Page 13 of Dragon Chosen
Why would they…?
Auren’s snappy reply was cut off as she stared at the ground below. We were both tired, having slept rough in a clearingovernight, but it wasn’t the promise of rest that had her attention.
It was them.
Four dragons, bright as jewels, sat at the village edge, right before each one of their heads jerked up, catching sight of us.
Chapter 7
Lance
Lance.
My dragon touched my mind, his tone insistent.
Coming, lad, I said, grabbing a mug of coffee off my kitchen table and then my riding gloves. I slapped them against my thigh as I walked outside to find Viridian, my dragon, standing there.Anxious to patrol today?
No, I?—
“I’m taking the forest this time.”
Across the path, I saw my wingmate, Billy, emerge out of his cottage. In theory, I was the wing commander, and I decided where he and his dragon, Happy, would go, but we didn’t really run things like that in Dragon Rest. We’d taken a leaf out of our brand new prime minister’s book and tried to run the place like a democracy. That wasn’t always easy.
“You want to take the shortest loop.” Harley, another of the town’s dragon riders, said with a growl. “So you can get back to Florrie.”
The woman herself came out of Billy’s cottage just in a dressing gown. We all looked away as the two of them lockedlips. He’d need to make an honest woman of her soon, because the way the two of them were at it, it was only a matter of time before he became a father. His dad never gave him his name, and I was pretty sure Billy didn’t want to make the same mistake.
“Billy, you take Happy off to the east.” He grinned at Harley, who let out an almost inaudible growl. “And Harley, you head down to the coast.”
He frowned at me.
“We don’t usually do a sweep that close to the city. That’s for the toffs at the keep to worry about.”
I put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.
“Yes, but that girl you were making eyes at last time we were down that way?” Harley’s lips thinned, but I saw hope flare to life in his eyes. “She’ll be down on the beach today, harvesting cockles. Just bring some back for us…”
Before I could finish giving orders, Harley was off, striding over to Zephyr. He hauled himself up into his dragon’s saddle, then the two of them launched themselves into the air.
“Be back soon, my love.”
Billy performed a deep bow, staring into Florrie’s eyes, which just had her giggling.
“Try and pay attention in the air,” I told him as he walked over to Happy. His dragon’s wings ruffled, making clear he was anxious to get going. “We do need to keep Dragon Rest safe.”
“Protecting Florrie?” Billy nodded to me from the saddle. “Don’t have to ask me twice. C’mon, lad.”
I watched him take flight, then turned, ready to rouse the last of our wing. Jenkins would still be in bed and was always a hard one to wake. It wasn’t that he slept heavily, but that ghosts from the past haunted him. I was making for his cottage when Viridian stopped me.
Jenkins is already out with Blade, he told me.They have flown down to the ruins again.
I told him to tell me before he goes anywhere.
I marched over to my dragon, ready to take off after Jenkins and make sure he was all right when Viridian stopped me. Those massive green eyes stared into mine.
Blade says Jenkins is well. He is currently sleeping,he said.
Then we’ll need to do the longer sweep, I said.Over the fields and?—
