Chapter 3 – Flying the Friendly Skies

 

 

“So how are we going to do this?” Steve asked as he turned to his wife. “I mean, I’m allowed to ride on Pryllan’s back but you’re not.”

“I would say she’s going to have to carry me. But are you really going to make me sit in her hand by myself?”

“Of course not.”

Sarah nodded. “Good. Thank you.”

“Just this once,” Kahvel’s deep voice rumbled, surprising them all as he poked his head out of the cave, “I believe it wouldn’t hurt to have you both on her back.”

Steve turned incredulously to the mouth of the cave.

“Aren’t you the one who once threatened me…”

“He advised you,” Sarah interrupted. “He didn’t threaten.”

“Whatever. He was steadfastly against anyone riding on a dragon’s back.”

“And yet you’ve done it before,” Sarah reminded him. “Besides, he isn’t talking about you, he’s talking about me. Kahvel, thank you for the offer, and your blessing, but I was there when Rinbok granted Steve permission to ride on Pryllan’s back. He didn’t say anything about me. Unless he personally gives me his blessing, I wouldn’t feel comfortable riding on Pryllan’s back.”

Kahvel briefly glanced east before returning his attention to Sarah. “I certainly would not tell him, nor would Pryllan. He’d never know.”

“But I would know,” Sarah insisted. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t do that.” She turned to Steve. “Are you saying that you want me up there with you?”

Steve hesitated so long that Sarah had to nudge him on the shoulder.

“As much as I would like to have you riding behind me, I gave Rinbok Intherer my word. I, and I alone, would ride Pryllan and no other. I realize he never once mentioned anything about you, but he made it adamantly clear he disproves of dragon riders. If I encouraged you to ride as well then I would feel as though I were violating Rinbok’s trust. I’m sorry, babe, I won’t ask you to do that. It doesn’t matter, though. I’ll ride with you in Pryllan’s hand.”

He looked over at Pryllan, who had been watching him intently.

“If I were to ride in your hand, could we still share senses, like we have before?”

Pryllan reacted with surprise as she stared down at him.

“Obviously. We have communicated over large distances before. Before the battle with the human sorceress Celestia I shared your senses when you were discussing plans with the king. Do you not remember this?”

Sarah tapped Pryllan’s leg. Once the green dragon was looking down at her, Sarah pointed at her husband.

“His memory is going downhill. Fast. It’s not his fault, he just can’t help it.”

Steve stared at his wife as though he was regarding a stranger.

“I’m standing right here. You do see me, right?”

Ignoring him, Sarah turned to look northeast at the distant mountains Kahvel had singled out earlier.

“How long will it take you to fly all the way there?”

Pryllan narrowed her eyes as she studied the distant peaks.

“Several hours, depending upon the velocity in which I choose to fly.”

“Can you make it there and back before sunset?” Steve asked.

“Provided Sciathan is there and we do not have to search the nearby peaks? Easily.”

“Then you three had better depart,” Kahvel told them. “The sooner you leave the sooner you return.”

“You and Pravara will be fine,” Pryllan assured her mate. “Have her show you how well her aim has improved.”

Curious, Kahvel turned to look back at their dragonlet, who was sitting complacently by Steve’s side. “Indeed? How has she managed to accomplish that?”

“With help,” Pryllan told him.

She opened her right front claw and waited for the two humans to jump on. Once they were situated, she partially closed her claw and prepared to depart. Just as she was about to leap straight up, her mate’s thought sounded in her mind.

Keep yourself safe. For Pravara’s sake. The humans are formidable and I am glad they accompany you. Do not be ashamed to ask their help should the need arise.

Surprised, Pryllan glanced at Kahvel, who was watching her. She nodded her head. Looking down at Pravara, Pryllan saw her offspring staring uncertainly up at her sire. She sent a reassuring thought to her family and then leapt into the air, eliciting a scream of surprise from Sarah, who hadn’t expected the abrupt departure.

Rapidly gaining altitude, Pryllan dipped her left wing down so that they started to turn to the north. Leveling off as she lined up the three peaks off in the distance, she found a suitable air current and adjusted the angle of her wings so that she barely had to use them to stay aloft.

Pryllan, can you hear me?

Pryllan bent her neck down low and glanced at her claw.

As we are communicating telepathically and not using our own voices, I would have to answer no, I cannot hear you.

Ha ha. You know what I mean. Can you bring Sarah into the loop?

I’m already here, Sarah’s thought came back at him, loud and clear. And I’d have to agree with Pryllan. I can’t hear you, either.

Aren’t you two a kick in the pants? Steve shook his head and grinned at his wife. You have to admit, this is pretty cool, right?

Sarah stared back at him. You had just better be careful with your thoughts. They’re going to get you into trouble.

Why do you say that?

I didn’t say that. I thought it.

You know what I mean.

Weren’t you just thinking about that time we were laying poolside at that resort in Hawaii?

Steve mentally choked. The tips of his ears turned bright red as he blushed furiously.

What is a ‘bikini’?

Now look what you’ve done, Sarah mentally scolded him. You’re going to make Pryllan blush, too, if you explain yourself to her.

Damndamndamn, Steve swore to himself.

There’s no ‘to yourself’ here, Sarah reminded him. Everything you’re thinking is being broadcast to the two of us.

Steve gave himself a few moments to compose himself. How would he ever be able to explain to a dragon how fetching he thought Sarah looked in a bikini?

So I assume a bikini is a piece of apparel?

Crap. I did it again.

You really enjoyed that trip, didn’t you? Sarah playfully poked her embarrassed husband in the ribs. Maybe we’ll make a return trip back there once everything has settled down here.

Can we change the subject please?

Steve fidgeted uncomfortably in Pryllan’s palm as he heard both Sarah and Pryllan laughing at him.

What would you like to talk about?

Steve raised himself to one knee and peered through the gaps in Pryllan’s claws at the passing mountains far below.

Are we still over the Bohanis?

Aye.

Are we close to Ylani? Sarah asked.

Are we close? Aye, you could say that. We have been in Ylani ever since we crossed the lake.

Surprised, Steve looked up at Pryllan’s head. I thought all dragons lived in Lentari.

Lentari, Ylani, it matters not to dragons. We live where we choose.

Yet the vast majority of you all choose to live around Lake Raehón. Why is that? Sarah inquired. Why not someplace else? Down south in the Selekais, for example. What makes the Bohanis more appealing?

Both husband and wife felt the dragon’s hesitation in answering the question. The two humans looked excitedly at one another. What was she not telling them?

You do remember that I can still sense your thoughts?

Steve shook his head. Sorry. I keep forgetting that.

The lake is home to Rinbok Intherer.

And he makes all the dragons live nearby?

Again, they felt Pryllan’s hesitation. Both husband and wife tried to keep their minds empty. However, before they could still their own minds thoughts of an enormous subterranean cavern flashed through Pryllan’s.

Steve jerked his head up. Sarah clutched at her husband’s hand in an attempt to get his attention before he could say/think anything, but she was too late.

What cavern?

Pryllan gave a visible jerk, which resulted in her lurching left. After a few moments of turbulence, the dragon was able to get her flight back under control.

As they would say in my world, the jig is up, my friend. Steve grinned up at the dragon. What can you tell us about this cavern?

Sarah punched him on his arm. Did you ever stop to think that maybe she shouldn’t be telling us about the cavern? Sarah shook her head and looked annoyed. Don’t press her for information if she’s not allowed to tell.

There is no harm done. As Kahvel reminded us, the Dragon Lord has progressed to the second stage. He is unable to use the Collective, so we have nothing to fear from him. The cavern I am referring to is located deep beneath the lake. It is home to not only Rinbok Intherer but is also the final resting place for all the great wyverian rulers.

Steve looked at Sarah, unsure if he had heard that right.

Rinbok lives in a mausoleum?

I am unfamiliar with that word.

It’s a place where dead people are buried.

Then aye, you would be correct.

Does he like living there? Sarah asked. Or is that something he was forced to do when he became the Dragon Lord?

It’s an honor every wyverian strives for.

Oh.

The location of the cavern is a closely guarded secret, revealed only to a select few.

Do you know where it is?

Aye.

How?

Pryllan was silent. This time she was able to get her mind under control so that she wouldn’t disclose any additional details.

Steve tapped his wife on her shoulder to get her attention.

It’s because of Kahvel. He knows, and since he knows, Pryllan knows. Am I right?

A sense of guilt washed over Pryllan as she realized she had inadvertently acknowledged how she had come to learn of the cavern’s location.

Sarah put her hand on one of Pryllan’s massive claws.

Don’t worry, Pryllan. Your secret is safe with us.

You have my thanks.

So how old is this elder dragon? Steve asked, changing the subject. He looked at Sarah and then up at Pryllan. Does anyone know? And what did you say his name was again?

We are seeking Sciathan. He was hatched nearly three millennia ago.

Steve blinked with surprise. Three thousand years old? Wow! Steve tried to whistle but was unable to hear anything. If Pryllan were to share her sight and aural abilities, then they would be able to converse normally, but apparently the dragon was reluctant to connect with more than one human at a time.

Precisely, Pryllan agreed.

How much of these mountains have been charted? Sarah wanted to know.

Sarah stuck her head through a gap between Pryllan’s claws and looked down at the miles and miles of pristine forest covering the rugged peaks. Every so often they’d pass over a small lake and she would catch a glimpse of Pryllan’s massive body as viewed from down below.

I don’t see any roads, Sarah thought. She turned to look back the direction they had come from. No structures or signs of civilization. There’s nothing but mountains and trees. Is this why the dragons choose to live around here? They prefer their privacy?

Aye. Wyverians are typically solitary creatures, preferring isolation to companionship.

Clearly not all dragons feel that way, Steve argued. Take you and Kahvel, for example. He’s liaison to the humans. He must like a little company now and then.

Pryllan gave a small shake of her head.

He used to. Now he has become a traditionalist. He would be content to live on the most remote mountain he could find. And we would be if not for the fact that he knows I crave companionship, which is what brought the two of us together. And, he knows I prefer to fly with a rider, which puzzles him to this day. Thankfully he supports me and my decision.

You can have the best of both worlds, you know, Sarah told the dragon. Have Kahvel find his ideal setting for your nest. Then all I’d have to do is see it once and then Steve and I could visit whenever you wanted.

Pryllan glanced briefly down at Sarah, who winked up at her. Sarah’s desire for her happiness and safety were easily read in her thoughts, and that made Pryllan determined. Determined to do whatever was necessary to assure the safety of her family. If she had to fly half way around the world then she would do so without thinking twice about it.

And we’d be there every step of the way.

For the second time that day, Pryllan was surprised. She had temporarily forgotten that two humans were listening to her thoughts.

Takes some getting used to, doesn’t it?

It does.

Two hours later Pryllan was flying in slow circles around one of the three peaks. The center peak, a barren mountain devoid of trees, shrubs, or any type of greenery, rose sharply into the sky, culminating in a jagged point thousands of feet off the ground. Neither Steve nor Sarah could see any caves on the mountain’s surface. After they started circling around for the fourth time, Steve looked up at Pryllan.

What exactly are you doing? We’ve been going around and around this mountain for close to fifteen minutes. I don’t see any caves. Should we try another mountain? Looks like that one to the east has caves all over it.

No. He’s here. I can smell him.

Where? There’s no place for him to hide.

I don’t understand.

What’s not to understand? If you can smell him, and since we don’t see him, then he has to be hiding somewhere. The question is, where?

Sarah laid a hand on her husband’s arm and indicated she wanted to ask a question.

Pryllan, do you see his cave?

Aye.

Steve was surprised.

Where?

Pryllan swooped low and circled back around to the eastern side of the crag.

Do you see the split in the rock? High up the mountainside, perhaps several hundred feet from the summit?

Steve had seen the crack but hadn’t figured a dragon could have made into an opening so tiny.

That? You can’t be serious. There’s no way a dragon could fit into that. I don’t even think Pravara could slip in there.

That crack runs mostly vertical, Sarah observed. Although near the top it does level off a bit. That’s where I can see a slight bulge, as though a piece of the mountainside is ready to break off and fall to the ground. There’s a ledge there. A small dragon might be able to use that as a cave.

I certainly cannot fit through there. I will have to drop you two off and wait up here.

Husband and wife eyed each other uneasily.

Is that the only way? Steve asked.

Aye.

Are you absolutely sure? Sarah asked. Are you sure there’s a cave behind that crack?

Aye. My gaze has been able to penetrate a dozen feet or so into the cave as I fly by. How much the cave widens I am not certain, only that it does.

You sure we have the right dragon?

I have not detected any other wyverian activity in the area. This is the location Kahvel indicated. It must be him. Besides, he knows we’re here.

Steve sat upright and automatically glanced down at his clenched fists. His hands had turned red and were ready to ignite should the situation call for it.

How do you know?

I can hear him growling. Something isn’t right. I do not recall hearing a growl like this before. It is deeper than most growls, even deeper than Kahvel’s. Additionally, it sounds muted. We must be ready to depart at a moment’s notice.

Steve pointed at the nearest neighboring mountain which was wearing a blanket of thick pine trees.

Look at that one. It has trees everywhere. It’s the perfect place for a dragon to hide. Are you sure you don’t want to check it out first before we place ourselves in danger?

A tree-covered mountain most assuredly guarantees you will find no dragons nearby.

Why?

Trees will burn, Pryllan explained. Dragons are territorial. No dragon would choose a setting where they could be driven out by a rival. While not impossible, it is highly unlikely you will find a dragon nest on any other type of mountain besides a barren one. Observe the other two peaks. Both are covered with trees. Thus, this is the correct mountain, provided Sciathan has not moved on.

You can smell him, Sarah remembered, so…

Sciathan is nearby, somewhere on this mountain. The only cave I can see is the one behind the split in the rock.

Pryllan flew close to the massive crack on the eastern face of the mountain and hovered there. The amount of air being displaced by her immense leathery wings would have ripped the trees out of the ground had there been any nearby. As loud as the howling winds were, they could all hear the growls emanating from deep within the hidden cave. If the elder dragon was holed up in the cave, he was giving every indication that he wanted to be left alone.

We have no choice here. We must make contact with Sciathan. Steve, be ready to protect Sarah. Sarah, be ready to teleport the two of you to safety.

I’ll take us back to your nest if I have to, Sarah promised her.

Excellent. Are you ready?

Steve took his wife’s hand and held it tight.

We’re ready here. Don’t worry about trying to get us down there. Sarah can just teleport us down there.

Acknowledged. Whenever you’re ready.

Sarah closed her eyes and brought up a mental picture of the small ledge in front of the somewhat horizontal section of the large crack. Once she was certain she had the image safely centered in her mind she ordered her jhorun to move the two of them to the mountain. Their perch on Pryllan’s claw was replaced by a narrow expanse of rock that was only ten feet wide at its widest point and stretched south for about fifty feet before it eventually tapered away and disappeared into the sheer walls of the mountain. Instantly apparent were the vicious growls coming from within the depths of the cave. Pryllan was right. Another dragon was here and it certainly wasn’t happy to see them.

I will be in touch.

Steve turned to look up at Pryllan, who was circling high overhead.

Trust me, it’s appreciated. Here we go.

Still holding on to Sarah’s hand, they turned to face the split wall of rock. Steve nervously cleared his throat.

“Umm, hello? Is anyone there? We’re no threat to you. You don’t need to keep growling at us. We’re friends to the wyverians.”

The growls didn’t cease. If anything, they increased in volume. Steve paled. He let go of Sarah’s hand and stepped in front of her, igniting both of his hands as he did so. He decided to try again and this time he dropped a name he hoped the dragon would recognize.

“We’re friends! My name is Steve and this is Sarah. We know Rinbok Intherer. Surely you’ve heard of him?”

Something stirred deep within the darkness of the crevasse. A creature was pulling itself along the ground. Both humans quickly glanced up to make sure Pryllan was still nearby, which she was. When the creature finally emerged into the daylight Sarah went instantly sympathetic. It was a dragon, but the poor creature was in very poor condition.

It was thin, weak, and very sickly in appearance. It pulled itself out onto the ledge and collapsed to the ground. The growls they had heard were coming from its stomach. The poor dragon was starving.

Forgetting that this was, for all intents and purposes, an unknown dragon, Sarah rushed to the sickly wyverian’s side.

“Are you Sciathan?”

The feeble dragon nodded. It focused its bleary eyes on Sarah and blinked with surprise.

“A human. What is a human doing here?”

“At the moment I’m helping you. Pryllan! We need you to go hunting! Quickly! Find something. Anything!”

High above, Pryllan banked sharply left and headed towards the closest source of water. Every dragon knew that locating a watering hole would be the quickest and easiest way to find game.

Steve approached the small black dragon and squatted down low.

“Are you hurt? No offense, man, but that right wing of yours doesn’t look right.”

“That’s because I broke it several weeks ago when I discovered I couldn’t fly,” the dragon softly told him.

Husband and wife shared a look. Sarah nodded and patted her shirt, verifying her medallion, a gift from Shardwyn years ago, was still there. She pulled the medallion up from beneath her clothes and activated the hidden compartment, revealing a tiny vial. She uncorked her precious elixir and applied a tiny drop to the dragon’s crippled wing. In just a few seconds the bones had rearranged themselves and had healed back together. The dragon nodded appreciatively but was still too weak to move. The elixir could heal all manner of wounds and injuries but it couldn’t cure starvation. Sarah returned the vial to her medallion and slipped it back under her shirt. She looked compassionately down at the helpless dragon.

“How did you break your wing?”

“I told you. I lost my ability to fly.”

Steve nodded. “You’ve contracted this malady that’s spreading around, haven’t you? Have you lost your ability to spit fire, too?”

Sciathan weakly nodded. “Aye. Let me tell you, it came as a surprise to me.”

“The loss of flight is stage three,” Sarah recalled. She put a friendly hand on the dragon’s shoulder. “Without the Collective, you wouldn’t have been able to call for help.”

“Aye. I’ve been stranded here without any way to hunt. Complicating matters is my lack of strength to climb down.”

“How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

“It has been so long that I do not remember.”

“How long do you typically go between meals?” Steve wanted to know.

“A wyverian in his prime can go without sustenance for weeks at a time. The older a wyverian gets the more frequently they need to feed.”

“So we’re standing in the presence of a super hungry dragon,” Steve concluded. “That’s just great.”

“Fear not, human,” Sciathan told him. “I haven’t fallen so low that I’d resort to eating a human. Besides, they taste terrible.”

“Tell me you’re joking.”

Sciathan eyed him and said nothing.

Steve took Sarah’s hand and pulled her away from the thin dragon. “Uh huh. We’ll wait over here, thank you very much.”

“Your escort has left. You are over a thousand feet from solid ground. What exactly do you think you could do to prevent me from attacking you? I won’t, but I could.”

“Your bedside manner sucks for someone who needs our help,” Steve said as he adopted a neutral tone of voice. He ignited both hands and faced the dragon. “Unlike you, my fires haven’t gone out.”

Sciathan visibly recoiled backwards a few feet as he eyed Steve’s flaming hands. Sarah laid a hand on her husband’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, honey. I’ve got this one.” Sarah turned to face the elder dragon. “First, it’s rude to get all snotty with us when we’re here to try and help you. Second, you have no idea who we are so you don’t know what we’re capable of doing. And third…”

Sciathan suddenly rose several feet off the ground and swung out over open air.

“And third,” Sarah continued, “if you so much as threaten myself or my husband, I’ll drop your sorry hide off this cliff. But, I’m sure we won’t have to resort to anything like that now, will we?”

The small black dragon looked down at the distant ground and swallowed nervously. It nodded. Sciathan was returned to the rocky ledge and lowered back to the ground in front of a very smug Sarah.

Sciathan regarded Steve for a few moments before he returned his attention to Sarah. Finally he lowered his head in a tiny bow.

“Nohrin. I have heard of you. Never would I have believed that it’d be the two of you who would have come to my aid.”

“It’s the two of us and Pryllan,” Steve corrected. He had relaxed somewhat but his hands were still that ugly shade of red which usually signified a blast of fire would be following shortly.

“Ah. Kahvel’s mate.”

“Do you know her?” Sarah asked.

“Not personally, no,” Sciathan admitted.

“Don’t worry. Pryllan will return shortly. I’m sure she’ll have no problem finding some game.”

Sciathan sighed and sank down to the ground in an effort to conserve his limited energy. He angled his head to watch the two of them.

“What do you know about this bug you’ve caught?” Steve asked. His hands had finally returned to a healthy pink color.

Sciathan blinked his large silver eyes uncomprehendingly at him.

“Your disease,” Steve clarified. “Whatever it is you caught. What can you tell us about it?”

Sciathan gave a tiny nod. “Quite a bit. When I realized that I had become confined to my cave, I began to think about my predicament. When that’s the only thing you’re able to do, then you do a lot of it.”

“That means you know something about what’s going on, don’t you?” Steve said excitedly.

Sciathan nodded.

I will be there momentarily. I have found the partially dismembered carcass of a bolger. Please make sure there is room for me to drop it next to Sciathan.

“Oh, gross,” Steve muttered to himself.

“What?” Sarah asked.

“Pryllan must have temporarily cut you out of the loop. Trust me, that’s a good thing. She found a partially eaten bolger. She’s bringing it here for him.”

“Partially eaten? Couldn’t she have found something better?”

Steve nudged Sarah and looked at Sciathan. The black dragon was drooling so much that a small pool had formed under his head.

Pryllan arrived and plopped down her grisly find on the ledge. She retreated back into the air and resumed her circling of Sciathan’s peak. The elder dragon’s eyes went wide with excitement.

“I think we should wait elsewhere,” Sarah suggested. She had promptly turned around so that she wouldn’t have to look at a half-eaten animal.

Sciathan shook his head. “No, Nohrin, stay. You must hear this. It’s essential that I impart what I’ve learned to someone who is capable of helping.”

Sarah started to turn back around when she heard the first crunch of bones snapping. Sciathan was tearing into his meal and enjoying every second of it. Steve caught Sarah’s arm as she was turning and rotated her back around so that she was facing away from the mouth of the cave.

After hearing Sciathan take the third or fourth bite, Steve had to turn around and face the same direction as Sarah. Swallowing nervously to try and clear the queasy sensations running rampant throughout his stomach, Steve began humming.

“I have figured – crunch – out quite a bit about this ailment,” Sciathan was saying, between bites. “Turns out it’s not – crunch – an ailment after all, nor is it – crunch – a disease. It’s a curse.”

Steve and Sarah looked at each other at the same time they heard Pryllan’s shocked reaction in their mind:

A curse? Who would want to curse the dragons?

“Are you sure?” Steve asked. “Who’d want to curse you dragons?”

“Ask yourselves who – crunch – would want to curse us? Who has – crunch – the motivation to do so? By the way, I’m finished, so you may turn around now.”

Steve and Sarah turned around and stared in wonder at the transformation happening before their eyes. Sciathan’s scales were becoming shinier. His eyes had cleared and he was now able to hold himself up off the ground indefinitely. Becoming stronger by the second, Sciathan turned back to the spot where Pryllan had dropped the carcass and gave a final lick to the dark stain on the rocks.

“Pardon me. I do love the taste of decaying flesh. So many flavors running rampant over your tongue. How could you not enjoy that?”

Properly grossed out, Steve’s eyes shot skyward. “Ewww. Dude, you said you were done.”

Sciathan flicked his tongue out and ran it through several of his larger fangs.

“Focus,” Sarah reminded the black dragon. “What were you saying about the person who had the motivation to curse the dragons?”

Sciathan nodded. He arched his back and stretched his muscles.

“The answer to that question is simple. We wyverians have no natural enemies. Nothing has threatened us since that fiasco several years ago with the human sorceress. By the way, I hear you played a part in that.”

Both husband and wife nodded.

“As I was saying, there are no known enemies of the dragons, yet last year we picked up three.”

The two humans stared at Sciathan; shock was evident on their faces.

“What three enemies? What happened last year, anyway?”

“I know the dwarves finally discovered that city they had been searching for,” Sarah mentioned. “Kri’Entu was telling us about it. It’s their version of Atlantis. Is that what you’re referring to?”

Sciathan nodded.

“The dwarves had apparently lost a city. How someone is able to lose a city, I’m not sure. It was during this excursion that our diminutive allies stumbled across the lair of a creature that would play a significant role is this curse. Tell me, famous Nohrin, what do you know about Zweigelans?”