Dragon Airways

by Brian Rathbone

  * * *

  With her hair tied up in the tightest bun possible, Riette let the wind hold her in place. Never had Dashiq flown so fast, nor had any dragon in a thousand years. Having the tales she'd grown up on suddenly become reality, heroic figures now flesh and blood, made Riette question everything. Nothing was as it had been in Sparrowport, but not everything was bad. No matter how difficult and terrifying things had been, she knew Emmet better now than she had her entire life. She was proud of him and understood his behavior so much better. The more magic he came into contact with, the less frequent his outbursts and episodes became.

  No matter how fast they flew, nothing could make such a journey short.

  "And for today's inflight meal, we have smoked fish strips and pickled eggs," Tuck said.

  Riette wrinkled her nose. It felt like forever since she'd eaten anything other than smoked fish and pickled eggs.

  "And whatever you do," Tuck continued, "don't ask for salt."

  Diving low, Dashiq extended her claws forward and dragged them through the water, sending thick spray over her passengers. Barabas shook his head. It didn't take long for them to dry, and they ate in silence, having long since run out of things to talk about. When Dashiq roared, even Barabas jumped. Moments later, a form was visible in the air before them. His movements erratic and his flight path too low for comfort, Berigor carried two passengers. No matter how she'd felt about Keldon Tallowborn in the past, Riette was happy to see the men alive, grateful for what they had done to help Barabas, Dashiq, and Emmet. If not for their bravery and ingenuity, Riette would likely have had to watch her companions die. She'd seen the battle from above; Dashiq would not have been able to dodge such overwhelming fire. Based on Berigor's flight, he had not come away unscathed.

  "We were going to come back for you," Keldon said after the initial shock of seeing Dashiq approaching at such high speed and wearing a glittering saddle, "but he's hurt bad."

  "You did plenty," Barabas said. He would have gone on, but the dragons interrupted with a conversation of their own. Riette had no idea what their roars conveyed until Berigor moved over top of them. Dashiq slowed, matching his speed. Lower the larger dragon came, claws extended. Riette trusted Dashiq implicitly, and she didn't think Berigor would intentionally hurt them, but he was an enormous creature who was visibly injured; one mistake could be deadly. A moment later, his claws closed around the root of Dashiq's tail.

  Firmly connected together, the two dragons wobbled in the air, dangerously close to the waves below. Riette nearly screamed when Berigor's torso came close to crushing them all. As Dashiq pushed them higher, the larger dragon exerted tremendous downward force. Soon, though, the majestic creatures found synchronicity. Trimming his wings, Berigor moved into a more aerodynamically sound position, and the air around them became less turbulent. Gradually their speed increased, but never did they quite reach the speed Dashiq could attain alone.

  Whatever comfort level Riette had developed with regard to flying adragonback, nothing had prepared her for this. Emmet appeared unconcerned, but at least Tuck had the sense to look worried.

  "What are we going to do?" Riette asked, unable to endure the silence any longer.

  Tuck shrugged. "The war ain't over yet, but at least the war ain't over yet." He had a way of saying things that made no sense yet made perfect sense. "The gods have been watching over us thus far. I just hope they haven't grown tired of us."

  "The gods?" Riette asked. "With all the terrible things that have happened, you really think the gods are watching over us?"

  "Perhaps they are having a good laugh at our expense," Tuck admitted. "I like to think there might be someone on my side, and maybe every once in a while, they might nudge things in my favor."

  "And what if you're wrong?" Riette asked.

  He shrugged. "What's the use of being right if it don't make you feel no better?"

  Resisting the urge to correct his grammar, Riette responded, "What's the use of feeling better if you're wrong?"

  "I suppose it's all in how you look at it," Tuck said.

  Barabas nodded and Riette let the conversation drop. All she really wanted was to be back on dry land, able to walk and stretch. She worried her bum would be completely flat when the trip was finally over. Seeing the dragon's blood trees come into view was among the happiest moments of her life. They had at least made it this far. She was not home yet, but she was one step closer. Part of her wondered if any home remained for her, but just being back in the land of her birth would be reassuring. Not until she'd had to leave had she realized how comforting familiar surroundings could be. Another part of her wanted to see the faces of people she cared about. The thoughts brought tears. The wind sent them streaming back along her cheeks, and she rubbed her eyes. Dashiq made the final approach. With a roar, Berigor released his grip on Dashiq and soared away from her, his wings popping and cracking as he extended them after so much time mostly retracted.

  Moments after Dashiq alighted on the rocky, shell-filled shoreline, Berigor landed not far away, groaning on impact. Everyone dismounted with haste and remove the saddles. Keldon and Tarin attended to Berigor. Riette helped Emmet down and assisted in unstrapping the carriage. Their makeshift repairs had made it more difficult to remove and apparently far less comfortable for the dragon. Once they had the carriage lowered to the rocks, Dashiq moved to Berigor, her glittering saddle still firmly secured. The two dragons had a low conversation of rumbling, whines, and woofing grunts.

  "You should have told me what you were doing," Barabas said to Keldon. For a moment the two men just stood and stared at one another. "But I also appreciate what you did. Your sacrifice was great."

  "You would not have agreed to the plan," Keldon said. "I knew we could do it but didn't have the time to explain it to you, so we left while you all slept. It was clear you needed the rest before you would be fit for battle. I took a calculated risk."

  Barabas nodded his head and said no more. Reaching for the pocket of his long coat, he found it torn, the contents lost to the wind. He sighed.

  "Let me have your coat," Riette said.

  Barabas gave her a confused look.

  "Just take it off, and let me have it."

  The tall man nodded and did as she instructed. From within her bags, still stowed away in the carriage, she retrieved her sewing kit. It had been so long since she'd sewn, the needle felt strange in her hands. Even with a thimble, her fingertips were soft and tender in comparison to when she had worked as a seamstress on a daily basis. It did not take long, though, before she found a rhythm that soothed her senses and brought a familiar calm. It was as if her mother were there with her. Stitches became difficult to see through her tears, and when she wiped them away, she did a double take. What was that sticking out of the water?

  "Look out!" she shouted.

  Emmet hit her then, knocking her sideways and causing her to fall on the stones, skinning her palms. The coat, needle, and thread flew to one side. An instant later, heavy shot struck the place where she'd been standing a moment before. A shower of hot rock and shells erupted, stinging anyone close. More cannon barrels were visible when Riette looked back to the water. Scrambling to get herself and Emmet to safety, Riette realized there was no safe place to hide. The island was smooth and worn. The dragon's blood trees, all that protruded above the surrounding stone, were too far away to be much use at that moment.

  Her brother's coat collar in her hand, she ran for the trees. Berigor roared and thrust himself between the air cannons and the six people on the shoreline. Those lurking below the waves were relentless, and the dragon cried out. Dashiq, though, took to the air. Never had Riette seen such an angry creature. Light flared around the metal structure embedded in the right side of her face and the glittering saddle, which was currently empty. Azzakkan's Eye blazed. Electric plasma erupted from Dashiq's open jaws. Like a tornado of fire laced with lightning, the torrent blasted back the shallow waters and exposed three oblong ships
somehow operating while fully submerged. Riette couldn't imagine how terrifying it must be onboard such a vessel and counted her blessings she was a dragon rider. She'd never thought of it that way until then, but the benefits were obvious when your mode of transportation can also act on its own to protect you.

  In that moment, Riette was exceedingly thankful for dragons. No more shots were fired, and what remained of the underwater craft disappeared back under the waves. Cannon barrels still protruded from the water but now rested at odd angles, the ships listing and turning in the surf.

  "There will be more!" Barabas barked.

  No one needed to be told what to do next. Wiping blood from a cut not far from her eye, Riette considered herself lucky. Once again her brother had saved her life. She had underestimated him, indeed. It made her swell with pride and guilt at the same time, though she'd begun to forgive herself for being wrong for so many years. She'd done her best and would do better going forward. Nothing was more important at that instant than getting the carriage strapped back on. It seemed foolish now to have taken it off; even knowing Barabas had wanted to inspect Dashiq for wounds. They were at war, and they had been careless; a price would be paid.

  Al'Drakon and Tarin ran toward their saddle, but Berigor removed that option. Swooping across the shoreline, the dragon grabbed one man in each claw and flapped his mighty wings, no matter how much it must hurt. Lacking Azzakkan's Eye and the stone-encrusted saddle, he flew away looking no better than when they had first encountered him.

  "To the Heights!" Keldon shouted while dangling from Berigor's claws.

  "We'll meet you there!" Barabas bellowed.