Off to Meet the Dragon Riders
Exiting the mountain, Vasin and Ifra were both there waiting, wings out, sunning themselves.
“Vasin, are you ready to head out?”
“Yes, I need to redeem myself for what happened yesterday. I was a failure as your pair-bond and not keeping you safe. If Jade hadn’t made it in time…”
“No, none of that. There was no way we could have been prepared for something we didn’t know was out there.”
“That is exactly what I should have been prepared for. If I lose you, Cass, then there is no point in living. You are the other half of my soul. It’s why we bonded.”
“Someday, you will need to explain all this to me. I don’t care if it’s on my deathbed, I want to know it all.”
“Trust me… you will learn it all. You’ll have to know it if you plan on helping us dragons and your people. Not yet, but soon.”
“That works fine. We have a lot to do today.”
“Queen Cassarah, I brought something back for you,” Zan called out from where he stood beside Ifra. “I hope I didn’t overstep in assuming you would want or need this.”
Stepping back, he held out a large sheet of leather with all kinds of buckles and straps, giving me no clue as to what it could be.
“Um, thank you,” I ventured.
Zan flashed me a grin, the first one I’d seen on his face since meeting him, and it changed everything about him. Zan came across as stern and older than I think he actually is, but with that grin, he turned almost boyish.
“You don’t even know what it is, so how can you thank me?
” he teased. “It’s a dragon harness to keep you and any supplies from falling off your dragon.
I noticed that Jade has one for Tahir, but you didn’t for Vasin.
While I was back home, I grabbed one since we’re both going to have inexperienced riders with us. ”
“That’s amazing,” I gasped, wiggling my way out of Cole’s arms to hobble over to Zan. “Will you show me how to put it on?”
“Most certainly. It looks more complicated than it is. This will also help getting too cold on long flights from their icy skin,” Zan shared as he took my arm and helped me move over to Vasin.
Vasin shifted and lifted his wings so we could get the harness on him easier. I was surprised to see how simple it was to secure it and how much you could load on it.
“Dragons are a part of our society, much like horses are to the average village. They do not mind helping us, and this helps to make it as simple on them as possible,” Zan explained as he worked, deftly buckling the straps.
“In the event you get into another dragon fight, this will keep you from falling off. But if the need arises that you have to free yourself, the leather is thin enough that a knife can cut through it.”
“You’ve thought of everything,” I mused out loud, looking over the contraption. “This does help make me feel better about flying today. As I stand here on the ground, I’m fine. I was leery if I might have trouble once in the air with a rider who isn’t as comfortable with flying.”
“If I might suggest that you take the smaller of the two. Dayson might be more confident, but he is harder to manage if anything were to happen to him while we are flying,” Zan offered.
It struck me then that Zan was a soldier through and through. He looked at everything from all angles and sought out any weakness, ensuring it didn’t hinder the mission.
“That is a wise suggestion,” I said, shaking my head. “I never would have even thought of something like that. I would have taken Dayson with me since he would be better protected, but if he got hit with an arrow or otherwise hurt, then he’d squash me.”
Zan dipped his head, trying to keep me from seeing his cheeks tinged with embarrassment. “I’m only fulfilling my duty as your guardian, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts, Zan.
I’m always willing to listen to sound logic.
It’s the emotional part that I sometimes struggle to see the value in,” I shared, keeping my voice low so the others couldn’t hear me, reaching out to pet Ezzu’s head.
“My other guardians can be a bit smothering at times, forgetting I was also trained to defend myself.”
Zan nodded his head and looked me in the eye.
“It’s a balance, Cassarah. You need those who will ignore your orders when they think they will put you in harm’s way, but you also need others who will push you to do something that makes you uncomfortable.
The give-and-take is what’s going to keep you alive longer.
If we all wanted to keep you locked in the mountain safe and sound, then that would be a disservice to you.
Cole was right to question you bringing me along.
He doesn’t know the whole story about what happened last night, but he knows you and could tell it wasn’t good. ”
I raised a brow at Zan. “Are you saying I shouldn’t bring you?”
“No, I need to go with you, and I would ignore your orders if you told me to stay or leave, being your guardian. The magic you hold is old and powerful. It doesn’t make mistakes when picking something as important as a guardian.
I was pointing that out so you don’t stay mad at him for doing what he thought was best for you,” Zan stated.
“Don’t worry. We already worked things out.
” I smiled, pleased that Zan would stick up for Cole even when they didn’t know each other.
“Cole and I have a little more history than the other guardians. He actually hated me at one point, treating me like a bug under his shoe. Somewhere along the way, I impressed him enough to get him to really train me, and now we’re good friends. ”
“Friends?” Zan asked, surprise written on his face. “You think the way he treats you is typical for friends?”
“Honestly, besides Becka, who was once my handmaid, I’ve never had friends. So I’m not sure if it’s normal.” I shrugged, not understanding what he was getting at.
“Hmm,” Zan hummed, tilting his head and looking at me like he could see into my soul. “I think being around you will be far more exciting than I originally thought… and that’s on top of knowing we’re going to war.”
“You’re an odd one, aren’t you?” I laughed, and he helped me climb on Vasin’s back.
“Where I come from, you all are the odd ones,” Zan teased as he helped me buckle myself onto Vasin’s back before he called over his shoulder, “Payson, you’re riding with the queen. Time to strap in!”
Payson jogged over, and I noticed he was dressed in dark blue leather with his weapons of choice strapped to his body.
His bow peeked out over one shoulder, along with his quiver of arrows with bright blue feathers for the fletching.
A short sword and dagger were also on his hips, preparing him for close combat.
“You’re armed?” I blurted.
Payson looked up at me with his light blue eyes, grinning like a fool. “I wouldn’t be a very good guardian if I couldn’t protect my queen, now would I? I know we are meeting with clan members, but who knows what else might be lurking out there, ready to hunt us down and kill us.”
“Do I need my weapons?” I asked since he made a valid point.
“Rumor has it that you have one with you all the time,” Payson pointed out as he hopped up behind me, but Vasin shifted at the last second, making Payson stumble and fall to a heap on the ground.
“Does he think I’m a horse that he doesn’t even bother to greet me or ask my permission to carry him?”
“I asked him to fly with us.”
“That is all well and good, but I am a sentient being who would like to be acknowledged for my generosity.”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the irritation in Vasin’s voice. “Payson, you might want to remember that dragons are intelligent beings, and even if they cannot speak back to you, they appreciate being greeted.”
“My apologies, Vasin. I have disrespected you when you have so kindly offered to let me ride along with your pair-bond,” Payson said, bowing.
“That will do for now, so long as it doesn’t happen again.” Vasin huffed, sending a puff of smoke at Payson.
“Dragons are proud creatures. Keep that in mind, and you shouldn’t have any trouble,” I assured, reaching down to help Payson up.
“Pissing off a dragon is the last thing I want to do,” Payson muttered as he fastened his straps.
Seeing that Zan and Dayson were ready and waiting for us, I signaled them to take off, and away we went.
“Where exactly are we going?”
“To the edge of the Unclaimed Dragon Lands. No one would dare to follow us there.”
“But is it safe for us?”
“Because you will have me there, it will be fine. Black dragons are rare but respected among our kind, unlike with humans.”
“There is a hierarchy with dragons?”
“Of course, it is the nature of all things to have a pecking order. I just happen to be at the top. Then there are the golden females, followed by the rest.”
“Wait, are you telling me you are King of the Dragons?”
“I suppose in your logic that would be the simplest explanation. I do not rule our kind, but if they were to come after me, I would be the strongest… once I am fully grown.”
“So, you’re still vulnerable because your scales aren’t tough enough, and you don’t have your fire yet, right?”
“Yes, among a few other things, but those are my best offense and defense against other dragons.”
“I’ve noticed you can now make smoke, though, so that must mean you’re getting closer to breathing fire.”
“When a dragon’s pair-bond is in danger as much as you are, our bodies tend to speed up the process of being able to protect them.”
“You’re welcome,” I teased, smiling to myself as I heard him grunt.
“Cassarah, you know we are heading into the Unclaimed Dragon Lands, right?” Payson yelled in my ear.
Twisting slightly, I looked at him over my shoulder. “Yes, there’s less chance of anyone messing with us out here.”
“What about the wild dragons? They live out here because they don’t like people.”
“Vasin said not to worry about it. He’ll deal with the other dragons.”
“He isn’t still mad at me, is he?”
“Why, are you worried he’d let a dragon eat you or something?”
“Would he do that?” Payson asked, sounding panicked.
I laughed at the stricken face he had at my sarcasm. “No… well, not over something that trivial. If you did something to hurt me, then all bets are off, whether you’re a guardian or not.”
“Good thing I don’t plan on doing that any time soon,” Payson said, giving a nervous laugh.
“That better be a joke, or I’ll dump him right now.”
“Why are you being so crabby toward him? Payson has done nothing to warrant it other than the small oversight before we left.”
“I can’t place it, but I don’t trust him.”
“Are you sure it’s not just his dad you don’t like? Judging the son based on what the father has done is unfair. If we did that, I would still be locked away in my parents’ home or married to some grizzled old man.”
“What you said is true. I will think on that further, but for now, he has a long way to go to prove himself to me.”