It made sense—surprisingly. I understood because I was experiencing all of it firsthand: how distant I felt from Jared, how my memories of my life on earth had been difficult to recall, and I hadonly been here a short time. I could only imagine what it would be like to be born and raised here, to have years’ worth of memories here.
I comprehended everything now. I didn’t have my Danny back. I had a crumb of him back—but it was enough. It had to be.
“I’m grateful to have another chance with you. Any version of you,” I added.
I smiled and slipped my hand into his. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, then raised it to his mouth and kissed it.
“Are you ready to get going?” he asked calmly this time. I nodded.
“Ok. First step in flying a dragon actually takes place here, on the ground. First, you need to greet your dragon and establish a peaceful connection. Just follow your instincts,” he instructed.
Okay. Easy enough. I’d done it before. I slowly placed my hand on the beast’s massive, scaled leg. Immediately, I felt a tingling sensation in my head, like I was no longer alone in my mind.
"Good morning, Draxxinar," I said, using my connection. He let out a yawn-type groan.
“Good. Now ask him to allow you to fly him today. You are not his bonded rider, so you will need his permission,” Titus added.
"Would it be all right with you if I flew you today? I would like to learn," I asked.
He huffed and steam rolled from his nostrils. He bowed his head ever so slightly. I did not miss the disturbed look on Titus’s face; one he quickly covered with his Fae face at the dragon’s gesture.
“It would be my honor to provide safe passage for the child of ancient blood,” he responded in my mind.
He flattened his wing and created a ramp for me to access his back with ease.
“He must really like you. He’s never made itthiseasy for me to mount,” Titus commented.
I sat on his lap and reached forward to stroke the scales of the dragon’s back.
“Thank you, friend,” I said out loud, and Draxxinar responded with a short, grumbling purr.
Titus showed me how to properly secure myself in the saddle— all the different buckles and straps. Then he prompted, “Now lean forward and grab the handles, and in a strong voice say,Aetheras Vellin!It meansascendin old Fae.”
“Aetheras Vellin!”I commanded, and Draxxinar began to beat the air with his wings, sending plumes of dust outward.
Titus showed me how to control the direction of flight by touching the scales on the designated side: rub the left side to go left, rub the right side to go right, rub behind the saddle to turn around, and rub in front to stay straight. Additionally, I could kick with the left leg for higher and the right for lower.
“Can’t I just command in my mind, ask him nicely to do these things—without all of the… kicking?” I asked.
“Yes, but you should learn the manual controls as well, just in case you are ever without your ability. Besides, I promise you are not hurting him,” he explained.
His hands held my waist, and flashbacks of the steamy night in the tent crept into my mind—how his hands felt on me. We hovered in the air, and I tried each of the directional commands successfully.
“You are a natural,” he said in my ear. “Now, do you want to go fast, Pickles?” he asked dangerously.
There it was—the crumb of Danny peeking through, the thrill-chasing chaotic soul that loved life and craved adventure. I felt soblessed to have another adventure with him. I gave him a mischievous smirk.
“Now turn us to the west and say,Ofstlice Proporra,to go faster,” he said.
I did as he said and shouted,“Ofstlice Proporra!”excitedly. The dragon tilted, changing direction to the west, beating his wings faster until we became a rocket in the sky.
I practiced climbing high into puffy clouds, reaching out and slicing them with my hand, and diving low to skim rivers, tipping to one side so his wing caught the water’s surface and created a wall of spray.
“You were born to fly, Delilah,” he whispered in my ear.
When we climbed back up, in the distance a great city sat elevated on top of a circular piece of land covered by waterfalls on all sides. Three hundred and sixty degrees of rushing water poured into a massive sea below.
How were we going to land undetected? Surely the Kingdom of Seas could recognize their enemy’s dragon landing on such a secluded piece of land.
