Theo was dreaming.

  No, he was having a nightmare.

  Well, no—if it had been a dream, then it would have been fun. As it was, it was reality, and that was a nightmare.

  He was flying.

  He was flying on the back of a dragon.

  Theo’s heart was in his throat, and his eyes were full of tears that he would forever blame on the wind, and he was shaking like a leaf, which he would say was because it was cold even though it was really not. The summer sun was warm against his forearms.

  But he was flying.

  On a dragon.

  Nibblet sat on his shoulder, little claws digging into Theo’s shoulder, but the little creature did not look nearly as terrified as Theo thought it should. Perhaps it wasn’t smart enough to be afraid? Or maybe it had more courage in its tiny little body than Theo had in all of his.

  Far below—far, far, far below—he knew Freya and Bruni followed them. Or well, he hoped they were. Freya had protested wildly when Theo squeaked out his acceptance of the dragon’s offer to take him to see what caused the dragon’s unrest—“Have you gone completely mad?” was her exact phrasing—but Theo had told her to follow on horseback.

  “My father told me to solve the problem, and this nice dragon here is saying he’ll show me what the problem is,” Theo had said, his voice trembling despite his best attempts at keeping it steady.

  What exactly had gotten into his head, to say yes to this? Was he mad? Most likely.

  Or maybe it was just that his father’s words about being a man and solving the problem ran through his head.

  But how was he supposed to fix anything, let alone dragons being their violent selves? Or were they violent? Theo knew too little about them to say—and wasn’t that the problem with this whole thing? He knew too little, he was too weak, and he was no hero. He was someone who wanted to stay in his kitchen and perfect recipes, not go gallivanting around the world and face danger after danger.

  Like flying on a dragon.

  But the dragon seemed nice, right? It wouldn’t eat him.

  Probably.

  Theo was not cut out for this, and would never succeed.

  He clung to Emberion’s scales as best he could—they weren’t really made for holding onto, that was for sure—while the wind whipped around him so fiercely it stole the breath from his lungs. He dared a brief glance downwards, where the land below had shrunk to a mosaic of vibrant colors, blending into a surreal painting.

  If I fall, at least it will be beautiful, he thought in a panicked internal scream. Nibblet chirruped softly into his ear, offering quiet reassurances (or not, but Theo chose to take it as such).

  Emberion’s voice rumbled beneath him, each word vibrating through his massive body. “Hold tight, human. We are near.”

  Theo tightened his grip as the dragon began to descend, spiraling towards a secluded valley hidden among the towering Craggy Peaks mountains. It was breathtakingly beautiful with the way the lush forest spread out, a tranquil lake in its midst. There were at least five dragons Theo could count, two resting on the mountain side, one drinking from the lake, and two who were play-fighting (or real-fighting, what did Theo know?).

  The valley was as deadly as it was beautiful.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “This,” the dragon said, “is the home of the Nebulon clan. My clan. As you can see, there is trouble brewing.”

  Theo frowned, because all he saw was beauty. He squinted, trying to figure out what was off according to the dragon. He thought he might be able to perceive a faint distortion in his view of the trees, like heat rising from hot sand, but it might be just because it was actually hot. “I… I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

  “There is a disturbance in the base weave,” Emberion said. “The weave is usually calm and quiet, just there, always—and yet now, there is something… off. I believe this is what disrupts us, agitates our young and our elders.”

  Theo wrinkled his nose. “I don’t see anything.” He added lightly, “Perhaps I need glasses.”

  Emberion turned his head to look at him. “Glasses? What do you need glass for?”

  “Glasses,” Theo said. “You know, spectacles. Makes you see better.”

  “I have never heard of spectacular glass before.”

  Theo snorted. “Never mind.”

  The dragon descended, landing with surprising gentleness for such a massive being on a flat expanse of rock.

  Theo slid off his back, Nibblet squeaking as they were in free-fall for a moment. Theo wanted to ask, Seriously? That makes you panic but not being way up there in the air? Pain shot up his feet and legs when he landed and he grimaced—but at least he was safe on the ground again.

  Safe, with a gigantic dragon next to him, that was, and more dragons nearby.

  Safety was a relative thing, these days.

  He tried to sense what Emberion was speaking about. Was there something making him angrier or more irritated than usual—or wanting to burn a village to the ground? But no, there was nothing of the sort. Then again, he wasn’t a fire-breathing dragon.

  “I don’t feel anything either,” he said. “But you’re sure?”

  “I am,” Emberion said. “Though my kin have also told me that they see nothing wrong.”

  So either there is something wrong, or you’re crazy, Theo did not say to the massive dragon.

  “They will not believe me,” Emberion said. “You heard Caelum. He thinks things are normal. That the fire in his blood is the way it is supposed to be.” He shook his large head. “It is not.”

  “Well, I agree that there’s something going on,” Theo said. “You guys never used to attack us before, and now it’s happening often.”

  Emberion nodded. “Indeed. Well, I had hoped that you would be able to see the problem. It would have been proof to myself that I am not on the verge of insanity. However, your human eyes are not attuned to the deeper layers of the world, either.”

  Theo felt a mix of disappointment and wonder. Here he was, standing before a mystery, and yet it was veiled to him. How small was his understanding of the world? How little did he know of it? He couldn’t take so much as a step out here without realizing all the things he didn’t know.

  Emberion lowered his great head to meet Theo’s gaze. “Don’t despair, human. Your heart seeks understanding, and that, I’ve been told, is the beginning of wisdom. Tell me, what do you know of the weave?”

  “The weave?” Theo asked. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  The dragon cocked its head to the side. “Hmh. You call it something else, yes, I recall. Magic, right?”

  “Magic?”

  “Yes. What do you know of it?” the dragon asked.

  “Not much,” Theo admitted, perhaps stupidly because it was admitting even more weakness, but then the dragon had most likely already concluded as much. “It’s been more than half a century since we had anyone born with magic in our kingdom. Since the wicked witch was born. We do get visitors from other kingdoms at times, and I know there’s the Academy of Magical Arts in Celestheim, of course, but… I have no experience with it.”

  Emberion nodded thoughtfully. “The weave is the very sinew and bone of the world. It shapes the land, the sky, the very fabric of life.”

  Theo pondered this. “But something is wrong with it?”

  “Something, yes,” Emberion said. “Though I cannot say what. It is… off. Like I said, my kin do not agree with me—they refuse to see this disturbance for what it is.” His gaze caught on something, and the dragon moved to look down on a small, black pebble from the ground. Theo watched in amusement as he studied it, transfixed, before he picked it up in his large claw.

  Theo didn’t dare ask.

  “Theo!”

  Freya’s distant call reached them, and Theo turned to look into the dense forest surrounding them. How could he have forgotten about Freya and Bruni? Well, he was happy to forget about Bruni, but Freya was a friend, or at least something like it.

  “Ah,” said Emberion. “Your friends are searching for you.”

  “My friend,” Theo muttered. “Just the one.”

  The dragon cocked its head. “The dwarf is not your comrade?”

  Theo shrugged. “He doesn’t like me.”

  “If it helps, I like you, human,” Emberion said.

  “Theo,” Theo said with a small smile. “That’s my name. Theodore.”

  “Well then, Theodore. I am Emberion of the Nebulon clan,” the dragon said.

  Theo bowed. “Under sky, we meet, Emberion of the Nebulon clan.”

  Emberion looked amused when he stood straight once more. “Under sky, we meet, human Theodore.”

  Theo heard his name echoing again.

  “Yelling like that will get them killed,” Emberion said, shaking his head. “Let us go find them before something else does.”