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If I couldn’t keep my own mother alive, how am I supposed to keep a dragon hatchling alive? If I’m caught, I’m dead. Not to mention that’s if I don’t die from a rebel attack, starvation, or the cold.

I set the dragon hatchling down on the ground.

“Just keep going north and you’ll eventually get back to your lands.” I point toward the jagged mountain tops of Dragon’s Back Ridge stretching above the forest.

I gather my satchel, but the hatchling snags my dagger off the ground before I can grab it. I jolt forward, and she dodges me. Her eyes sparkle and tail quivers. She bounds off, and I stumble after her.

“Hey, get back here!” I hiss and follow her darting shadow. “Put that down! You’ll hurt yourself!”

She squeals at our game of chase and stops at the river’s edge. Dropping the dagger, she leans forward to sniff the water. Her body teetering far too close to the river’s depths.

My pulse races as I manage to catch her by the tail before she falls in. It’s the first time I’ve ever been fast enough. My attention momentarily flickers over to the two crosses before Daeja wriggles in my grasp and I let her go. Collecting my dagger off the ground, I place it back into my satchel.

The morning light catches the shine of…coins? Where did she get this?I pull out a brown journal, loaf of bread, and a flask of water. Every item I sift through, the seriousness of my mother’s commands sinks in. She had planned this. She had thought this through. But it still didn’t explain all the questions and doubts I had swirling around me.

King Aaric closed the northern border long before I was born. It’s a nearly impossible quest to get to the border alive and alone. And that doesn’t factor in with an illegal dragon.Maybe that’s why she told me to find Cole first…he could help me.

My mother met Cole multiple times. Although, it was difficult to get any sort of indication on whether or not she approved of him. Not when most days she was either sleeping or having a mental break.

I have to admit, a part of me wants to see him again. Craves to see him again. Perhaps make amends.

My gaze floats back over to the two crosses.What would they do?I wait for an answer—a prod in a specific direction—anything. But I feel nothing. Despite how much it hurts, I think of my mother. Daeja watches me curiously, her head tilting far to the side.

If it was my mother’s last request, I’ll honor her memory by doing it.I have to find Cole.

Recounting my interaction with Vivian, Cole has to be in Blackfell. Blackfell is a few week’s trek from here. Maybe a bit more at my pace and if I stick to the cover of the forest for as long as I can.

Before we leave, I linger at my father’s and brother’s crosses. My fingers trace the rugged grains of the wood as Daeja sniffs from afar. I shove a branch into the ground next to the other two. Sadness wells in me because I can’t honor her memory with something more. I kiss my fingers before pressing them to the wood. I turn away quickly before I can cry again.

Leaving all I’ve ever known behind.

six

THE JOURNAL

We are moving slow. Too slow. I toss a look over my shoulder to see how far behind Daeja is. Her strides are far too short. And as more time goes on, her movements drag in exhaustion.

After deliberating, I turn around and place her in my satchel, but as I attempt to shut the flap, she hisses and climbs out. In liquid fast movement, she snakes up my arm and perches on my shoulder. My skin burns in the wake of her sharp talons.

The next attempt to place her back in my bag is just as unsuccessful. This time, she wraps herself around my neck. Despite the vulnerable position it puts me in if she decides to attack, it’s...oddly comforting. Like a warm, dragon scarf. This may be the closest I ever get to being wealthy, since only the rich wear scarves. And fur ones at that.

Guess I have them beat with my scaled one.

I give in to her preferred spot wrapped around my neck—at least this way we can travel faster. She nuzzles into my neck witha chuff, and I flinch at her touch. It would be easy for her to sink her fangs into my throat from this angle.

But she doesn’t.

And part of me lacks the depth of fear I should feel if she did.

The sun dips low behind the tree line stretching out before us. Soft hues of greens and golden light bathe the forest around us. My entire body groans against the effort to walk. Daeja is fairly quiet, aside from her head shifting against my neck as her gaze darts around at every little noise. We eventually stop at a rocky overhang for the night. As we settle in, I reach for the journal tucked into my satchel and set it on my lap.

A leather strap ties the two front folds closed. I trace my forefinger over the insignia etched into the weathered brown cover, leaving a thin layer of dust coating my finger. The silhouette of a dragon perches on top of a capital A. The dragon’s long whip of a tail finishes out the crossbar of the letter. I edge open the cover, and my breath catches at the first page.

A Comprehensive Study of Dragons

By Leland Blackwind

Fire incarnate.