LARICE WHITEWIND TOOK NOTHING MUCH FOR HER JOURNEY, only Gray Viper and an extra linen undergarment. Although she had no sunlars to buy bread or any meal—Shajara Forest provided anyone who could reach the high trees filled with sunny pears and flush apples and white berries. So it would only take one climb by the time her stomach would ask for it. For once, she had thought of selling one pearl from her necklace, but hell no. Every piece was too valuable for anything in this world.Until now, Larice couldn’t believe she actually escaped from Shavath. Archon Quarth would kill her for sure, but nothing from that fortress mattered to her anymore. She would never spend the rest of her life weaving fabrics in the locked chambers of the Monases.Only one more problem bothered her now; what in the world would she do when she finds the dragon? Would she make herself ask the beast? How stupid of her. Dragons don’t even talk! They’d

LARICE WHITEWIND SHOULD NOT WASTE HER TIME for this weird guy approaching her. She needed to head on her way now or else the dragon hunters from Shavath might arrive to catch her. But here she was.His forest-green eyes and blond hair shone even brighter as he stepped out into the sunlight. “I am Estevan de Alion.” He offered his hand to her with a warm smile. Although Larice was tall, he still stood a little higher than her.Larice did nothing but glare at his hand, then back to his face. “You’re foreign. Where’d you come from?” she said.“My lady, I’m from Celestia, the highlands of knowledge and wisdom,” Estevan replied while fixing his hair, blown by the sea breeze.“Celestia?” She stormed her brows as she tried to recall where she had heard the name before.“Yes … In fact, I’ve come a long way to get here. My country lies from the northe

HAVING A COMPANY TO HER QUEST WAS WAY OUT OF HER PLAN. It irritated her. The peaceful silence of Shajara Forest had always soothed her ears before—but now was completely different. This stupid guy kept on firing nonsense questions ever since, and once answered, he would add more, and then more. Not to mention of him doing nothing but slow her down because of that bulky knapsack of his. What in the world did that bag contain? A human corpse? Though Larice gave very few answers to every question, Estevan didn’t stop. “What do you think are dragons like—based on your encounters so far? Now don’t tell me they can transform because I already know all about their shifting abilities … I’m only asking about the way they act. Do you think they can speak to humans? Or only to their fellow kinds?” he asked. “Doesn’t matter what I think.” Larice had been trying to avoid the questions, knowing the fact that she had never seen a dragon in her whole life. “Ca

THE PINE TREES BROUGHT OUT their sharp, sweet, and refreshing aroma, carried by the gust of cool wind in the air of noon. Mockingbirds mocked and chirped above. They flapped out of the branches as three men walked along the forest road that made their path to the south of Ormir. Raeherys could not imagine what else could be more terrible than the human garment he was wearing now. Too tight it was for his body, especially on his broad shoulders. The dragon scale vests they used to wear felt so much better than this. But he and Fetyr had to change how they dress if they did not want to be recognized. “Are you certain about this, Sev?” said Raeherys, cringing. “The dragon hunters might still notice our unfamiliarity.” “Oh trust me, mate,” replied Sevyh, playing with the small bag of coins he had stolen from Akim and his companion. “They ain’t gonna recognize you. I’ll handle the talk, cover you and all.” Raeherys let out a sigh. Th

TALL, WHITE, COMPRESSED—birch trees surrounded the small houses of Rath, the warm light of sundown painting the leaves with greenish-gold. Busy villagers became much busier as the skies grew darker. Raeherys found himself amused, observing several men chopping logs, women passing by with both hands supporting the jug on top of their heads which, he believed, contained water. Horses dragged big, wooden carts filled with more logs and fruits and animals from the forest. So this was the way these humans live … so simple, peaceful. The sight of human children helping their parents made Raeherys recall the little dragons who used to play in the meadows of Draconi … and the rest of his brethren who labored in harvests and mines. He never knew humans could also have such a livelihood. However, the image of the burning house refused to fade from his mind—the village where he and Fetyr had caused that fire. With regrets returning to suppress him, he hoped that