by D J DuMont
“Honored Dragons, here stands Sylvie Asher of the Dragon Hearts. Which of you will take her as your rider?”
The dragons again consulted, until finally the golden yellow dragon stepped forward. Sam seemed awed by this.
“Saffron,” Sam said in a reverent tone. Then he turned to look at Anjali. “Our most picky dragon has finally chosen.” Anjali nodded and smiled,
Sylvie gave Sam a curious look, then reached up gingerly to pet Saffron’s neck. “What do you mean, picky?”
“Saffron has been here longer than any of the other dragons, but she has refused to pick a rider. It’s how she got the name saffron. Saffron is one of the most expensive, exquisite spices, and we figured it was a fitting name for a dragon who was too exquisite for any of the riders who have come through before. But it looks like Saffron has finally found a rider worthy of her. Congratulations, Sylvie. I think you’ll be a good match for her. She needs someone who will treat her gently and with a lot of respect, and I know you’ll do that for her.”
Sylvie’s smile broadened as Mandie spoke the magic spell to bind Saffron to her new rider. Willow’s heart filled with pride as she watched Sylvie petting her new dragon. Sylvie was so gentle. If it was true that Saffron required a special touch to manage her, then Sylvie was indeed the best match for the golden dragon. Sylvie could make anyone like her, even the pickiest of dragons.
At last it was Willow’s turn. She was called up to the line of dragons, but before Mandie had even finished asking which dragon would take her, Cayenne was bounding forward. Willow giggled. “Hey, girl,” she said to the dragon. “Nice to make things official, huh?”
Cayenne snorted in response, and Willow laughed again. Sam, however, wasn’t laughing. He was eyeing Willow with an expression that was somewhere between doubtful and angry. Willow sighed. Was he really still mad at her about seeing the dragons when he wasn’t around? He needed to get over it. Willow turned her attention to hugging Cayenne’s giant neck, determined not to let Sam ruin this special moment. But when Sam spoke, Willow realized his expression hadn’t exactly been one of anger. Sam was actually concerned for her.
“Willow, we named this dragon Cayenne for a reason. She has a spicy personality, and she can be quite difficult to handle when she’s in the wrong mood.”
Willow felt Cayenne swing her giant head around to look at Sam. The dragon gave off a low, warning growl, but Sam wasn’t scared. He threw his hands up and let out an exasperated sigh.
“Alright, alright. I know this is your choice, Cayenne. But you need to remember that Willow is new at this whole dragon thing. Save some of your spicier antics for when she’s gotten used to you, okay?”
Cayenne snorted and shook her head indignantly, and Willow laughed.
“Sam, I’m sure I can handle her. How much ‘spicier’ could she be than the other dragons?”
“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Sam said. “Just make sure you’re always paying attention when you work with her. That dragon is going to keep you on your toes.”
Willow shrugged and nodded, but Cayenne snorted again. Mandie seemed to have had enough of the whole ceremony at this point, and quickly spoke the words to bind Willow and Cayenne together. There would be a fancy dinner now, with special treats for the dragons as well, but the most important part of the ceremony was done. Willow and Cayenne were now joined as a team. They would work together to fight back against those who wanted to bring harm to the country’s leaders.
“Time to have some fun, Cayenne,” Willow whispered. “Let’s see just how ‘spicy’ you can get.”
Cayenne nuzzled Willow’s face in response, and Willow smiled. But still, Willow couldn’t help but wonder if Sam was right. Was this all going to be too much for her? Locke and Cara always seemed so confident. Even Sylvie, who had fewer Dragon Hearts in her family than Willow, seemed to have no misgivings about the days ahead. But Willow was worried. Was she going to be able to pull off riding on and working with a dragon?
Ready or not, she was about to find out.
Chapter Twenty-One
“No, no, no! Willow, what are you doing? Pay attention!”
Anjali let out a frustrated grunt and then pointed her magic ring at the large beaker in front of Willow—the beaker that was currently sending up purple sparks and green plumes of smoke.
“Potio deleo,” Anjali said. Instantly, the sparks stopped, and the last few puffs of green smoke disappeared.
Flustered, Willow pushed back the stray strands of hair that were falling forward onto her sweaty face. This should have been an easy potion. Anjali was going easy on them in all of their classes today, since she wanted them to be calm and ready for their first dragon training class this afternoon. But although Willow had shown improvement in potions class lately, today was not going well.
“Willow, a sleeping potion is one of the easiest potions to make. We learned it on your very first day of magic classes, back in September. You should be able to do it in your sleep, no pun intended.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I guess I have a lot on my mind and was kind of distracted.”
From somewhere behind her, Willow heard Locke laughing. Anger burned in the pit of her stomach. Why did that boy think he was so much better than everyone? So what if his family had been Dragon Hearts for as far back as they could remember? So what if their magical abilities had been around for centuries, for much longer than the CIA’s Dragon Heart Program had even existed? That didn’t make him a better person than Willow. It didn’t make him a better Dragon Heart Agent than any of the other students. Willow was tempted to turn around and throw the green, slimy liquid leftover from her potion right into his face. She might have actually done it if it hadn’t been for Anjali stepping in right then.
“Locke, that’s enough. I’ve just about reached my limit with your attitude. All of the Dragon Heart Agents, including Willow, are on your team. We are only as strong as our weakest link, so if you think Willow is the weakest link—which by the way, she’s not—then I suggest you help her get better rather than laughing at her.”
Willow dared to peek over at Locke. He had a sullen expression on his face, and quickly turned away from Anjali’s piercing gaze to start cleaning his beakers. Cara, who always stood next to him during potions, was a little less quick to turn away. She shook her head at Willow in a way that indicated either pity or disgust. Or perhaps both. Willow wasn’t quite sure.
In any case, Willow felt her cheeks burning with shame as she moved to start cleaning up her beaker and test tubes. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled again. “I’ll pay closer attention.”
Anjali let out a sigh, and looked like she was about to say something else when a knock on the door distracted her. Sam stepped into the room, wanting to ask Anjali something about the dragon training session that would be starting soon. Relieved that she was no longer under the spotlight, Willow began cleaning even faster. If she could get this done and get out of here before Sam finished talking to Anjali, maybe she wouldn’t have to face Anjali again until tomorrow.
“Don’t let them get to you,” Sylvie’s whispered voice said into Willow’s right ear. Willow sighed and glanced over at Locke and Cara, who were themselves talking to each other in low tones. It didn’t take a genius to know they were talking about Willow, and Willow looked over at Sylvie with a defeated expression.
“He’s kind of right, you know? I don’t think I really belong here. Every time I think I’m getting the hang of this, I do something stupid like sending my sleeping potion up in smoke. Green smoke, no less.”
Sylvie smiled. “It actually looked kind of cool, even if it didn’t accomplish what the potion was intended for.”
“Great. I’m glad I can make cool-looking potions. A lot of good that will do when fighting against our enemies. Hey guys, I know you want to assassinate the president, but why would you do that when you could watch me make this cool green smoke?”
Sylvie laughed. “You’ll be the greatest Dragon Heart Agent ever.
Anytime someone tries to bring you down, you’ll disappear into a cloud of green smoke. They’ll start to call you the Green Smoke Agent.”
Willow cracked a small smile. “Maybe I can earn extra money by performing at children’s birthday parties on the weekends.”
“Now there’s an idea.”
Willow sighed again as she washed the last of the green goop from her beaker. “Seriously, though. How am I going to pass our Magic Midterms when I can’t even make the easiest of potions? And have you seen me trying to cast spells in charms this week? My magic is so unfocused that it’s like I’m not even wearing a magic ring.”
Willow looked down at her magic ring. The brilliant purple stone sparkled in the bright light of the potions lab, but Willow herself felt like she had lost her sparkle.
“I think the problem is that you yourself are focused on the wrong things,” Sylvie said. “You’re so hung up on what might go wrong that you can’t focus on doing things right. Just relax. Remember how well you were doing magic when you first got back from winter break? It’s because you’d taken time to rest. Why don’t you find something to do tonight that doesn’t require you to think about magic? Maybe you and I should go see a movie with Alexis or something. Since she isn’t part of the Dragon Heart Program, we won’t be tempted to talk about magic or dragons around her.”
Willow made a face, but finally nodded. “Alright. I’ll ask her if she’s free. I should make more of an effort to hang out with her, anyway. She’s been so nice to me.”
Sylvie smiled. “She understands you’re busy, even if she doesn’t know the exact reasons why. But you’re right. I’m sure she’d jump at the chance to spend more time with you.”
Willow nodded. “I’m sure. But first, I have to get through my first dragon training session.”
“It’s the very first lesson. They’re not going to give us something difficult on the first day. How hard could it be?”
Willow made a face and pointed to where her slimy green potion had been a few minutes ago. “That was a potion from the very first day of potions class. And I managed to mess it up quite horribly.”
Sylvie laughed. “Fair enough. But at least Cayenne and Saffron know what they’re doing. We’ll be alright.”
“I hope so. There’s only one way to find out.”
Willow glanced over her shoulder at Anjali, who was now discussing Locke’s potion with him. Locke beamed with pride as he pointed to his beaker, and Willow resisted the urge to roll her eyes. But she couldn’t completely write Locke off. He was talented at magic. That only made his bragging all the more infuriating. Why had he been so blessed with talent, when he treated everyone else so poorly? Shouldn’t karma have made him struggle with magic a bit, to balance out his big ego?
Willow sighed. “Come on, Sylvie. Class is over and I can’t stand listening to Locke anymore. Let’s go get ready for dragon training.”
* * *
A little over thirty minutes later, Willow was standing in the large clearing near the dragon stables, wearing her black Dragon Heart uniform and shifting nervously back and forth from one foot to the other. Beside her, Sylvie was managing to look calm, but Willow didn’t miss the way her friend was chewing her lower lip. Sylvie was nervous, too. This was a big day. After all, a Dragon Heart Agent wasn’t much of a Dragon Heart without a dragon.
Locke, of course, was the picture of confidence. He stood tall, with his hands on his hips and his eyes fixed straight ahead on Sam. Sam droned on about what an honor it was to even see dragons in person, let alone be allowed to work with them. Willow resisted the overwhelming urge to roll her eyes. They all knew this was an honor. She wished Sam would stop yakking and get the real lesson started. The longer she had to stand here waiting, the more nervous she was about actually working with a dragon.
Locke tilted his head to the side as he listened, and Willow thought for a second he was going to catch her watching him. But he didn’t see, and she breathed a small sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted right now was for him to have more fuel with which to tease her.
Finally, Sam finished his speech and called the dragons forward. The beasts had all been waiting patiently behind Sam, but when he gave them permission to move, they bounded forward like a group of excited puppies. Despite her nervousness, Willow had to laugh at how cute they were. Yarrow even gave Locke a big lick across the face, and Locke laughed, forgetting for a moment to act cool.
Cayenne nuzzled Willow, but seemed more reserved than usual. Willow frowned, and started rubbing the dragon’s neck.
“What is it, girl?” she asked in a soft voice. “Are you nervous, too? We’re quite a pair, huh?”
But Cayenne shook her head impatiently. She wasn’t nervous. Something else was wrong.
“What is it?” Willow asked again. But Cayenne only looked at her with sad eyes. Before Willow could ask anything else, Sam was interrupting to begin the lesson.
“Alright, now, you’ve probably noticed that the dragons aren’t wearing saddles today. We don’t use saddles during the early part of training, because it’s important for you to learn to ride your dragon without them. You never know when you might be in a situation where you don’t have access to a saddle for some reason. We want to make sure you’re confident enough in your riding skills to go bareback.”
Willow felt her heart pounding in her chest. No saddle meant no saddle horn. There would be nothing to hold onto except Cayenne’s back, which was made of smooth scales. The idea of being hundreds of feet in the air without the security of a saddle made Willow’s nerves even worse. And she wasn’t the only one feeling that way: Cara was visibly shaking.
“How are we supposed to keep from falling?” Cara asked, her voice trembling. Willow was glad that Cara had asked the question so that she wouldn’t have to. Willow had made enough of a fool out of herself already today, without looking like a coward during dragon training as well. Locke was already looking at Cara with a sneering expression, but Sam took the question seriously.
“Don’t worry,” he said, smiling kindly at Cara. “We’ll take things slowly. And besides, your dragon won’t let you fall.”
Cara nodded, but didn’t look convinced. Sam wasn’t hesitating anymore with starting the lesson, though. He took a few steps back, and started speaking in a loud, authoritative voice.
“We’re going to start out with learning how to mount and dismount from the dragons while they’re lying on the ground. This is the easiest way to get on and off your dragon, and you will master it before we move on. Be aware, however, that you will eventually need to learn to get on your dragon while it is standing or even moving. It’s important that you be able to make a quick getaway when necessary. Now, Dragons, please lie down.”
Saffron, Yarrow, and Nutmeg obediently pressed their bellies down against the ground. Cayenne, however, balked and let out a few puffs of smoke. Willow looked from Cayenne to Sam in confusion. Had she done something to make Cayenne mad? How was it possible that she had already messed up dragon training? They had barely even started! Cayenne grunted again, and to Willow’s right, she heard Locke laughing.
“Cayenne, please,” Willow whispered. To her surprise, Cayenne swung her giant dragon head to look right in Willow’s eyes. Willow hadn’t thought her whisper had been loud enough for anyone to actually hear, but Cayenne had heard it, judging from her reaction. Dragons must have excellent hearing. Cayenne let out a long, low whine, and Willow heard Sam sighing beside her.
“Cayenne, we can’t do anything about Clove right now. If you want to be able to work with Willow, you need to participate in training with her.”
Cayenne grunted and joined the other dragons in lying on the ground, but she didn’t look happy. Willow walked up to her and pressed her face against the dragon’s face. Cayenne whined again, so low this time that only Willow could hear it.
“It’s Clove? That’s why you’re upset?” Willow asked.
Cayenne whined again. Willow felt a rush of fear
fill her. If something was wrong with Clove, she had to figure it out. But she knew better than to ask Sam. Sam was a nice enough teacher, but he didn’t like anyone messing with the dragons without his permission—and Willow was already on the list of people Sam didn’t trust, thanks to her earlier unauthorized visits to the dragons.
“Don’t worry, Cayenne. We’ll figure out a way to help Clove. For now, let’s just concentrate on this lesson. The sooner we learn to work together, the sooner you’ll be answering to me instead of to Sam.”
This seemed to please Cayenne. She turned her dragon lips up into a slight smile and sent up a puff of happy smoke. Willow was glad that Cayenne was happy, but she herself was worried now. If Clove was unhappy again, did that mean that her father was in danger and Clove somehow knew?
Willow pushed back the fear that tried to rise within her. For the moment, she needed to focus on dragon training class. At Sam’s bidding, she climbed onto Cayenne’s back. Sylvie, Cara, and Locke all climbed onto their dragons as well. Cayenne’s back felt more secure than Willow had thought it would. The scales were smooth but tough, and they were closer together on Cayenne’s back than they were on her neck or face. The way each scale overlapped the next made it possible for Willow to grab on and hold tight to her dragon. Flying high with no saddle would probably still be scary, but at least Willow had a way to hold on.
Willow looked over at Sylvie, and, for a moment, forgot to be afraid. There was something magnificent about being on a dragon’s back. Even here, on the ground, Willow suddenly felt like she was on top of the world. She felt stronger, more at peace, and like she could actually learn to do magic well. When Sylvie smiled back at Willow, Willow knew her friend felt the same. In fact, even Locke smiled back at Willow when she caught his eye, and Cara looked less afraid than usual. All four of them in that moment were united as one team.