“Do not worry about me. Trust me, I am okay,” I replied.
“What do you want to show me?” Jacob asked.
Jonah looked at me. Like he wanted to know if I was sure about what I wanted to do, but I was sure. He would travel with us tomorrow morning, and I could not keep this from him any longer.
“Just follow us, man,” Jonah replied.
We followed Jonah down the long hallway until we left the castle and walked on towards the village.
“Be very quiet. We do not want people to notice us,” I said.
My brother looked at Jonah and me looking confused, but he nodded and continued following us. We made it near the wall, and then Jonah looked at us, signaling to go straight for the stable. Making our way there, both Jonah and I breathed a sigh of relief. This is the third time we have made it here and not be seen by the guards.
“Why the hell are we at a stable. Shouldn’t we be going through the gate?” Jacob asked.
Jonah then chuckled. All I could do was stand there in silence.
“What's so funny?” Jacob asked.
“Follow us,” I replied.
We walked to the secret door. Jonah pushed the hard stone door open slowly and walked through it, leading to the other stable on the other side of the wall. My brother looked around and couldn't believe what had happened.
“This is why we are supposed to be quiet because no one knows about this door. It is the only way in and out without anyone noticing,” Jonah explained.
Getting the horses ready, we rode away from the stable and onto the long road that would eventually lead us to the lake and then to the cave where the egg is situated.
All of us rode in the night in nothing but pure silence. I could tell there was a tense feeling between all of us as we made our way to the lake. I knew it was time for us to get off our horses and tie them up.
“Why are we stopping?” Jacob asked.
“Because what we want to show you is not far from here,” I replied.
The full moon was high up in the sky, and it was all the light that we were going to need. My brother stayed behind us, and he had no clue where we were taking him. He was trusting me when I told him I had to show him something of significant importance.
In my sight, we were coming towards the cave. Running at top speed, I was running past Jonah and stopped at the entrance to the cave.
“This is what you wanted me to see? A dark and dreary cave!”
Both Jonah and I looked at him, and he smiled at me. We signaled to him to follow us and look closer. We moved towards the stones. Pushing them away, and there it was. My brother moved forward and was confused at what he was seeing.
“What the hell is that?” Jacob asked.
My brother was staring at it, not knowing what he was looking at, and tried to figure it out without one of us having to say it bluntly.
“Easy, brother. That is a dragon egg,” I replied.
Chapter Thirteen
After what I said, there was nothing but silence. Jacob stood and looked at us in disbelief. He was someone who loved to listen to stories. Dragons were what we were told in bedtime stories—knowing that dragons were only a legend and not seen in thousands of years.
“Oh, come on, say something,” I said.
My brother backed away and walked out of the cave. Sitting on the ground.
“Jacob,” Jonah said.
“How the hell did you two find this? Does your father even know about this? What about me!” Jacob screamed.
Both of us sat down, and we faced him.
“We are going to have to start from the very beginning. It is going to take some time. Your sister believed that it was the right thing to tell you about the egg because of where we are going. She believed that it should not be kept from you,” Jonah stated.
My brother was still sitting there in silence, looking at both of us. Like he wanted some form of an explanation, but all he could do was takes deep breaths.
“Where did you find the egg?” he asked.
“Well, I read in a book that dragons were known to have lived in those mountains over there. So one night, we both ventured out there, and we found this egg by itself on that mountain,” I replied, pointing at the mountain in the distance.
Jacob got up, walked over to the egg, and just stared at it like he did not know if he should believe it was real. He picked it up very gently like he was afraid of dropping it.
“This egg is so beautiful, and I cannot believe that this egg is a baby dragon. So many times, I have heard that dragons were nothing more than a story, but now it’s a reality,” he said.
Walking near my brother, I sat down on the ground next to him and put my hand on his shoulder.
“Do not worry; it will not hatch. According to stories, it is up to the egg when it is time to hatch. This egg could have been in that mountain for hundreds or even thousands of years, possibly more,” I said.
“And no one knows this egg is here?” he asked.
“No, this is something that has been between only us, and I would like it to stay that way,” Jonah replied.
Jacob looked at us and then back at the egg. Then he looked at me and then the egg again. All he could do was finally smile at me.
“Trust me; I will not be saying anything about this. You both have kept this a secret, and I know no one will believe this. This egg is beyond precious. Dear sister, just please be careful,” Jacob said.
Realizing that the moon was low, we were going to have to head back. All three of us were going to have a long journey ahead of us, and not knowing what could be in our path along the way.
“We need to start heading back,” Jonah said.
“Oh shit, I did not realize that the moon was starting to come down,” Jacob stated.
After laying the egg down myself, I felt a weird vibe that I did not want to leave, but I knew it was meant to be. We made our way back to the stable on the outside of the castle. Jonah pushed the stone door open, getting us back into the village without being seen.
My brother looked at us and then left, knowing that he was looking for our father. So Jonah and I walked back to the castle. He walked me to my bedroom door, and we stared at one another.
“Make sure you try to get some sleep, dear lady,” he said while running his thumb across my cheek.
“Knowing myself, I highly doubt it. The next few days, we have no clue on what is going to happen, and now I will be laying in bed without the will to sleep,” I stated.
Jonah then looked at me and then put his hand on my cheek. Before I knew it, he kissed me, and I kissed him back, and it felt so good, but then I stopped before I thought of anything else happening.
“You do not need to worry. My father approves of this, and he will help us get to where we need to go,” he said.
Walking into my room, I shut the door. All I could do was look out the window and realize that I would not be able to sleep. I got my bag out and began gathering all that I would need for this trip. I walked over to the bed and pulled out the book about the Dragon Master. Hoping that it could help on this trip if possible.
Then I felt exhaustion coming to me, and I knew that it would not last for long. So I laid down and shut my eyes.
Opening my eyes suddenly, and the sun was already high in the sky!
“You gotta be kidding me,” I said to myself.
Walking over to my closet, I put on something I never thought I would wear again. I wore what was expected when I was back home in Winterdom. Being from a land of mountains and dangerous terrain, I put on my boots and warm coat. There was a knock at the door, and King Valkan was at the door.
“Your majesty, good morning,” I said and bowed down to him.
“Good morning to you as well, Lady Arabella. I can see that you are dressed for where you are going,” he stated.
The King handed me the letter that I had written and to convey to the two lords when we got there and a map.
“This map is a d
irect path to get to Daramir. You will not get lost. It is a direct road to there and can get you back without any problems,” he said.
As he handed the letter and map to me, all I could do was bow, and he walked away. Grabbing my bag, I walked down the long hallway, wanting to find my brother and Jonah so that we could be on our way. As I turned around a corner, I ran right into my father.
“Father, have you seen Jacob at all?” I asked.
“The last time I saw him, he was walking with Prince Jonah down to the village, most likely waiting for you. All of you, please come back in one piece because where you are going, I have never gone at all, but your brother is an excellent navigator, and he will be great with reading maps,” father said.
All I could do was run to him and hug him. I realized that we were going somewhere that neither one of our parents would be around to help us.
“Do not worry. We will all be back. As being the ambassador to this kingdom, I must deliver this letter to them. I want to show them that we do not want war or violence. I know Oren would want me to do this as well. I do wish he was here,” I said.
“Sweetheart, do you miss him?” he asked.
Looking at my father, I did not know what to say because it was hard for me to figure it all out right now.
“All I can say is that wherever Oren is, I hope he is safe,” I replied.
Walking over, I hugged him again then I made my way down to the village. I saw that both of them were waiting for me to get there.
“What took you so long?” Jacob asked.
“I ran into father, and he wished us farewell,” I replied.
Pulling out the map, I handed it to my brother. His eyes widened while he was looking at it.
“It is the map of where we need to go. Father said you are the best at reading maps and an excellent navigator,” I said.
Jonah was getting on his horse in silence. I walked over to him, and he did not look too scared.
“What is all of this?” I asked.
“Weapons, food…enough to keep us alive on the road,” he replied.
Walking over to my horse, I pulled out a long sword. Holding it in my hand, I was hoping that I would not need it. But I knew it was better to be safe than sorry.
“Have you ever held a sword before?” Jonah asked.
“No, but I watched the men back home use them and how they would develop weapons and deliver them to this Kingdom. It was a common sighting for me when I was very young,” I replied.
All three of us got on the horses, and we rode through the gate. Turning around for a second, I could see my father, King Valkan, and Queen Aliza waving at us. All three of us waved back to them and then rode away.
We traveled down a different path than the one when Jacob and I did when we traveled to Merakor. This one I was not familiar with.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“We are going south of here. It is the way to go,” Jacob replied after looking at the map.
Following the pair of them, we traveled down this long dirt road in silence. This was such a dangerous mission, and I wanted to deliver the two lords a message saying that war is unnecessary.
“Do you know where we are going?” I asked.
Looking around, I did not know where we were going because we went south of the castle wall, in a completely different direction. Seeing nothing but open land ahead of us for miles.
“According to the map, there is nothing but open land for miles, but we will not make it to where we are going until tomorrow morning, but let’s hope we do not run into any surprises,” Jonah replied.
“What do you mean by surprises?” I asked.
“Meaning if we see any of Eros or Daramir patrols around the border, we need to let them know that we come in peace,” Jacob replied.
We kept riding onwards. It was tranquil. I was riding in the back, and Jacob and Jonah were in front of me. Jonah would turn his head to smile at me, and of course, I would smile back. I wondered about his brother, hoping that Oren would be okay and he would survive wherever he was.
Before I knew it, we started to slow down. We were seeing trees coming up right ahead of us.
“This is the best place to rest for the night,” Jacob stated.
Getting closer to the trees, I could tell my brother was right. I could hear the sound of a small river, and there were trees all over. Plus, we were not even close to their border yet.
After what felt like hours, I got off the horse, tied it to a tree, and threw myself on the grass, smelling how crisp it was. It was nothing but cold and snow at home, and back in Merakor, there is nothing but water and mountains. As we pushed further south, we were near where it is grass and open plains. So it was a new experience for me.
“Is this a new experience for you?” Jonah asked.
“Back home, crisp grass is something we barely see. More so, it is cold, storms, winds, and more so, snow. So this is all new to me,” I replied.
“It is new to both of us. We should take it all in while we can,” Jacob said.
We finally made camp for the night. Seeing that the sun was slowly coming down meant that the moon would appear before we knew it. All we did was sit around a fire in silence. None of us knew what to say.
Jonah just sat there in silence, and my brother kept on staring at the map. All I was able to do was pull out the book I have been keeping to myself.
“Is that what I think it is?” Jonah asked.
My brother looked up when he heard that question. Showing a look of utter confusion and not knowing why Jonah was asking me a random question.
“Yes, it is. I had to bring it with me,” I replied.
“What are you both talking about?” Jacob asked.
Jacob was looking at us like he was wanting to know what we were talking about. He knew I was keeping something from him and was curious about what it was.
Looking at my brother, all I could do was breathe in and out slowly. All because I had to tell him about the egg. I had to tell him about the book and how my goal was to become the next dragon master.
“Do you really want to know?” I asked.
“Well, of course, I do. I am your brother, after all. After what you both told me last night, nothing will surprise me,” Jacob replied.
Looking at Jonah, I breathed in and out slowly. My brother did not want to believe it when he saw the egg, but he knows that he should not be surprised about me anymore.
“This is going to be a lot to take,” I stated.
All I could do was pull the book out that I had since the beginning. I handed it over to my brother to let him look at it.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Please take a look,” I replied.
Jacob opened the book and looked at it. He was turning the pages slowly. Then his eyes widened. Then he looked up at me.
“Dragon Master?” he asked.
Neither Jonah nor myself could talk. We just wanted him to look at the book.
“I thought Dragon Masters was only a part of the whole dragon story, and the last known one was god knows how long ago. You want to become one?”
“Brother, all of my life, I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. Home seemed to be in good hands with you and our father. But since coming to Merakor, they needed my help somehow, and now that war and violence are being threatened, maybe this is what I am meant to do,” I said.
Part of me was scared because he turned to the page where it talked about the final dragon master and what happened to him in the end, but then he stopped and closed it. All he could do was get up and walk away from us.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To see what is out there. Make sure there are no surprises ahead of us when we leave at dawn,” my brother replied.
Jacob walked away from us and into the woods. Not being able to see him and not knowing when he would be back. Jonah and I were now alone together. Both of us not being able to say a word. Then I swallowed my pr
ide and said something to him.
“Do you miss him?” I asked.
Looking at him, he knew I was trying to talk about Oren, but he was staring at the ground like he did not know how to reply. From looking at his face, he was happy that Oren was gone, and I think he was also lost without his older brother being around.
“Yes, because this is such a major situation. Oren would be the one to accompany you to where we are going. All my life, I have been seen as small and weak. Oren was the brave and strong one, but whatever that witch told my father had to do with Oren going away. He did not even tell me goodbye at all. So I am lost without him,” he replied.
Not knowing what to say to him, I grabbed the book that Jacob laid down. A section from the book was going through my mind again. I did not know what to say.
“Something is troubling you,” he said.
Breathing in and out slowly, I knew I could not keep it from him.
“For the last few days, I have been reading this book about maybe I am meant to become the next dragon master, but then I came upon this section that talked about what happened to the last known dragon master,” I stated.
Opening the book, I turned it to the page and handed the book to him, and Jonah’s eyes widened.
“Read it out loud,” I said.
Jonah said:
“Giddeon The Great could talk and understand dragons. People of his home kingdom of Daramir worshipped him. They believed that he had the gift of being the final Dragon Master. Giddeon loved to spend time in the mountains and care for them, but his untimely demise has led to all of his secrets dying with him.”
Seeing the look in his eyes, he knew that becoming the Dragon Master had risks in the process, but I will not let what happened to Giddeon happen to me.
“He died?” Jonah asked.
“Yes, he did, but I will not suffer the same fate that he did,” I replied.
Looking up, I saw my brother was standing right there! His mouth is wide open. Like he was shocked at what he heard Jonah reading.
“What did you hear?” I asked.
“Everything, and sister, I do hope you know what you are doing,” he replied.
I stood up from where I was sitting, walked over, and hugged him—looking at him, showing him that I was not afraid.
The Dragon Master (The Journey Book 1) Page 7