Chapter 29
Tess
“They wouldn’t call a gathering like this for nothing,” I murmured, leaning into Mason’s warmth. “Do you think this is about the salamanders from yesterday?”
His broad shoulders tensed beneath his shirt. “Maybe. But this feels... bigger.”
The arena buzzed with low murmurs as Riders, applicants, and dragons gathered in the tiered seating. Above us, massive forms perched on stone outcroppings, their looming shadows stretching across the ground. The weight of so many dragons in one place sent an unmistakable message—something serious was happening.
Kane stood just behind us, scribbling furiously in his journal, his sharp blue-violet eyes flicking between the crowd and his notes. Draven lounged against a nearby pillar, arms crossed, his hazel eyes—currently an intense shade of green—missing nothing.
A hush fell as Moriyana, the Grand Luminary of the Dragonne Library, stepped onto the central platform. The sheer presence of her was enough to silence even the most restless whispers. Sunlight glinted off her ruby-red scales, each one shimmering like molten glass. She moved with a hypnotic grace, exuding ancient power.
Beside her stood Silvius, the Lord Protector, along with several high-ranking Supes—including Theron. The mage’s piercing emerald eyes scanned the crowd, locking onto mine for a fraction of a second before moving on.
When Moriyana spoke, it wasn’t with sound but with presence—a deep, resonant projection that filled my mind and demanded attention.
“Yesterday, the world was shaken.”
A ripple of unease spread through the arena. Somewhere above, a dragon let out a low, uneasy growl.
“Forest fires. Magical breaches. Targeted assaults on key supernatural strongholds.”
My stomach twisted. The salamanders. That hadn’t been random.
“And not just here.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd. I exchanged a glance with Mason, his expression darkening.
“There were coordinated attacks across the world—supernatural enclaves in London, Rio de Janeiro, and Kyoto all reported breaches. The Nightshade Coven in New Orleans was nearly wiped out. The Crystal Spire in Prague collapsed.”
The weight of her words pressed down on my chest.
“These were not isolated incidents.”
The breath in my lungs felt too thin.
Moriyana’s molten amber gaze swept over us, silencing the whispers.
“We believe these attacks were orchestrated by the Harbingers.”
The name slammed into me like a physical blow. A hush fell over the arena, broken only by the rustle of wings and the scrape of claws on stone. Cold prickled along my spine.
The Harbingers weren’t just myths. They were here .
Even the dragons shifted uneasily, their claws scraping against the stone. I felt the blood drain from my face, my hands tightening around the edge of my sweater.
Silvius stepped forward, his hooves striking the platform with deliberate force. His rich, commanding voice carried across the arena.
“We do not yet know the full extent of their plans. But we believe yesterday’s events were not just attacks; they were distractions.”
Distractions. The word sent a chill down my spine. My mind raced, trying to piece together what they could have been diverting attention from.
Moriyana’s voice returned, sharper now, cutting through the crowd’s unease.
“We must remain vigilant. Trainings will be adjusted. Relationships between Riders, applicants, and dragons will be tested. We are entering a time of great uncertainty, and it is imperative that we stand united.”
I shifted where I stood, my mind already racing ahead. Adjusted trainings? Would this affect the applicant process? The trials were already brutal—designed to break both our physical abilities and our mental fortitude. But if the Harbingers were really back, maybe those tests weren’t enough anymore.
The crowd began to disperse, the weight of the announcement settling heavily on everyone’s shoulders. But I couldn’t move, couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more—something Moriyana wasn’t telling us.
Beside me, Mason’s hand found the small of my back, his touch grounding. Warm. Protective. I let myself lean into it for half a second, just long enough to steady my breathing.
“Tess,” he murmured, his voice low. “You okay?”
I nodded, but the motion felt hollow. “I need to talk to her.”
Without waiting for a response, I stepped forward, weaving through the thinning crowd toward the platform. Mason followed instantly, his presence a steady anchor. Kane and Draven trailed behind, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and caution.
Moriyana’s gaze locked onto me as I approached, her molten eyes almost too intense to meet. Her voice filled my mind once more, softer now but no less commanding.
“Tempest Whittaker. You have questions.”
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to remain steady. “What aren’t you telling us?”
For a moment, Moriyana regarded us in silence, her massive form radiating an aura of ancient power. Then, to my surprise, her lips curled slightly—not quite a smile, but something close.
“Very well. Follow me.”
She turned, her massive form moving with a surprising grace, and led us to a quieter corner of the arena. The other Supes didn’t follow, their attention already shifting to the next task at hand. Theron’s hard gaze lingered on us for a moment longer before he turned away, his black cloak billowing behind him.
Once we were out of earshot, Moriyana lowered her head to our level, her telepathic voice softer now but no less commanding.
“The Harbingers are already here.”
The words settled like a stone in my gut.
“During yesterday’s chaos, a witness saw Akira leading someone into a restricted area. When questioned, she claimed to have no memory of the event.”
“Mind control,” Kane interjected, his tone sharp. “Vampiric magic.”
Moriyana inclined her massive head slightly. “Precisely. Security tests confirmed traces of lingering magic in her mind. We’re still investigating the area, but we already know some things are missing.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” I asked.
Moriyana's tail swished once, a gesture of dismissal. "Be vigilant," she commanded, her mental voice fading as she turned away. "And remember—what I've shared with you stays between us."
Kane nodded solemnly, already jotting down notes in his journal. Mason’s grip on my shoulder tightened slightly, a silent reassurance.
As we left the arena, the weight of Moriyana’s revelations pressed heavily on my chest.
The Harbingers weren’t just a distant threat anymore—they were here, among us. And they were after something that could change everything.
I pulled out my phone, quickly scanning news sites for details about the attacks. My heart rate slowed a bit when I saw that Sacramento and Portland weren’t among the affected areas. Mom and Madison should be safe, but I made a mental note to text them both later, just to be sure.
The world was shifting. And I had a feeling things were only going to get worse.
???
I was tucked away in my office, surrounded by piles of books and scrolls. The faint glow of my enchanted desk lamp illuminated the leather-bound journal where I’d been jotting notes. The Harbingers were far worse than I’d imagined—insidious, patient, and utterly obsessed with eliminating humans. They were real, dangerous, and far too close. The forest fire, the coordinated attacks across the world—it all pointed back to them.
And I was supposed to stand against them?
The thought sent a cold wave of doubt through me. I was new to this world, still fumbling my way through magical politics and ancient rivalries. Just weeks ago, I’d been nothing more than a librarian with a knack for research and a love for stories. Now, I was applying to be a Dragon Rider, a force capable of protecting both humans and Supes alike. But how could I do that when I barely understood what I was up against?
That's why I was here in the Library, doing what I'd done so many times before—learning from books.
I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose and leaned back in my chair, my eyes aching from the strain of reading. I was about to stand and stretch when the creak of the office door opening made me jump. My heart leapt into my throat as I turned to see Theron stepping inside.
Gods, he was unfairly handsome. The sharp planes of his face, the strong cut of his jaw, the way his thick black hair looked perpetually tousled, as if someone had just run their fingers through it. And those eyes—emerald green, piercing and intense, like he could see straight through me. He had the kind of presence that made the air feel heavier, like he carried the weight of unspoken things on his broad shoulders. No wonder my heart was still thumping.
“You’re jumpy,” he said. The door clicked shut behind him.
“And you’re sneaky,” I shot back. “What are you doing here?”
His presence felt out of place. Theron wasn’t the type to seek me out unless it was for training—and even then, he often seemed reluctant, like he’d rather be anywhere else.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he said, his tone clipped. “It’s getting late, and you’re alone. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is right now?”
I rolled my eyes, even as my pulse quickened. “I’m in a magical library surrounded by wards. I think I’ll survive.”
Theron crossed the room in a few long strides, his presence dominating the small space. He leaned against the edge of my desk, his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re too trusting. The Harbingers aren’t just some shadowy organization lurking in the dark. They’re here, Tess. In the Guild. In the library. Probably watching you right now.”
A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. “What am I supposed to do? Hide under my desk and hope they go away?”
“That would be a start,” he muttered, his tone dry but his eyes serious. “You’re the first human Dragon Rider, and a librarian on top of that. You’re a threat to everything they stand for. They’ll come for you, Tess. It’s not a matter of if —it’s when .”
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling over me like a lead blanket. “I’m not going to stop. If anything, this makes me more determined.”
Theron’s jaw tightened, his frustration evident. “You’re stubborn, I’ll give you that.”
“And you’re overbearing,” I shot back, my tone sharper than I intended. “But thanks for the pep talk.”
His lips twitched, almost forming a smirk, but his eyes remained hard. “I’m serious, Tess. You can’t trust anyone. Not fully. The Harbingers have a way of getting to people, turning them. Even within the Guild.”
The implication hit me like a punch to the gut. “You think there are spies here? In the library?”
“I’d bet my life on it,” he said, his voice low and grim. “Be careful who you share your findings with. Trust the wrong person, and it could cost you everything.”
“Why do you even care?” The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t back down. “Aren’t I just another annoying human who doesn’t know her place?”
I knew I was pushing him, but the question burned inside me. I still remembered the first time I met Theron, before I ever set foot in the Dragonne Library. There had been an undeniable pull between us, a spark of chemistry that neither of us acknowledged but both of us felt. Back then, he had been gruff but not entirely closed off.
But everything changed when I bonded with Thalon. After that, Theron’s walls had gone up like an impenetrable fortress, and every interaction was laced with tension, an unspoken battle neither of us fully addressed.
He was my instructor—I shouldn’t have been thinking about him that way. But my body and my magic didn’t seem to care. They were constantly drawn to him, as if something fundamental in me recognized something fundamental in him.
His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek. For a moment, the mask of cynicism he always wore cracked, revealing something raw beneath. Concern? No, that couldn’t be right. Not Theron.
“You think I enjoy this?” he asked. “Watching someone as reckless as you get closer to being a target every damn day?” He straightened, towering over me. “You’re playing with fire, and you don’t even realize how badly you can get burned.”
He leaned in closer, his presence overwhelming. The faint scent of pine and smoke curled around me, clouding my thoughts. His gaze lingered on my lips, and my breath hitched. Heat radiated from him, drawing me toward him.
For a heartbeat, I thought he might kiss me. The thought sent a jolt of panic—and something else—through me. But just as quickly as the moment came, it passed. A distant noise echoed through the library, shattering the spell
Theron pulled back, his expression hardening once more. “I mean it,” he said, his voice clipped. “Don’t take this lightly.”
With that, he turned and strode to the door, his cloak sweeping behind him. He didn’t look back as he left, leaving me alone with my racing heart and a thousand unanswered questions.
“What the hell was that?”