The Last Dragon Rider (Book 1 of Rider Series)

Chapter 65

I set up some lights in the room while I waited for my brothers and sisters to come down the ladder and into the room where I was in. I looked around the room again and pressed my lips into a thin line while I folded my arms across my chest and tucked my head closer to it.

My whole body was tense, and I couldn't help but wonder if my dragon was still ok and was just waiting for me to appear to hopefully fix the bond that seemed to be broken.

"Shilan?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, even though I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to hear him. My heart ached and was filled with pain when I didn't hear anything from him. "Are you there?"

Silence...

I bit back a tired sigh when I didn't hear him and moved a hand through my hair and across my face. "Oh for the love of the Great," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, before I shook my head and pursed my lips in annoyance. "Please, make sure that my dragon is safe and not annoying everyone because we are not able to contact each other."

"What do you mean by dragon?" Yeely asked and looked at me with wide eyes, even though I didn't look at her and continued to rub the bridge of my nose. She cocked her head and stared at me, studying me with a small frown on her face. "Do you have a dragon? Can we meet him? Is it a boy?"

"Why are you asking Marini so many questions, Yeely?" Rayana asked, and my younger sister looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. "And why are you being so nosey?"

"Because I want to know," Yeely said with a small pout on her face. She folded her arms across her chest while her pout grew wider and looked between the two of us before she looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question. "So, what is it that you are hiding from us, Marini?"

I sighed and shook my head, pursing my lips in annoyance. "Can we make sure that everyone is down here first, please?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I looked at her. "I do not need anyone else to hear what I have to say because it is not safe, and I do not want to get hurt or someone else to get hurt because of it."

The ones that were inside of the cellar looked at each other before they looked at me. They didn't say a word, and I could tell that they were curious about everything that happened and wanted to ask but didn't.

They knew that I would answer any question as soon as everyone was safe and inside of the cellar with the door closed and possibly locked...

I bit the inside of my lip and placed my hands behind my back while I turned to look at them, counting how many brothers and sisters that I had in the cellar and how many I needed until I had everyone inside.

"Can we go ahead and move closer inside of the cellar, Marini?" Rayana asked, and I looked at her to see that she was staring at me with a small frown on her face. She cocked her head and studied me, raising an eyebrow in question. "We are getting cramped just standing here, and we still have more of us that need to come down the ladder."

I bit back a tired sigh while I slowly nodded. "Ok," I said. "Go ahead and come inside, everyone," I said before I looked at Rayana. "Rayana, I am going to need you to stay by the ladder and help the others come down, please."

"Ok," Rayana said and nodded in confirmation. She shrugged and offered me a small smile before she looked away. "I thought that was going to happen, so I was going to stay here until Griffith came down the ladder."

I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded, grateful that she was on the same page as me even without me having to tell her. "Thank you, Rayana," I said, and Rayana looked at me and flashed me a small smile before she turned her attention back to the other children coming down the ladder.

She silently urged the other kids to move further into the cellar, and they started to do that with Yeely walking toward me before Rayana turned her attention to those that were coming down the ladder.

Yeely walked over to me, and I looked at her. She sat down on the ground and leaned her back against my legs, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and bite back a small smile, becoming amused.

"Are you comfortable, Yeel?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and she nodded in confirmation.

"Yes," she said and looked at me, grinning before she shifted until she was able to get more comfortable with a small sigh. "I am comfortable."

"Can we all sit down, Marini?" one of my brothers asked and cocked his head while he looked at me, and I looked at him. He cocked his head and studied me with wide innocent eyes. "Or do we have to continue to stand?"

I shook my head, turning my attention to everyone that was there. "You all can go ahead and sit down," I said. "You do not have to keep standing around while we wait for everyone to come down."

"Do you need to sit down, too?" Yeely asked and looked up at me. She cocked her head and studied me. "Can you sit down with us so that we are at the same level?"

I bit back a tired sigh and slowly nodded in agreement. "Ok," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted ever so slightly. "Go ahead and move a little away from me just a bit, Yeely," I said, "that way I can go ahead and sit down."

Yeely nodded and did what I told her to do, moving away so that I would be able to sit down. She didn't say a word and watched me sit down before she moved closer to my side again and laid her head on my shoulder. She closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and bite back a small smile, amused.

"Only Griffith is left, Marini," Rayana said from near the ladder and looked at me. "Do you want me to wait for him to come down before I go over there, or can I go ahead and go over there?"

"Wait for Griffith and then you can come over, Rayana," I said and shook my head. "We won't start until you are both here."

"Do you want me to lock the cellar door, Marini?" Griffith asked from the top of the ladder. "Or do you want me to keep it closed and not lock it?"

"Go ahead and close and lock the cellar door, Griffith, please," I said and shook my head. "I do not like that we have to lock the door, but I do not want someone to come down the ladder while we talk about everything."

"But what about Mama?" Griffith asked and did what I asked him to do and closed and locked the cellar door before he climbed down the ladder. "Aren't you worried about her needing us?"

I shook my head. "Mama will know that we are here and that it is time for you all to know," I said. "We will be fine as long as we make sure that everyone stays safe and knows what to do in case of an emergency. We'll make this out alive."

I hope...