Let’s go, she said happily.

Anders looked at the elf woman, forcing a smile on his face, “She’s ready.”

The woman guided them a long way around the edge of the city. At the far end, they came to a cliff that overlooked a large valley. Anders could see several dragons playfully flying through the air above the valley. He looked up at Zahara and saw the look of pure joy in her eyes. The elf lady called out over the cliff. Two very large dragons, one orange in color and one purple, landed on the cliff in front of them. Zahara threw herself into their embrace, nuzzling their heads and necks and purring happily.

“It looks like you have reunited this family,” the elf said to Anders.

“It sure does,” Anders said. He felt sad that he had to let her go. He wanted to stay with her, but it was time for him to focus on getting his own family back. Anders knew this was where their paths ended, for now. Hanging his head, he turned and began to walk away from them, the elf woman leading him back from where they’d come.

Zahara saw them leaving and called after him, Hey, Anders, wait up. Anders turned and met Zahara as she bounded to him. He hugged her tightly around the neck and she nuzzled him back.

As he held onto her, he said, “Be with your family. I will return someday. I promise.” His eyes welled with tears as he pulled away.

Thank you for all you’ve done, Anders, Zahara said. She watched as he walked away, disappearing along the winding path toward Cedarbridge.

Anders followed his guide in silence back to Ivan and Max. He’d managed to wipe away his tears before rejoining them. Nadir had met up with Ivan and Max while Anders was away; they stood ready to embark on the next part of their adventure.

“I know that was hard for you to do,” Ivan said as he patted Anders on the shoulder. “You did the right thing. She will be much safer here with the elves and back among the safety of her family.”

Embarrassed at his sniffles, Anders agreed, “I know.” As he said the words, Anders found himself gazing longingly at the cliffs. Forcing himself, Anders followed the others as they set off into the vast elven forest once again.

After leaving Zahara with the elves, Anders felt his mind become clouded in a gloom he hadn’t felt since his Uncle Theodor was killed. While Ivan and Max talked with Nadir, the Elf Prince, Anders wondered if he’d made a mistake in leaving Zahara. In the end, however many ways he mulled it over, Zahara belonged with her parents. She was, after all, just a baby with little knowledge of the world.

Ivan and Nadir knew the paths that would take them to an area where they expected to find the Rollo Island warriors. Once they were close enough, Ivan would be able to sense their exact location, so the small group was confident in tracking down the Rollo people.

When the sun set and then night fell onto the forest, the four built a fire and ate the dried meat and nuts they’d brought along. Nadir went off to gather some leaves, fruits and berries for his meal. Curious about how it would taste, Max and Anders tried the assortment of things the elf was eating. Ivan deferred, sticking with his dried meat and nuts.

“I ate too much of that vegetation when I was training for the war,” Ivan said stuffing his hand into the pouch where he kept his rations.

“The greens are pretty bland, but the berries are sweet,” Max said, excitedly chewing on a handful of the elf’s food.

“All the nutrients the body needs are growing right here in the forest around us,” Nadir said humbly.

“That’s right,” Ivan said. “And the wild protein provided by the animals we eat are just that.”

“Carnivores that live in the forest rely on those meats. I will not take a meal away from the hunters of these woods. As long as they keep the deer and other herbivores in check, we’ll continue to have plenty of naturally growing foods for all who live here in the Everlight Kingdom,” Nadir said.

Anders took a bite of dried meat. Talking with his mouth fairly full, he said, “I think I fall somewhere in the middle of your opinions. I think the greens and fruits complement the meat quite nicely.”

“Yeah, I like them both, too. Meat is just too good to give up altogether, in my opinion,” Max added.

“Suit yourself,” the elf said and finished his meal.

After a short silence, Max blurted out something that’d been bothering him all day. He had been afraid to ask earlier, but now he could not control his eagerness to know. “Can you do magic?” he asked Nadir. “Ivan told us that many elves can perform magic.”

“Max,” Ivan said in a tone that would be used in talking down to a child. “It is not polite to ask an elf such a personal question. Especially a member of the elven royalty.”

“No, it’s all right,” said Nadir. “To answer your question frankly, no, I am not able to use magic yet. I have been paired with several dragons, none of which shared a connection with me strong enough for me to receive the gift of magic.”

“Is it common for dragons to decide not to bestow magic on someone?” Anders asked.

“It happens more often than you would think,” Nadir said shortly. “A dragon’s likelihood to find a match so strong only happens once in its lifetime, if they are lucky. Most dragons live their whole lives never finding their match.”

“How did it happen for you, Ivan?” Anders asked.

Ivan took a sip of some water he had in the bladder slung around his neck, “When I was paired with my dragon the elves had spent many months observing the personalities and behaviors of the dragons and those who went through the army’s training camps. The candidates were paired up with the dragon that had a personality most similar to their own. The system had some success, because several of us in the program did find matches.

“My situation was not a normal one. Because of the peculiarity and haste of the match, I feared our connection would not be as strong as most dragon-rider matches that were put together more organically.”

Anders saw a tear roll down Ivan’s cheek. He quickly wiped it away with his sleeve.

“No matter,” Nadir said. “I am sure if Zahara was your match, she would have let you know, what with you being the Prophecy and all.”

Flustered by the comment, Anders asked, “What Prophecy?” He looked at Ivan, who held his forehead in his hands.

Quick to read the situation, Nadir said to Ivan, “You hadn’t told him yet?”

Anders struggled to understand why he suddenly felt so confused and angry; perhaps he was just upset after losing another close friend. Perhaps Nadir had misspoken. He looked to Ivan and Nadir angrily, “What the hell do you mean, I am the Prophecy?”

“Let me explain,” Ivan said, taking a deep breath. “There is a prophecy that foretells of a human and dragon bond so strong that the two will become the most powerful dragon and sorcerer pair in history. Powerful enough to overthrow Merglan.”

“That’s what you were talking to Theodor about in the woods the night before the attack began?!” Anders asked.

Ivan nodded, “That is what Merglan is searching for. It isn’t a trinket or an item; it’s you.”

“What? How? Why?” Anders asked in rapid succession.

“Merglan sensed it in you when you were just a baby. He tried to capture you once before, when you were younger.”

“Is that how my parents died?” Anders asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes,” Ivan said with a sigh.

“He was wrong; Merglan got it wrong!” Anders shouted in desperation. He didn’t want to accept what Ivan was telling him. “I’m not anything special! I am just a person who wants to get my family back.” He jumped to his feet and stormed off away from camp.

“Anders, wait,” Ivan said getting up to follow him.

“Let him go,” Nadir said, motioning Ivan to sit back down. “He needs time to process this revelation.”

Later that night, Max pulled Anders aside and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

Anders shrugged and glanced to make sure that Ivan and Nadir weren’t within earshot. “How can what they said be true? Zahara and I shared the feeling of being separated from our families, but that was it. We didn’t form a special bond. The only thing that has changed is now I know why terrible things have happened to my family. It’s all because some crazy sorcerer believes I am going to defeat him. I can hardly fight off more than one orc by myself. I am not who they think I am.”

“At least you know why bad things have happened to your family,” Max said.

“What do you mean?” Anders asked.