A story about Sang, the first ever female to receive the mark of a dragon. Entering a world where males reign supreme, she struggles to prove that a woman has what it takes to be a great rider. Even if the dragon she's paired with is stubborn, moody...
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Owen
Staying composed in the most unexpected and surprising situations had always been my talent. It allowed me to stay rational and make the best decisions needed in that exact moment.
But now? I was struggling to not let my mask slip.
While I stared down at the remarkable girl before me, huddled up to an equally remarkable dragon, I had no clue as to how my team would handle the situation. The Tenebrous watched with focused eyes while daring us to take one step toward his rider.
His body was curled around Sang protectively with the sharp tip of his tail pointed at us like a blade. Any movement made by one of my brothers had his eyes zeroing in on them. Not even the combat instructor at the Academy could get them to sit that still.
"What do you suppose we do, Owen?" My longtime friend asked. Sean and I both came from the same village but we didn't became friends until we discovered that we were both chosen as riders. I cared for all of my other brothers, but they looked up to me as a leader, not as an equal like Sean did.
I took off my glasses and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I don't know, I just don't know."
"Are we going to kill it?" Nathan asked with a contemplative look on his face. The dragon's body tensed and he let out a quiet hiss. Nathan flinched slightly and took a step back.
"Has he given us reason to?" Kota asked solemnly. "He doesn't seem as vicious as we were led to believe."
Through our studies, we learned that the Tenebrous breed was highly dangerous. With their high speed and strength, they were practically invincible on a battlefield. That was until word circulated that the kingdom wanted them dead, because after everyone knew, humans and creatures alike all banded together with one purpose: wiping the Tenebrous breed out completely.
Most of them were just rogues—dragons without riders—and were known for causing nothing but mayhem in all the kingdoms. The riders finally had enough when one of the few that were actually bonded ending up turning dark with its rider—Archer Sullivan. Archer became too corrupt with the Tenebrous power, a power that very few understood. I really hoped that Sang wouldn't become so unfortunate. I knew she had strength, but with her being the first female bonded to the first Tenebrous spotted in centuries, they would become too savage and high-risk.
"He saved us," North said somewhat reluctantly.
"Explain," I ordered. With the entire team yelling, it was impossible to catch the full story.
North cleared his throat. "We spotted Sang walking through town and knew that she was the girl we talked about at the meeting, so we decided to trail her. We got caught when Gabriel found a spider," he paused his explanation to shoot his brother a dirty look. "When she heard us, we ended up revealing ourselves and talked for a while. That was until we heard the approaching shadows."
