I’d never thought about it. How do you get there?
We fly, of course. We’re not fish splashing about in the sea.
Dragons can swim,I said.One dove into a lake during one of my flights. Knocked the air right out of me and nearly drowned me before she flew up out of the water and into the sky—with a fish in her mouth.
We rarely have the chance to do anything like that,he said wistfully.
We’ve done dragons a disservice.We’d taken them from their nests and worked with them until they were ready to carry a rider into battle. Many died and were seriously wounded.
Most of us don’t mind.
What about you?
I wouldn’t have bonded with you, little one, if I wanted to be free.
You remained with the king without a bond,I pointed out.
His long pause followed, and for a moment, I wondered if I’d insulted him.
In that and in so many other ways,he finally said.I had no choice.
I finished with his last foot and went over to drop my tools and the bottle of oil in the basket, returning to his side with a brush and scale oil. After coating the brush with the thick, spiced liquid, I urged him to stoop down and began to work on his chest scales.I’m sorry.
When you’re finished, I have two things to tell you.
Speak now. I’m listening.I rubbed hard, working the oil in.
He groaned out his pleasure.When you’re finished.
I sighed, my skin coiling tight.What you have to tell me is bad, isn’t it?
I’ll speak once you’ve finished.
It’s so bad, you’re afraid I’ll run before I’ve finished.
That makes me sound self-centered.
Tell me,I growled.
He blasted the far wall with fire, not speaking until it winked out.When you’re finished.
That made me want to hurry, but though I could tell Airia had done a good job last night, his scales were still in poor shape. Since it wouldn’t be fair to rush this, I took my time finishing.
After I’d returned everything to the tack room, I walked back down the hall and entered his stall.
Ride with me,he said.
Is this to keep me from running away?I was mostly joking. Claws of worry raked down my spine.
He stooped down, and I clambered up onto his back, settling on his spine. He scrambled to the edge of the cliff and plunged through the opening. My heart tumbled down along with him until his wings snapped out to slow our fall.
A lush forest covered the broad valley to the right, and he swooped in that direction, flying low enough he could brush the canopy with his claws. The wind whipped my braid out behind me like Madrood’s tail as I pressed my thighs into his sides. Each powerful beat of his wings sent us above this unknown part of our world that held the key to my past and the hope of my future.
Below us, the emerald forest stretched all the way to the sea, a vivid green quilt dotted with bursts of colorful flowers. Their pungent scent tickled my nose even from this height. The air also carried hints of pine and fresh earth—a sharp contrast to the briny tang when we swooped out over the sea.
Where are the thorns?I asked him.
Gone. They disappeared not long after we passed through them.
