Chapter 71
"What?" my mother asked with a sharp tone in her voice, and I couldn't help but flinch and press my lips into a thin line. She scowled and narrowed her eyes while she stared at me with a hard look in her eyes. "What do you mean about that, Marini?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
I hesitated and licked my lips while I looked down at my hands, biting back a small gulp of fear.
"I don't know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat and shifted on the ground.
"I just know that me and my dragon are next because there is something that doesn't like dragons or dragon riders. "
"But will you survive this?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I nodded in confirmation. She frowned and narrowed her eyes while she stared at me with a hard look in her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," I said and nodded in confirmation, "and I am sure that Jonah and Arden, who is the S?lan N?ran, will make sure that I and Shilan stay safe."
"And Shilan is your dragon's name. Correct?" my mother asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me, and I nodded in confirmation. "Hmph." She moved a hand through her hair before she bit back a tired sigh and pursed her lips in annoyance.
"How long have you known that you had a dragon?" Rayana asked and cocked her head while she studied me with a small frown on her face. "Did you see your dragon hatch?"
I bit back a small smile and slowly nodded in confirmation. "I have," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on the ground some more, and my heart yearned to be with my dragon, even though I knew that it wasn't time for me to leave just yet. "I saw my dragon hatch into a dragonling."
"How long have you known that you had a dragon, Marini?" Rayana asked and raised an eyebrow in question. She frowned and slowly blinked, and she studied me further while she furrowed her brows together. "You didn't answer that question."
I rubbed my hands together and licked my lips.
"I was about four or five years old when I found out that I was a dragon rider.
" I glanced at my mother from the corner of my eye when I felt her shift and set her jaw before I turned to look at my sister.
"However, I have no recollection of that moment and only met him a few days ago. "
"How did you find him at such a young age, Marini?" my mother asked and cocked her head to the side, studying me with a hard look in her eyes. Her whole body grew tense. She tucked her head closer to her chest and scowled. "Did you leave without our permission and without anyone knowing?"
I hesitated before I slowly nodded in confirmation. "I did," I said. "I left without permission and without anyone knowing that I was gone."
"How?" Mama asked, setting her jaw. "How did you leave?"
I shrugged and grimaced, shaking my head while I pressed my lips into a thin line.
My cheeks turned red when I blushed, and I couldn't help but look away from her.
"I don't know," I admitted. "All I know is that I had escaped and found my dragon egg before I handed it to Arden to keep safe while Papa took me home.
" I kept out the bit where I was thrown into a lake by a giant before I had gotten my dragon egg, not sure how she would react to it.
It wasn't the Giant's fault at all, and I didn't want her to blame the Giant for almost killing me when all the Giant did was try to protect itself from me...
The giant thought that I was a threat, especially since I had a knife in my hands and was trying to cut the ropes and help that giant escape from a death that could have happened when the night turned to day.
Was that when the other Elf found out that it was me..? Was he there?
The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention, and I couldn't help but sit straight up when that thought crossed my mind, and I had this small feeling that whatever I thought was true.
The Elf was there and knew that I had found the egg when I was around four or five years old. That was how I had recognized his footsteps as soon as he walked over to me.
My mother frowned and narrowed her eyes when she saw something on my face that she didn't like, and worry flashed through her eyes. "Marini?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me. "What is it? What is going through that head of yours that made you look so nervous?"
I bit back a tired sigh and shook my head, pursing my lips in annoyance.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose when a headache appeared out of nowhere before I turned my attention back to my mother.
"It's something that I need to discuss with Jonah and Arden first," I replied coldly.
"I am sorry that I am not able to talk to you about it, but for my safety, it has to be that way. "
My mother set her jaw and a look of worry flashed through her eyes while she studied me. "And you have to leave soon to meet him, correct?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Yes," I said and nodded before I looked at my siblings. "Training for you all is going to start soon. I will feel better if you all are trained here so that is what is going to happen. You all will not be going to the Pub to be trained by Jonah."
"Then who is going to train us?" Griffith asked, biting back a small frown on his face. He folded his arms across his chest while he scowled and narrowed his eyes, and I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. "Is it going to be Jonah, or is it going to be you?"
"If Mama allows him to come to the house sometimes, then yes. However, for the most part, it is going to be me, especially since I have been doing this for years."
"And are we going to learn everything that you need to know, Marini?" Yeely asked and cocked her head to the side while she stared at me with a wide innocent look in her eyes. Excitement flashed through her eyes while she stared at me, and I bit back a small smile.
I bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded in confirmation. "Yes," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on the ground, biting back a tired sigh. "You are going to learn everything that I know."
I paused and looked at my mother with a hard look in my eyes, and she instantly looked at her hands, not meeting my gaze at all. "Because as a member of the Hargen Tribe, nothing should ever be hidden from you at all."
Ever again...