Bigger Than The Whole Sky

Chapter Twelve

A/N: PUBLISHED BEFORE MARCH 15 AS PROMISED!! THOUGHTS?!?! LEAVE 'EM DOWN IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! Also, the old author's note was deleted then replaced with this chapter. I was sick and was asking how y'all were liking the fanfic and that's why the comments are like that. Please don't be confused.

The secrets of a mother will always be carried by their daughter.
- Xaden Riorson

Though this officer considers himself to be an expert on all matters dragonkind, there is a great deal we don’t know about the way dragons govern themselves. There is a clear hierarchy among the most powerful, and deference is paid to elders, but I have not been able to discern how it is they make laws for themselves or at what point a dragon decided to bond only one rider, rather than go for better odds with two.

—Colonel Kaori’s Field Guide to Dragonkind

Violet's PoV

"Coth's here." Tairn said, his tone in the line between surprise and relief.

"Are you surprised or reliefed?' I asked,  'She's my sister's - Catalina's -  bonded dragon, will she side with you?"

"Coth is unpredictable." Well that helps, all we ever know about Thornspikes is that they are unpredictable because their characteristics are not well known. "She can side with us but disagree with the golden one and I's choice."

"So she's neutral?"

"Neutral with an opinion."

I bit my inner cheek in anticipation. "Will they make me choose?" I probably sounded like a child asking their parent for advice.

“It’s up to the Empyrean to decide,” Tairn says, but there’s an edge of tension in his tone as Coth turn around to face us again along with her rider, Catalina nodded at me in acknowledgement. “Don’t leave the field. This might take a while.”

“What might—” My question dies on my tongue as the biggest dragon I’ve ever seen, even larger than Tairn, stalks toward us from the opening to the valley. Each dragon it passes walks into the center of the field and follows after, gathering dozens as it walks. “Is that…”

“Codagh,” Tairn answers.

"Violet!" Catalina called.

Catalina's PoV:

"Codagh." I gasped in our mind connection.

"The Empyrean is here." Cothromaíocht announced. She turned her head towards me, "steer clear of that one."

"You don't have to tell me twice, at all actually." I replied, she looked at her dragon "Do you have to go?"

I make out the patchy holes in his battle-scarred wings as he comes closer, his golden gaze focused on Violet's black dragon, Tairn, in a way that makes me nauseous. He growls, low in his throat, turning his eyes on Violet and I was ready to throw a dagger his way.

I slipped the dagger in my sleeve down to my palm. I stopped as I remembered that even the slightest glint of my weapon's blade could alert the old dragon.