by Martha Carr
“With you, War Mage.”
William approached, leading Teo. “Ready to go? Game faces on. You two can do this.”
“Okay, flyboy.” The dragon made a low rumble that sounded like laughter.
Raven grinned, opening her mouth in surprise. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh! Really laugh! Nice to know the insults haven’t left.”
“Just aimed at someone else,” said William with a crooked smile, then he put a foot in Teo’s stirrups and hoisted himself onto the silver dragon’s back, taking hold of the reins. Raven did the same with Leander and settled in, sitting back until her weight was balanced. “Tonight, we ride!”
“It’s afternoon. What was that for?” William laughed.
“I don’t know, but it sounded good.” Raven smiled as the large red dragon spread his wings and lifted into the air, quickly gaining altitude. The wind rushed past Raven’s face and made her coat flap in the breeze.
“I’ll take the lead,” yelled William, soaring close enough for their wingtips to touch. Raven nodded and he pulled left, heading due west toward the outlying town of Nadine, a popular trading post known to cater to dragon trainers.
Raven saw a stretch of puffy white clouds just above them and reached up. Without even looking back, Leander lifted his head and soared upward, passing through the middle of the clouds. Raven laughed, tears in her eyes as they pushed through, popping out for a moment with William still below them and disappearing again, only to reappear moments later.
The dragon looked back and smiled, showing two rows of sharp teeth before he tucked his wings enough to dive back down and fly alongside Teo and William.
They flew near the edge of the mountain range, and Raven peered down in time to see a line of gnomes disappear into a cave.
Every now and then as they flew over the open prairie, she saw long strips of overturned dirt that ended in a circular swirl of soil. There weren’t many, but they seemed to form a pattern, all pointing in an easterly direction toward Brighton.
I had almost forgotten.
She held onto the saddle and pressed her foot against the webbing of the wing, leaned to the right to get a better look as Leander flew lower, sensing her desire.
A large animal made those.
No. Shake it off, Alby.
She sat upright in the saddle as Leander gained altitude.
Today is about helping Leander win. No Swarm. Just a fairytale.
She patted the pockets of her jacket for the orb and looked at the satchel tied to the back of the saddle. She shook her head, pressing her lips into a thin line. “Doesn’t matter. The Swarm is dead and gone.” She let out a sigh of relief and turned to lean over the dragon’s neck, facing into the wind and toward Nadine, her fingers tracing the ruby and silver pin.
Chapter Thirty-Two
William held onto Leander’s leads next to one of the holding pens behind a line of trees near the open area for the trials. “We don’t have a regular pen with the others because no one was expecting us, but someone owed me a few favors. Leander gets his chance today.”
Raven hugged him. “We’ve got this.”
“Never doubted you.” He laughed, even as Raven punched him in the arm.
“You doubted me a thousand times over, but I forgive you because you let me keep trying.”
“I knew you would get here. I always believed in you, Raven. I just wasn’t sure it would be in time.”
Leander pulled on the leads, snorting smoke into William’s face.
“Okay, okay, yeah, it was you I doubted,” said William, coughing and waving away the smoke. “Go take a quick walk around the grounds to get your bearings. It’s important. They set the arena up the same way as what we had at the ranch. That will feel familiar, but go look at the other dragons. You’ll see, Leander can stand up to any of them.” He pointed toward the long line of concession stands. “Keep walking and you’ll run right into them. Can’t miss them—a line of ten other dragons stomping around. We’ll be here when you get back.”
Raven patted Leander’s side. “I’ll be back soon,” she said, knowing full well he could sense her location.
She made her way past the vendors selling trinkets and every kind of food on a stick. “Henry would love this place.” She gave a shake of her head to a woman offering her something fried with small legs on a stick. “On second thought, maybe he wouldn’t.”
She got to the edge of the pens, and her eyes grew wide at the sight of so many dragons lined up in a row, waiting next to their trainers.
The trainers came in every size and shape and spanned in age from young men strutting around in new tall boots to older silver-haired men and women waiting by their pens, assessing the nearby competition.
A teenage boy ran past the pens yelling, “Five minutes! Five minutes! Get all competing dragons lined up by the temporary pens.” He ran past Raven, heading back toward the arena. She followed him, her heart rate picking up. She was soon back by Leander and took the leads from William. “I didn’t get to see much. We cut the time closer than we realized.”
“We were here on time, and that’s all that matters. Less time to worry.”
“Raven! I’m glad I caught you!” Raven started at the sight of her grandfather pushing through the crowd with Deacon at his side. He was holding a large dragon saddle, a sheen of sweat on his face.
“Grandfather! You’re here! You’re...you’re out. Has something happened?” She let the leads run through her hands to the end of them, still holding onto Leander as she got closer to her grandfather. “What are you doing here?”
He stopped, breathless, still holding onto the saddle.
Deacon grinned at his side, showing the gap in his teeth.
“William sent word to the ranch,” said Connor Alby. “He told me what happened at the school.” He licked his dry lips and took a deep breath, letting it out in a rush. “I heard you were coming to the trials, and I couldn’t let this wait another minute. You should have this. It’s my old saddle.” The words poured out of him.
Raven felt the rush of energy come over her, and Leander pawed the ground behind her, snorting. She reached out, running her hand over the soft leather. “Your saddle?” she whispered. “You’ve had this all along?”
“Yes, yes.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “I was trying to bury the past, hoping that would help ease the pain of what I’ve lost, but I was wrong! I shut out everything good about the past, too, and I stopped living in the present. I don’t want that anymore, and I don’t want that for you. Here, take this and use it today in memory of your mother, one war mage to another. Mother and daughter, except this war mage will ride a dragon.”
Leander went onto his knees without anyone saying a word. Raven worked to undo the straps and slide off the scarred black saddle. “Take good care of this one. I promised Headmaster Flynn I’d get it back to him safe and sound.”
She put it on the ground by her grandfather and took the brown saddle with the initials CA burned into the side. She slipped it onto Leander, working the straps underneath, sliding her hand between the straps and the dragon to make sure they weren’t too tight.
The color drained from Connor Alby’s face, and he reached out and put a shaking hand on the horn of the headmaster’s black saddle, grabbing tight, his knuckles turning white. “I remember this saddle. I haven’t seen it in many years.”
Raven watched him, lost for a moment in his memories. “Grandpa?”
He looked up, his eyes shining, and swallowed hard, letting go of the horn and patting the saddle. “No, this is good. It’s a sign. It’s time to let go. Watching you this past month not give up despite how difficult it’s been has reminded me of a thing or two. Maybe it’s even time to visit Wranglers.”
Raven leaned over the saddle and hugged her grandfather. “Thank you for everything. I love you.”
“I love you more, granddaughter. Now, go show these people what an Alby can do. We’ll be in the stands.”
“Go get ‘em, kid,” said Deacon, picking up the black saddle. “I knew all that stubborn would come in handy one of these days.” The pair turned, but her grandfather looked back and blew her a kiss before they blended in with the other spectators headed for their seats.
“Is that Willie Moss?” a wiry old man called as the other dragons approached with their trainers.
Raven looked amused. “Willie?”
“Let’s forget you heard that.” He raised his voice. “Hello, gentlemen! Ladies! Good day for a dragon race.”
Raven looked behind him at the row of dragons lining up. She marveled at them all standing at attention as their trainers charged up to greet William, patting him on the back and jostling him. None of the dragons wandered away, even though they were left unattended.
“Look at them, Leander. None of them are fidgeting or wandering around. Look at that one! He didn’t even flambé that mouse that just ran over his foot.”
“They trust their riders. Don’t worry, we have the same bond.”
“Maybe.” Raven watched them all holding still. Even Teo wasn’t that good at staying at attention. Are we in over our heads?
Leander stirred and clawed the ground. Raven looked up at him and smiled. I need to be confident for you.
A man with a short black beard and thin legs supporting his skinny torso strode over to William. “Willie, you’re getting back in the game, eh?”
“Seriously, ‘Willie’ is a thing?” Raven smiled but shrugged when William glared at her.
“Abe Garson! How the hell are you?” The two trainers embraced, slapping each other on the back. “No, no, I’m here to introduce Raven Alby. She’s a new dragonrider.”
“Alby, Alby,” muttered Abe.
Here it comes.
“Aren’t you from a long line of mages?”
“People can be more than one thing,” said Raven.
Several trainers let out audible groans. “Come on, Willie. You brought a mage around here? This is a race for trainers. She didn’t grow up on a dragon ranch?”
“Ah, no.” Raven lifted her hand. “I grew up on a goat ranch. A dwarf goat ranch.” Leander opened and shut his mouth with a clack, the edges curling up in a threatening smile.
“This is a joke,” announced the oldest of the trainers, a gray-haired old man with his hair tied up in a bun on the top. “Willie, get her out of here.”
“Oscar, hang on, no can do. She’s trained a dragon, which means she can compete.” William held up his hands. “I understand if you’re scared of another Alby riding a red dragon. I can hold your hands while she flies if it helps.”
Oscar spat in the dirt near his foot, and Abe chuckled.
“No takers?” asked William, holding out his hand. A few of them shook their heads, but they all returned to their dragons, already talking about other things.
Raven smiled even though she was unsettled, which didn’t go unnoticed by William. “Relax, Raven.” He rubbed her shoulder. “You’re not here to make friends, just to win this thing. Stay focused. And if you do win, you’ll get their respect by default. Win-win.”
“Yeah,” muttered Raven. “Win-win.”
She patted Leander’s red snout. “Tough crowd.”
“No kidding.”
A trainer shook his head, talking loud enough for everyone to hear. “That little mage got the short end of the stick with her dragon. Leander’s no threat! He won’t take direction for very long from anybody.”
A few trainers laughed in response.
Raven was about to say something, but William stopped her. “Ignore them. Trash talk is part of the competition. That’s tame. It means they’re giving you a chance.”
Abe was the first to saddle his dragon, a blue and purple beast with sharp horns on his nose and head. His wingspan was twice the length of his body.
“That’s a beautiful animal.” Raven patted Leander’s neck, watching Abe get ready to fly.
“That dragon is Zeke. Abe is one of the best trainers out here. He’s been doing this for a long time,” said William, his hands on his hips as he watched.
With a few gentle commands, Zeke shot into the sky, looped several times, and dove toward the ground. He stopped before he reached it and beat his wings enough to glide in, circling the group several times.
Raven’s hair blew into her eyes from the wind generated by the dragon. For all his power, Leander isn’t as smooth or nimble. This could be close.
With fluid movements, Zeke returned to his spot, shaking the ground as he landed. Abe patted him on the head and dismounted. Everything looked so graceful.
Abe reached into a sack hanging over his shoulder as she watched. He produced a small dark shriveled lizard that Zeke gobbled down.
Raven grabbed William by the arm. “What did he just give him to eat?”
“That’s a dehydrated lizard. Dragon jerky. Dragons love those things. They’re a great training tool.”
She punched him in the shoulder. “That’s information I could have used, isn’t it?”
“One more insult,” growled Leander over her shoulder. “Treats dragons like pets.”
“We don’t use them at Moss Ranch. Bad habit. A dragon should want to listen to you. Besides, all the dragon jerky in the world wouldn’t work until Leander started listening to you. They’re a teaching tool. First, you have to be able to teach.” He peered at Leander, whose large eye rolled toward him.
“Two-way street, William Moss.”
“Fair enough. I can always learn something too. Get on your dragon, Raven. It’ll be your turn soon.” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight. “Hug for good luck, but you don’t need it. You put in the work, and you let the dragon into your heart. You’re good to go.”
Raven blinked hard a few times and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “Right, okay. Time to get this done!” She stepped into the stirrups and pulled herself up onto the dragon, climbing into the soft leather saddle. Her knees fit along the sides as if it had been made with her in mind.
“Raven Alby, you’re next!” crowed the boy she had seen earlier. He ran on past to alert another rider.
“Okay, I guess this is it. Do we know how anyone else has done so far?”
William shook his head, looking at her, that easy smile on his face. “Empty your mind of the competition. It won’t matter. You are here to show them what you two can do. Remember, you can’t say a word to Leander during the test. They must know he can sense what you want. Go, it’s your time.”
The crowd of trainers hovering near the gate into the holding space parted, letting Leander march through the center, his head held high and his ears twitching. Raven sat straight in the saddle and squinted at the clouds.
The dragon marched forward, his claws sinking into the dirt, until they reached the low metal gate into the arena. From her perch, Raven got a clear view of the course and the stands. The course was a perfect duplicate of what she had trained on, letting her relax a little. Cheering, yelling spectators filled the stands.
She whispered to Leander, his ear twitching, “You okay with all the noise?”
“It’ll help me focus.” But she saw him paw the ground and could feel his heightened energy pass through her. Neither of them was positive about anything.
Raven stood in the stirrups and scanned the crowd, looking for her grandfather. She spotted Deacon first, waving his arms over his head and smiling widely. She smiled and waved at him, settling back. “This is a good day.” She grabbed the saddle with her legs as the last dragon and his rider pulled into the exit pen and the gate in front of them opened.
“Indeed,” said Leander as he pushed off with his feet and headed for the first obstacle. Raven leaned forward with her weight as they had practiced, holding the reins and keeping her eyes on the object ahead.
The dragon flew low enough to the ground that there was barely any daylight without dragging a claw or disturbing the fine silt. First obstacle cleared.
He
approached the six-hundred-foot wall, climbing vertically as Raven pressed her legs against the saddle and leaned all the way forward, her head near his neck. He came to the top and made a sharp turn, zooming down without banging against the wooden structure. Near the ground, he leveled out and soared, gradually gaining altitude. Two down.
The first set of rings hung on high poles. This was one of Leander’s hardest targets. He built up speed, banking to the left and charging back, folding back his wings at the last moment as Raven again lay down on his back, keeping her eyes open and holding her breath. She felt the small whoosh of air as they passed through, only one ring giving a slight wiggle. They cleared them all without touching them.
Next one.
Raven blanked her mind, letting go of the rings. They picked up speed as they flew over the next wall, repeating the climb and turning to head down toward the deep pool of water. She put her hands against Leander’s neck. I believe in you. She pressed her lips together, watching their reflection in the water as she felt the dragon let go and fly as fast as he could at the water.
You’re doing it! You’re doing it!
The crowd roared as Leander rose into the sky and made a perfect figure eight just beneath the clouds, his wings spread. He banked to make a low turn, rolling to his side as Raven held on, displaying she had control of the dragon and herself at all times as they sped past the judges’ stand.
They came to the last set of rings, the next-to-last trial. Leander turned around the ring, building up speed and stretched out his neck as Raven pressed herself against it. They looked like a red streak with shimmering scales as they passed through every ring. Fire escaped his mouth in a steady stream even before they cleared the last ring, lighting the first set of bales of hay one at a time. They flew to the second set and he lit every other one, then turned to head for home, flying as fast as he could.