And the boy made a decision.
Because, you see, this boy had a destiny of dragons written in the stars by the very gods themselves. It was said that he would need to collect the five dragons of Verania in order to combat the darkness that rose in the shadows.
The boy did his best.
In the end, even his best wasn’t good enough.
He was warned it would hurt when it came.
That it would burn like no other.
And still he hadn’t prepared himself.
His lightning-struck heart felt cleaved in two.
But the choice he made next was not born of grief and anger, as they sometimes are.
No, the strange and somewhat lonely boy made his decision because the world was so much bigger than his grief. Than his anger.
If he let it go, if he let the darkness rise, then the people of his country would know exactly how he felt.
And he wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
And so he waited until late into the night, when the moon was high and the stars were bright. He hoisted a pack over his shoulder and slipped out of his room, shutting the door behind him.
Two notes were left on the desk.
One was addressed to Gary, Tiggy, Kevin, Justin, the King, Mom, Dad, Pete, and anyone else who might read this.
It said:
I have to do what is right. What has been asked of me. I cannot stop him. Not now. Not as I am. Sometimes, you have to face your destiny head-on. And that’s what I am going to do.
I love you all.
Stay safe.
I’ll come back as soon as I can.
The second letter was addressed to Ryan Foxheart.
Ryan—
You will wake up. I know you will. There’s no other choice. And when you do, I’m not going to be there. I’m sorry for that. You’re going to be mad. I don’t blame you. I’d be pissed at you if you were doing this to me.
But I think, maybe, after the anger had faded just a little, I’d understand.
I’m hoping you can do that for me.
I don’t want to leave you.
But I think this is bigger than just you or me.
It’s my destiny.
And I still hate that word so, so much.
Because it’s not fair.
I never wanted this.
I never asked for this.
But it was given to me, regardless.
Morgan’s gone.
Randall is missing.
And if I’m going to have the strength I need to stop Myrin, then I need the Great White.
And in order to get him on our side, I need to do what he’s asking of me.
A year, Ryan. At the most.
Hold on, okay?
Just hold on.
Because one day, and one day soon, I am going to come back for you.
And I will never let you go.
I love you.
The world’s biggest Foxy Lady— Sam
I HAD been in the Dark Woods for three days before I was joined by the fairies. They came from the trees and followed me closely for a time before their king came forward.
“Here you are,” Dimitri said.
“Here I am,” I agreed quietly as I stepped over a fallen log. I thought I was heading in the right direction, even if this part of the forest looked unfamiliar.
“Are you sure about this, Sam?”
“Yes.”
“Then we shall guide you and stay with you until the end.”
“I—thanks, Dimitri.”
He shrugged. “You are not the only one grieving, apprentice. The forest weeps with you. Morgan was….”
“Yeah,” I said. “He was.”
We continued on.
AS NIGHT fell on the fifth day, a great and terrible storm came.
Lightning flashed.
Thunder rolled.
Rain poured down from the sky.
And still I pushed on.
“We’re close,” Dimitri whispered as we entered a clearing, the fairies in front of us lighting the way. “We’re—”
There was a crash behind us, trees getting knocked down as something heavy landed upon them.
I turned.
A black dragon stood behind me, wings spread, looking majestic as fuck.
“Dude,” I breathed. “Wicked entrance.”
“Yes,” Kevin said as he preened. “It was rather dramatic, wasn’t it? Especially with all this rain sluicing down my muscles. I look badass, don’t I.”
“So badass. I’m not going back.”
He frowned. “I didn’t think you would. Which is why I’m going with you.”
“But Gary—”
“Is angrier than I’ve ever seen him. They all are. And he’s totally going to kick both our asses when we get back, but this is where I belong. With you and the other dragons.”
“The other dragons? What other—”
Two more dragons descended from the sky.
“Ooooh,” the fairies said.
The new dragons were blue and white, their feathers shaking as they landed in the clearing ahead of us. Their eyes flashed as they shook their heads from side to side, flinging water from their snouts.
“Oh dear,” Leslie said. “I have decided that I like snow much better than rain.”
Pat snorted. “Well, if we had just stayed in our cave like I wanted to, we wouldn’t be in the rain.”
“Oh, hush,” Leslie said. “We were summoned here. You barely gave me enough time to make myself presentable before you were pushing me out of the cave. Really, Pat. You may play the part of the gruff old dyke, but we all know you’re just a softie on the inside.”
Pat looked outraged at the prospect.
Leslie ignored her. “Sam,” she said as she bowed her head in my direction. “It is lovely to see you again. Please know that our hearts ache for all that you have lost.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “I don’t understand. How did you know?”
“We are dragons,” Pat said. “We are made of magic. It flows from the earth through us. When someone such as Morgan passes beyond the veil, the earth takes note. We felt it when it happened.”
I nodded, telling myself I was just blinking away the rain that fell from above. “So you would feel if Randall were to—”
“He lives,” Leslie said. “And he is safe. He will return when the time is right.”
Before I could ask another question, the last dragon came.
“Aaaaahhh,” the fairies said.
Zero Ravyn Moonfire landed in the clearing, his body coiling underneath him as he gaped nervously at Leslie and Pat.
“Oh, he is precious,” Leslie cooed. “Tell me, little dragon, do you want a mother? I accidentally ate my rock children and am looking for someone to smother with my love.”
“Here we go again,” Pat muttered.
“I am fourteen years old,” Zero said haughtily. “I don’t want to be smothered. I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”
“I am going to love you forever,” Leslie breathed.
“Sam!” Zero whined. “Tell the weird old lady that I don’t want that. Gods, my life is so freaking hard. No one understands me. No one will ever understand me.”
“I understand a hard life,” Kevin said easily. “Why, this one time, Gary had a headache and only rimmed me for forty-six minutes, when everyone knows a dragon’s asshole needs to be licked for at least an hour to achieve maximum stimulation.”
“These are the dragons of Verania,” I told Dimitri.
Dimitri’s tiny face was in his tiny hands.
It was adorable.
WE FOUND him hours later, just before dawn.