My hand strayed to the gold scales closest to me and, just like I might a cat, I rubbed small circles there. I was like a gnat trying to soothe a horse, no less than that, and yet I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Discomfort radiated off the queen palpably, though I did feel that ease a little at my touch. Auren’s wings flapped out as we came to a stop high above the bay, all the rider’s dragons doing the same. They were focussed entirely on Cora and her dragon, Lumina.
All except Viridian.
The green dragon watched us closely as he came to hover beside us, but his constant regard went unremarked by Auren.
I think this dragon wants to mate with you.
I tried to imitate her pithy tone to lighten the mood, but it did not have the desired effect.
They all do, was her reply. Just three simple words, but absolutely no pleasure to be had in any of them.Lumina says that we are to watch at first. That the ships we are to destroy will be lit by a red flare.Sure enough, as I glanced over her neck, I saw several listing hulks start to send out red plumes of smoke.We can’t burn them until the humans are out of reach.
Got it, I replied.
Lumina and her wing will demonstrate how the different dragons’ elemental powers can be used together to create a catastrophic reaction that will destroy the ships, she continued.This is what we will do to protect the country.
As if in response to that, Cora nodded to a blue dragon rider and the two of them peeled off and that’s when things got far more exciting. Flying almost wing to wing, the two of them were perfectly synchronised as they swooped down.
That’s Frostmere, Auren explained.He’s quite large for a blue dragon. Must have some ice power as well as water.
The colour of a dragon’s scales dictate their elemental power?I asked.
Now they do, she replied, shifting with the breeze so we could see the two dragons move more clearly.Blue dragons wield water at the very least, ice if they are strong, like the great dragons of old, while gold…
Gold wielded fire, that much I knew, and sure enough, as they approached the first hulk, a great stream of red fire came gushing out of Lumina’s open maw. Rather than be extinguished by the sea below, Frostmere’s icy breath hit the waves, freezing them on the spot.
Why…?
What would fire and ice do together? I was about to ask, but it soon became apparent. As the fire hit the ice, great billowing clouds of steam formed. The usefulness was obvious. The two of them were swallowed by a fog of their own creation, obscuring the two dragons from sight. When they emerged, I could seeexactly how this would work with an enemy ship. While they fought to work out where the dragons were coming from and were winding their ship’s guns into place, Lumina came bursting from the steam, her flame setting the ship on fire as Frostmere circled it, securing it in place with his ice.
When a ragged cheer went up through the wing, I found my own fist was thrust into the air at the same time. Eyes wide, I looked across at Lance, who grinned. There was nothing sly, nothing studied about his expression. It was as if he knew the excitement I was feeling. Before I could confer with Auren, another couple of dragons peeled off, heading towards the next wreck. Red and purple scales flashed in the sun as they sped closer.
Fire and lightning?I asked Auren, it all coming back to me. As a child, I’d been obsessed by dragons and their abilities, able to recite the names of many of the ancient dragons by heart.They’ll create a firestorm together?
In the height of summer, a firestorm was a terrifying thing. Wind whipped the wild flames of a wildfire up and as the clouds boiled overhead, lightning would strike at the flames, providing it even more fuel. Purple as a bruise, the storm would roil, destroying everything in their path. As I sucked in a breath, I had to remind myself that I was perfectly safe where I was. Not so the rotting hulk. All the moisture in the old ship was no help as it was enveloped in a terrible cloud of fire and lightning, the two dragons circling the ship, producing more and more elemental energy before the wood broke up.
It was then I remembered that big fellow, Dain, and his insistence I didn’t attend this training session. At the time, it felt like just another attempt by the three of them to lay claim to me, but as I watched the ship be consigned to the depths of the sea, I couldn’t suppress a shiver.
So this is just a lesson on how the corp dragons work together?I asked.All we need to do is watch and learn?
And destroy our own target.
Auren’s bloodthirsty reply did little to settle my heart rate. My fingers clutched at the saddle horn, glad for something to cling to, but as I watched the dragons race through the manoeuvres, it didn’t feel like enough.
Acid breathing green dragons and fire breathers could create clouds of acid that burned through everything in its path, I discovered. Lightning and acid were even more terrifying, frying a ship, then eating away what was left. Ice and lightning created a frigid environment that made the bolts more intense and harder to control. Over and over, we watched the wing demonstrate what they could do, until finally the lesson was at an end.
Now its our turn.
Auren’s declaration took me by surprise and I think the same could be said by Viridian and Lance. Their heads jerked up as Auren banked sideways, flying towards the last ship.
Auren, there’s people still setting the flare.My fingers dug into the horn of the saddle and it wasn’t just to stay where I was. Tiny figures clambered out of a boat, ready to mark the next wreck for demolition.Auren…!
They need to get out of my way!
I thought she meant the humans. Her roar echoed across the waves, forcing the sailors to frantically jump into their rowboat and start their craft moving away from the target. But while they obeyed her unspoken command, the dragons didn’t. Other roars had me looking back to see member after member of the wing peeling off and following Auren down. Some bellowed at her, others screamed at the comrades they had just worked so well with, but one thing was clear.
This was chaos.
Auren. I flattened myself against her spine, trying to stop the wind from plucking me from her saddle.Dear heart, we?—
