Page 56 of Pippa of Lauramore
Traditionally, men competing in the tournament would hunt and kill a dragon. Since the peace agreement was made between men and dragons at the end of the Dragon Wars, this is no longer possible.
“Have they not explained the changes to the dragon hunt?” I ask, surprised my father is waiting so long.
Dristan shakes his head. His white-blond hair isalmost shaggy against his forehead. “We have very little dealings with dragons in Triblue. Even before the war’s end, they rarely ventured that far south.”
“He’s never seen a dragon,” Bran adds. His younger brother glares at him, his tan cheeks turning pink.
“Consider yourself fortunate,” Archer says from behind me.
I glance at the long scar on his arm as he joins us. He was a year younger than I am now. He seems to have been too young to have battled a dragon and won.
“Ah, welcome Master Archer,” Irving says.
“Just Archer,” he answers.
Galinor joins us, followed by Lady Marigold.
“Why do they call you that, Archer? What is your name?” Galinor asks.
Archer’s eyes flicker. “It is a family name on my mother’s side. My nameisArcher.”
“Your mother is from Errinton, is she not?” Irving says, picking up on the juicy gossip I refused to discuss moments ago.
“My mother is dead.”
The table is silent for a moment.
Rigel studies Archer. “Your mother—she was Lord Greymond Archer’s daughter, wasn’t she?”
Archer waits a moment to answer. “She was.”
Rigel frowns but says nothing more. His eyes stray to mine, and I flinch when we meet.
“But this event—it will have something to do with dragons, won’t it?” Dristan asks, smoothly leading us back to his original question.
“You will hunt a dragon, track it to its hoard, and bring back an enchanted piece of treasure,” Archer tells them.
“Won’t that break the treaty?” Galinor asks, looking nervous. “I assumed the dragon hunt would be laid to rest.”
Marigold’s eyes are huge, and the color has drained from her already fair face.
“As long as you don’t harm the dragon—no. The dragon hunt is too important to disband completely.”
Only Rigel looks undisturbed by this information. He helps himself to an apple and takes a bite. His dark eyes study the others.
I feel like we have a viper in our midst.
“There’s no reason to dwell on it tonight,” Archer says. “Tomorrow you will rest and prepare, and the next day your hunt will begin.”
It wasone thing for Leonora and Marigold to join me for music and geography this morning, but it’s a completely different matter when it comes to archery.
Apparently, Lady Marigold has never held a bow.
Shocking.
I aim at my target, doing my best to ignore Archer as he explains the finer points of archery to her. Careful to keep my elbow up, I shoot, hitting the target dead center.
“You’re very good,” Galinor says from behind me.
