by Jordan Baker
Storm spun around and dashed toward her, his jaws open, sharp teeth dripping with acid fire as he leapt into the air. The ground cracked and rumbled and large slabs of rock slammed into him from either side. Lava coursed up from underneath the rock and wrapped around his thick, scaled arms and his powerfully muscled legs, solidifying as it cooled in the air. The dragon roared, cracking the stone and breaking free of its grip but Ariana pushed more lava up from the broken ground, encircling his limbs once again and holding him in place with her power this time. It was much harder for her to manipulate the stone and the lava, and Ariana felt herself quickly beginning to tire but she kept the pressure on him as Storm raged and struggled to break free. She heard his howls in her mind and she felt the shift in his thoughts as he slowly began to calm. Finally he stopped and stared down at her, his reptilian eyes no less fierce, but no longer with a combative and predatory look.
"You are more powerful than you appear," he rumbled.
"I am a queen," she repeated, not sure exactly why, but it was the meaning of the thought that came into her mind in the powerful, emotional speech of a dragon.
"What is your command?" Storm asked, and Ariana thought she heard what sounded like a laugh echoing in his thoughts as he snorted and bowed his head.
"Take me to him," she said.
"Yes, my queen," Storm replied. "If you will release me, we can leave at once."
"Can I trust you?" Ariana asked, though she already knew that she could.
"You are a strange queen, but you have bested me," he said. "I am your vassal and will carry out your commands whether I wish it or not."
Ariana released most her power, then she used a small amount of it, sending it into the tiny flaws in the stone that was already becoming solid around the dragon. The stone cracked, then it shattered and fell to the ground. Storm shook off the remaining rocks and bits of cooling lava then he stepped toward Ariana, lowering his enormous, horned head until they were face to face. Ariana felt the heat of his breath, blowing from his nostrils as he sniffed her.
"If you intend to see Akandar, we must fly," Storm said and he lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"I cannot fly, I do not have wings," Ariana said.
"Your thoughts were clear," he said. "You may ride upon my back."
"I did not suggest such a thing."
"Yes, you did," he told her. "Not since Talon Akandar has such a thing been done, but you are a queen and I am at your command."
"Talon Akandar? I have heard that name," Ariana said, and she remembered an old Kandaran story about a warrior and a dragon, who fought one another and became friends. "It is the legend of the Kandaran royal house."
"I do not know what story you have heard, but Talon Akandar is no legend," Storm said, opening his eyes for a moment. "Come. We must hurry."
Ariana felt the same urgency that she heard in the dragon's voice and his thoughts, and she climbed up over his shoulder and straddled the crook of his neck in a divot between the mounds of muscle and sinew that attached to his dark, leathery wings. It was almost like being atop a horse without a saddle, except the size and power of the dragon was far beyond anything Ariana had ever known. The moment she had settled in place, he raised his head and leapt into the air, and Ariana barely managed to grab hold of the thick scales on his neck as he beat his wings and began to climb into the sky.
"You dishonor me," Storm rumbled. "I am no beast of burden."
"I did not say you were," Ariana told him.
"Your thoughts are difficult to hear, for you guard them in a strange manner, but you did compare me to one of those four legged creatures."
"I meant no offense," Ariana said.
"That is true, you did not," he said as they rose above the smoke and ash and then banked, soaring off over the seemingly endless flows and jagged peaks.
Now that they were away from the intense heat of the lava, Ariana's thoughts began to clear and she realized how much she had been acting on instinct and emotion. She was not sure if it was the effect of the heat or something to do with the gift of fire she had received from the old king, but she had barely been able to remember her name.
"I am Ariana," she told the dragon, sending her name to him with her thoughts as well as her voice.
"That is not a common name among dragonkind," Storm rumbled. "The sound of it is like the wind of fire, but it also means silver queen."
"It means blessed one in the language of the elves," she told him.
"The elders of the forest, the people of the trees," Storm said and she felt a slight feeling of disdain in his voice.
"You know of them," she said.
"Yes, they are known to dragonkind," he replied.
"You do not like them?" she asked.
"I do not know them," he said. "The elder dragons have the wisdom of such things. I do not yet have that knowledge."
"You are a younger dragon, aren't you?" Ariana asked, not sure if she what she had learned from his thoughts was correct.
"Yes," Storm said. "This day I am a dragon, though I am still a drake in the eyes of many."
"What is the difference?" Ariana asked.
"A drake is young and free," he said. "A dragon becomes wise."
"And you have become wise?"
"No," Storm said, with rumbling laughter. "I am only a vassal. Once I am bonded, then I will become wise."
"Bonded?"
"Yes," he said. "You are now my queen, and you may bond me and grant me the wisdom of your line."
"I have no such wisdom," Ariana said. "I don't even know what bonding is."
"No wisdom?" Storm seemed irritated by this and Ariana felt his anger flare for a moment, then it subsided. "That cannot be true. The wisdom is the knowledge of dragons past. It is granted by a queen to a vassal during the bonding. It is the gift of the memories of dragonkind. It bestows purpose. Drakes are taught this from the moment we hatch, and we hunger for it, yet we fight to remain free until we are bested by a queen, worthy of our power. It is an honor to be bested, to become a vassal, and it is a great honor to be bonded."
"And how does a queen bond a vassal?" Ariana asked, and she heard thoughts from the dragon that made it more than obvious.
"It is the bonding," Storm said, sensing that she understood.
"Must a queen bond her vassal?" Ariana said with an uncomfortable cough.
"I do not know," he said. "Queens bond vassals."
"Vassals?" Ariana squeaked. "You mean more than one?"
"Queens have many vassals," he said. "You know very little of dragonkind, and yet you are a queen."
"I do not even know how I am a queen," Ariana said. "I mean, I am a queen, but not of dragons, but I am. This is very confusing for me as well."
"You are queen of the Akandra," Storm said. "I have heard that Akandra are different."
"Queen of the Akandra?" Ariana shook her head. "No, that's not right. I am Queen of Maramyr, and a Princess of the House of Solari."
"You are queen of the Akandra," Storm said. "I did not know it before, for you are different, but your scent is Akandra."
Ariana was now a little concerned and she remembered what Laurana had told her about accepting a gift from a dragon. It seemed old king Eric had given her more than simply the gift of fire, as he called it, but some kind of dragon power that was affecting her and, it also seemed, the dragon she had fought and whose back upon which she now rode. Ariana hoped she could give the gift back to Borrican, for the idea of having dragon vassals, while intriguing, was not why she had come all this way, and bonding with a dragon was almost beyond thought itself.
"You are a strange queen," Storm said. "I would like to know the wisdom of Akandra. It is in you, though you guard it well."
"I don't know if you are ready for such wisdom," Ariana said, not wanting to admit that she was only starting to make sense of such things, and a little disturbed as the meanings of the words and thoughts speaking to her at the same time, were still not entirely clear in h
er mind. "Let's not talk of such things just yet. You are my vassal, and you are taking me to Borrican. That will be good enough for now."
"As you command," Storm said.
They flew through a thick cloud of smoke and ash that rose high into the sky, then up over a range of jagged, barren mountains that stretched as far as Ariana could see. She realized that there would have been no way she could have walked such a distance on her own, with no food or clothes and only the dagger in her hand. Even on horseback, it would take many days, or even longer to make such a journey. Ariana sensed something and caught sight of movement in the sky ahead. Four dragons sped toward them then circled around and took up positions on either side of Storm.
"What is this?" one of them asked.
"This is the queen of Akandra," Storm said.
"A queen?" One of the other dragons laughed. "How can such a creature be a queen?"
"They mock you," Storm said, glancing back at Ariana.
"And who are these dragons?" Ariana asked, feeling her ire begin to rise.
"They are drakes called Crag, Kiva, Raz and Kaz," he said, his thoughts identifying each of them. "They are friends."
"You speak to it as though it can understand you," the one named Crag said.
"She can understand you," Storm told him. "You would be wise to choose your thoughts carefully."
Crag flew in close and took a look at Ariana, sniffing the air, and then he angled away, letting out a loud roar.
"Akandra!" he bellowed, then he looked over at Ariana. "Why do you take this weak form?"
"This is my form," Ariana told him, her temper flaring at his jeering insult. "And I am far from weak. Ask my vassal if you doubt it."
"Your vassal?" another dragon, the one called Raz, cackled, tucking his wings and rolling over in the air as he laughed and then his wings snapped open again and he rose up again and stared at Ariana. "The mighty Storm is vassal to such a creature?"
"It is true," Storm said, and Ariana could tell that he was almost ashamed, but then his thoughts shifted, became firm and projecting power. "She is a queen."
"The Akandra are strange," the dragon named Kiva said. "Many troubles the Akandra wildling has caused. The elders have decided that he should be killed but the Aledra queens threaten to fight."
"That is disturbing news," Storm growled.
"What does that mean?" Ariana asked.
"It is trouble," Crag told her. "The queens must not fight."
"Why not?" Ariana asked.
"We do not have many queens," Storm said. "And they are the strongest among us. To truly battle a queen is very dangerous."
"You fought me," Ariana said.
"Yes," Storm said. "And look at me now. Next you will have me eating grass from the field."
The other dragons laughed, but they stopped when Storm growled at them.
"It is like the stories of Talon," Kaz said.
"It is," Storm said as they passed over a high peak and began their descent into a rocky valley among the peaks, where lava flowed in some places, rivers in others and grass grew in between.
Circling below were more dragons than Ariana had imagined, dozens upon dozens of them flying in circles, their calls rageful challenges, screaming toward a group of dragons on the ground, at the mouth of a cave. Storm looked at the dragons, flying on either side of him.
"Will you accompany us or will you flee like cowards?" he asked.
"You would call us cowards?" Crag responded with a growl.
"Only if you fly away," Storm replied with a toothy grin.
"Later I will fight you," Crag said.
"I no longer fight with drakes," Storm said.
"When did you decide this?"
"When I became vassal to a queen."
Crag flew close and sniffed at Ariana again, then he flew even closer and looked her in the eye.
"I will fight you next," he said, growling a challenge.
Ariana was distracted by another challenge, a far more powerful one, and it was a raging bellow she recognized. Echoing from the mouth of the cave, Borrican's voice roared in a visceral call to which the circling dragons responded with challenges of their own. Ariana felt the heat within her rise at the sound of the intense and violent dragon emotions and she felt the fire within her flare to life as they flew toward the swirling sea of dragons below. The heat increased further at the intense and powerful roars that followed from the two dragons that stood guard outside the cave and Ariana felt herself spinning into a competitive rage that confused her so much that he did not even notice the flames that began to emanate and swirl around her.
Several of the dragons split off from the rest when they saw Storm and the four drakes approaching, sensing Ariana's presence. They were agitated by the distinctive power of a queen as much as curious at the flames burning from the tiny creature atop the young dragon's back.
"It is good that your fire does not burn me," Storm rumbled.
Ariana snapped out of the powerful emotions that had taken over her thoughts. She struggled to bring the flame under control, shifting them away from where she touched the dragon. It was the best she could do, for every challenging roar from every dragon in the sky and on the ground fed the fire, making her want to fight them all. The part of her thoughts that retained some sense of her self was shocked by the madness of it. The idea that she could even consider fighting so many dragons was sheer insanity, and she knew why dragons were so dangerous. If they were so compelled to fight, so attuned to violence, it was no wonder that they were feared by so many in the world, even though it had been many generations since anyone had even seen a dragon.
"Hold on," Storm said, and Ariana felt him send his thoughts to the four drakes, who suddenly veered away, heading for the approaching dragons.
Storm beat his wings hard, climbing higher and higher, then he tucked back his wings and went into a steep dive, heading straight for the swirling mass of dragons. They passed the four drakes, who were holding up several of the dragons and continued gathering speed. Ariana felt the subtle adjustments in the tightening and movements of Storm's muscles as he extended his wings only enough to alter their course as they sped toward the circling dragons. They shot through, narrowly missing several of the creatures and Ariana noticed how much larger and more powerful they were than Storm or the other drakes. As much as the fire within her wanted to answer their challenges, she did not want to fight them. Storm extended his wings as they rushed toward the ground and Ariana felt as though she was being crushed against his neck by the sudden deceleration, then it eased up as he swooped over the rocky ground, almost touching it as he angled toward the mouth of the cave and the two dragons in front of it. A moment later, Ariana was pressed against his neck once more as he flared his wings and came to a landing, and she felt the vibration from his neck as he let out a fearsome roar.
The two dragons bellowed back and Ariana understood only the feelings of their response, to keep away and that coming any closer would mean death. She knew the threats were not idle, and she felt Storm's aggressive confidence lessen a little. Instinctively she sent him a reassuring thought, confident and aggressive herself, which seemed to reinforce his stance, then he bowed his head toward the two dragons and Ariana climbed down from his neck.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Ariana felt the power in the land, both the rock beneath her feet and the tiny bits of moss and grass. There was life here, and she could tell that not much further beyond this place, the land was green with grass, trees and all sorts of flora. The added sense of her other powers helped, for though the fire within her had become a relentless inferno, the sight of the two queens in front of her was no less intimidating. They were both of a greenish color, their scales and horns glittering with gemstones of myriad colors. The larger dragon was a lighter yet richer color, and the smaller of the two was noticeably darker and somehow seemed familiar. Both dragons gave off an energy of intense calm, with an unmistakable and powerful underlying threat.
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"What are you doing, Storm?" Vale asked. "Are you a compete fool? It is too dangerous here for you, and far too dangerous for any but dragonkind."
"Vale," Storm said with a slight nod of his head. "Vana."
"I do not know what kind of trick you are playing at, Storm," Vale said. "This is not the time for such games."
"I play no games, Vale," Storm said.
Ariana heard faint echoes of what sounded like an argument between Storm and the two dragons and she wondered why she could not hear what they were saying. She realized that Storm was letting her listen in on what the other dragons intended to be a private conversation, and from the sound of things, they were in no mood for any kind of intrusion, but the larger of the two dragons stared at her, with a penetrating look that was almost completely unnerving.
"What have you brought to this place?" Vana asked, eyeing the human and sniffing the air, catching her peculiar scent.
"I have brought the Queen of Akandra," Storm replied.
"The Akandra queen died. She is no more," Vale said. "I can sense power from this one, but she is no dragon."
"The Queens of Kandara are not typically dragons," Vana reminded her daughter as she took a slow step forward toward Ariana, looking at her more closely, curious at the flames that swirled around her and catching the scent of the distinctive power, one that she recognized. She stepped closer and looked directly at Ariana and opened up her thoughts to her.