I had a feeling I didn’t want the answer. “And what is that?”
The Great White raised his head until he loomed over us. Lightning flashed behind him, electricity crawling through the dark clouds. I blinked against the rain. “I will make you the wizard you need to be. By the time I am done with you, your training will be complete. There will be no need of the Trials. You will ascend from an apprentice to a full-fledged wizard, and in doing so, will have the power and strength needed to harness all of the dragons of Verania. Only then will you be able to defeat the man in shadows.”
“But Morgan is—”
“Morgan is your mentor,” he said. “But he is also the brother of the villain you must defeat. The same villain that has marked you for consumption.”
A chill rolled down my spine. “How do you know about that?”
“I can sense it along your skin, Sam of Wilds. It leaks.”
“What does that have to do with Morgan?”
“He and Randall could not do what was right when the time came. They were given the chance to end the darkness before it became something more. Because of their weakness, because of their love, they chose instead to banish him.”
“They did it because they had hope, however slim it may have been.”
“Which is a weakness,” the Great White snarled. “Do you not fault them for their choices?”
I had. I thought maybe I still did. But I also thought I understood it more than I ever had before. “Would it have mattered?” I asked instead. “It’s always been leading to this, hasn’t it? The prophecy. My destiny. It’s a path set long before I was ever even a thought.”
“Possibly,” the dragon admitted begrudgingly. “But the paths set in stone can often be diverted.”
“Stone crumbles,” I whispered.
“Indeed.”
“What are you asking of me?”
The dragon’s eyes began to glow, white and pure. I felt him swirl within me, the strength of him overwhelming. I thought it more than all the other dragons combined. It took my breath away, the sheer size of it. My own eyes burned again, and I knew they were shining brightly in response.
The dragon spoke, whether aloud or in my head, I didn’t know.
But he was everywhere.
He said,
Come away with me, O human child.
In this forest deep, in the dark of the wild.
Where in these woods, you’ll face your fear,
as time doth stretch toward a year.
I blinked. “Did you—did you just rhyme at me?”
“Was that supposed to be a love poem?” Kevin asked, sounding confused. “Because I thought love poems were supposed to be about dicks and stuff. Like, roses are red, violets are blue, I would love it if I could put my penis in you.”
“He wasn’t telling me a love poem,” I said, sounding scandalized. “What the hell.”
“He was asking you to run away with him,” Kevin pointed out. “In this forest deep. He was probably talking about his butthole. Which, I mean, I suppose you can do that. If you want. But seriously. I’m all the dragon you’ll ever need. You know what they say, once you go Kevin, you’ll finally know heaven.”
“Oh my gods. Name one person besides Gary that says that.”
“Carl.”
“Who the fuck is Carl?”
“This guy. From this thing.”
“What guy from what thing?”
“This thing. You weren’t there.”
“Where was I?”
“At the… food. Store.”
“The food store.”
“Yes. The food store. You were buying food.”
“What kind of food?”
“Grapefruits.”
“Aha! I have never bought grapefruits in my life! I don’t even like grapefruit!”
“Curse your strangely specific palate!”
I turned back toward the Great White, feeling smug. “Yeah, dude. Listen. I’m not going to do whatever your weird little poem said. I’m just going to ask you to help me. That’s all I’m here for. So, mighty dragon, will you please assist me in protecting Verania from a douchebag villain?”
And the Great White said, “No.”
I… was at a loss for words. “Um. What?”
“I said no.”
“Why not?” I demanded.
“Are you willing to cut ties with the human world and follow me?”
I snorted as I tilted my head back to look at Kevin. “Is he being serious right now?”
“I think he’s being serious right now.”
I looked back at the Great White. “You want me to follow you. Into the Dark Woods. For up to a year. To become a full-fledged wizard. And in doing so, say goodbye to my friends and family.”
“Yes.”
“Not gonna happen, dude.”
“Then we’re done.” He began to turn away, the ground beneath us shaking with every lumbering step he took.
“Hey! Hey, now wait just a godsdamn minute!”
He didn’t stop.
“Kevin!”
“On it,” he said, spreading his wings. We lifted off the ground, and he moved quickly, flying up and over the Great White, then landing in front of him, blocking his path. Kevin kept his wings spread, as if he thought the bigger he looked, the more intimidating he’d be. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it wasn’t really working.
The Great White looked down at us, eyes narrowed.
“You can’t just leave!” I demanded of the rather large dragon who could have squashed us both. I wondered if this was what Randall meant when he said that sometimes I could be really stupid.
“Can’t I?” the Great White said, lips curling over enormous teeth. “I made my offer. It was declined. I see no reason for anything further to be said.”
“I can’t just leave with you. And for a year? Are you out of your mind? One, the desert dragon is only awake for a year. Two, what do you think Myrin would do to Verania while I’m gone? Three, I won’t leave my family behind. Especially not my cornerstone.”
“Cornerstones,” the Great White said with a derisive huff. “You put so much weight upon them, and for what? Assurance? Security? What exactly does a cornerstone do for you?”
“A cornerstone keeps a wizard from going Dark,” I recited dutifully, not sounding as sure as I’d hoped I would.
“Why should that be dependent upon a single person?” the Great White asked. “Should you not have the strength within yourself to keep from falling into darkness?”
“Morgan and Randall said—”
“Randall’s cornerstone turned away from the light, and Randall himself did not. Morgan of Shadows lost his cornerstone to time, and yet he still stands as the right hand of the King. They have survived centuries without their cornerstones at their sides, and you don’t think you could last a year?”
“But they—”
“They have told you what they wanted you to hear. A fairy tale, Sam of Wilds, and nothing more. A cornerstone does not keep you from madness. That is something you must do yourself. I am offering you something that you should not consider lightly. The path is set in front of you. It diverges. Only you can decide which direction you take. It matters not to me.”