A story about Sang, the first ever female to receive the mark of a dragon. Entering a world where males reign supreme, she struggles to prove that a woman has what it takes to be a great rider. Even if the dragon she's paired with is stubborn, moody...
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The Blackbourne Team
Owen Blackbourne sat at the head of the table in the inn meeting room. He was not expecting to have such accommodating features when they first arrived in the small village. Having an area to host daily family meetings without worrying over being heard was almost better than the soft, plush mattresses that adorned their rooms.
With his eight brothers gathered around him, all being obnoxiously loud as they chatted about their days, Owen discreetly scanned the room. Oak paneled walls hung several framed paintings of nature, Owen's favorite being the Elderberry bush on the edge of a bright meadow, a spring rushing through a field of wildflowers. The painting spoke of tranquility and made Owen's breaths subconsciously ease. The table which they sat at was a dark shade of wood in immaculate condition, taking nearly half of the room's space. No window was in site, but that was just what they needed. The less potential of being overheard, the better.
With a clearing of the throat, Owen had the room falling into blissful silence. He cared deeply for his brothers, but when everyone spoke at once, it got overwhelming and made meetings exceedingly long and difficult.
"Now that I have everyone's attention, we'll get started. Kota? Have you found anything?"
Kota let out a deep sigh, feeling frustrated over the fact he had absolutely nothing to report. They became aware of the newly awakened rider's whereabouts, which eventually led them to Zalfari, but he hadn't seen anyone with the mark yet. "I camped out in the training grounds with Nathan and Silas all day. We found no leads." He briefly thought back to the young man with blonde hair. Wil. He was hoping that he had the mark. He was intelligent, worked hard, and had some great skills with a sword. Kota was saddened to find that he wasn't a rider. Wil would've been a great addition to the Academy.
Owen gave him a short nod and moved his attention to the other end of the table, where Victor and Luke sat. "What about you two?"
Luke sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and rested his feet on the table. "All was clear at the bakery." Luke had a brilliant time trying out all the wonderful treats the small shop had to offer. Chocolate donuts, vanilla frosted cupcakes, chocolate chip muffins, various flavored cookies... Veronica was one hell of a woman with her baking skills. Maybe he could get someone to hire her at the Academy, or better yet, maybe he could hook her up with Uncle...
A slap on the back of his head broke him out of his musings. After hearing a growl of frustration, Luke would've bet that the person responsible would be his dear, little brother, North. It was a grand time getting him riled up, but sometime Luke suspected that North was purposely dramatic and overbearing so he could show love in the only way he knew how: yelling.
Victor shook his head in mirth. Owen should have known better than to send them to the market. He had a hard time getting Luke to actually pay attention to the job at hand, instead of chasing all the baked goods nearby. "I think what Luke was trying to say is that we found nothing. I asked villagers for an estimate on the amount of people living here in the specific age range we're looking for. According to them, there's about forty males between the ages of ten and fifteen years old."
