Dragons by Finley George

Author:Finley George [George, Finley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Finley George
Published: 2024-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Cairngorms

August

“I think Helen’s watching me,” she said, the moment Will opened the door.

“You saw her?”

“On the way over.”

“Do you think we should be worried about her?” He stepped out of the caravan and locked the door behind him.

“I don’t know.”

They set off across the fields and away from the eyes and ears of camp. Not that she expected anyone to be listening this far out, but it was as good an excuse for a walk as any. They weren’t on the move for long before Will broke the silence.

“What’s up with that? You and Helen?”

Maia laughed. “Why do you care about my relationship with my sister?”

“I care if she’s going to become a problem. And because… I’ve seen you around her; it’s like you’re always holding back from something.”

Maia wondered how he could read her so easily. “She’s pretty miserable here, and I think part of her resents me because I’m not.”

“What?” They passed the back fence, where Steven was leading a mostly willing Ferox into free-flight.

She glanced at Will, taking in the slight hunch to his shoulders and the way his feet scuffed a little in the grass. “Yeah, uh, she’s never liked flying, but she’s also annoyingly stubborn and will pretend to like flying so no one questions why she’s a dragon rider.” She shook her head. “She has to work hard just to get into the air, and it comes more easily to me, I guess.”

“So she’s jealous?”

“No, I—I don’t know. She’s never actually told me about it. I think it’s more like she’s never praised for anything related to dragon riding, and I’ve come in. It’s my first year, and I got in without any real effort. Which sounds a lot like jealousy now I think about it.”

Will was silent for a moment. “Does she think you haven’t earnt your spot on the team?”

“Maybe. Mostly, I think she’s determined to make it work in the troupe, even though she’s afraid.” Maia smiled and looked at him again; some of the tension in his shoulders had eased. “Or so Ember tells me,” she said carefully. It was about time he knew, and Ember wanted her to tell him.

Will jolted to a stop so fast she almost walked into the back of him. “Tells you? That—that’s not possible.”

But something in his face told her he knew it was possible, because he’d been on the receiving end of Ember’s telepathic communication once before; he also didn’t seem inclined to relive it, so she didn’t mention it.

“It is possible,” she said gently, and resumed walking. Thankfully, he followed, though not without a frown firmly attached to his face. “But I thought it was a myth, too, at first. Apparently people used to talk to dragons all the time,” she added, remembering the book she’d read to Ember.

“And they replied?”

“Not verbally, of course.” She smiled sadly. “And now, they hardly ever do. Ember took a while to trust me enough to open that connection—it’s always the dragons who initiate, and

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