Chapter 16
KYLER
The trip to the ship takes the entire day, and after a few minutes, I start to regret this whole adventure.
For a split second, I think flying will be like swimming.
It’s not. In the water, I have control, and everything feels right.
But in the sky, it takes everything in me not to fall off the dragon, even with the belt keeping me strapped on.
I grit my teeth and grip the saddle horn, refusing to let go, even as my hands start to hurt.
I can’t close my eyes and shut out the world.
We fly overland to get to our destination.
It’s the quickest way to join the ship and stay with it for the rest of the trip.
There’s too much distance to cross to stay in dragon form the entire time.
At least that’s what Gavin says, and I believe him.
With the ship leaving earlier, we’ll reach the phoenix stone faster.
That means I still have hope for my freedom.
Taking a deep breath, I adjust my head to watch from the side where my eyelashes don’t flutter. I don’t dare lift a hand from the saddle horn to shield my face.
Damon flies gracefully in front of us, with Ailey riding like a professional.
Enormous trees pass by, and I wonder how far we’ve gone.
I’ve never been this far inland. The trees tower so high that Gavin flies among them instead of above.
I think about how much more of the country I haven’t seen.
I’ve always been stuck on the coast. Not that I mind too much—the sea makes me happy.
I need it. But I’d like to see more of the world.
Inch by tiny inch, I find more courage to angle my head just right for a better view. If I let the massive dragon head shield me, I don’t get as much wind in my face, which makes the experience more pleasant.
I breathe in the lemony scent of the trees and venture a look to see if I can spot their tops.
They seem to grow all the way to the clouds.
It’s a wonder I’ve never experienced. I’ll have to ask Gavin about them after he shifts.
What would it be like to climb so high? What would the bark feel like beneath my hands?
A rumbling jolts me from my thoughts. Gavin dives to the ground, searching for something I can’t see. Then I hear something snap and crunch. He must have caught something to eat. I can’t imagine how much fuel it takes to be a dragon for so long.
We hang lower in the air. Occasionally, Gavin swoops to the ground, and another snap and crunch vibrates back to me, but I mostly ignore it.
I’m starting to feel at peace on the back of the dragon.
The leather scent of the scales, the fleeting lemony smell of the trees—it’s a lovely day with a scattering of clouds, and I’m happy.
A smile grows on my face. It’s not swimming, but I’m finding I enjoy it nonetheless.
“Young Kyler,” Ailey hollers from in front of me. I can hardly hear her. “I do hope we can become friends. I have no desire to have you as my enemy.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Damon slows his pace until the dragons are much closer.
“I enjoy making friends,” I call back, but I’m not sure she hears me.
“We’ll talk later. Unless you’d like to ride double when we stop to rest?”
Gavin lets out a warning rumble.
Ailey sighs. “Fine. I guess that’s a no. But…” she raises her voice. “You’re going to feel awfully foolish after we talk, Gavy.”
He growls.
“I don’t think he likes the nickname,” I say.
“He never has.” Ailey huffs out a breath and crosses her arms. Just the thought of letting go of the saddle horn gives me anxiety.
Hours roll on. I watch the sky and changing landscape, quickly growing bored. The sun moves its position so damned slow.
Prince Gavin groans beneath me. I rub his shoulder. My tiny hand doesn’t do much, but it makes me feel better.
We descend faster than I’d like. I grip the saddle horn again after slacking off in my comfort. A beach comes into view, and then all I see is the vastness of the ocean.
I realize too late what Gavin has planned. As soon as we clear the sandy beach, he dives into the water. I gasp in a breath of salt water by accident. When I surface, I sputter and cough, trying to clear my lungs and keep a shift from rolling through me. Ailey can’t know I’m mer.
The soak cools me, but now my leather clothing clings to me more, and I groan. I’ll dry, but I’ll be miserable until I’m back in looser clothes. As soon as we make it to the ship, I’m changing.
The dragons circle back around to the beach and land. They’ll rest for a bit, maybe nap. Ailey and I can eat and chat. But the dragons won’t shift—there aren’t enough people to get the saddles back on if they do.
I slide down from my perch and stretch my legs. Ailey does the same, though her earlier friendliness is gone. She paces the beach with a scowl on her face, talking frantically to someone through a mage stone she holds in her hand.
A mage stone. Ailey’s is clear quartz, the size of her thumb, pinched between her fingers and held to her mouth.
I thought only mages could use them. It takes a lot of concentration and magic to talk over vast distances.
Vex tried to teach me, but I could never concentrate and talk at the same time.
The communication always failed, hence the binding spell with the ability sewn right in.
Gavin settles into the sand and huffs out a breath that sends sand right into my face. I blink it out of my eyes and spit it from my mouth. I’m just about to sass the prince for being so mean, but I realize there’s no way he saw me before he did it. The dragon is too large, the snout too long.
“You’re forgiven,” I mumble. I suppose I could nap as well, but I’m too hyped up on the adventure of it all.
I strain to hear anything Ailey says to the person with the other mage stone.
“I told you—Langly, I need—” She pinches the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes.
“Everything is fine. We’ll figure out a way.
Thank you for the update. I appreciate your honesty.
” Her shoulders sag when she pockets the mage stone.
She stares out over the ocean, dragging deep breaths as if to calm herself.
“Now then.” Ailey claps and turns to me.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Just a bit of unfortunate news back home.” Ailey gives me a tight smile. “Let’s eat something. I’m hungry.”
I can’t agree more. We spread out a blanket Ailey packed and share our rations. It’s not much, but I appreciate the delicious rosemary bread she shares, and she seems to enjoy the cheese I brought.
“Please forgive me for not being talkative. I’m cross at the moment and don’t wish to take it out on you.”
“It’s fine.” I nibble on a strawberry tart Ailey brought.
“It’s not. And please forgive me for my ridiculous outburst this morning.
You’ll understand shortly.” She sighs. “I’m as frustrated as Gavin with all of this.
Leander and I have tried for years to break the contract my father created, but he won’t budge.
” She squeezes the roll in her hand, crushing it.
“We don’t need an eggborn in Avondra. Father needs to fix his priorities and stop trying to wage war with everyone these days.
” She picks at the roll but lets most of it crumble to the sand, much to my sadness.
I keep my questions to myself, not wanting to risk offending her. I suspect Ailey is more than she appears to be, but I keep my mouth shut. Knowledge is power for someone like me, and I suppose for someone like her, too.
We stare at the ocean lapping at the beach. Neither of us speaks. I don’t know what to talk about anyway, and Ailey seems to keep her foul mood. The sun slowly descends, and I wonder when we’ll start again. Finally, Damon huffs and nudges Gavin awake.
The prince ruffles his scales to resettle them before stretching, much like a cat.
“Now we do have to climb. Don’t think too hard about how high you are.”
I take the advice to heart, but when I slip halfway up Gavin’s massive forearm, I look. I scramble the rest of the way and settle into the saddle as fast as possible.
Gavin starts at a run, and after a hop, we’re in the air again. More than likely, that’s our only rest point, and we’ll have to make do until we arrive at the ship tonight.
The dragons fly so low their wingtips spray water into the air, leaving rainbows in their wake. They weave around each other. The act seems coordinated, like something they’ve done before. Slowly, we rise higher, leaving the coolness of the sea behind.
I ache, needing to shift soon. I hadn’t thought the whole thing through. How can I function if I can’t shift as often as I need? Perhaps I shouldn’t be so stubborn. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if others knew I was mer, but first, I want to see if the crew is trustworthy.