“Princess! Wake up!”
A dream world where she was running through the gardens outside of the castle where she’d grown up with Gavin beside her faded away as Nya shot up off of the ground with a start and a gasp. She looked around--realizing she was meant to be awake and keeping watch--and realized the sun was high in the sky, meaning she’d been asleep for a long time.
Slate stood beside her, his expression a mix between annoyance and amusement. “Zans!” Nya muttered, brushing her hair back from her face and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “I fell asleep!”
“You certainly did,” the dragon shifter said. “Hours ago. Luckily, I woke up not long after, due to your snoring, and was able to make sure no one snuck up on us and killed us while we lay here like waiting dogs.”
Nya’s eyes widened in horror. “Snoring!” she said. “I don’t snore!”
“All of that, and this is what you’re offended about?” he said, chuckling at her. Slate sat down next to her underneath the tree and dug through the backpack. “How about the fact that we might’ve died?”
“I’m sorry.” she said, meaning it. “I’ve never fallen asleep so easily before.”
“Probably the soothing motion of the flight,” he replied, handing her a piece of fruit. Nya took it, knowing she’d have to wander off between the trees in a moment to relieve herself but also quite hungry.
She tore the skin of the piece of fruit open revealing a tangy orange pulp beneath. Juice ran down her fingers. She licked it off before taking a bite of the sweet treat. “Does that happen a lot?” she asked. “Do people who catch a ride on a dragon fall asleep frequently?”
“I don’t know,” he said, biting into a stick of meat. “I haven’t given many rides to people on my back. Usually, when I’m collecting a person to take back to my lair, I’m forced to snatch them up in my claws. Most of the time, they’re not content to just climb on and come back with me.”
“Probably because no one has told them they’re not about to be eaten,” Nya said, sucking some of the pulp from the fruit off of her thumb. “What about before?” she asked, not sure if it was a good idea to delve into the past when she wasn’t sure if she was going to help him return things to how they’d once been or not.
“Before?” Slate asked, his smoky eyes narrowing slightly as his mind went back to the past. They were sitting in the shade, but the leaves above them parted in the breeze, and the sunlight glinted off of his black hair, making him look almost angelic for a moment. “Before, dragons and humans got along together well. At least, my thunder did.” Nya knew that a group of dragons was often called a thunder. It made sense to her. “I suppose there might’ve been humans brave enough to ask for a ride back then, but none that I ever saw. I was too busy learning how to lead to pay much attention to frivolous things like that.”
His words hit home with her for certain. How much time had she devoted to learning to lead over the years? Even though she didn’t know until recently that she would inherit the kingdom instead of her sister, her parents had insisted on both of them being ready to lead in whatever capacity became their duty. Everyone assumed that children of royals had a luxurious, leisurely life, and while it absolutely had its positives, there were downsides as well. She gave him a small smile and asked, “What has become of your family?”
“All of my family was killed when Beelzanborg used the dark dragons to the south to attack. Then, once they had the Heart of Magic, Beelzanborg turned their backs on their allies and forced them to hide in the mountains as well. The dragons left from my thunder took to the mountain to train and wait. I know the dark dragons can still fly, but they do not have the strength to venture this far north. I think, once the Heart of Magic is back in my possession, the spell cast over the other dragons will also fade away. They will seek revenge on Beelzanborg. They will leave the human citizens to the south alone because they know I will have my strength back, and I simply will not stand for it anymore.”
The way that he spoke about the past, the way things once were, the way they should be again, touched Nya’s heart. She could also envision a time when no one had to fear the dragons, the yearly selections for the Dragon Moon. She had never known it in her lifetime, but she had dreamt about it many times. Restoring the Heart of Magic to its rightful owner would accomplish just that.
Keeping it would ensure that the dragons continued to be kept at bay--both the evil dragons to the south and the thunder she’d spent the last few days with would remain in their human forms, still unable to fly the skies as they were intended to.
Keeping it would also ensure that her country could not be threatened or easily invaded from any of their neighbors or enemies. It would mean nearly absolute power. As long as she had it in her possession, she would be all powerful.
Power had never meant much to Nya before, but that was because she never assumed she’d have any. Now, faced with leading a nation, she had to think about what a difference possessing the Heart of Magic would make.
The sadness in Slate’s eyes tugged at her heartstrings, though. Looking at him, sitting there, remembering what his people used to be, she wanted to put her hand on his massive arm. She wanted to lean over and wrap her arms around him and comfort him in a way she was certain no one had in a long time.
He turned and looked at her, and his expression changed. He replaced that vulnerable expression with one of resolve. Nya took a deep breath, trying to ignore the feelings that kept creeping up inside her. She had to accept now, though, that her feelings weren’t just lustful thoughts of attraction to a sexy man. She was genuinely beginning to care for him as a person.
That thought was even more frightening than facing the dragon had been.