Once they were all standing in front of the Soul Trees, Tarun was surprised how much detail Shon used when explaining his parents’ Soul Trees to Krall and the others. He told them about how his father was a mage and his mother was a sorceress. He told them about how his parents had disagreed on how to raise him and how they had left him to be raised by his uncle until they returned. He told them about how before he was born, his uncle had used his skills as a druid to create the three Soul Trees, and how he and Tarun had come here as the first step in looking for his parents.

When Shon finished his explanation, he stood with arms wide, gesturing to the two trees and said, “So if you have any ideas of how we might use these trees to find my parents, please let me know.”

Krall stood silent for a moment with a look of serious contemplation on his face. After a while he said, “What do you think, Solimar? You’re the expert around here when it comes to magical plants. You ever come across Soul Trees before? You think you could track his parents from them?”

Solimar walked up to the trees and began to inspect them closely, by looking, touching, and even whispering at them. Shon tensed slightly, but didn’t move or say anything. “I’ve never much liked Soul Trees,” Solimar said. “They’re usually made by inept druids who are love struck and trying to impress someone. You can usually spot a Soul Tree in a forest because it’s surrounded by a dozen warped and pathetic looking failed attempts.”

“Still,” the elf continued, running a hand along the bark of the oak tree, “these seem to have been done quite skillfully. Perhaps your uncle is not as inept as most druids. And yet, there is something strange about these other two trees.”

“What is it?” Shon asked.

“Right now it is the beginning of summer,” Solimar replied. “And yet this cherry tree has the new buds of spring instead of the fruit it should have during this season. And the fruit and leaves of the apple tree appear as if it’s already autumn. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been stuck this way for some time.”

“What does that mean?” asked Shon. “Why would my parents’ Soul Trees be stuck in the wrong seasons?”

“I don’t know,” said Solimar in a flat tone. “I’ve never seen this before.”

“You’re the best tracker I know, Solimar,” Krall said. “And you know quite a lot about magical plants. Do you have any idea if it’s even possible to track down the people whose souls are tied to these trees?”

“Perhaps,” the elf replied, “but it would take time. It could take months or possibly a year or more. It’s time we don’t have, Krall.”

Krall paced back and forth, mumbling to himself and absent-mindedly scratching his wrists as if trying to relieve an old itch. He did this for a while, and then turned to Tarun and Shon, exhaling loudly. “Solimar is right,” Krall said in an apologetic tone. “We’ve got a narrow window of opportunity to deal with that dragon, and there is too much at stake if we don’t. But I’m willing to make you a deal if you’ll hear me out, Shon.”

“I’m listening,” Shon said.

“You see, me and Solimar and Piggy, we’re three of the best trackers and hunters you’re ever going to meet,” Krall said. “I think you know I’m not bragging when I say that. Any one of us alone is pretty skilled at locating our quarry, and together we’ve never come across anything we can’t find.”

“How could you ever come across something you can’t find?” Shon asked.

“The point is,” Krall interjected, “that I’m willing to trade our services for yours. Solimar, Piggy, and I will help you track down your parents, for up to a year if that’s what it takes. But first you and Tarun will have to help us hunt and kill this dragon and her eggs.”

“How long would that take?” asked Shon.

Krall smiled, obviously pleased that Shon was taking the offer seriously. “I believe she has about two more months before she lays her eggs. That is when she would be weakest, and that is when we need to strike. So one way or another, by the end of the summer we’ll either be finished, or dead.”

Shon stood silent for a moment, looking over to Tarun to read his expression. “What do you think of the offer?” Shon asked him.

“Two months of our time for a year of their tracking skills?” Tarun said. “That sounds like a very generous offer to me.”

“Too generous,” Solimar grumbled.

Shon suddenly looked up. “Wait, Solimar is right,” said Shon. “That offer is too generous. Even if you assume you’re all so good we could find my parents in two months, it would still be a pretty lousy trade for you. Why do you need our help so badly? Tarun and I know nothing about dragon hunting. What could we possibly offer you three who are already experts?”

“Tarun is strong and brave,” Krall said. “Probably stronger and braver than he even realizes yet. And I may be big, but I’m not as young as I used to be. Solimar and Piggy both have their jobs, but I’m the leader and the muscle of the party. Something tells me we’re going to need more muscle than usual for this dragon.”

“Besides,” Krall said, turning to look Tarun in the eye, “there’s something I can’t quite put my finger on that seems important about you, boy. Like we’ve crossed each other’s paths for a reason. I’m not sure if it’s something you’re going to do for me, or something I need to teach you, but I’ve learned to trust my instincts on things like this.”

“Well that’s great,” said Shon sarcastically. “So Tarun is strong and brave, and you’re just letting me tag along so you get him?”

“When I first offered to let you boys join us a week ago, that was true,” Krall said. “But that was before your encounter with the dragon. Now your magic might make you just as valuable in this hunt as Tarun. The offer I made is only good if we get both of you.”

“What are you talking about?” Shon asked. “My magic was useless against that dragon. I don’t know any offensive spells, or any spells at all for that matter. And even if I did, my magic isn’t powerful enough to hurt a dragon, much less kill it.”

Krall waived a hand as if to dismiss Shon’s words. “There’s plenty of wizards that can blow stuff up,” said Krall. “I need you, because you can do something different.”

Shon was momentarily taken aback by Krall’s words. “What do you mean?” Shon asked.

“That dragon is unpredictable,” said Krall. “Now most dragons are a lot of things. Big. Powerful. Dangerous. Nearly indestructible. But another thing they usually are is predictable. It’s one of the only reasons experienced dragon hunters like us stand a chance. We’ve learned how dragons think and behave, and we’re very good at making plans that fit that behavior.”

“But this dragon we’re after is breaking all the rules,” Krall continued. “Her hunting area shouldn’t be this wide. She shouldn’t be coming back for prey after she already injured it. She should be roaring and chasing anything that tries to run, not sneaking quietly through the fog. Even Solimar was caught off guard when she grabbed that cougar in her jaws!”

Krall then pointed a thick finger at Shon. “But you,” Krall said. “You can sense her. You can sense that pain she’s experiencing that’s making her so crazy and unpredictable. You just may be exactly what we need to track her down or avoid an ambush.”

“And when it’s all over,” said Krall, “we may just be exactly what you need to find your parents. Now I won’t promise this job will be safe. Nothing with dragons ever is. But we will do everything we can to train and protect you. You’ll be part of our team, and we look out for one another. What do you say?”

Shon looked away from Krall and put a hand back on his mother’s cherry tree. “We came all this way to find them,” Shon said quietly. “And now we’re just going to leave?”

Tarun put a hand on Shon’s shoulder. “We didn’t leave Life’s Edge to look for trees,” Tarun said. “We left to find your parents.”

“Do you really think they can?” Shon asked Tarun.

“If anyone can, I believe it’s them,” Tarun said. “Shon, this feels right to me. I think we can trust them.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Shon said, and Tarun noticed he was wiping away a small tear. “It scares the wits out of me, but it does feel right.” Shon continued to rub the bark of the cherry tree. “All this time I’ve been waiting for my parents to come back and find me. Even coming here, I was hoping that when we arrived they would somehow know to show up and make things right. But that’s not going to happen, is it? If this is going to happen, it needs to be up to me.”

When Shon turned back to face Krall, his voice was firm. “Alright, Krall,” Shon said. “We’ll help you hunt down that dragon, and then you’re going to help me hunt down my parents.”

Krall’s mouth opened wide in a toothy grin. “Then let’s get started,” he said.