Page 4 of Court of Rivals (Their Dragon Rider #1)

H arper

I slowly become aware of the fact that my side is boiling hot and that the rest of me is freezing. It’s such a strange sensation that I wonder if I rolled too close to the fire in my bedroom. Birdsong surrounds me, and a breeze blows through my hair.

A breeze?

I open my eyes, blinking several times, letting my vision come into focus. I’m in the woods. Some of the woods are scorched black, while the rest looks lush and beautiful. What the hell? Where am I? And then, it all comes rushing back to me.

Are you awake then, human? someone asks, their voice almost inhumanly low, like a growl.

“Y-yes,” I whisper, craning my neck to see where the person is.

Good, I long for flight.

“For flight?” I frown. “Where are you?”

There’s an amused laugh. Behind you.

I look, but I only see a mountain… a mountain of scales.

“Holy fuck,” I mumble.

The warm thing I’d been lying against? It was the black dragon. The one I’d thought was dying the night before. The one I’d tried so desperately to save.

I did nearly die, and you did save me , he says, but he doesn’t seem happy about it.

I stand, and my legs ache a little. I’m not old or anything, but I’m definitely past the age where I can sleep on the ground all night and not be a little sore. I move away from him so I’m standing where I can see him properly. His head swings toward me, and he watches me with pretty blue eyes.

“You can talk,” I say.

His low voice comes again. I can communicate in your thoughts.

“Can you read my thoughts?”

I can, but I usually don’t bother. Human thoughts are pretty boring. Oh, gods, there’s a dragon! It’s going to eat me! It’s all the same.

“Are you going to eat me?”

He makes a sound that’s almost a laugh. Human meat is disgusting. I’ll eat it in battle, but not otherwise.

I breathe a little easier, then catch sight of his wounds. “Do you mind if I check your injuries?”

Shifting, he offers more of his body. Go ahead.

Cautiously, I check over all his injuries, taking more time with the worst ones. To my surprise, they’re almost entirely healed. New scales are even beginning to grow. I’ve never seen anything like this before.

“You healed incredibly well!” I remark.

A puff of smoke curls from his nostrils. Because you scared away the bone wyrm and cared for me. Why did you do such a thing? Dragons are the gods of the sky. No one helps the gods.

I gently pet his good scales. “I just felt like I had to save you… like your pain was my pain. Which sounds silly, but that’s how I felt.”

There’s silence for a long moment before he says, Well, what’s done is done. We need to get to Stormwrath Academy and begin what we must.

I blink, feeling stupid. “What does the dragon riders’ academy have to do with us?”

Stormwrath Academy is located in Elarwyn, the heart of the Dravari’s empire.

It’s where the royals rule from, and where noblemen from all over the continent train to become dragon riders.

The training is very difficult, but even if you’re the best of the best, you only become a dragon rider if a dragon chooses you, although normally only the biggest and strongest get chosen by dragons.

The dragon riders rule the skies over the Dravari’s empire, protecting us from the Hollowborn, our enemies.

I’ve personally never met a dragon rider or seen a dragon up close, well, until now, but I’d love to see them one day.

Not that I’d ever actually travel that far.

Elarwyn is a good two-week horse ride away, but I like to think that one day such a crazy thing might be possible.

The dragon riders’ academy is where we’re headed.

I stare at the dragon, wondering if he might have lost his mind. “Why?”

His sigh is loud in my mind. You– what is your name?

“Harper Nightborne.”

You , he continues, Harper Nightborne, have saved the life of the mighty Ebron, God of the Sky, Ruler of the Earth, one of only a handful of male dragons that still roam this planet. As it has been said, you have earned the right to be my rider.

I wait for the dragon to laugh, but he doesn’t. “You can’t be serious.”

I’m serious, tiny human.

“But all dragon riders are males. And nobles. I’m neither of those.”

You are a dragon rider, because a dragon chose you. That is all you need to know.

I start to pace, while keeping an eye on the massive dragon. “Dragon riders also go to battle. They fight the Hollowborn. I’m no warrior.”

You could have fooled me after last night.

I think about last night. I guess I did act a bit like a warrior.

“Still, it’s okay. I don’t need to be your dragon rider. You don’t owe me anything for saving your life. We can both just continue on like this never happened.”

He snorts. The dragon actually snorts. I am afraid this is no longer up to us.

You saved the life of a dragon. You are my rider, and we must learn to work together.

He pauses for a moment. I must be honest. I have never wanted a rider, and have never had a rider, not once in my long life.

Male dragons are too proud to allow themselves to be ridden, but I do enjoy fighting the bone wyrm– I mean, I fought four last night, although that turned out to be too many.

Still, I have grown bored in recent years.

I need a change, and I believe fighting with the dragon riders is it.

I believe the gods sent us to each other because this is what we are fated to do.

“I’m a healer,” I tell him, emphasizing each word. “I’m not a dragon rider or a warrior.”

And you are happy with your life the way it is? You do not long for adventure? You do not long for anything more than you have?

I open my mouth, then close it. Of course I long for more.

I’ve read a hundred books with heroes who go on epic adventures that change the world.

But my family is here . My friends are here .

My town is here . I might have imagined going out in the great big world, but going on a little adventure and becoming a dragon rider are two entirely different things.

It’s settled, he says. Now get on my back.

“And what happens if I don’t?” I ask nervously.

His big head swings close to me, until his mesmerizing eyes are close to my face. Then I’ll have to carry you in my claws, and I guarantee you’d prefer to be on my back.

It’s strange. The world seems to slow down at that moment. Every sound fades away. Then a rushing fills my ears along with the strange realization that I’m not going to get out of this. I’m going to be a dragon rider, and this will be my dragon.

My legs tremble. “I just have one request. Can we stop by my home, so I can gather my things and say goodbye to my family?”

He’s quiet, but then nods after a moment. But we must make this quick. We will be the first male dragon/female rider combination in many lifetimes. Our fate will not wait for us.

Trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach, I stare at the large dragon. “How do I get up?”

Humm , he mumbles, then after a moment he continues, step on my wing and I’ll raise you up to my back.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I move towards the dragon, then step on his wing as instructed.

He lifts his wing, and I’m thrown onto his back.

I gasp, straddling the massive beast the best I can, while trying to grab onto his scales.

My panicked thoughts of how this could possibly work toss around my head as his wings start to beat.

Which way?

I’m going to throw up. “There!” I point.

Suddenly, the dragon launches into the sky. A scream tears from my lips, and I shove my hands between his scales, holding on for dear life. Air rushes around me. The ground is far below. And I’m glad I haven’t eaten, because there’s nothing in my belly to throw up.

I’ve never imagined what it would be like to fly on the back of a dragon, but if I had, this wouldn’t be what I pictured.

The wind batters me, claws at me, and I have to grip on tight or else risk being tossed off to fall to my death.

My teeth clatter together, and the chill of the wind hurts my skin.

Look for your home, little human, or else we shall miss it.

The last thing I want to do is look down, but I do, because all of this is happening so fast. And if I miss my chance to stop at my home, my family won’t know what happened to me.

They’ll assume I was killed in the forest, and I would hate to break all their hearts when a little bravery will allow me to speak to them one final time.

Besides, it sounds like I’m restarting my life somewhere else.

I wouldn’t mind having some of my belongings with me as I do.

I look down and my stomach lurches again as I realize just how high I’m up. If I fell from here, I’d be nothing but a smudge on the ground. Still, I push past my panic, eyes searching, then, my farm comes into sight.

“There!” I shout again, the word being torn away by the wind.

But he seems to understand because he tilts down, and my body inches forward as we head directly for my farm. My teeth are smacking together again. My head feels light. And then we land roughly on the ground not forty feet from my home.

He flutters his massive wings. Flying is good for healing.

My legs are shaking, but I move to slide off, then start falling off instead.

He lifts his wing to catch me, then lowers me to the ground, where I remain, shaking.

The door to the house opens, and my father steps out.

His eyes widen when they land on the dragon, and he backs up, moving to slam the door.

“Wait!”

He hesitates as his gaze swings to me.

“This is my dragon.”

My dragon?

“Calling you mine just simplifies things.”

Tell him that I am Ebron, God of the Sky, Warrior of Dragonkind, A Male Rarer Than Any Treasure–

“I’m not telling him that.”

My dad lingers in the doorway, his face pale. “Harper, come here. Slowly.”