The Last Dragon Rider (Book 1 of Rider Series)

Chapter 21

He sat in the meeting room, waiting for me. His back was turned to me, and I could tell that he was staring at his hands with such intensity that I was sure he didn't know where he was. His dark brown hair looked as unraveled as he looked, his normal braid disheveled and unkempt.

I licked my lips and took a step into the room, my heart pounding in my chest. I was scared, not knowing what he would do, and prayed that he wouldn't ignore me like he had done that night. "Jonah?" I asked, my voice quivering. I watched as he stiffened in front of me and dug my fingers into the wooden basket when he didn't turn to look my way. "Please," I begged, my voice shaking. "Look at me."

He hesitated before finally did what I said looked at him. His dark brown eyes were filled with tears, and my bottom lip quivered at sight. Concern filled his eyes when he saw my bottom lip quiver and stood. "Ma-"

I didn't let him finish while I dropped my basket and rushed towards him, hugging him. "Please," I all but sobbed when he grunted and took a step back from the force of my hug. I buried my head into his chest, my whole body shaking while my sobs tore through it. "Don't leave me. Please, don't leave me, too."

Jonah didn't answer but enveloped me in a tight embrace, his body bringing me the warmth and comfort I craved. "I won't," he whispered, his voice cracking. He placed a soft kiss on the side of my head, his beard scratching the top part. "I'm sorry." Again, his voice cracked, but he cleared his throat when he squeezed me closer to him.

I nodded my head and pulled away from him, wiping away the tears that had fallen. "How long?" I asked. "How long did you know that I was a Dragon Rider?" I added when he raised an eyebrow in question.

Jonah sighed and moved a hand across his face, grimacing and lost in thought while he tried to come up with an answer that didn't tell me too much. "Since you were a little girl," he said finally. "We, your father and I, knew that a Dragon Rider would be born from the Hargen Tribe on the week of the winter solstice. We didn't know which day."

I furrowed my brows, thinking of when my other siblings were born. "My brothers..." I trailed off, not knowing if I wanted him to admit to my silent question.

Slowly, Jonah nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes," he said, gesturing for me to pick up my basket and the items strewn about, and I did what I was told to do, hoping he would continue. "Your brothers were born during the week of the winter solstice as well." He cleared his throat and watched while I picked up everything before continuing. "We thought your older brother would be the Dragon Rider, but after he died in the war." Jonah shook his head and grimaced. "We knew it wasn't true."

"When did you figure out it was me?" I asked softly. I picked up my basket and looked at him, curious. I had no idea why I didn't remember and wondered if it could be because I was a young girl or someone else messed with my memories for my protection.

"You were four or five," Jonah said, shaking his head with a chuckle. A bitter smile appeared on his face, and his eyes held this glazed look in them. "You snuck out one evening from both the house and past the gates." He sighed and shook his head, relieving himself from memory. "Come," he said, gesturing to the door. "I will explain what I can while we walk. We shouldn't keep your dragon waiting any longer. They can be very impatient creatures."

I bit back a snort because I could feel Shilan's impatience and knew that Jonah was telling the truth. "Ok," I said, nodding my head and followed him out of the room, hoping he would tell me.

"I don't know how you escaped the confines of the walls, but you did." He shook his head and chuckled. "You gave your parents such a scare. It was the night of the Tribe's Moon, too," he mused. "They thought you had gone to find them, so your father left as quick as he could to find you. I followed him."

"How did you two get out?" I asked, knowing full well that they would have had to use some other way except the main gate.

"Through the gate that you entered through yesterday," Jonah replied. "You weren't supposed to know that we could use it as well, but since they were checking everything..." He shrugged his shoulders and grimaced. He raised his hand, and I closed my mouth when he did. "Your father had asked for you not to know that we could use that entrance. He had a feeling that you would go through it when you had the chance."

I shrugged my shoulders and didn't reply because he did have a point. I would have used it if I had known about it, and the urge to use it was strong.

"Don't go near there, Marini," Jonah warned, giving me a pointed look. He knew that I wanted to use it to escape the city's heat and enjoy the coolness of the trees. "That gate is for emergencies only. Do you understand?"

I nodded my head, deciding that if I did ever find another way out, I was going to take it. I needed to find another way so that I could slip in and out without being spotted, knowing that it'd be the best option if I wanted to meet up with my dragon without anyone knowing. "So, what happened when you found me?" I asked, changing the subject.

Jonah eyed me suspiciously before he turned his head and faced the front. "We made it out of the gate and walked until we reached the edge of the forest before taking off running. Your father had led the way."

"So, he knew where to find me?" I asked, and Jonah nodded his head. "How?"

"You are part of the Hargen Tribe," Jonah replied. "The moon guided him to you." He sighed and scratched his neck. "When we arrived, you were standing in front of a kneeling Giant, hacking away at some rope that bound him and ignoring what he had to say. You were near a lake."

"Why?" I asked. "Why was I in front of a lake, and why was the Giant tied up?"

He shrugged. "Don't know," he said, honestly. "Your father didn't let us go any nearer to you, and we watched as you freed the Giant." He shook his head and smiled bitterly. "He threw you into the lake as hard as he could, and we thought we had lost you because he ran away as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

"Your father didn't allow us to move forward," he said after a moment's pause. He nodded his head when he caught sight of my shocked look. "He told me that the lake was glowing. I thought he was crazy because I couldn't see it." He shook his head. "After what felt like hours but was only minutes, my mark started to become warm and tingle."

I looked at his arm, where I knew the dragon eye laid, and Jonah instantly pulled his sleeve up, revealing a dragon's amber eye encircled with black. I gripped my basket tighter, the urge to touch his mark strong.

Jonah sighed and covered the mark on his wrist, breaking the spell and pulling my gaze back to his face. The lantern light made his face glow like it was on fire, but the fire was coming from inside him, dancing behind his eyes. "At that moment, I noticed that the lake started to glow as well." He shook his head. "One minute, you weren't there, and then next you were, dripping wet and clutching something in your hands."

He shook his head again and cleared his throat, and he became lost in his memory of that night. "Your father and I rushed to you, both of us worried about two things." He paused and rubbed his hands together with a look of pain flickering through his eyes.

"Well?" I asked impatiently, annoyed with him not finishing his tale. I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes, my heart pounding in anticipation. "What were you two worried about?"

Jonah looked down and studied me before he lifted his head and looked forward. "We were worried that you were dead," he said, finally. "We were worried that either the impact of the water or you drowning had killed you." He shook his head and chuckled darkly. "We were also worried that you were the one that we were waiting for." Again, he shook his head. "When we reached your side, you started moving, coughing, and threw up some water." He sighed and shook his head. "When you opened your eyes and looked at us, they were gold and filled unrecognition."

His voice became soft when he said that, and I could hear the sadness and hurt in his voice. He smiled at me when I brushed against him, indicating that I was safe and did remember him. "Your father told me to show you the Rider's mark, so I did. That left you satisfied to see the mark, and you showed us what you were holding."

I furrowed my brows. I had a feeling I knew what I had been holding, but I wanted him to confirm it. "What was I holding?" I finally asked.

"An egg," he replied. "You were holding a dragon's egg."