A Destiny of Dragons (Tales From Verania #2)(145)

I wanted to do what was right.

I didn’t know how to do that.

“You’re very conflicted,” Zero said, eyes glittering in the light of his magic. “Is that how it is to be human?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve never been anything else.”

“You’re very brave. Like a hero.”

“So are you.” Because he was. Yes, he was a pain in my ass, but I had a feeling that anybody worthwhile would always be a pain in my ass.

“If I did this,” Zero said, “if I helped you, would you help me?”

“To do what?”

“Make the world beautiful,” he said. “I want the world to be beautiful again.”

I smiled up at him. “I think I can do that.”

He leaned forward until his face was inches from my own. His slitted nostrils flared, and he said, “The star dragon told me you would be good. And kind. A little foolish, but that your heart would be as big as a dragon’s. Do you know what he told me about the other?”

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak.

“He told me the other was your opposite. That he would bring this world to its knees. That he would lord over everyone and everything. I don’t want that. I just want to grow my trees and flowers. So yes, Sam of Wilds, I will side with you. Because of your dragon heart.”

And then he pressed his snout against my forehead, the lights exploding all around us, and—





Chapter 20: Tripping Balls Again


I GROANED, head pounding, trying to find the will to open my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to sink into sleep, but I knew that wasn’t what I needed to do.

I had to get up.

I had to get up.

I had to get up—

I forced my eyes open.

Everything was bright and shining, and I brought my hand up to my face to shield my eyes and— I was made of stars.

My fingers. My hand. My arm.

All of it was stars.

They reminded me of Zero’s fireflies, his little lights that brought beauty into this world.

I was in the night sky.

I said, “What the fuck is this shit?”

From off to my left, a voice said, “That’s probably the first time I’ve heard a constellation curse.”

I looked over.

The star dragon stood there, watching me.

“You,” I said, narrowing my eyes. Or rather, I think I did. It was hard to tell what I was doing. I didn’t even know if I had eyelids.

“Hullo, Sam.”

“You.”

“So you’ve said.”

“Am I dead?”

He snorted. It shot little comets across the sky. “Not hardly.”

“Oh. Did you drug me? Is that what’s going on? You drugged me so I’m tripping balls again and are now about to have your way with me? Dude, that is so fucked-up. What is wrong with you dragons? I do not consent for you to touch my body.”

He sighed. “And you’re the chosen one. Wonderful.”

“Can we not call me that? Or say anything about destiny? I feel like it’s creating an aura of expectation that I may not live up to.”

“Oh, I’m aware.”

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you.”

“Possibly.”

“But—but, you’re a god.”

He cocked his starry head at me. “And you don’t think gods can have a sense of humor? Of course we do. We made you, after all.”

“Hey! That’s not very nice! Stars aren’t supposed to be dicks!”

“I would have thought you believed the opposite,” he said quietly. “Most of the wishes you’ve made upon us didn’t come true.”

“Well, yeah. But they aren’t supposed to.”

“How do you figure that, Sam?”

I shrugged. “It’s not how wishing works. If we got everything we ever wished for, we wouldn’t have the capacity to be thankful for all the things we’d already been given. I’ve got so much already. I don’t ever want to lose sight of why it’s important.”

“And you wonder why you were chosen,” the star dragon said. “You wonder why, out of everyone, the light has shined down upon you. Sam, it was you because it could only be you. You were always meant to be strong and brave. You were always meant to have power unlike anyone else. But it was always up in the air what direction you would go with it. You could have chosen a path that led to the dark. But instead your heart was lightning-struck, and it split and spilled its light upon those around you. You were chosen, Sam, because there was no one else it could have been.”

“I still don’t know if I’m good enough,” I admitted. “And I don’t know what will happen if I am.”

“What do you mean?”

And I finally said the one thing that’d been weighing on me the most since I’d found out the truth. “It’s either me or Myrin, right? There’s no middle ground.”

David’s Dragon said, “Yes, Sam. That’s correct. There is no middle ground.”

“He won’t turn back?”

“Would you turn to the dark?”

“No. Never.”