And then, just because it was the way his life seemed to go, he was chased by a teenage emo snake dragon monster thing named Zero Ravyn Moonfire who thought everything was lame and no one understood the crows in his soul, or some such nonsense Sam did not have time for.
But the snake dragon monster thing eventually agreed to help the boy, only because he wanted a place to grow his forest and to make beautiful things.
Sam didn’t understand, even then. Just how much bigger all of this was. How far the tapestry stretched. He knew of his Destiny of Dragons (capitalized to make it true, even though he hated it), and he understood the implications of what Myrin could bring, but he was still young. Naïve. He was doing this for those closest to him, and nothing more. Under the stars of the desert, he wished to be mortal so that he would never have to leave his beloved’s side.
But Sam was already caught in t
he threads, and they were growing stronger.
Tighter.
And he came, then. For Sam.
The man in shadows.
Myrin.
A lightning-struck heart is a funny thing. It beats with strength unexpected. Sam was still just a boy, but his heart was wondrous. Even when it ruled over his mind, it was true and brave and wild, crackling with electricity.
And Myrin wanted to consume it.
He tried.
And failed.
He had underestimated Sam of Wilds. Still, he left the marks upon the young wizard’s skin, wrapping down his chest and stomach like roots from a tree, lightning-scarred and thunderstruck.
Things moved quickly after that.
Meridian City.
Mama.
Letnia.
Feng.
Morgan had contained. Compressed.
Castle Freeze Your Ass Off.
Every secret Sam of Wilds had ever had spilled forth to Randall.
And in return, Randall of Dragons gave his own.
Because Randall loved. He had been loved. And it had nearly destroyed him. He had banished his cornerstone to the realm of shadows, and with it, parts of his heart and soul. He had brought back the King of Sorrows from the depths of madness, an action that almost cost him his sanity. And he had gone to the North then, and for a time, had turned Dark.
But he had come out on the other side, crawling out of the darkness and back into the light.
Then came the mated Northern dragons, covered in feathers and able to cause dreamwalking. They too had expected the young wizard. Had tested him. Had pledged themselves to his cause after deeming him worthy.
The last dragon, however, had not.
The Great White had told Sam this, even before he’d stepped outside the City of Lockes. He had rumbled deep in the Dark Woods, warning Sam of Wilds: you are not ready.
And as Sam finally stood before him, the Great White said the wizard knew nothing of sacrifice, that a cornerstone was not the be-all end-all. But even then, he made an offer.
Come away with me, O human child.