The Flight Terraces were broad stone ledges that stuck out from the side of the mountain. They were big enough for at least twenty Noble sized dragons to land and take off at the same time or thirty if they were just common Browns, Greens, and Blues.
The sky above was blue and clear, and dragons were already dropping down to the ledges from their caverns above on Level Five, and snorting for their riders.
I caught my breath when I saw them—I had never seen so many dragons so close. Even seeing the massive Turquoise Gold-wing at the Hatching Grounds yesterday hadn’t prepared me. She had been lying quietly—these were snorting and tossing their heads. Some were blowing smoke rings from their flaring nostrils.
The air was thick with the scent of dragons—a kind of burning cinnamon mixed with smoke scent that filled my senses until I was almost dizzy. We were surrounded by creatures that ranged from the size of a small cottage to the size of a large cathedral. It was awe-inspiring.
I counted seven Browns, five Blues, and two Greens who had already landed. There were many more common dragons than Nobles. The Terrace Workers were already saddling them as fast as they could while their riders waited impatiently.
I knew the dragons were impatient too, because I could feel it—the emotion rolled off them in waves. Dragon emotions are always so strong and there were so many of them, it was like standing in a high wind. I could almost hear them all saying, “Hurry, hurry, hurry! We want to fly—we want to be free!”
“So that’s why we had to…had to run here,” I remarked, still panting a little.
Ryse, who had been scanning the caves above, no doubt looking for his own dragon, looked down at me and frowned.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Oh, I was just wondering why we had to hurry up and get here but it’s because all the dragons are impatient to fly with their riders,” I said. “They just can’t wait to get into the air.”
He gave me a strange look but then he nodded.
“Well, yes—that’s true,” he admitted.
“I don’t understand though—can’t they fly on their own?” I asked.
Ryse shook his head.
“They can, but it’s not the same. When a rider and dragon are flying together, that’s the closest they can get to being one being. And it’s a special treat to get extra flying time in the middle of the day. Nobody wants to waste a minute of it.”
“I see.” I nodded and watched as four of the Browns and both of the Greens took off. This left room for a Crimson Bronze-wing and an Emerald Gold-wing to land. Both of them were huge—though the Gold-wing was the biggest by several lengths.
“Here comes M’alek,” Ryse said. “I don’t want you to be scared, Lysandra—he won’t hurt you.”
“Scared? Why would I be sca—” I began.
And then a shadow blotted out the sun.
Looking up, I saw the biggest dragon I’d ever seen descending from the caverns above to the Flight Terraces. His wings were so wide they cast a shadow over everyone below and his head was at least twice as big as I was tall—maybe twice as big as Ryse was tall.
He had the most beautiful coloring I’d ever seen—royal purple scales that flashed gold in the sun when he flexed his massive wings. A Midnight Gold-wing—the only one born in a century—the rarest breed of dragon there was.
I drew in a breath at his sheer size and beauty and let it out in a long sigh.
“Oh,” I breathed. “He’s magnificent.”
“Yes, he is.” There was pride on Ryse’s face as he watched his dragon descend and land lightly, despite his great weight, on the terrace closest to us.
The enormous dragon lowered his head to us as the Terrace Workers rushed to fit him with his saddle. He nosed at Ryse, making a low rumbling sound in his long throat that sounded almost like an enormous cat purring.
“Hey, boy…how are you?” The stern lines of Ryse’s face melted into a loving smile as he reached up to stroke the dragon’s massive muzzle. “Yes, I know,” he murmured, as though answering a remark the dragon had made. “We get to go riding twice today. I’m happy too.”
I could feel the love flowing between them—it was the purest emotion I’d ever felt and it almost made me cry. I understood a little more about the bond between a rider and his dragon now—this depth of emotion you couldn’t get from another person—only a dragon could give it to you.
It was a shame that my father and his dragon had always been in such a rage all the time. I wished I could have felt the love between them, as I was able to feel it flowing between Ryse and M’alex.
The huge dragon snorted, and his golden, dinner-plate-sized eyes rolled towards me. Clearly, it was a question. I could feel his curiosity nudging me like a questioning finger, wanting to know me.
“Oh, right.” Ryse nodded and turned to me. “You need to be introduced before you can ride on his back.” He turned back to his dragon. “M’alex, this is Auri—Auren Lysandra of the Great House Lysandra.”
