Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles) (45 page)
Read Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles) Online
Authors: Nicole Conway
“Upset because some other girl kissed you?” She rolled her eyes. “Oh please. If I were going to be upset with anyone, it would be her not you. She’s gone around telling everyone how you rejected her and broke her heart because you’re in love with some mystery girl. But it was my fault, anyway. I shouldn’t have left you alone at the ball. If I had stayed, it never would have happened.”
I put a hand over my face to cover my embarrassment. “She promised she wouldn’t tell anyone…”
“Only a man would believe something like that,” Beckah quipped. “Women tell each other everything, Jae.”
I filed that crucial information away for future reference. “Well, I’m sorry. I should’ve realized what she was up to.”
Beckah smiled and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Don’t worry about it. You’re so naïve when it comes to girls, but it’s really cute. And you’re all mine now.”
We sat in silence again, watching the sunrise. I was trying to figure out if being called cute was a good thing or not. She seemed happy and content. The morning light shining in her eyes made them sparkle. I could see all the freckles on her cheeks.
I hated to ruin the moment. I wanted this to last forever. But there was something I had to tell her, and I was running out of time. Soon, Felix and the others would come looking for me. Then I’d have to head back to the academy and prepare to deploy to Northwatch.
“Beckah.” I squeezed her hand to get her attention.
She looked at me with that blissful smile still on her lips.
“I took your advice. I paid more attention to my dreams,” I started to explain. Anxiety and bitterness made my hands shake, and I watched her smile start to fade away.
“What did you see?” she asked quietly.
I didn’t know where to begin. So I told her everything I could think of as quickly as I could. I told her every detail of my dream, from beginning right up until the guard had taken off his helmet. I showed her the scimitar with the elven royal crest on the pommel, and explained how I had found it hidden in my half-brother’s room. I told her how the dream, the gray elf warrior had made a deal with the guard to let him live, but in exchange he had to take something from the forest. But not just anything. No, he only wanted the god stone.
Beckah listened. She studied me and the scimitar, and waited for me to give her that last piece of the puzzle. “The guard,” she pressed when I didn’t offer it up quickly enough. “You said he seemed familiar somehow. Do you have any idea who he is?”
“Yes,” I answered through clenched teeth. “Before the dream ended, I saw his face.”
“Who?” She was staring up at me with wide eyes and gripping my hand so hard it cut off my circulation. “Who is it?”
I hated the answer because if it was actually true, then I was just as responsible as he was. I hated seeing his face whenever I closed my eyes. It took all my self-control to keep from shouting as I glared at the royal castle.
“The guard in my dream, the traitor who made a deal with that murderer and stole the god stone from Luntharda,” I growled furiously, “… is my father.”
Nicole is the author of the children’s fantasy series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, about a young boy’s journey into manhood as he trains to become a dragonrider.
Originally from a small town in North Alabama, Nicole moves frequently due to her husband’s career as a pilot for the United States Air Force. She has previously worked as a freelance and graphic artist for promotional companies, but has now embraced writing as a full-time occupation.
Visit her online at
http://anconway422.wix.com/anconway
