Page 38 (1/2)

Because a gift is to be kept, not given away

You belong here with us"

Chapter 23: Rose

Although his words chilled me, I wasn’t about to back down on my request

I had no choice

I had to return to the hu dragon

Charis questioned me further about the purpose of my visit there

I told him that I needed to find an old friend and help him out of a sticky situation

Charis disappeared for a while, leaving me alone in the cave as he went to discuss my request with Erisard

I was relieved when he returned and said that his king had agreed

Next, I had to explain how exactly ere to return

We needed to travel through the gate in the realres, because that led directly to the island where I’d left Caleb and Annora

Whether they were still on that island re without discovering what had happened to me, but Annora was devious and she could have played some tricks in order to convince him

Whatever the case, our first stop had to be the island

It was large, but with Charis roaring andup our noises

The other possibility was that Caleb had left the island on the boat he’d been building

Even then I hoped he wouldn’t have travelled too far on that pri

Hopefully, Charis and I could track hih noise

If Caleb hadn’t been a va hied to make it back to the huh ti for hion I wanted to leave i onto his back and holding tight to the scales behind his neck, I clenched my stoet the job done as soon as possible and he was taking it to heart

His speed was breathtaking

We had alht my attention down below

It was a faainst the dragon’s hide even though it was so rock hard, I was sure he couldn’t feel it

He slowed down and I scanned the landscape for any clue as to the source of the noise

And then I saw it

A dragon in full transforre at the entrance to a cave

It was the ogress

"I want that ogress," I said