Dragon's Dare by Ann Gimpel

Author:Ann Gimpel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ann Gimpel Books, LLC

Chapter 14

Tarika returned in a flurry of wings and settled back next to them. “Listen hard.” Her eyes whirled faster than Jonathan had ever seen them. “I figured out your role in all this. Ye must follow Lachlan.”

“Of course.” Britta squared her shoulders. “We’ll leave right away. Do ye know where he went?”

“Aye, I know, but ye’re not going. Jonathan is. This is what he was born for. He must follow Lachlan and Maggie to Fire Mountain. Lachlan’s gone there to plead for her life. The only way to save her is to bond her to her own dragon.”

“Me?” Jonathan stammered. “But what can I do?”

“Your path will become clear once ye arrive.” Tarika tossed her head. “’Tis far more than helping Lachlan, and ye must find your way without help from me.”

“I still think I should go with him,” Britta persisted. “He’s never been to Fire Mountain. I can help. I’m sure of it.”

“Nay, ye’ll fight astride me. Your place is here.” Tarika shot a meaningful glance at Britta just before she catapulted through the air and landed on the dragon’s back.

“I could’ve done that myself.” Britta nursed a sullen tone. “Ye dinna have to force me.”

“Aye but I did. ’Tisn’t the time for discussion.”

“Assuming I can even find the place, what if the dragons won’t let me in?” Jonathan demanded. Out of all the questions hammering him, it was the most worrisome of the lot.

Tarika bent low. Heat bloomed along both sides of his face as she dug a talon deep. He smelled the coppery scent of his own blood, felt it flow wetly down his cheeks.

“Ye’ve been marked by a First Born. They have no choice but to accept you, listen to you.” Tarika blew steam on his stinging face. “Because ye carry my mark, ye can take the dragons’ paths to our home. I’ll blast a hole in the ether, but ye must go through it. Ye’ll come out in Fire Mountain.”

“Will Lachlan already be there?” Jonathan shook his head. The question sounded lame. If he had some key role to save Earth, he’d never put it together until he stepped back, absorbed the bigger picture.

Tarika snorted smoke. “Of course not. The time shaft is much slower.”

“What should I look for once I get there? Is there a particular dragon who could help me?”

Tarika showered him with more steam. “Quiet. Seek faith in yourself. When ye cut to the bone, ’tis all any of us ever have. Quiet that river of doubt drowning you and ready yourself to leave.”

“I love you,” Britta shouted. “For the love of the gods, be careful.”

“Ye doona caution heroes.” Tarika puffed enough smoke the outline of her and Britta dimmed. “Ye trust they’ll figure things out.”

The air directly in front of him split, making a rending, ripping noise that he felt all the way to his toes. Before he could dissect the wisdom of trusting Tarika’s instructions, he forced himself to leap through. He twisted to tell Britta he loved her too, but the world he knew was gone.

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