wanted?”
Emallya looked away and stared at the mountains marching away into the distance. “I had three children. My second child, a son, became a Dragon Rider. He was killed by a Shadow Rider fifteen years after Hatching his dragon. My youngest became a mage. He never had any children of his own and died in the last battle of the War of Fire. My oldest had not a spark of magic in her. She had three children. By the time the last battle came around, I had seven great-grandchildren. The youngest great-grandchild was only a tiny baby. She and her family were all killed in the last battle of the War of Fire. There was nothing left of their home but charred ruins. After Rylin was killed, I no longer cycled. A rider cannot cycle if their dragon does not and my dragon was dead.”
She turned back to look at Maleena, her eyes hardened by memories of despair. “Shadow Riders took everything from me except Bardeck, Mernoth, and…”
“And what?” Maleena’s brow furrowed; the older woman had left something out.
Emallya shook her head and smiled slightly. “Nothing. It is just sometimes the things that survived surprise me.”
Maleena nodded, thinking the other woman meant the Ka’ti. “You only had three in all that time?”
Emallya chuckled. “As you have discovered, we are not a particularly fertile lot. Our dragons have strange cycles and it messes up the rhythm of our own. How many times have you cycled in the two and a half years since you hatched Nydara?”
“Four…maybe five,” Maleena admitted. It saddened her that it could still be many years before she might have a child.
“You see? With your cycles so rare and erratic, it is hard for your body to be receptive and allow a babe to settle in.” Emallya smiled. “It will happen eventually, I am sure.”
Kirynn’s shadow fell across them as she and Vaddoc walked up. “It’s hard to practice when you are lounging around.”
Maleena tipped her head back and looked up at her friend. The redhead smiled at her. “Emallya decided I had enough and it was time to stop. Honestly, I think she grew tired of knocking me into the dirt repeatedly.”
Kirynn laughed. “You will get it. And even if you are never great with weapons, you have other strengths. Not everyone is meant to be a warrior.”
K irynn sat in the saddle on Syrakynn, waiting for Vaddoc. The light orbs and torches set around the caldera rim held back the dark of a new moon. Two Defenders stood near, ready to lead the horses through the Slide. Thanks to her dragon-bond, she could pick out the scrollwork on the horses saddles. Namir stood to her left, Cat already on the saddle. Kirynn shook her head, remembering the night Cat had scared a very young Namir. Now, the dragon refused to leave for Shadereen without the animal.
Vaddoc strode across the caldera floor to Namir’s side. He stopped to fasten the catcher strap then stepped up on the gold’s front leg and pulled himself into the saddle. Cat trilled and watched with orange eyes as Vaddoc fastened the safety straps.
Syrakynn shifted, ready to lift off and the horses shied back. The Defenders had to work to keep the animals under control. Kirynn laughed. “You really need to stop looking at the horses like you want to eat them, it makes them too nervous,” she sent.
“But I do want to eat them. Surely there is one somewhere that isn’t wanted,” the red sent back.
“I doubt anyone is going to offer one of their horses up for a meal.”
The dragon huffed and eyed the horses again. Kirynn shook her head. Sometimes the red was impossible.
The other riders and their dragons stood around them. Her eyes drifted across Kellinar, Serena, Taela, Mckale, Maleena, and the new riders. Her companions and greatest friends. Her gaze lingered on their faces and their dragons. When would she see them again? What did the future hold? Sadness tightened her chest for a moment. If things didn’t go well…would she ever see them
Emallya looked away and stared at the mountains marching away into the distance. “I had three children. My second child, a son, became a Dragon Rider. He was killed by a Shadow Rider fifteen years after Hatching his dragon. My youngest became a mage. He never had any children of his own and died in the last battle of the War of Fire. My oldest had not a spark of magic in her. She had three children. By the time the last battle came around, I had seven great-grandchildren. The youngest great-grandchild was only a tiny baby. She and her family were all killed in the last battle of the War of Fire. There was nothing left of their home but charred ruins. After Rylin was killed, I no longer cycled. A rider cannot cycle if their dragon does not and my dragon was dead.”
She turned back to look at Maleena, her eyes hardened by memories of despair. “Shadow Riders took everything from me except Bardeck, Mernoth, and…”
“And what?” Maleena’s brow furrowed; the older woman had left something out.
Emallya shook her head and smiled slightly. “Nothing. It is just sometimes the things that survived surprise me.”
Maleena nodded, thinking the other woman meant the Ka’ti. “You only had three in all that time?”
Emallya chuckled. “As you have discovered, we are not a particularly fertile lot. Our dragons have strange cycles and it messes up the rhythm of our own. How many times have you cycled in the two and a half years since you hatched Nydara?”
“Four…maybe five,” Maleena admitted. It saddened her that it could still be many years before she might have a child.
“You see? With your cycles so rare and erratic, it is hard for your body to be receptive and allow a babe to settle in.” Emallya smiled. “It will happen eventually, I am sure.”
Kirynn’s shadow fell across them as she and Vaddoc walked up. “It’s hard to practice when you are lounging around.”
Maleena tipped her head back and looked up at her friend. The redhead smiled at her. “Emallya decided I had enough and it was time to stop. Honestly, I think she grew tired of knocking me into the dirt repeatedly.”
Kirynn laughed. “You will get it. And even if you are never great with weapons, you have other strengths. Not everyone is meant to be a warrior.”
K irynn sat in the saddle on Syrakynn, waiting for Vaddoc. The light orbs and torches set around the caldera rim held back the dark of a new moon. Two Defenders stood near, ready to lead the horses through the Slide. Thanks to her dragon-bond, she could pick out the scrollwork on the horses saddles. Namir stood to her left, Cat already on the saddle. Kirynn shook her head, remembering the night Cat had scared a very young Namir. Now, the dragon refused to leave for Shadereen without the animal.
Vaddoc strode across the caldera floor to Namir’s side. He stopped to fasten the catcher strap then stepped up on the gold’s front leg and pulled himself into the saddle. Cat trilled and watched with orange eyes as Vaddoc fastened the safety straps.
Syrakynn shifted, ready to lift off and the horses shied back. The Defenders had to work to keep the animals under control. Kirynn laughed. “You really need to stop looking at the horses like you want to eat them, it makes them too nervous,” she sent.
“But I do want to eat them. Surely there is one somewhere that isn’t wanted,” the red sent back.
“I doubt anyone is going to offer one of their horses up for a meal.”
The dragon huffed and eyed the horses again. Kirynn shook her head. Sometimes the red was impossible.
The other riders and their dragons stood around them. Her eyes drifted across Kellinar, Serena, Taela, Mckale, Maleena, and the new riders. Her companions and greatest friends. Her gaze lingered on their faces and their dragons. When would she see them again? What did the future hold? Sadness tightened her chest for a moment. If things didn’t go well…would she ever see them
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