|| Book One of the Dragonkind Duology ||
𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙩; 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣.
For years, dragonkind and humankind had been at war, alternating between short-lived truces and all out...
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"That should do for now," Darin said, snapping his spellbook closed, having repaired the last of the boy's clothes. They had stopped just before reentering the village to think of a plan in case anything were to go wrong. "So what will you do if you're recognized?"
"Uh..." Argent furrowed his brow in thought before shrugging. "Scream?"
Darin snorted. "Sure, and alert everyone in the vicinity while you're at it. Just do something that'll alert me, preferably something quiet."
They only had to travel another few hundred feet before they exited the woods and into the village, gradually making their way to the main square. Anticipation and anxiety began welding up in Argent as more and more people came into view. He had always stuck to the back alleyways, unwilling to be seen and keeping his eyes glued to the ground. Terrible thoughts ravaged his mind: Was it a mistake to trust Darin? What if he turns me in to the Order? What will happen to me then?
The image of a body suspended in the air struck him like a whip. He remembered the guards forcing them all to watch the light fade from their kin's eyes as a warning, and the memory jolted him enough for a gasp to escape him. The action alerted Darin immediately, and after a quick glance around, he pulled the boy to the side.
"Hey," Darin said, keeping his voice soft but clear, "I won't let anything happen to you. Can you hear me?"
Argent gave a shuddering breath, focusing on one of the buttons of Darin's shirt and giving a miniscule nod in response. Argent knew nothing was happening; no one chasing him and no one yelling at him, but he couldn't seem to stop shaking. If he was gripping too tightly onto Darin's arm, the other didn't acknowledge it in the slightest.
"Can you tell me what you hear?" the wizard asked. It was an odd question in Argent's opinion, and his face scrunched up in bewilderment. He had no idea what Darin was trying to do. Nonetheless, he did what he was asked. Anything to stop the images flashing in his head.
"There's...a bird. Somewhere to the left," Argent began, his voice a bit hoarse. "Someone's talking. Two people are."
Two gossiping women passed next to them.
"I think they just said something about someone's bad potato crop."
Darin smiled at that. "Are you sure? I heard tomatoes."
"No, I'm pretty sure it was potatoes."
"If you insist." Darin didn't comment when the hand holding his arm had stopped trembling and fell away. "Do you want some water?"
Noticing how dry his mouth was, Argent nodded, watching Darin's hand as it drifted over to the waterskin that hung at his belt. It didn't take long for him to detach it, and an even shorter amount of time for him to uncork it and hold it out to him. Argent took hold of it, grateful that his hands no longer shook, and took a few gulps before handing it back. A wave of shame washed over him as Darin put the waterskin back in its place.
