*Katerina's POV*

Serepha landed on the top ledge while Andar and Rakota picked the one just above the clearing. After carefully scanning the tree line, Rakota crouched down to let me off.

"We'll be spending the night here," he told me.

Andar commented, "I'm going hunting. Mind keeping an eye on Randel while I'm gone?"

"Sure," Rakota replied.

"I'll bring something back for the humans," the green dragon said as he promptly took flight.

Randel shielded his eyes against the downwash from Andar's wings, then stretched and looked around. His eyes lit up when he spotted the huge pile of firewood below.

"I'll start the fire!" He ran the other way to get to the ramp, disappearing below the ledge as he descended to the meadow.

Rakota watched in disapproval and commented, "If he's not careful, he's going to burn down the entire forest."

I walked closer to the edge as my eyes trailed back to the pile of dry wood beside the firepit. "The firewood is too close for the kind of fires he likes to make."

It had only been two days since he accidentally burned down my shelter, and it had been twice as far away. If sparks landed in the dry branches, Randel could end up with a much larger fire than he bargained for.

Rakota sighed in resignation. "Shall we work together to ensure this doesn't become a problem?"

Preventing another fiery mishap was a good idea. "If you can move the big pile of firewood away, I can clean up all the smaller stuff."

He was silent for a long moment. "That should suffice."

His slightly frustrated tone had me glancing back at the red dragon, who was frowning at the rider setting fire to several twigs. Despite his words, he made no move to go down to the meadow. I was also reluctant to go down, but that was because the sun wouldn't set for at least five hours, and I didn't really feel like sitting and chatting with Randel for that long.

"Do young dragons get into this much mischief?" I asked, trying to delay the long hours to come.

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Probably more, actually."

"Do you have children?" I tentatively inquired, hoping he wouldn't take offense since he'd asked a lot of questions about my family. I knew dragons laid eggs, but nothing beyond that. The mental image of tiny baby dragons tumbling and wrestling like puppies seemed too cute to not ask about.

He sat down and wrapped his tail around his front feet contemplatively. "No, although Serepha and I are hoping to have some one day, preferably sooner rather than later. This actually ties into what I was going to ask you to help me with."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "How so?"

He lifted a hand and flexed his talons. "Hatchlings need help hatching, and our claws are far better suited to slicing a naga in half than helping a youngster break free. It takes weeks for their scales to harden, and until then, their hide is almost as delicate as your skin."

"They need help hatching?" I asked, although it made sense. Dragon eggs probably had very thick shells, and the parents would likely hurt their child if they tried to help it hatch. My blunt fingernails posed no threat to dragon scales, regardless of how soft they might be.

"Yes, and dragons have to rely on humans for that."

The lure of seeing a baby dragon warred with the risk of the dragons discovering I was a Wellspring. The internal battle didn't last long. I didn't dare be discovered.

"Could one of the riders help you?" I asked, trying to find an alternative solution. "I can't see Brandon saying no. Even Randel would probably help if asked."

"I wish it were that easy," he muttered, staring at the distant horizon, then looking back at me. "Magic has rules. Rather inconvenient ones, in fact. Some of these rules prevent a rider from helping other dragons with this sort of thing. I've given quite a few humans rides at the Dragon Landings, but so far, you are the only one I've met that I think I can trust to help my children."

I opened my mouth, then closed it. How was I supposed to reply to something like that?

His eyes gazed softly at me, almost seeming to shimmer. "You are the first human I've seen ever turn down gold or offers of spells. Most nobles would charge a fortune and complain when they discovered there was no castle or soft bed in a dragon aerie. We couldn't risk asking a mage or soldier since they might hold the child hostage, bespell it, or possibly even kill it as revenge for something another dragon did. You put your own life at risk to stop the shadow mage when he wanted to gouge out my eyes. You are the first human I actually trust."

I remained silent, unable to form words. My life had been one of a nomad, and I couldn't remember the last time someone had spoken highly of me. No one had ever said they'd trusted me before.

"The stories you told about your family and relatives are the type of memories Serepha and I wish to create, but we need help." He lowered his head until his chin almost touched the ground and his eyes were level with mine. "Kat, when the times comes, will you help my children hatch?"

I closed my eyes, torn by my conflicting emotions. As much as I wanted to avoid dragons, I knew the value of family. My parents and sister had been ripped away from me, and my heart still ached from that loss. I couldn't impose that kind of pain on someone else, especially not after he told me that he trusted me.

"Yes." My voice was soft, but as close as Rakota was, he'd be able to hear me.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed that his were glowing. Before I even had time to think, a primal, ancient magic wrapped itself around me. It froze me to the spot; I couldn't move as it wound into my heart and soul, binding me to the dragon in front of me.

My shields may have prevented him from detecting my magic earlier, but the bond entwined itself into my very being and rendered such shields useless. Like water from a burst dam, my magic flooded into the bond. His head jerked back in surprise, not having expected the magic that lay hidden deep within me.

Magic that he could now use.

The secret I had struggled all my life to hide from magic-users was now revealed.

My knees gave out as the implications hit me. Dragons now knew Wellsprings still existed, and my relatives would likely be tracked down for their hidden power. All because I was discovered. I shook my head slowly, trying to deny this was really happening, but my magic continued to flow into the bond without restraint, reinforcing reality.

It was a rider bond. I couldn't even attempt to deny it. The magical link was a subtle warmth deep inside me. I could feel Rakota's presence in a way I hadn't previously. I continued to shake my head in shock, unable to find words or think of any way to salvage this situation.

"Well... That was unexpected," Rakota finally said.

"Please don't tell anyone," I whispered, still on my knees with no strength to even consider standing.

"About you being a Wellspring?"

I cringed at hearing the name spoken aloud. "Yes."

He was silent for a while. "All that traveling you did. You weren't running from a vengeful noble. You were trying to avoid being detected."

"I don't want my relatives hurt because they might be part of the bloodline," I said quietly, still trying to get over my shock. I was more concerned about their safety and welfare than about the rider bond at the moment. The possibility of a dragon wanting me as a rider hadn't even crossed my mind, and I wasn't sure how to react to that aspect of things. It was easier to concentrate on worrying about my relatives.

"It can be kept quiet for now. Dragons certainly won't tell humans, if that's your concern. It also isn't as easy to locate Wellsprings as you seem to be assuming. As you've seen, if a Wellspring is determined to hide their power, it's not easy to spot with mage senses, even at close range." He snorted faintly. "I didn't even notice, and I've been carrying you around for how many days? That isn't taking into account how your relatives seem to be scattered across the entire continent."

That gave me some reassurance, but not much. "All it would take is one wayward whisper, and they'd be hunted and imprisoned by power-hungry mages."

His sigh held a hint of annoyance. "Fine. I'll keep it quiet for now, but dragonkin will find out before too long. Like I said, we won't tell humans. We certainly don't want shadow mages discovering that your kind didn't fade into the history books. Although now that you're a rider, you have my protection against any ill-intentioned people."

"Can—can it be undone? The rider bond? Can you pick someone else?" I still didn't know the implications of the bond, but it would at least give me one bit of normalcy back, and I was grasping at any straws as my life spiraled out of control.

"No. Even if you were to die, the magic rules prevent me from ever having another rider. The rules wouldn't allow me to talk about the bond, ask you, or even let Brandon say anything before you became a rider." In a softer tone, he said, "You're the only rider I'll have. Katerina, out of all the humans I have encountered, I picked you."

It was hard to reply to something as monumental as that. The use of my full name gave his words even more weight.

"Why?" It was the only thing my befuddled mind could come up with.

He lay down beside me, although with how I was still staring at the pebbles in front of my knees, I couldn't see his face. "Quite a few reasons, actually. As several people have pointed out, you are the only human I haven't wanted to shred after a few hours. Your easygoing and relaxed personality was a draw. You are accustomed to traveling and don't have any immediate goals. We've gotten along decently well the last few days, but more importantly, I trust you. And yes, I'd trust you with my children."

"But why make me a rider? I would have helped without that." I said, finally looking up as I desperately tried to make sense of what I had been thrown into or find some way out.

He lowered his head closer to mine to gaze at me. In tone far softer than should have been possible for a predator with teeth longer than my hand, he said, "Because unless one dragon in a pair has a rider, we can't have children. The rider bond creates a special magic that lets the eggs develop. It isn't so much that they have trouble breaking out of the shell, but they won't even grow in the egg without one of the parents applying the rider magic.

"We don't like to force bonds upon humans, but the magic rules make it a necessity. I apologize for not being able to ask beforehand. As much as you value family, I'm sure you can imagine how badly Serepha and I want children of our own. In essence, you are our first child."

All I could do was stare at him. Even the strong smell of smoke couldn't distract me. He had picked me because he trusted me, not because of my magic, which gave me a weird sort of relief. He'd done it because he wanted a family, something I hadn't dared dream of for myself in case mages ever discovered the magic inside of me. The bond's presence was like a gentle warmth as my magic flowed into it.

I was now a rider. There was no changing that.

And I had no clue what to do.