Rhydra has a grin on her face when she reaches the top. “Now where to sit…” I muse, assessing his back. He remains completely still. I wonder if he can feel us at all through his thick skin and scales... Archers would be useless against this. I wonder what kind of damage fire-wielders could even do. I’m pretty sure they mentioned that they’re mostly fireproof.
Conveniently, there are a ton of grooves running from his neck down his back. We each take a seat, with me in front of Rhydra, and I grab onto a dull spike. I don’t know how tumultuous this ride is going to be.
“I think we’re ready!” I call out. I hope he can hear me… Raef has already shifted. I can see the faint glimmer of his red and black scales next to us.
Daegan stands even taller, then begins to move forward. I can tell his legs are moving slowly, but we’re still covering more land than if we were walking, since his steps are so large. It’s not bumpy. It’s more like the gentle rhythm of a boat rocking with the waves, with every step we rise and fall slowly. Surprisingly, it’s smooth, almost relaxing.
“Isn’t it so annoying?”
“What?” I ask Rhydra, looking back at her.
“That we haven’t been traveling this way the entire time?” She’s smiling, and I can tell she’s enjoying it as much as I am.
“They didn’t trust us. And they have a lot of pride.” I take a deep breath, enjoying the rhythm. “They still won’t admit it, but I think it pains them on a deeper level than we can comprehend, not being able to take flight.”
I glance over at his colossal wings at his side, imagining how terrifying and magnificent that would look to see them beating through the sky. My gut twists with sadness for him. And for Raef.
I think it’s a hole inside him that I can never fill. The best I can do is to help break this fucking curse already.
I wipe at my eyes, fighting the tear I’m about to shed.
“You know,” I say, glancing back at the wild redhead again. Her previously singed hair has grown a lot in the year I’ve been away. “Now that I’m sitting atop a dragon, it seems kind of ridiculous that elves have remained in power all this time. Even without flying, they could easily wreak havoc on our entire castle with a small army of them.”
“Yeah. They could.”
“I wonder why they didn’t just burn us to the ground a long time ago.”
“There are probably a lot of reasons. Battles and war are never simple. There are many factors. Innocent civilians such as yourself, for one. They’re not ruthless beasts. Although…”
“What?”
“Daegan’s father has a ruthless side to him. I think that very thought has crossed his mind once or twice.”
“You met him?”
“Yes. He’s… intense.”
“Seems like it. The few times I crossed paths with him at the castle he wasn’t very… friendly.”
“I saw him in Torrynth before we got Daegan. He was… quite displeased with the state of things.”
We pause our conversation as fire lights up the night not far ahead of us. Raef. Taking out unknown foes before we even knew they were a threat. The fire sputters out and I can barely see him again as he simply continues walking.
“Yeah…” I say. “We definitely should have been traveling this way all along.”
“Agreed. These proud bastards have been holding out on us.”
We laugh, even though it’s not really all that funny. I’m still a little on edge traveling through the night. I trust Daegan and Raef completely, but my whole life I’ve been taught to fear the darkness, so there’s still a feeling of unease in my stomach.
We’ve lost enough of our crew already.
“So, any developments in your main quest to take down your father?”
“No. I’m waiting for the right moment.”
“Okay.” She’s never liked talking details about her father, but I must admit I am a little curious. “Did you cross paths with him at all when you were in the castle?”
“Yes,” she replies without hesitation.
