“You sure about that?” Raef chuckles as I roll my eyes. “It’s fun, just ask Rhydra.”
My head whips to her. “You two…?”
“Oh, absolutely not,” Rhydra replies.
“Then what’s he…” I stop, confused.
Raef is laughing at the whole exchange.
Rhydra shrugs. “I may have had a small… fling. When we were hiding out in Torrynth.”
“A fling?” I ask curiously. “With whom?”
“It doesn’t matter. We both knew nothing would come of it. Her name was Raela,” she mumbles.
“Wow.” I don’t know what else to say. I’m glad she got to let loose and enjoy herself amongst all the tragedy, at least for a little while.
Daegan clears his throat.
“Right. Climbing a dragon. Um, what’s easier?” I ask.
“I have spikes up my shoulder that should be easy to grab onto. We’ll try that.”
“Rhydra, are you riding with Raef or with me?” I ask her.
“You both should probably come with me. That way Raef doesn’t have to worry about protecting anyone on his back in case we do get attacked.”
“Smart.” Raef nods in agreement. “Guess I’m the guard dragon tonight.”
“Don’t let us down,” Rhydra quips.
“Story of my life,” Raef mumbles. I know his intention is to make a joke, but I wonder if any part of him truly feels that way. From what I’ve seen, he almost always has his charm, wit, and easygoing disposition turned on. But no one can feel that good inside all the time, can they? It seems unfathomable to me. But still, I appreciate him for it. He always brings the mood up.
“Where do your clothes go?” I ask. It’s something I’ve always wondered.
“Destroyed,” Raef answers simply. “Every time.”
“Oh.”
“I’m going to take them off over there… grab them for me?” Daegan asks, looking at only me.
“Sure.”
He turns and walks into the open field and I quickly lose sight of him in the darkness. I have yet to get a truly thorough look at him in his shifted form, having only caught a glimpse of part of his face and shoulder in the cave. But how big can he really be?
The answer is… huge.
Rhydra and I both hold orbs out, trying to get a closer look, but they don’t illuminate the wide-open field nearly enough. I see his massive eyes first, and I can just make out his incomprehensibly huge form in the darkness. His scales reflect some of the light, appearing mostly black, with some blue along his spine. I slowly walk closer, trying to get a better look. He keeps his eyes on me the whole time. And just as I remembered, they’re still his eyes. If I encountered this giant creature out in the wild, not knowing it was Daegan in there, I’d figure it out just from his deep blue eyes. And from the way he looks at me.
As I step closer, I realize there are also flecks of purple and green woven into the blue. Just a hint.
Daegan sticks out his talons, each one bigger than my leg, then lowers his shoulder in an invitation for us to climb on. I gather his clothes from the pile at his feet, sling his bag over my shoulder, and step toward him.
“This should be fun,” Rhydra comments.
I have to admit, I’m a little excited myself. I’ve never met anyone who’s had the pleasure of riding atop a dragon before. I wonder if it will be a smooth ride. And if they ever fly again, would I be able to fly on his back, soaring through the trees? The thought seems absolutely terrifying, but also exciting.
I step onto his claw that’s hard as a boulder, then reach out and grab the first spike that juts out from his foreleg. And then I climb. The angle isn’t bad, and the spikes aren’t incredibly sharp. I make it up with ease, then look back down at Rhydra. I didn’t realize how high up I got. He’s taller than a two-story building.
