by Martha Carr
“And what, exactly, is our job?”
Raven closed the gate and checked the straps of her satchel to make sure it was secure. “We’re running errands, now.”
“I see. I hope he doesn’t plan to make this a regular occurrence. I’m not a messenger dragon.”
“You know, that’s basically what I told him.” She chuckled. “He didn’t exactly say he’d never ask us to do this again, but it feels like a one-time thing.”
“How far?”
“Four towns right outside Brighton. He says we could get to all of them and back before dark, so this’ll be a piece of cake.” Raven frowned thoughtfully as they headed out into the field. “I have a feeling it’s not only about delivering letters, though. That’s easy enough. I bet he wants us to see something.”
“Or perhaps he wants to show us off to these smaller towns.”
Raven looked at him and smirked. “I didn’t think about that, but it’s definitely a possibility.”
Leander’s low rumble made her laugh, and he turned his head to lower it beside his shoulder. “Let’s go do our job then, war-mage messenger.”
She ran toward him and jumped, helped by a boost of his scaly head beneath her foot, and laughed when he took flight seconds before she’d sat fully behind his long neck. As always, the moment when he accelerated skyward was exhilarating.
Moments later, she took the folded list out of her jacket pocket and made sure she held it tightly enough that the wind wouldn’t whip it away. Her eyes watered a little with the rush of air, but that faded quickly as she studied the map. It was drawn in the same black ink as the list of towns and names, but a small red dot had appeared above the words ‘Fowler Academy’ and it was moving.
Something of a crude map? Yeah, right.
Smiling, she located the town of Canterdown, and Leander instantly changed course to head west away from the school. It’s so easy. Simply follow the moving map and hand over some letters. At least they’re all new towns we haven’t seen yet.
It took them half an hour to reach the outskirts of Canterdown. She leaned forward on her dragon’s back and tried to get a better view. “Is that smoke?”
“Yes. More smoke than I’d expect.”
“That doesn’t look right.” The young mage didn’t have to instruct her dragon to fly a little lower toward the farmhouse and the property buildings that stood along the eastern edge of Canterdown. The closer they got, the more her heart sank.
The farmhouse and all the outbuildings had been burned to the ground and most of the blackened remains still sent up heavy plumes of black smoke. The entire field between the buildings had been scorched, and the brittle, curled grass lifted in a puff of ash and soot beneath the next beat of Leander’s wings.
“That’s considerable damage,” Raven muttered.
“Buildings burn. Fields burn.”
“But a natural fire doesn’t do that.” She pointed to the left, where two huge furrows of upturned earth were now visible behind the charred farmhouse.
He took them higher again and turned his head to look at her. “That seemed familiar.”
“It sure did. Maybe someone in Canterdown can tell us what happened.”
The small wall around the town came into view and as they passed high above it, she frowned. “I guess we didn’t think far enough ahead about where to land.”
The townspeople going about their business in the center square looked up when Leander’s huge shadow passed over them. Two men unloading supplies from a cart pointed, and the horse hitched to the cart tossed its head with a nervous snort.
“Not in the town.” Raven patted Leander’s neck. “How about an open field where no one’s gonna freak out about a dragon and his rider coming in for a landing?”
“I’ll find it.” He banked and turned in a wide circle, careful to stay outside the edge of the low wall built more for aesthetics around the settlement than real defense. The nervous, curious shouts from the people followed them.
They ended up landing half a mile beyond the main road in a clearing without any people, livestock, or buildings. She squinted at the rider on horseback who galloped toward them. “That was fast.”
“They knew we were here.”
“And they only sent one rider.” She took a deep breath. “At least they left the torches and pitchforks behind.”
Leander swiveled his head around to face her and narrowed his eyes in a dragon’s frown. “Why would they bring those?”
“Never mind.”
The rider pulled his horse to an abrupt halt on the road and fought with the reins to hold his mount steady. He’d left at least a dozen yards between his horse and the young mage on a dragon’s back, but they were both still clearly nervous.
Raven raised her hand in greeting, and the man cupped his mouth to shout, “What’s that dragon doing outside Canterdown?”
She glanced at the list in her hand before she pocketed it again. “We have a letter for Bo Pierson.”
“What?”
“A letter for—” With a sigh, she pulled her leg up to slip off Leander’s back and dropped to the grass. “I’m not yelling a conversation. I’ll be right back.”
Leander nodded and watched her intently as she stepped onto the road and toward the uneasy rider and his horse.
“I have a letter for Bo Pierson,” she said once she was close enough to the rider to not have to yell. The man pulled back on the reins to keep his horse from bolting, but he stared at the dragon. “From Headmaster Flynn at Fowler Academy.”
“What?” Finally, he looked at her, surprised that she’d appeared so suddenly in front of him.
“A letter for Bo Pierson from Headmaster Flynn at Fowler Academy.” Raven fought not to shout it again at such close range.
“And who are you?”
“Raven Alby. I’m a student at—”
“I’ll take the letter, miss. That dragon’s not getting into Canterdown.” The man extended his hand.
“Sorry. Headmaster Flynn wants me to deliver this to Bo Pierson directly.”
He frowned, glanced at Leander again, and waved her forward. “I’ll take you into town to speak to him. The dragon stays here.”
Raven scrunched her nose. “I can’t leave him here either.”
“Well. it’s one or the other, miss. But that dragon’s not coming any closer to the town center. Things are rough enough today and people won’t take too kindly to something like that walking around our home.”
“His name’s Leander.” She started to fold her arms, then forced them down to her sides. I’m only the messenger and this guy obviously doesn’t know anything about dragons.
“Well, whatever his name is, he stays here. We have enough people scared and confused as it is.”
“Because of the fire?”
The rider swallowed and studied her warily. “I s’pose you saw that on your way in, comin’ from the sky.”
“We did. Is everyone okay?”
Her concerned question surprised him out of his stoicism. He fumbled absently with his tunic and shrugged. “Well, the family got out in the nick of time last night when their field started burning. They lost the livestock, although we can’t rightly say if that was from the fire or…whatever started it.” His gaze traveled slowly toward Leander but settled quickly on the redheaded mage again when the dragon snorted.
“I’m glad no one was hurt. Is there anything we can do to help?”
He cleared his throat. “Not likely. Did you and that dragon come out here to help or to deliver a message?”
“Sometimes it’s the same thing, right?” Raven spread her arms and smiled in an effort to be non-threatening, but the man’s frown only deepened.
“Not today. I gotta get back to doin’ my part in town, miss. And I gotta go tell the rest of them what a girl and a dragon are doin’ flying over Canterdown. So what’ll it be?”
There’s always another way, isn’t there? She put on her best air of dignified politeness an
d lowered her head. “Would Bo Pierson come out here to take this letter from me himself?”
“Well, I—” The man sputtered as he reined his mount in again when the horse stamped and stepped sideways across the road. “I suppose you’ll wait for me to go ask him, won’t you?”
“I’ll wait. Headmaster Flynn said these letters were time-sensitive, so we won’t go anywhere. If you don’t mind.”
“Nah. I don’t mind.” He darted another nervous glance at the huge red dragon that hadn’t moved before he turned his horse to face Canterdown again. “I can’t promise Bo Pierson will want to come out here.”
“It would be great if you could still ask. Tell him who the letter’s from. And you can give him my name too, if it helps.”
“Uh-huh.” He tapped his heels against his mount’s sides, and the horse was more than happy to race away. They galloped down the road toward the town center and disappeared behind the low walls.
Raven bit her lip and went to Leander. “That was one of the weirder conversations I’ve had in a while.”
“You handled it well.”
She chuckled. “You mean compared to how you would’ve handled it?”
He lowered his head toward her and narrowed his yellow eyes. “I find the threat of dragon fire or a few bitten-off fingers is especially effective.”
“I bet.” He nudged her hand away playfully and she couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s a good thing Flynn didn’t send you on this trip alone. And let’s try to keep the dragon threats to a minimum while we’re doing this, okay?”
“Are you worried about tainting our reputation, war mage?”
She fixed him with a mock-stern expression and tried not to smirk. “Elizabeth told me that some people still think dragons are monsters. I merely don’t want to give anyone a reason to believe that kind of lie.”
Leander rumbled softly and lowered himself to his belly in the grassy clearing beside the road. Raven stood beside him and faced the center of Canterdown, her arms folded. “I guess this isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”
Twenty minutes later, four riders on horseback thundered down the road from the settlement.
“Finally.” Raven straightened from where she’d leaned against her dragon’s side and pushed to her feet. He did the same. “I hope one of those riders is Bo Pierson.”
The horses stopped at the same distance from the clearing, and she strode toward them, the rolled and sealed letter held loosely in her hand.
“Raven Alby?” A man with a shock of bright-white hair growing almost like a mop on the top of his head turned sideways to look at her as he fought to stop his horse from shying away.
“Yes.” She held the scroll out. “I have a letter for Bo Pierson from—”
“Headmaster Flynn, yes. I heard.” The man glanced at the first rider, who nodded solemnly. “I’m curious to know why Aiden Flynn would send a girl on a dragon to deliver a letter.”
“It’s time-sensitive.” Raven shrugged. “I’m a student at Fowler Academy and living on the grounds for the year, so I happened to be in the right place at the right time. And no offense to horses, but dragons are faster.”
“Indeed.” The man dismounted and handed the reins to the rider beside him before he approached the young mage who stood in the middle of the road. “And he chose to send his message with a student who won’t take no for an answer. It wasn’t my first choice to come out and meet you, Miss Alby, but Charles assured me you insisted on delivering that in person.” He nodded at the scroll, and she fought not to clench it tighter in her hand.
“Are you Bo Pierson?”
He smirked. “In the flesh, young dragon rider. And believe me when I say the people of Canterdown have far too much to discuss, plan for, and repair today. None of us have the time to pretend to be someone we’re not.”
“Fair enough.” She handed the scroll to him and he nodded curtly in thanks. “We saw the farm on the east side of town. What happened?”
The man blinked and pressed his lips together. “We don’t know, to be perfectly honest. Fortunately, the owner and his family got to safety before the worst of it, but it left them in something of a bind, as you can imagine. And the people I’m responsible for protecting want answers I simply can’t give them. I don’t suppose a letter from your headmaster might also come with insight as to what we might expect?”
“Sorry. I’m only delivering letters.”
“Yes.” Bo Pierson glanced briefly over his shoulder at the three other riders who waited patiently for this meeting to end, though the horses weren’t nearly as willing. He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “I knew I recognized your name when I heard it. I’m sure you know by now that word’s spread of what you managed with the…the Swarm a few months ago. I can’t help but wonder if—”
“I can give you insight there. The Swarm’s gone. Completely this time.”
“Is that a reassurance from you or from the headmaster of Fowler Academy?”
“Both.” Probably. Raven gave the man a reassuring nod, and he straightened. “Whatever happened to that farm has nothing to do with the Swarm. But if I find an explanation for it, I promise Leander and I will make another trip out here to let you know.”
“And Leander is…”
“My dragon familiar. Sir.” She gestured behind her with a polite smile without breaking away from his gaze.
“Yes. I would appreciate that, Miss Alby. And I’ll hold you to your promise. The next time I see a dragon and a young mage student flying over my town, I’ll be sure to come out here myself the first time.”
“Okay. We’ll move on now. I have a few more letters to deliver, so…”
“Of course. Thank you for your time.” The man glanced at the sealed letter in his hand and slipped his fingernail carefully beneath the edge of the stamped wax. He unrolled the parchment paper, recognized Aiden Flynn’s scrolling handwriting, and paused. “Did Headmaster Flynn say anything about sending a reply with—”
The flap of broad, powerful wings cut him off and scattered leaves and dust blew across the road. He sighed and looked up to see the young dragon rider and the great red beast soar over the trees, headed west. After a moment, he turned to look at his men—who also stared at the disappearing messengers—and cleared his throat. “If anyone asks more questions about next steps, be sure to tell them Canterdown has a dragon rider as a friend. At the very least, it might spread some peace of mind.”
Chapter Seventeen
The next town on Flynn’s list was called Dresdel, farther northwest than Canterdown and almost twice as far away. When they reached the outer farms and ranches around the town—which were much smaller than those outside Brighton or even Canterdown—the mage wondered if they’d have to send a rider into town again so she could deliver the next letter.
“Hey, look at that. Dresdel has their own dragon ranch. It’s the best place to land a dragon.”
Leander lowered his wing and banked left to head in that direction. “As long as they don’t expect me to wear a lead.”
She patted his neck. “We’ve handled that before. A dragon ranch in a small town down south can’t be nearly as stingy with the rules as a few stables in Azerad.”
This new ranch had its own landing strip of trampled dirt that ran parallel to the long, fenced-in paddock much like Moss Ranch’s. Some of the ranch hands looked up and waved a greeting as Leander passed overhead. The group headed toward the landing area to greet the newcomers.
A handful of dragons inside the paddock looked marginally interested in the unexpected arrival, but only two of them screeched a call. Leander didn’t reply.
“Hey, there.” A woman with a long brown ponytail swinging against her back jogged toward them and slowed to leave the red dragon enough room to turn. “Welcome to Haverson Dragon Ranch. I don’t believe we’ve—” The woman stared in awe as Raven dismounted. “Did you fly in without a saddle?”
“No harness, either.” With a broad smile, she ap
proached the woman and extended her hand. “Raven Alby. And this is Leander.”
“Janice Haverson.” The woman shook her hand, stepped back, and stared at Leander with wide eyes. “Nice to meet you, Leander.”
The red dragon’s wings twitched, and he looked away from the dragon trainer to gaze at the other beasts in the paddock.
“Huh. He has an attitude on him, doesn’t he?”
Raven chuckled. “That’s his tame version.”
“And you have a dragon with an attitude who lets you ride him. Bareback.” Janice shook her head and put her hands on her hips. “I can’t quite—oh, wait. Are you the girl from that magic school?”
“Fowler Academy. Yep.”
“That’s right! We’ve heard about you and Leander. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize the names. Hey, Harold! Jim! It’s the mage girl with her dragon.”
Two ranch hands in their early twenties jogged toward them, grinning from ear to ear. “Well I’ll be…” one of them said. “Jim Magress. How do you do?”
“Raven Alby.” She shook his hand and the minute he released it, the other man snatched it and pumped it up and down between both of his.
“Harold Boster. Nice to meetcha. Can I say that everything I’ve heard about you and that dragon of yours completely changed the way I thought things were supposed to run around here?”
The other woman rolled her eyes. “Here we go again.”
Raven chuckled and tried not to shake her hand out when he released it from his crushing grip. “Having an open mind isn’t such a bad thing.”
“It’s not an open mind he’s talkin’ about.” Janice pointed at the man with a playful scowl. “This chatterbox who calls himself a working man wants to start training all our dragons to answer to hand signals instead of a harness.”
Leander snorted and the ranch hands burst out laughing.
“Ain’t that how you do it?” Harold asked.
Jim punched him in the shoulder. “Man, how’s a dragon supposed to see a hand signal when you’re flying on its back?”
“Well…then some kinda voice command, right?”