Olivia sighed. No, she definitely couldn’t turn this one away. Not with his tremendous potential. Not when she didn’t even know what gifts he had yet.
She did know one thing: Draghouls were not like other brood parasites. They didn’t abandon their offspring. They only loaned them out, letting humans do the hard work of raising them. In time the Draghouls would come to claim Bron, and if Olivia took him, the state’s paperwork trail would lead them straight to her.
She tried to snap back into teacher mode, and asked Bron, “I noticed that you used the word ‘was,’ when you described your sculpture. Did you sell the piece, or give it away?”
Bron shook his head regretfully. “It got busted at my old school. Some kid busted it.”
“But you have other pieces?”
Bron shook his head. “They always got busted. I quit sculpting.”
“Jealousy,” Olivia explained. “It happens often at other schools. You won’t find it at Tuacahn. All of the students are creative, and they’ll respect your paintings and sculptures.”
Do I dare take him? she wondered. Do I dare risk it?
Her people had been in hiding from their enemies for more than a thousand years. If a tenth of the stories that she’d heard were true, the Draghouls were unimaginably evil.
I could get myself killed, she thought, but only if I’m lucky. The Draghouls can do things that are far worse than just killing you.
I should let him go. I should let them have him.
She swallowed hard, made her decision.
She glanced at the social worker. “I like Bron’s honesty. An artist needs that. I like his talent, too.... I want to adopt. I don’t want anyone else to have him.”
Mr. Bell smiled. “I’d love for you to adopt, but it will take time: your husband needs to meet Bron. There will be a hearing before a judge, a mandatory waiting period....”
“I understand,” Olivia said. “E-mail the forms. Mike and I will fill them out....”
Yet every instinct in her warned: this could be the biggest mistake you’ll ever make.
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About the Author
David Farland is a New York Times Best-selling Author with nearly fifty novel-length works in print, whose work has been translated into dozens of languages.
He has won various awards for his work, including the Philip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for "Best Novel of the Year," the Whitney Award for "Best Novel of the Year," the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award for "Best Short Story of the Year," and others.
In 1991, Dave became a judge for the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of The Future Contest, the largest contest in the world for beginning authors of science fiction and fantasy. He soon took over the position of Coordinating Judge, where he selected stories for publication, trained new writers, and oversaw the publication of the annual anthology.
In 1999 he began teaching creative writing at Brigham Young University, where he trained several students who went on to become superstars, including fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, young adult author Dan Wells, and international sensation Stephenie Meyer.
In 1999, Dave also set the Guinness record for the World's Largest book signing.
David has worked in a number of writerly jobs—as a prison guard, an ice-cream pie maker, meat-cutter, missionary, movie producer, video game designer, and editor.
His Runelords novel series is one of the most popular fantasies of our time, but he has also worked with other major properties, including Star Wars, the Mummy, and various video games.
David currently lives in Utah with his wife and five children. In addition to writing, David likes to hike and fish.
Enjoy more works by Dave Wolverton as David Farland. Visit DavidFarland.net
Lords of the Seventh Swarm, Book 3 of the Golden Queen Series Page 45
