“Will you follow the princess’ advice to seek the Truth Teller?”
Oh, he was worried about that? “Of course, Chief. Do you know where we can find her?”
“Once we get to the palace, you will rest,” he answered instead, the authority in his voice leaving no room for discussion. “We shall look to your commander afterwards and ask his permission. If he agrees, we will embark towards the Icelands right away.”
Caught off guard, it took me a second to decipher his words. My commander, as in Asher. The Icelands… but what the heck did he mean by Asher’s permission? Was he my guardian now, like Kingston was to Evie? Did he mean I needed my guardian’s consent to embark on that trip? Was going there so dangerous?
It seemed silly for that to be his meaning, but I had no chance to ask for an explanation. Kingston stood and began to return to Imogen’s side on Tharion’s back, except he never made it there.
“Look!” Imogen called, a finger pointing to something in the distance that moved towards us way too quickly for my liking.
“Is that fire?” Evie asked, waking up alert after Imogen’s shout.
No. It wasn't fire. Yet, the red form “shooting” in our direction like a cannonball might as well have been. A giant, swirling mass of raging fire.
“Hold on!” I shouted when Tharion tried to swerve out of the new Dragon’s way, but it flew too fast for him to react in time. Way too fucking fast.
How was that even possible?
“Ardor, stop!” Tharion ordered through the connection.
My essence came to life then, and what I felt from the Dragon left me speechless. A thrilling wave of emotion crashed into me, happiness bursting when we connected.
This wasn’t an attack.
It was an over-excited welcome.
Ardor collided with Tharion’s side, sending us in a downward tumble through the sky. Evanna slipped from my grasp, rolling down Tharion’s back before bouncing off him, along with Imogen and Kingston, while Tharion desperately tried to stop his spinning.
“Evie!” I shouted, thrown off him altogether, and plummeting through the air. Shock and fear gripped my very soul… They were falling to their deaths.
A rope of golden light suddenly burst from my hand, shooting straight for them with an unspoken command. Horror struck me briefly with the memory of Raithian’s green rope tightening on Evie’s neck, but mine wrapped around her torso instead, continuing to capture Kingston and Imogen too.
The magic cord abruptly snapped off my hand of its own volition, and I lost sight of them when my body shifted in the air. My gaze found the red ball of fire rushing towards me when my perspective changed.
She moved faster than it should be possible for a Dragon. For any Dragon.
Recognition hit me swiftly, and I bent my knees just as she reached me, dropping and rolling over her back mid-fall.
Ardor was playing with us. She was sky riding.
Rolling to a crouch, I immediately turned and frantically searched for Evie and the others above us, praying to the Sky Gods that they were safe. The other end of my rope of light had entwined itself around one of Tharion’s horns, stopping Kingston, Imogen, and Evie from crashing to the ground, and swinging them onto his back. They were now crawling their way back to Tharion’s neck, who finally regained control of his flight, and was descending to the valley under us.
“Your magic can protect…” Mom’s words returned, and I was thankful my subconscious had reacted before I could even process what to do.
With the others safe, my attention shifted to the red Dragon under me. She was descending too, but her energy was bright and joyful, bubbly, and excited, like she had just reunited with a loved one she thought she’d never see again.
I couldn’t help the smile that captured my lips with her elation.
Her scales were like nothing I’d ever seen, and I reached down to caress her. Instead of individual, triangle-shaped scales, hers extended in rows laid horizontally on her body, forming sort of a “V” shape. They lay slightly lifted on her form, reminding me of the flaps on a plane’s wings that lifted or flattened to help the plane navigate the skies.
Her wings were as long as the other Dragons’, but she was smaller than Tharion, her curved body perfectly designed for speed. Her head, jaw, and even her horns curved back smoothly, without any of the sharp angles the others had. Her forehead was sleek and smooth, allowing the air to flow effortlessly over her without interruption.
Ardor’s silhouette reminded me of one of those stealthy, super-modern military planes built with high-performance aerodynamics in mind.
I realized only then that her wings had been closed all this time, and when they finally opened to slow our descent, she took my breath away.
The membrane between her cartilage seemed painted with the most beautiful hues of red and orange, resembling bright flames dancing in the air. They danced because, unlike Tharion’s wings, her membrane wasn’t a rubbery leather, taught and thick. Instead, the skin was thin, almost carrying the properties of fabric, light and airy while the breeze glided over it.
Landing, she placed me down on the grass, and stepped back, graciously bowing before me. Her wings extended on either side of her with the gesture, reminding me of a woman holding her skirt while she bowed in the presence of a king.
Tiny embers playfully swirled out of her nostrils, and when she straightened, the soft, fabric-like skin of her wings folded in ruffles. Her sky-blue eyes held me intently, her feet seeming to skip over the grass every so often, as though she had too much energy to just stay still. The rows of scale-flaps flattened against her body, no longer needed to redistribute the wind.
She was the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen.
My golden glow captured her the next moment, our connection showing me images of her presence in my life before I was born. Ardor… She was one of my father’s Dragons, one I’d planned to find. Instead, she found me.
Brief scenes of her with my mother played in my mind’s eye. One of them showed her nose gently nuzzling mom’s swollen belly while her hand reached to caress Ardor’s jaw. My mother mentioned the Dragons had scared the crap out of her when they appeared to her with my silent call. Still, it was clear from that memory that Ardor was an appreciated visit every time. Mom’s favorite.
“Welcome back home, Devenish Prince,” the elegant red Dragon offered in a melodic voice through our connection, her eyes glowing a bright gold from the influence of my magic.
“Thank you, Ardor, but I must reprimand you for doing what you did.” I sighed. “I know you were very excited, and your intent wasn’t harmful, but you could have injured me, the soon-to-be-queen, and our warriors.”
The golden light receded from our eyes when I let go of her, revealing the regret and mortification that filtered into her blue eyes.
“Please forgive me, my prince. I was just so ecstatic when I felt you again after all these years.” The incredible happiness I’d experienced from her flourished once more, her feet dancing along the earth to the gleeful beats of her heart. “I didn’t think. And since the young wizard protects, I—”
“Well, I’m just learning to use my wizard powers, so…”
Confusion clouded her gaze. “I do not understand, my prince,” she confessed, “but I vow to never do that again.”