Arina Maddison and The Dragonborns: The Blood Prophecy

~Chapter 1~

The private jet sat idle on the tarmac, waiting to take off toward someplace I had never even heard of before. Number ninety-nine on the list of weird things that had happened to me that day. Why, you may ask? Well apparently my best friend, Evelyn Morgan, and I are special, or at least, that was what they had told us.

At only seventeen, I never really felt there was anything particularly special about myself. I wasn't even supposed to be allowed in the damn museum that started all of this. The invitation was addressed to Evie, and Evie alone.

Resting my head on the back of the seat, I gripped the silvered pendant of my necklace, slowly running my thumb over the smooth surface. It was a crest with the shape of a dragon—a necklace my mother had gifted to me when I was born. Being from Chinatown, New York, one might have presumed the dragon would have taken the form of a swirling serpent-like creature, but instead, it resembled the folklore of European dragons—a four-legged beast with wings emerging in flight from somewhere along its spine. My fascination for the mythical creature was endless, and that was precisely why Evie had invited me to the museum in the first place.

I replayed the events of the day in my mind . . .

Topped with morning dew, the cracked Manhattan sidewalk had been balmy that morning as the light September air swirled around Evie and I. My best friend threw a hand to her hip and huffed. Her hazel eyes scanned the addresses of the classic high-rise buildings as blonde waves spilled from her ponytail; she waved the invite in my face. "How hard can it be to find one stupid address?" Her voice was almost musical as she yelled at the little white card balanced between her manicured fingers. "Am I just blind or something?"

Becoming increasingly impatient, I leaned over and snatched the card from her hand. "'Mystic Wyvern's Traveling Exhibit. East fifty-seventh street and second avenue.'"

Evie stomped her heeled boot. "Exactly! We're here, so where is the damn thing?"

I brushed tendrils of dark auburn hair from my eyes and looked around. "You said this was some sort of exclusive invite, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, the letter said it was highly exclusive, but it's starting to sound more and more sketchy to me. The only reason we're even going to this stupid thing is because I know you're into this stuff."

I gripped the silver pendant. "Yeah, I know." I led us down the busy sidewalk, passed a few more buildings flagged with Chinese scripture, and paused at an open alleyway. "You know, sometimes nerdy, hipster exhibits think it's super edgy and cool to be sketchy."

"What do you mean?"

I nodded to the alley. "I mean, what if the entrance is down there?"

"No way."

"Might not be as sketchy as it looks. Hidden parties and speakeasies are all the rage these days. Come on." Evie stared at me in awe and confusion as I turned toward the dirty alleyway, our shoes sounding off the pavement as she filed in line next to me.

We passed a homeless man, peeling an orange next to a dumpster, and Evie pulled some flyaways back behind her ears. "Uh, maybe we should just go shopping instead, Ari. I mean, you could use some new shoes and clothes—we could even do your makeup!"

Evie had been dying to get her hands on my closet for years, but I never let her.

"Mm, maybe later." We came to a halt before a grubby metal door, and for a moment, I looked down at my rock-concert tee, fraying jeans, and converse—then to Evie's fitted blouse, blazer, and suede boots. "Besides," I grumbled, "there's nothing wrong with my clothes."