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HUBRIC BOUNCED FROM foot to foot impatiently. “Take the saddle and go put it on Saboraak. These saddlebags tie in behind it. Hurry! Those Magikas are about to attack!”
Like I didn’t know that! I’d been the one telling them to hurry!
There was a crash in the woods and a yell.
I rushed to Saboraak and nervously tried to place the saddle on her back.
“Just get the job done,” Hubric called, mounting his own dragon. “While you two were doing your ooey gooey thing I threw your sack of things into the saddlebags. Hopefully, we won’t get separated, but if we do, you’ll have what you need in there.”
There were more yells coming from the trees around us and I hurried to cinch the belly strap of the saddle.
“If we get separated, I don’t even know where I’m going,” I muttered.
“Saboraak does. You can trust her.”
I fumbled with the buckles that held the saddle in place. A second crash sound made me jump.
Not like that!
I hurriedly tried it a different way. How did she know? Had she ever been saddled before?
I know what will hurt me. Have a little respect, human.
How much more respect did she need? I already was nervous of her palm-long teeth! A blaze of magenta soared overhead and I ducked.
“Will those Magikas try to steal Saboraak again?” I called to Hubric.
I can’t be stolen. I’m not property!
Boy, she was touchy!
“Are you kidding me?” Hubric asked. Kyrowat ambled up to beside Saboraak and Hubric leaned out of the saddle to help me finish fitting the straps in place for Saboraak. “She’s an invaluable asset and a magical creature. They’d be fools not to try. Here, this is where you put your foot to mount up. There you go. Now, strap in so you don’t fall out if she does a barrel roll.”
The saddle itches.
Yep, touchy.
And you squirm too much!
I was just trying to find a good place to sit. She could ease off with the criticism any time now!
“What about reins?” I asked, but before Hubric could answer a fireball splashed across the ground beside us, so close that my skin felt singed. I smelled burnt hair and then Saboraak crouched down, muscles bunching, as she launched into the air. Pine branches scraped and scathed me as we gained height. With every powerful flap, I was buffeted by them.
Great. Of all the dragons in all the world, I got the one who didn’t know how to fly with a rider. I’d have to watch out for my own well being, she certainly wasn’t going to. And the reins were still in the saddlebags, so I was at her mercy when it came to direction.
Stop complaining.
Whoever said girls were more nurturing was full of dragon-
My thought cut off at Saboraak’s sudden barrel roll. I would have screamed, but the breath was ripped from my throat. Blood rushed to my head with my stomach following quickly. Just as I thought I was going to lose that nice beef jerky, we spun around and I was upright again. I swallowed. Well, she’d proven one thing. She could make both of us green.
I felt her laughing in my mind as we continued to climb.
Hubric says to stop goofing around. He says to look down at the Magikas.
I wasn’t the one goofing around. That was this dragon I’d been fool enough to pledge to.
Are you going to sit and sulk or obey orders?
I leaned over in my stirrup to look down below us. Fuchsia and green fireballs arched up, losing speed and height before they could reach us, only to crash harmlessly in the forest below.
Not harmlessly. Those could start a forest fire. Do you see how many trees are burning? We’ll be lucky if the fires stay localized. We dragons are much more careful with our flames.
I pushed back memories that tried to bubble up. Memories of snatching little children from buildings just before the licking flames consumed them. Memories of helping Hubric pull an old man out of the flames. Memories –
Now is not the time for bad dreams. Concentrate.
Well, there wasn’t anything we could do about Magikas except to fly away, which suited me just fine. It seemed strange, though, that they were traveling north so poorly supplied and in such numbers.
Haven’t you heard about the great battle around Dominion City?
Sure. Everyone heard of that. The Dominar destroyed the Ifrits and freed us all.
That’s a real garbling of the story! But you should know – the Magikas fought against your current Dominar. She had a –
She?
You need to get over whatever prejudice you have against girls.
I didn’t have a prejudice. I liked girls – a lot, in fact. Girls with long golden hair and girls with raven curls, tall girls, short girls, girls with curvy-
Agh! Stop it. Why did I swear my life to a simpleton? Back to world events. I will teach you to think or die trying! Your Dominar – a girl, now – made an alliance with the ancient elders of dragonkind and with our Queen. Together with the Chosen One, they fought the pretender, the Magikas who allied with her, and the Ifrits. They destroyed the pretender and the Ifrits, but the Magikas were scattered. Some are dead. Some are fleeing.
The ones below weren’t dead.
They’re fleeing north, to Ko’Torenth, which is also where we are headed.
Because they lost the war?
Partially. They also have a big problem – and so do we. The magic they have always tapped – in seams beneath the ground – is running out. There are only so many more colorful fireballs they can throw.
Well, that didn’t seem to be stopping them. What did I care if their magic was fading?
They’re hurrying to our enemies because together they are trying to find another source of power. They think they can get it from dragons.
Still, not my problem.
Ahem.
What?
You swore an oath to me just now. I’m afraid, Tor Winespring, that from now on, dragons are very much your problem.
Skies and Stars! The freer I tried to get the more I got tangled up. I never volunteered to join a war. I never volunteered for more trouble.
In life, you are only guaranteed one thing: adventure.