ready.”
The Council members exchanged glances with amused expressions that told him they knew something he didn’t. It should have concerned him, but in the end, what did it matter?
“Look,” he said. “I know it won’t make any difference, and I’m prepared to accept whatever punishment you plan to implement. But let the record show, I am sorry. I know I made a terrible mistake. I fell short on my duties. I let my emotions sway my judgment. And I will live with the guilt of this for the rest of my life.”
“We appreciate your honesty,” Solomon replied. “And we are glad to know you understand the seriousness of your crime. It is a bad time for all of us, as you might imagine.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“The law states that your crimes should be punishable by death or a life sentence in the mines,” Solomon said. “Do you understand this?”
Connor winced despite himself. “Yes.” He held his breath, wondering which they would choose. While he had no real desire to die, it would be over quickly. A lifetime in the mines, he knew, would only drag out the inevitable.
“But what if there was a way to redeem yourself?” interjected Frederica. “What if we offered you a way to atone for your sins? Would you be interested?”
Connor looked up, his eyes wide, his heart panging in his chest. “Of course,” he cried before he even bothered to think about what they might mean by this. “I’ll do anything. Anything at all. Do you want me to raid a Dracken sky house? Try to get the dust back?”
“No, no,” Solomon replied, shaking a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing like that. My dear boy, what’s done is done. At this point, the powder has probably already been dispersed and dissected. There’s no going back from there. But we do have another…proposition. Another…mission, if you will. For a brave Dragon Hunter like yourself.”
Connor squared his shoulders. “I’ll take it. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
The Council erupted in excited conversation. Solomon banged his gavel. “Don’t you want to know what it is first?” he queried, looking at Connor with raised eyebrows.
Connor shrugged, heart thumping in his chest. He knew whatever was to come next would change his life forever—and probably for the worse. But he had no choice. He’d made a mistake. He had to make good. Everything he’d worked for his whole life depended on it.
So he listened as they told him what they wanted him to do. And when they had finished, he found he was barely able to stand, his legs were wobbling so hard.
“So?” Frederica asked with a slow smile. “What do you think? Do you think you’re up for such a task? Remember, once you go, there will be no coming back.”
He nodded. After all, in the end, what was there to come back to anyway?
He cleared his throat, his heart slamming against his rib cage so hard he was sure he’d break a rib. But somehow he found the voice to speak.
“I’ll do it,” he declared. “I’ll go back in time. I’ll destroy the egg. I’ll destroy the girl.” He sucked in a breath. “I’ll stop the apocalypse. And I’ll save the world.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Present Day
“Gather round, guys! It’s dinnertime.”
The hangar erupted in cheers and roars as Trinity and Caleb, aided by a few of the other Potentials, lugged large carts of food through the door. A moment later, they found themselves surrounded by thirteen hungry dragons, who were panting and eyeing the meat with much enthusiasm. It was a good thing they’d been stockpiling, Trin considered with a small smile, since they were literally now feeding a dragon army.
Once she’d found her brother again, it hadn’t taken Zoe long to convince him to call off his campaign. And the other dragons had eagerly followed suit once they learned there was food to be eaten back at the base. Typical greedy, lazy pure-blooded dragons, Caleb had joked, eager to abandon their quests for vengeance in exchange for belly rubs and roast beef.
And so together, they’d headed back to the airfield where they were greeted enthusiastically by their new guardians—the Potentials—and briefed on their mission.
Of course, things were still bittersweet. Everyone was worried about Emmy. But they were excited to meet the new dragons too. This was, after all, what the Potentials had trained for all that time under Dracken rule. It was ironic, really, that now that same training would be used against their former masters.
Trinity had first assumed they’d assign the