Thea seemed lost in thought as she so often was these days. After talking to Merik, I was worried that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to find these Dragon Stones. But if we didn’t find them, Lord Vincent might, and he could use them to bring the Darkening to power. There didn’t seem to be any good choices.
At the lip of the enclosure, I could see down into the wide, tiered crater with the caves where the dragons nested. Kalax rested on a ledge in front of her cave, her red hue almost blending with the rocks.
Behind me, Thea hitched up the harness and saddle she was carrying. As Dragon Riders we could leave the academy when we wanted to, for the most part. But if we were gone for a long time, there would be questions to answer. I wanted to leave early and be back soon.
A low, throaty moan split the air, and I froze. That had definitely come from a dragon, but it was unlike any sound I’d heard them make. I opened my mind to the dragons and sensed an unease.
“Seb?” Thea asked. She nudged me with an elbow. “What is it?”
“I think—something might be wrong.” I gripped my own saddle and harness tight, and quickened my steps. We headed down along narrow goat trails that led into the enclosure.
Most of the dragons were still asleep. A few were out sunning themselves on the warm slabs of rock at the bottom of the enclosure, soaking up the heat of the hot springs below the earth.
“Erufon,” I whispered, pointing to where the vast bulk of golden scales spread out on one of the stones. I held my breath, worried for a moment, before I saw his sides heave up and down with the deep breathing of sleep. But something else was bothering me. Reached out with all of my senses, I felt what seemed to be something hovering over Erufon.
A shadow fell over us. Looking up, I saw that Kalax had come down to land on the rock next to us. She purred at us in her throaty voice. She knew we would be flying today.
Reaching up to touch her nose, I asked, “What’s wrong with Erufon, Kalax?”
Beside me, Thea dropped her saddle and stared at me. I could still sense something odd about Erufon—there was something wrong with his belly.
Bad fish , Kalax thought at me. I was inclined to agree.
I said the same to Thea and told her, “We’ll have to tell the commander about Erufon when we get back.” Kalax dropped her shoulder to allow us to attach the saddles. On the other side of the enclosure, Erufon turned over onto his side and opened a lazy eye to stare at us.
“Is he going to be alright?” Thea asked.
“I think so.” I cast my mind over Erufon once again, and could find nothing else wrong except for that vague discomfort. “Maybe he’s not used to the simple, wild food they have here,” I said. I whistled to Kalax, who stuck her head up and gave back a rumble.
The Leviathan Mountains. “Yep, that’s it Kalax—that’s where we’re going.”
*
The Leviathan Mountains ran down the world like a scar. On one side, extending right down past the end, stood the Middle Kingdom of Torvald. Beyond the mountains lay the southern reaches, the pirate islands, the archipelago, and the hot and burnt lands. On the north-western side of the mountains, the wild lands stretched out, home to bandits, tribes, and the fierce, wild black dragons that raided our crops and fields every summer.
They were the largest mountains in the world, or so Merik had told me, and he would know. The foothills spread out for leagues. The mountain-tops were almost always dusted with snow, and a bluish haze spread out from the constant cooling winds that came off the hills.
Kalax did a flyover of the full range, and then we headed to the highest, sharpest, conical peak. To one side stood Winter’s Pass, a deep cut that was one of the only routes for wagons and caravans. It looked a natural site for a battle. Large armies could have met in the pass, and dragons could have found shelter on the slopes or up in the sky.
I tried to imagine what
At the lip of the enclosure, I could see down into the wide, tiered crater with the caves where the dragons nested. Kalax rested on a ledge in front of her cave, her red hue almost blending with the rocks.
Behind me, Thea hitched up the harness and saddle she was carrying. As Dragon Riders we could leave the academy when we wanted to, for the most part. But if we were gone for a long time, there would be questions to answer. I wanted to leave early and be back soon.
A low, throaty moan split the air, and I froze. That had definitely come from a dragon, but it was unlike any sound I’d heard them make. I opened my mind to the dragons and sensed an unease.
“Seb?” Thea asked. She nudged me with an elbow. “What is it?”
“I think—something might be wrong.” I gripped my own saddle and harness tight, and quickened my steps. We headed down along narrow goat trails that led into the enclosure.
Most of the dragons were still asleep. A few were out sunning themselves on the warm slabs of rock at the bottom of the enclosure, soaking up the heat of the hot springs below the earth.
“Erufon,” I whispered, pointing to where the vast bulk of golden scales spread out on one of the stones. I held my breath, worried for a moment, before I saw his sides heave up and down with the deep breathing of sleep. But something else was bothering me. Reached out with all of my senses, I felt what seemed to be something hovering over Erufon.
A shadow fell over us. Looking up, I saw that Kalax had come down to land on the rock next to us. She purred at us in her throaty voice. She knew we would be flying today.
Reaching up to touch her nose, I asked, “What’s wrong with Erufon, Kalax?”
Beside me, Thea dropped her saddle and stared at me. I could still sense something odd about Erufon—there was something wrong with his belly.
Bad fish , Kalax thought at me. I was inclined to agree.
I said the same to Thea and told her, “We’ll have to tell the commander about Erufon when we get back.” Kalax dropped her shoulder to allow us to attach the saddles. On the other side of the enclosure, Erufon turned over onto his side and opened a lazy eye to stare at us.
“Is he going to be alright?” Thea asked.
“I think so.” I cast my mind over Erufon once again, and could find nothing else wrong except for that vague discomfort. “Maybe he’s not used to the simple, wild food they have here,” I said. I whistled to Kalax, who stuck her head up and gave back a rumble.
The Leviathan Mountains. “Yep, that’s it Kalax—that’s where we’re going.”
*
The Leviathan Mountains ran down the world like a scar. On one side, extending right down past the end, stood the Middle Kingdom of Torvald. Beyond the mountains lay the southern reaches, the pirate islands, the archipelago, and the hot and burnt lands. On the north-western side of the mountains, the wild lands stretched out, home to bandits, tribes, and the fierce, wild black dragons that raided our crops and fields every summer.
They were the largest mountains in the world, or so Merik had told me, and he would know. The foothills spread out for leagues. The mountain-tops were almost always dusted with snow, and a bluish haze spread out from the constant cooling winds that came off the hills.
Kalax did a flyover of the full range, and then we headed to the highest, sharpest, conical peak. To one side stood Winter’s Pass, a deep cut that was one of the only routes for wagons and caravans. It looked a natural site for a battle. Large armies could have met in the pass, and dragons could have found shelter on the slopes or up in the sky.
I tried to imagine what
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