Page 2 of Court of Rivals (Their Dragon Rider #1)

H arper

It’s early the next morning, and I’m just finishing breakfast with my mother, father, and four brothers.

My older brothers, Cedric, Rowan, Oswin, and Eamon are like a ravenous herd of pigs.

If I don’t watch my hands at the table, I just might lose them.

By the time we’re done, the table looks like it’s been licked clean.

The four of them are mini-copies of my father.

They all have identical dark brown hair, and they’re built tall and sturdy.

Even though I’m built like my father and brothers, I look like a giant version of my petite mother.

I have her golden blonde hair and bright hazel eyes.

But while she looks delicate and ladylike, I look like I step on delicate ladies like her.

Still, I don’t mind being pieces of both my parents.

What I do mind is the fact that my brothers act like children.

The Dravari live very long lives, so they tend to wait for marriage and kids until they’re in their thirties or forties, so that part about my brothers is perfectly normal.

But while the Dravari people tend to act like they’re in their twenties when they’re well into their thirties and forties, my brothers are in their thirties, still acting like fourteen-year-olds .

It gets to be pretty irritating pretty fast.

“So what’s on the agenda today?” I ask.

Rowan starts to knock his shoulder into Oswin over and over again, until Oswin shoves him.

He goes flying into Cedric who, as the oldest, tolerates very little.

He starts in on his lectures as the two tumble around fighting on the wooden floor.

Eamon tries to escape the mess. As the youngest and smallest, he knows how it goes when he fights with the twins.

Rowan and Oswin manage to knock him clean off his feet before he can escape, and then the three of them are a tangled pile of limbs, just like when they were toddlers, even though now they’re grown men.

My dad, a man of few words, kneels over them and grabs Rowan and Oswin by the ears, hauling them out of the tangled mess as they say, “ow, ow, ow,” over and over again.

Eamon bolts away from them, and Cedric continues to straighten and inspect his clothes, probably not wanting to look bad if Rosaline stops by today. He’s sweet on her.

“Enough,” my dad says, then releases their ears.

The twins rub their ears, noses wrinkled, but they don’t dare say a word.

“The boys,” my father draws out the words, “and I will be busy in the fields all day.”

My mom stands from the table and begins gathering the dishes, and I push back my chair and start stacking plates. “And Harper will be busy all day collecting herbs in the woods.”

I grin. I love collecting herbs. It’s a great excuse to spend the day alone in the woods, exploring and stretching my legs a little.

“No problem.”

My mom gives me a look. “I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important, but I need more mandrake.”

I freeze. Mandrake root is a rare and useful plant used in healing for pain relief, fertility, and sleep disorders.

We need to keep it on hand, but the location of the plant is pretty far from our home, in a hard-to-reach place.

If I’m going to get there and back before it gets dark, I need to leave right away.

As if reading my mind, my mom says, “I already packed you a lunch.”

I’m not sure I want to get the mandrake root, but I’m the only one who can safely reach it and knows where it’s located, thanks to my mom, so it’s got to be me. So, I say, “Thanks.”

I start to head for my room to get properly dressed and ready when my mom stops me. “We need to talk before you go.” Then she gives my father a look.

He nods his head. “Boys, outside.”

The twins look like they might argue, but my father’s expression makes them head outside without a word. Both my parents sit down at the table, so I follow suit, sitting next to my dad.

“Is something wrong?”

My dad sighs and rubs his face, jaw moving once, twice, before locking shut on whatever he was about to say. My mom forces a smile and steps in. “Not at all. It’s just… we’ve been wondering if this marriage to Tesson is really what you want?”

Every muscle in my body stiffens. “I don’t know what you mean, I–”

She rests a hand lightly on mine, her touch halting the protest. “Harper, you’re not as good at hiding how you feel as you think. Watching you with Tesson, your father and I can’t help but wonder if you really want to be with him, or if you agreed to this engagement because of who his father is.”

I open my mouth, then close it. I don’t know what to say.

“Just be honest,” my father says, his dark eyes watching me carefully.

Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I say, “I think he, and his father, could make our lives very unpleasant if I don’t marry him.”

Their expressions instantly change. I see a range of emotions. Surprise, worry, confusion… and then that stubbornness our family is famous for.

“The engagement is over,” my father says simply.

My mom nods. “We’re not throwing away your life because of some unpleasantness. We can handle Tesson and his father. Don’t worry about it, dear. When we have them over for dinner in a few days, we’ll make it clear that the engagement needs to end.”

“But–”

Both her hands close over mine, warm and certain. “You may be thirty years old, my dear, but we’re still your parents. We’ll handle this.”

It feels wrong to let them handle Tesson when I’m the one who created this mess by getting his attention in the first place, but I simply nod.

If they say there’s a way to get me out of this without it causing issues for my family, I need to trust that they can do that.

And, honestly, I’m relieved more than words can say to get out of this situation.

“Thanks,” I say, then hug each of them.

My mom waves me away. “Go get ready, or you’ll miss the light.”

I rush for my room and dress in simple leathers and my good boots.

I place a dagger at my waist and make sure my bag is packed with my healer’s kit.

Getting hurt in the area of the forest I’m going to could be a death sentence without the proper help.

I quickly braid my long blonde hair and let it fall down my back, then head back out to the main part of the house, grabbing my heavy lunch and stuffing it into my bag.

My parents each give me a kiss and remind me to be careful.

Outside, one twin noogies my hair, rubbing the top of my head until I’m sure my hair is tangled.

Cedric gives me a nod, and Eamon squeezes me in a quick hug, reminding me that there are lots of dangerous magical creatures in the woods, so to stay diligent. Not that I needed to be told.

I take off into the woods. The trees here are estimated by witches to be nearly four thousand years old.

Beside them, I look tiny. Hurrying through a forest of the giants reminds me of how fragile we humans are in the greater scheme of things.

Circling around one tree, I run my hand along the rough bark, breathing in the green scent of life.

A cool wind whistles through the thick leaves overhead, but my leather jacket and pants keep me warm.

Hours pass as I maneuver through the woods, getting farther and farther from any humans.

This deep into the woods, most of my walk is in shadows, created by the canopy of leaves overhead.

Occasional patches of brilliant sunlight make their way through the leaves, making my journey feel even more magical.

Like I'm the first human to ever touch these lands.

It’s nearly lunch time, and I’ve been hiking uphill for some time.

The mandrake root is located in a small valley just up ahead.

Even though I can’t see it, I know what I’ll find once I reach my destination.

There’s a beautiful clearing, a river nearby, and plenty of other herbs to gather too.

I’m hungry, but I decide to wait until I reach the valley to eat, so I can have a true picnic in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

I finally reach the top of the hill, then scale down into the valley below.

It takes another thirty or so minutes to reach the bottom of the valley, and then I head for my favorite spot.

I’m about to leave the shade of the trees when I hear a sound above me.

A roar. A rush of wind. Alien sounds that I can’t identify.

Suddenly, something hits the earth, and the ground around me shakes from the impact.

What the hell was that?

As I inch forward, I get the feeling that something is very wrong. Everything is quiet. Really quiet. I freeze. There’s not a single insect or bird making sounds anywhere in the trees.

And then, a roar echoes through the silence that makes every hair on my body stand on end. It’s not just because it’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before, or that it screams of danger, but because it’s so close. It’s just in front of me, through the last patch of trees.

Heart hammering, I freeze for a long time, waiting for something to happen, but nothing does.

There are no more sounds. No motion. Just silence.

I guess I should keep going. I creep forward, and a terrible smell fills the air.

Sulfur. Memories scratch at the back of my mind. Sulfur means something. But what?

Again, I freeze. I’m waiting for something, anything to indicate where the smell is coming from, where the sound came from, but there’s nothing. No further signs of danger.

I keep inching forward until I see motion.

Curiosity fills me. If I’m careful, I can keep going and figure this out.

Taking a deep breath, I move even closer, curious to know what all these seemingly unrelated puzzle pieces mean.

As I poke my head free of the trees, my jaw drops, and I blink several times, trying to understand the scene before me.