“Then why do you allow the Darks to—”
“We’re not speaking about them,” Dimitri snapped. “We’re speaking about the dragon. My patience is being tested, Sam of Wilds. Ask your question before I decide this conversation is no longer necessary.”
“I stood in front of him,” I said slowly, choosing each word carefully. “At first I thought he was a mountain.”
Dimitri waited.
“With the other dragons, I felt them. In my head. Like they were little pieces of me. With him it was… different. Like he was everything.”
The forest was loud around us, the birds calling, the trees swaying.
“He did speak,” I admitted. “He told me that he had awoken.”
“There was more.”
You are not ready.
“There was,” I said. “But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’ve gotten four of Verania’s dragons behind me. He is just one more. My question to you, Dimitri: Will he listen?”
Dimitri smiled a terrible smile, like he knew I was full of shit. “He will test you. Like you’ve never been tested before. He will judge your worthiness. And if he finds it lacking, you will fail. I don’t think I need to explain what would happen then.”
And I was cocky, sure of myself. I’d gotten four dragons. I’d been tested. I could do it again. I had to do it again. There was no other option. “I won’t fail.”
Dimitri watched me for a moment. I struggled not to squirm. Then, “He will listen. But the real question is, will you?”
“What the hell is that supposed to—”
“We’re here.”
I blinked. “What?”
That terrible smile widened. “We’re here.”
THE OTHERS had stopped ahead in a clearing. I burst through the tree line and almost tripped over Kevin’s tail into Tiggy’s back but was able to catch myself before I stumbled. “What’s going on?” I asked, walking around Gary to stand next to Ryan. His sword was drawn, his face pinched.
“They just stopped here,” Justin said, pointing at the fairies. “Wouldn’t let us go any further. We thought they were waiting for you.”
The fairies had formed a wall of sorts in the middle of the clearing. They were hovering in midair like a cloud of buzzing bees. They faced away from us, staring off to the other side of the clearing into the deep woods. The trees were bigger on the other side, and thicker. The forest behind us was bright and cheery. The forest ahead looked dark and ominous. The difference was startling to see.
It didn’t help that there was a wide creek running in front of us that led toward the edge of the clearing to our left, which ended in a cliff that the water fell over. I didn’t know how high it was, but by the sound of the waterfall, it seemed to be a long drop.
Dimitri flew past us and joined the cloud of fairies in the middle of the clearing. I heard him speak in a low voice, but I couldn’t make out his words over the sound of the water.
“He tell you anything?” Ryan asked me.
I shook my head. “Not really. Nothing I didn’t know already. Vague bullshit. The usual. I really hate fairies. And gods. And grandmas. For once I would like it if someone came to me and said, Hey, Sam. This is exactly what you need to do, step by step. You’re welcome.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Ryan said with a tight smile.
“Um, we’re not having fun,” Gary said. “In case you couldn’t tell, my mane is wet and flat, no one has picked my hooves out in at least a full day, and I’m pretty sure if I have to shit in the woods one more time, I’m going to massacre everyone without caring how much I might love them. Except for Tiggy, of course, because he is my most favorite thing ever.”
“Holla, bitches,” Tiggy said.
No one could argue with Gary, because Tiggy was pretty much everyone’s favorite.
“He said we’re here,” I told them. “But I don’t see anything.”
“Your eyes aren’t glowing,” Gary said. “Not like with Zero. Maybe we’re in the wrong spot. Or he’s on the other side of the river. Which, you know, is just great, because how are we going to get across?”