Page 3 of The Black Dragon

Justin pointed to the ceiling. “Why cage yourself? You’ll never find love knocking at the front door. You have to go out and find it foryourself.”

Sage advice from a sarcastic, sexydragon.

“I imagine you’ve traveled a lot.” She leaned forward, deeply curious. “You canfly.”

He picked up his wrists, rattled the chains. “When I’m free, I roam. Roll from one place to the next. I’m atumbleweed.”

Envy filled her. It must be wonderful to not have restrictions and be able to soar above life’s problems and fly free, wherever you wished. She had a few Mage friends, but they were casual acquaintances. Since Justin’s imprisonment, she didn’t dare talkwith any of them, fearing she might accidentally reveal the secret below thestairs.

And her father’sexperiments.

“I’ve never traveled outside the city,” she confessed. “But I’ve longed to see theworld.”

“Then go. You’re young. What holds youback?”

She thought of the catalogs and brochures received in the mail, silver-domed temples and snow-capped purple mountainspromising adventure and freedom. Places she would never visit, except in hermind.

In her imagination, she soared like the dragons her fatherhated.

Dragons who killed without discretion, without consideration forlife.

And yet who was worse? Dragons like Justin, or her father for imprisoning him? Justin had been free, flying through theair.

She had toknow.

“Have you ever killed anyone?” she askedhim.

Justin shifted his position. “Only those who deserved it. Men who killedinnocents.”

“My father says dragons kill without discretion. They take life for sheerpleasure.”

He snorted. “Your father chooses to believe only the bad things about my kind. There are good dragons and bad, just as there are good and bad Mages. In my travels,I’ve encountered perhaps a few cruel dragons. But none are killers like your fatherclaims.”

Justin stared at her with intent. “So, little bird? Will you fly away or remain cagedhere?”

Such adventures he must have had.What if you take me with you? What if I could leave thisplace?

For the first time since her mother’s death, Ariel felt a prick of somethingfresh.

Hope.