“Water?” Killian suggested, his humor disappearing into a grim scowl. “She comes from Avalon ties.”
The dwarf shook his head. “That’s not how the magic works, boy, you know that. It’s about the heart.” He thumped Killian in the chest.
“So, what then?” I asked, looking at my hands again. “How do I tell which kind of dragon I’m supposed to bond with?” Jasmine had an Emerald dragon, from what I remembered of the Dean’s display it was a realm of warriors and life. That reflected her personality well. Killian, his was a water dragon, which surprised me. Avalon’s origins reflected peace, serenity, and the ability to adapt to new situations. Maybe that did fit him, after he’d gone from hating me to accepting our bond. The anger was still there; I felt it underneath the surface, but there was hope that we could come to some sort of understanding.
“Does she know nothing?” the dwarf spat as if disgusted with me.
“I’m new to all of this,” I said, trying not to sound too defensive.
“That much is clear,” he said, snorting.
“Here,” Killian said, taking my hand gently in his own as he brought my fingers to one of the warm shells. Energy swarmed between us and he pulled away, allowing me to focus on the sensation of the rough shell. “Do you feel anything?”
“Am I supposed to?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel an epiphany, or a surge of magic like I had with the riderbond with Killian. Other than the warmth and the faint thump of a heartbeat inside, I couldn’t feel anything else.
“Try the next one,” Killian offered, and so began the long process of checking each egg for some mystical connection that I was starting to believe didn’t exist.
When we reached the final egg, Finn had completed his task of coating the shells and tapped his foot impatiently while he crossed his arms. I brushed away sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand before I pressed my fingertips to the shell.
Nothing.
“Well,” Finn said with a sense of resign, “it seems you’ve brought us a dud, Killian.”
Killian furrowed his brows. “This can’t be right.” He glanced at me, his thumb running across my birthmark. Energy surged between us instantly, making my toes curl. “I’ve seen the magic you can do. There has to be a dragon who is attuned with your aura…” He glanced at Finn. “Are there any others?”
The dwarf rubbed his hands on a dirty cloth. “Not any that are still alive, no, there’s… hey!”
Finn shouted after me as I stepped into the darkness, drawn by a tingling down my spine that intensified with every step. I passed between a set of two bookshelves shoved closely together, reaching around to find a door that had a rusty knob. I turned it, but found it locked. A humming sounded in my ears, followed by a sensation of warmth and the need to protect… something.
“I need in here,” I snapped with certainty.
“There’s nothing for you in there, lass,” the dwarf said, but he pulled a chain of keys from his buckle anyway. He worked at the lock and creaked the door open, snapping his fingers to send more of the magical lanterns sputtering to life. I stepped inside the room that made a strange sensation crawl across my skin. Eggs lined the shelves of the dimly lit room, except these had no color and no life. Cracks lined the shells, giving them the appearance of being left out in the sun for too long.
My nose wrinkled as the aroma hit me. Killian noticed it too. The faint stench we’d come across at the entry waterfall wasn’t mold…
It was death.
“Vivi,” Killian said with a sense of urgency. “Are you… drawn to one of these?”
My fingers reached out as if my soul sought for something. I shuffled forward until I happened upon an egg that had no life in it, but called me all the same. A strange pulse came from inside it, like an echo of a heartbeat that had long been lost. Tears I couldn’t explain swelled in my eyes and slipped down my cheeks.
“Yes,” I whispered, my voice hoarse.
But how could that be? This egg was clearly dead.
“We need to talk to the Dean,” Killian said, his tone cut with steel. He reached out to grab my arm, but pulled his fingers back at the last second as if he was afraid to touch me. “It’s very dangerous to connect with a dead dragon. This egg is just a husk, Viv. There’s no soul inside. You could die if you tried to retrieve it from the afterlife.”
“Is that even possible?” I whispered, thinking of my father and how he seemed so beyond my reach. If I could bring something of him back… anything, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
“I don’t know,” Killian said honestly. “You have the goddess’s blood inside of you. I don’t know what you’re capable of.”
I tugged the egg free of its prison, bringing it into my chest.
I knew I’d never let it go.
Will Vivi be able to reconnect with the lost spirit of a dragon egg that is… dead? Perhaps this has something to do with Solstice…
Find out in the next episode!
To Be Continued in Dragonrider Academy: Episode 3!
My dragon is all that matters.
I don’t care
