The horses stopped, ears flicking back and forth, snorting nervously. Brioche shifted under Theo, who tightened his grip on the reins. Nibblet, sensing the change in atmosphere, burrowed deeper into Theo’s cloak to hide so that only the long antennas and large eyes peeked out.

  “Now that’s not a normal forest sound,” Bruni muttered, squinting into the trees. “They’re close.”

  Before anyone could respond, a massive shadow detached itself from the undergrowth. The figure that emerged was both majestic and terrifying—a dragon, its black scales glinting like shards of night, orange eyes glowing with a faint, ominous light. It was perhaps a little smaller than what Theo remembered of the legendary beasts sung in the tales of old, yet its presence was formidable and, with its head raised, it would have reached the top branches of the lower trees. It kept its wings close to its body and stood on four legs that ended in sharp claws, its long tail disappearing into the underbrush.

  Freya drew her sword, backing her horse so that they stood in front of Theo in a protective stance. Bruni pulled his rune-etched ax out of its holster and growled, as if he could ever out-growl a massive dragon.

  The dragon’s gaze swept over them, lingering curiously on Theo. Its nostrils flared, tasting the air. Suddenly, it took a step forward, the ground trembling beneath its weight. Theo’s heart raced; he wanted to run, to hide, but he found himself rooted to the spot, sitting still in his saddle.

  When the dragon moved closer, Brioche reared back with a terrified whinny. Theo, utterly unprepared, was thrown backwards in an arch before crashing into the ground in a painful manner.

  Brioche disappeared among the trees.

  Dazed, Theo took in the tightness of Freya’s reins as she tried to keep Ebony under control. It looked like a losing battle with the dragon so close. That was when Nibblet, perhaps in a fit of protective instinct, leaped from Theo’s shoulder onto the ground, puffing up its fur and chirruping defiantly at the dragon.

  “No, Nibblet, come back here,” Theo hissed, heart racing.

  The dragon paused, tilting its head. Then—to Theo’s immense surprise—it let out a sound that might have been a chuckle.

  “What in the world is that glint doing?” Bruni asked, shock coloring his voice. He glanced at Theo. “And… Nibblet?”

  “Yes, Nibblet. But… glint?” Theo echoed, before snapping his mouth shut, because he’d had more than enough of Bruni mocking him for all the things he didn’t know.

  The standoff between the tiny fur ball and the massive scaly dragon was broken by a shriek from above.

  Another dragon, this one with scales that reflected the sun in dazzling blues and greens, swooped down, landing gracefully next to the first. The new dragon had eyes that looked like they burned with an inner fire.

  Taking a look at it, Nibblet scurried back to Theo. Apparently, one dragon was fine to take on, but two was a bit much.

  “Caelum, I have things under control,” the first black dragon said, though exactly how he formed the words, Theo could only guess since his maw barely moved. His voice was deep and rich, like he spoke from his chest. “No need for you to come rescue me.”

  Rescue the dragon? Who was in more peril here? Then again, it sounded more entertained than afraid, so perhaps it was merely jesting.

  The blue-green dragon, Caelum, narrowed his eyes at the black one. “Emberion, there are humans in our territory. It needs to be dealt with.” His voice was raspier, higher, as if he spoke from his throat rather than deeper down.

  Theo’s heart sped up even more. It would give out soon, surely.

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  Caelum surveyed the group, then fixed his gaze on Theo. “Why do you come to the Nebulon territory?”

  Theo got to his feet, each movement slow and measured because he didn’t want the dragons to think he was attacking, and because his limbs trembled. He took a hesitant step forward, though it probably looked like he was going to run away—which he would gladly have done, if he’d thought he would have any chance of getting away from the beasts. “We’ve been sent to seek understanding of why the dragons have been attacking our villages.”

  “We do what we see fit, human,” Caelum said.

  “Caelum,” the black dragon—Emberion—said again. “Stand down. Do they look like a threat to us?”

  That’s right, who’s threatening who here? Theo wanted to ask, but instead, he said in a wavering voice, “But you haven’t attacked us in many, many years. Yet now it’s happening every other week.”

  Caelum’s eyes narrowed. “If we want something, we take it. And you, coming here to tell us otherwise… it’s dangerous for such… fragile beings.”

  “Say that again about fragile beings,” Bruni said, gripping his ax tighter.

  Caelum turned its head and gave Bruni what had to be a smile, though it looked condescending and like it was picking its dinner from a menu. It was sure to make Bruni’s blood boil.

  “A dwarf,” the dragon said. “A small but fierce sort.”

  “I am not small, I am a perfect height,” Bruni growled. Theo thought his cheeks were going red—though from anger or embarrassment, he didn’t know. Theo did like it, though, after all the rude comments Bruni had made to him.

  Payback would have tasted sweeter if they weren’t all about to become a meal to a massive dragon, though.

  As the tension between Caelum and Bruni escalated, Theo’s heart hammered in his chest. He glanced at Freya, who looked ready to intervene, her hand never straying from her sword—though she had yet to draw it, probably because she didn’t want to antagonize the dragons. Her gaze was fixed and assessing. The forest around them seemed to hold its breath, the only sounds the soft rustle of leaves and the low, menacing growl from the dragon.

  To Theo’s surprise, it was the black dragon Emberion—the one who they had first stumbled upon—who intervened.

  “That’s enough, both of you,” he said, his deep voice cutting through the standoff between Bruni and the blue-green dragon. “Caelum, there was no need for you to come here; I have no need of your aid.” Emberion stepped forward, his form casting a shadow over the group, and his piercing gaze landed on Bruni. “Master dwarf—do you really wish to challenge us?”

  Bruni, clearly still simmering with defiance, clenched his jaw but finally lowered his ax, giving a curt nod.

  Caelum dragon turned his gaze towards Theo. “What is it that you hope to accomplish here? Do you think your presence will cease the fire in our veins?”

  Theo swallowed hard, his mind racing for the right words. “I was sent to talk to you…”

  “Caelum, I will deal with this. Return home and calm down,” Emberion said, in a tone that brokered no argument—not that Theo would have argued with either of them regardless of tone. “They are not here to cause us harm.”

  Caelum scoffed. “No, how could they?”

  Emberion just looked at him, waiting, until Caelum finally lifted into the air with beats of his great wings, making a mess of leaves and dust fly around them.

  Theo breathed out. They were hardly out of danger with the massive black dragon still around, but he seemed less violently inclined than his friend, at least.

  Before he could get further, Nibblet, perched on his shoulder, chirruped loudly, as if to catch Emberion’s attention. To Theo’s surprise, Emberion’s gaze softened slightly as it landed on the tiny creature.

  “Curious little being,” Emberion murmured, lowering his head to inspect Nibblet closer. It was much, much closer than Theo wanted, but even with his wildly pounding heart, he sat still. If Nibblet could face off against the dragon, then surely he could just stay still. “It is rare to see such courage in something so small.” The dragon’s snort sent a small gust of wind that ruffled both Nibblet’s fur and Theo’s hair, yet the creature stood its ground, its bright eyes unblinking.

  “Courage, or stupidity,” Bruni muttered.

  Emberion didn’t spare him a glance, and Theo did a very short, very intense internal dance of glee.

  When Emberion pulled back slightly, Theo cleared his throat and hoped his voice would hold when he spoke, trying desperately to sound like a prince on official business, rather than a boy lost on a quest that was too big for him. “We come not as a challenge, but to understand, to seek peace. Your anger makes us fear for our people.”

  He winced; he sounded more like an actor in a bad play than a prince.

  The dragon’s gaze flickered between Theo and Nibblet, before landing back on Theo. “Our anger is not the only problem. Come with me, and you shall see.”

  “C-come with you?” Theo asked, voice hitching.

  “You sought us out, human,” Emberion said. “Now I will show you.”

  “A-and how do you propose we come with you?” Brioche was gone, and though Theo wanted to go search for her, he also didn’t, because these woods were terribly frightening.

  The dragon lowered its massive head and gave Theo a smile he could only categorize as mischievous.

  “We fly, of course.”

  Of course.