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My hand shook. If this creature didn’t kill me, and Lorian ever learned of me disarming myself this way…

My knees barely supported my weight, my skin turning clammy. My heart pounded in my ears.

Was I so desperate to feel close to Papa that I was about to die for it? Was I so eager to clutch at any kind of meaning in his words that I would risk everything?

I studied the creature in front of me. It stared back. Waiting.

My limbs turned numb as I slowly reached for my sword. It showed me its teeth again.

“I’m not going to hurt you unless you hurt me,” I told it.

Its eyes were on my sword.

I pulled it free.

Dropping it onto the ground between us might have been the most difficult thing I’d done in my life.

Bowing my head, I waited for it to rip out my throat.

I could feel it padding closer, a flash of fur out the corner of my eye. I braced for the burst of agony.

The creature’s breath was hot on my face. This was it. Astupidway to die. My family and friends would never forgive me. Lorian would… Lorian…

A rough tongue licked my cheek.

Lifting my head, I met those black eyes. “You’re not going to kill me?”

It turned and wandered to the edge of the clearing, sniffing at something I couldn’t see.

“So you tamed the Drakoryx,” a voice said.

I whirled. An old man stood at the edge of the clearing, a wooden staff in his hand.

“The Drakoryx?”

He nodded, but his gaze swept over my muddy leather breeches, ripped shirt, and up the curls that had come free from my braid. He didn’t look impressed.

But I was becoming less and less interested in whether the powerful men I was coming into contact with found meacceptable.

I studied his own clothes—neat and clean—his beard—trimmed and shot through with silver—and finally, his eyes—glimmering with interest. It was gone in an instant.

“There is a reason the elders insisted you meet the Drakoryx first,” he said, glancing at the creature behind me. “He has judged you worthy.”

“And if he didn’t?”

The old man gave me a sharp smile. “Then I wouldn’t have needed to make this journey.”

Cute.

“Follow me,” the old man said, turning back toward the forest.

I stayed put. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned at me.

“You just told me you risked my life without my knowledge or consent. Why would I follow you?”

His eyebrows shot up, as if he hadn’t considered I might be a little annoyed by my brush with death. “Because the Drakoryx would only approve of someone it considered fit to rule this kingdom,” he said, and his tone made it clear he didn’t agree with the creature. “Which means you can now meet those who have risked their lives for your people while you grew up safe in your village.”

Clearly, he wanted me to lose my temper. If there was one thing I’d learned so far, it was to never give my enemies what they wanted. So I gave him a cool smile, sheathed both of my weapons, and followed him into the forest.