between our peoples, now that your numbers seem to be growing again enough to be noticed. I would ask you to do me this one favor; let me take my brother with me to be punished by the fae court."

The dragons exchanged looks before one of them stepped forward and images flashed in Sage's mind.

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