The Stone Eater (The Magic Eaters Trilogy Book 3) by Carol Beth Anderson

Author:Carol Beth Anderson [Anderson, Carol Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eliana Press
Published: 2021-03-31T16:00:00+00:00

Nora stood, arms crossed against the evening chill, watching the sky.

Last night, when she’d asked Osmius to take her on a tour of Cellerin, he hadn’t given her an answer. Instead, he’d told her to meet him the next night, in the same fallow field where he’d landed after the trip to the palace.

She hadn’t been waiting long when he arrived, his wings sending cold ripples through the air as he descended. Nora-human, he said once he’d landed, come here.

She stepped toward his dark silhouette. Osmius lowered his broad head to her, and she hugged the underside of his wide neck. Maybe he sensed the shame she felt after her bad call at the palace. Maybe he wanted to assure her that all was well between them. Whatever it was, she drew in his strength. Thank you.

He lifted his head. I shall take you on a tour of the land, but it would be unwise for me to take you alone, he said. In order to remain safe, you should surround yourself with others who are willing to protect you. Unfortunately, the more people I carry, the slower I fly.

I’ve been thinking about that, she replied. Two of us can ride on your back. I’ll bring Krey and Hatlin along, because they can fly on their own. If things get dangerous—

Osmius interrupted, Turn around, Nora-human.

Nora obeyed, blinking into the thick darkness.

I shall share my sight with you, Osmius said.

A moment later, Nora had the strange experience of seeing herself from the back. But that wasn’t all she saw. She stepped back with a sharp gasp.

Several mets away stood two dragons, one the size of Osmius, the other nearly as large as Taima had been.

“He-hello,” she said, forgetting that she didn’t need to speak aloud.

Greetings. Somehow, Nora knew the thought came from the larger dragon, a female whose smooth voice was higher pitched than Taima’s had been.

The smaller creature remained silent, lowering its head and releasing a smoky huff.

Despite the slightly muted colors of Osmius’s night vision, Nora could tell that the larger dragon had golden scales, while the other’s coloring was the deep reddish purple of wine.

Oddly enough, the smaller dragon didn’t have the basket-weave skin of a reptid. Instead, its scales were oval-shaped, with the bottom edge of each overlapping the scale below it. Its nose was long and tapered, and sharp horns shaped like lightning bolts emerged from the sides of its head. While it still had the compound eyes of an Anyarian animal, they matched its skin in color and were quite small. Its neck was long, and its muscular tail rested on the ground behind it, unlike Osmius’s stubby tail.

The dragon’s voice, male and breathier than Osmius’s, inserted itself into Nora’s mind. Osmius, you did not tell me the human would stare.

Nora dropped her gaze. Pardon me. I . . . She looked over her shoulder. Using her own vision, she could barely make out Osmius’s head. I have a lot of questions.

Shall we sit? Osmius said.

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