A Fifth Daughter [Book 1: The Dragon Rider]

Finally the day before the wedding I coral Mom in the garden in Stormchaser.

“I’d like the truth!” I announce entering with Cai behind me as moral support. Allied Green looks up from picking potatoes and just stares at me, a reprimanding look in her eyes for yelling. “Preferably now.”

So maybe yelling at her isn’t the best way to go about this. Especially when I don’t even tell her what truth I want.

“It’s good to see you too, Smoke.” Mom says, standing and shaking dirt from her apron. “Is there something you’d like to talk about?” In other words, don’t yell!

“Yes,” I ground out, keeping my teeth clenched in an effort to hide my snarky attitude: Her eyes narrow and I can tell my efforts are futile.

“And that’d be?”

“Why have you never told me about your mother, about your past, your sisters, your brothers, and my future?”

“Smoke,” She sighs like this is something she wished she didn’t have to deal with. “You weren’t ready to hear any of that, and you’re not ready now. So, excuse me.”

She moves to walk around me, but a quick squaring of my shoulders and raise of my chin has her pausing. “Because of you keeping secrets I’m having to deal with a weight on my shoulders I finding myself hating more and more. So I’d like some answers. And now.”

She watches me, her eyes scrutinizing for any doubt that I’m not ready to hear what she has to say. She relents after a heavy moment and moves to sit on a bench in the shade of a tall oak at the garden’s edge. “Ask away,” she says, waving a hand.

I breathe deeply and sit cross-legged on the ground in front of her, controlling my emotions and actions in precise movements. Once my thoughts are clear I begin. “Why did you move away from Fiction after Ry and I were born?”

“To protect you.”

“From what?”

“From a life under that horrid crown.”

My brow shoots upward. “Is that why you tried to kill your brother, to be disowned from the throne?”

She scoffs. “I tried to kill my brother because his future was plain and black, death was prepared to follow him like a lost puppy. I tried to save him from it.”

“Like you were trying to save Ry and I?”

“That’s different.”

“How?!” I snap. “Because you didn’t try to kill us?”

Mom’s jaw works and her eyes blaze. “Everything I have done for you, for this family, has been to protect you, all of you. To make sure my children have a happier life than I did. To make sure you could have a choice in how you lived your life.”

I huff. “Choice? What choice do I have in anything concerning my life?”

Mom droops. “I was hoping I could spare you from it. I even told Rayn you died and I moved because of grief. She didn’t believe me. But for sixteen years she left me in peace, left you alone, until the day before you left for Legend.” Her gaze lifts and there’s a knowing, mischievous glint to her violet eyes. “I know you were eavesdropping that night. I tried to get her to leave, but the deed was done and even if you didn’t understand anything you heard, you were there to hear it and think it over, and later come to understand it.”

Her hands come forward, as if to touch me, but they drop back down before she can complete the action. “I was hoping Dragonmage would keep you safe a little longer, but that pesky dragon took you right to her.”

Cai stirs, amusement flowing through our link.

“Why did you do that?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “At the time it seemed like the right thing to do.”

“And now?”

“Less so.”

“So, what does this mean for me now?” I ask aloud, clenching my hands.

Mom deflates. “I’m not sure, Smoke. You won’t have to leave school to follow Rayn around unless you want to, but she can’t touch you until you’ve graduated.”

I nod slowly and stand. “Thank you, Mom.”

She smiles tightly. “I’m sorry, I kept it hidden for so long.”

I nod once and walk to Cai, smirking up at him.

“What are you thinking?” He asks.

“You tell me.”

“I was asking out of politeness. Your idea is ridiculous… but…” He gives me a thoughtful glance. “Sounds like fun.”

I laugh a short breathy laugh and mount him smoothly. The fear of the take-off coiling in my belly, but I ignore it as best as I can. If I’m to avoid the crown for five more years, I’m going to need to be over this silly fear.

“Let’s go skydiving!”

Out of all the most crazy, most ridiculous ideas I’ve ever had, skydiving whoops them all. But when it comes to getting over fears, typically conquering them is on the list. So, skydiving is what happened.

I lean back against Cai’s neck crossing my ankles and pushing my hands between his rough scales and my head, lacing my fingers and grinning like a little fool. Cai’s wings ripple with the wind and I listen to it whisper around us, keeping my eyes closed to hear its voice.

Cai chuckles. “You might as well be part dragon.”

“Hmm…” I scratch at my right arm. It’s been bothering me lately and my in-need-of-cutting nails aren’t helping with the problem as my skin is nearly rubbed raw.

“Stop doing that!” Cai commands.

I huff. “I would if it’d stop being so annoying.”

“It’s just your mark coming in. It’ll calm down soon.”

I glare at my arm – devoid of an anomaly so called a Dragon’s Mark – mentally yelling at it to leave me alone. Cai shakes his head, sighing like the most exasperated dragon in the world.

“There’s something wrong with you.” He says.

“No there’s not.”

He chuckles. “On a scale of one-to-ten – from boring to weird – you’re a 9.5, and that’s only because you have to have some brain in there somewhere for us to be able to communicate.”

I roll my eyes, huffing, but nearly smiling. It’s nice always having someone around, to always have someone in my head to talk to, to get along with. To never be without.

“Don’t jinx me into dying now.”

I laugh.

If you haven’t realized by now, I’m not a fan of weddings. Okay, scratch that, I’m not a fan of being in weddings. While this might be my first time, it is not at all as exciting or all happy smiles as most people make it seem. It’s excruciatingly boring and your cheeks begin to hurt from using muscles you didn’t even know existed because you’re not allow to stop smiling.

I lean back against the column and close my eyes, hoping to Flame the pounding in my skull will disappear and that this night will end.

Cai groans in my head, not helping my headache at all. “When is this over?”

I scoff. “You’re not even here.”

“I’m close enough.”

I shake my head and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to think about something other than the banging behind my eyes and how sore my feet are right now.

“Smoke!”

I snap to attention hoping it’s someone here to tell me that I’ve fallen asleep and the rehearsal is over.

Mom walks over and I grumble a complaint that isn’t even coherent.

“You’re supposed to be…” and she keeps talking. I’m not really sure about what. In fact, I think I’m falling asleep again. It’s like midnight and it’s dark outside and I just want to lay down and sleep.

Mom grabs my shoulders to shake them roughly. It does nothing to help my current condition. I don’t think she understands what I’ve been doing the last few hours. Skydiving took so much out of me, it’s like there’s a chunk of something missing and I’m lopsided. She sighs when she finally realizes I can barely stand.

“Go home Smoke. You can flunk this tomorrow.”

I scoff, rubbing at my eyes and yawning. “What’s there to flunk? It’s not a test, just a wedding.”

I skirt away from her scolding gaze and leave the tall and painfully long hall for the smaller and shorter halls of Rosemont Castle. I dodge people bustling around to finish up last minute decorations. Tempest and I have been arguing whether the wedding colors are a shiny dark grey and light pink or just a dark silver and light pink. I believe it to be shiny dark grey and light pink, but she won’t listen and Mom won’t tell us what the colors really are.

I walk through the high glass French doors and into the cobblestone courtyard. The marble steps are polished to a bright mirror; reflecting the half-moon overhead. Past the courtyard is the bailey which is asleep and dark compared to the castle lit with energy. Cai is curled up in the paddock as it’s the only spot big enough for him. He lifts his head, twin blue eyes a sparkling pair of stars in the faint light and his own darkness.

He hums when I’m close and presses his nose into my shoulder. “You’re tired.” He states.

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re not?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t get tired.”

My frown turns to an envious glare, but I’m too tired to actually be jealous. I groan and drop my head against his shoulder. “Carry me, because I’m not climbing up.”

“Well, I’m not carrying you.”

I groan again, this time sounding whiny. “Give me a boast then, maybe I won’t go flying over your back.” Cai chuckles, but helps me up nonetheless. I fall back between his wings and nudge his neck with my foot. “Get going you oaf, I’m tired.”

“Really?! I did not notice that.”

I huff a few mumbles that sound more like a baby blowing raspberries than anything actually important. Cai chuckles and finally takes off, gliding into the night air like a black wraith.

I moan and roll over in bed, ignoring the insistent knocking on my bedroom door – which I locked last night without thinking and now regret it.

“Are you going to answer that?” Cai asks, yawning out which then makes me yawn.

“No. They can go away.”

“As much as we would both love to continue sleeping. It’s time to face the fact that today is awake and ready to devour us.”

I groan. “That’s a horrible thing to acknowledge.”

“No,” he says thoughtfully. “Realizing you’re about to die is always a good thing to note.”

“Ugh…”

The knocking continues, but no one is actually demanding I open the door, so I roll into my pillows, in the complete mindset of going back to bed. The handle clicks and the door creaks open. I groan into the bed.

“Smoke?” Filly questions timidly, walking in. She sounds like she just woke up. “Your sister is here to see you. She says she’s supposed to take you to the castle.”

I grumbling nonexistent words and finally roll over and open my eyes. Filly’s red hair is disheveled like she really just did wake up. There’s a key in her hand and I realize she was woken up to unlock my door. I groan again but slide my feet to the floor and sit up, stretching out.

“They just can’t survive a few minutes without messing up our day, can they?”

Filly shrugs, yawning. She stumbles toward my bed and collapses behind me, her head buried in the pillows. She mumbles something, pointing toward my ajar bedroom door. I sigh and pat her shoulders.

“At least you get to sleep a little longer.”

She doesn’t respond and I sigh once more before standing and getting dressed. It’s nearly nine o’clock – which is later than I’ve ever sleep-in – and I’m still tired. It’s all understandable. I’ve had a crazy week. Getting Cai, meeting my grandmother, being told I’m the Crown Princess, finding out I’m in a wedding, finding out Eaton is a Werewolf – which still needs to be asked about but I’m too lazy – and of course between most of that my mother is trying to run and make my life harder.

I think I deserve a three month hibernation or something involving never seeing another human face for a very, very long time.

Tempest is in the living room reclining back on the couch, her eyes on the ceiling. I huff and shut my door silently, hoping to at least allow Filly some more sleeping time, she’s had a hard week too although I’m not too sure on all the specifics.

“Ready to go?” Tempest asks, standing.

I blink lazily at her and scoff. “No.”

She smiles slightly. “Me either. I really wish weddings were a quick thing, not an all-day event.”

I almost mention that the day is already nine hours over, but it doesn’t matter, this could turn into a twenty-four hour wedding. “Then I guess we better get going.” I yawn out, stretching once more to get a kink out from between my shoulder blades.

We exit the cabin quietly and Cai rouses himself from across the small path. It’s a sunny day, nice fall weather for a wedding. The leaves are mostly gone though, making everything seem hollow and dead. Tempest’s grey dapple Pegasi, Rash is grazing not far away, looking content to shuffle through dry leaves for any grass left below.

“I didn’t know you brought her.” I comment, preparing to mount Cai.

Tempest runs a hand over the mare’s withers and down toward her grey wings. “Jacmerl said I had to be ready in case something were to happen. A Raider’s Pegasus is half of their armory, so, she comes with.”

“Raiders and Riders aren’t much different in that sense.” Cai says. “Except dragons are smarter than even a Pegasus.”

I chuckle lightly. “I’ve been told that before.”

“It’s true and I’m offended you didn’t believe it the first time.”

I pat the scales of his neck. “Don’t worry, Cai. I believe it now.”

Ca scoffs. “You better or we’d have problems.”

“You don’t exactly scare me anymore.”

“Well I should, cause I will drop you.”

I roll my eyes, knowing full well, he’d never drop me.

Rosemont Castle comes into view with its four tall towers; many smaller turrets and the large drawbridge open to the public and The Vixen just pulling in to dump a load of creatures off. A large bailey opens the space between the gates and the keep walls, but we fly over the crowded space and past the tall walls to land in the stone courtyard, which is just as busy as the markets outside.

People scatter as Cai lowers down; giving him enough room to land, even though it’s still tight. Tempest lands with a little more grace on her smaller creature.

“Guess I’ll see you after the wedding.” I say, dismounting.

Cai nudges my head. “Don’t die from stage fright.”

I give him a mock-salute and turn to Tempest. She’s staring at the castle doors like they might escape their hinges and eat her. I never thought of Tempest being as scared as me, she’s always been a strong role in my life, but I guess when it comes to something like this, it seems uncontrollable and looming.

I steal my ownresolve and march past her toward the doors. “Let’s get this whole thing overwith, shall we?”