by Martha Carr
“I didn’t even think about it.” William grinned and nodded at Raven. “The only thing that matters is that Raven’s safe.”
“That is the most important thing, yes.” He removed his hand from the younger man’s shoulder and glanced at Headmaster Flynn. “But there’s more we need to discuss before we start south again.”
“You’re coming back with us?” Raven asked.
“For the night, Raven. We’ll part ways again in the morning, but we’ll discuss that later as well. Right now, we need to make sure everyone’s on the same page. Riders!” Connor clapped and stepped toward the fleet.
“Connor!”
“It’s Connor Alby.”
“He didn’t leave Brighton with us.”
“I heard he never leaves Brighton.”
Her grandfather raised his hands, nodded, and gestured for the riders to settle. “You did very well in coming together for this mission. So first, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for risking your own safety to ensure my granddaughter’s. Headmaster Flynn contacted me last night and explained the situation, so I also want to thank Rider Bentler and his dragon Abigail for setting aside their duties at the capital so I could join you.
“Yes, five enormous dragons are roosting in the valley east of Windroot Pass. Yes, they are ancient and powerful, as you all are quite aware. And yes, I spoke to them. Those dragons and I, on behalf of Lomberdoon, agreed to a truce. They will not touch another dragon ranch or farm within the great wall while they reside in that valley. The attacks over the last few days are extremely unfortunate, but they will not continue.
“But it’s imperative that we leave them alone. Do not target them or seek to drive them out. I need as many riders as possible who can still head out today to spread the word across the kingdom. The capital will draw up warnings to post but for now, word of mouth flying in on dragons’ wings is where we start. The Windroot Pass and especially the eastern valley beyond is forbidden to everyone. There will be fines, I imagine, for trespassers. At least, for those who manage to avoid being captured by the dragons who’ve agreed to this arrangement. No one is to approach Windroot Pass unless otherwise stated. The people need to know.”
“I can leave now,” one rider shouted.
“So can I.”
“Us too.”
“Thank you.” Connor put a hand over his heart and nodded. “I’ll leave it in your hands to decide the routes. Expect to hear from the capital. Your actions today won’t go unseen.”
The man turned and headed to Raven, Flynn, and William.
She stared at her grandfather. This is Rider Alby. I’ve only known the rancher.
“Now.” The old man smiled at them. “I think it’s best if we head as far south as we can for the next few hours and find a stable with enough space and an inn nearby. I imagine my granddaughter would enjoy a full meal and a soft bed.”
Raven snorted. “You have no idea.”
He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “And the four of us will have a chance to discuss the future in more detail.”
“Did you find something?” Flynn asked.
“Almost. Dinner first.” Connor pointed at the rider who’d brought him in from Havendom. “Rider Bentler will stay with us until they take me back in the morning. I’m quite sure he knows of the best place to stop for the night.”
“We’ll follow you.” William nodded. “Headmaster, you’re welcome to fly with Teo and me.”
“Thank you, Mr. Moss.” Flynn turned toward Leander with a smirk. “No offense.”
The dragon snorted. “Raven’s a better rider, anyway.”
“Ha. I have no doubt.” The man gave her a wink before he followed William to prepare Teo for two passengers and an extra saddle.
“Grandpa.”
Connor paused and favored her with a gentle smile.
Raven approached him and lowered her voice. “Why didn’t you tell the riders about the other part of your deal with Po?”
“With whom?”
“Oh. The giant black one.”
“That’s his name?”
“It’s the one he gave me.”
Her grandfather looked nonplussed for a moment before he fought back a laugh. “First of all, Raven, my business right now is none of anyone else’s. I did not tell them because they simply don’t need to know. Because now, we have ancient dragons from across the sea and magic is most certainly changing.”
The Benicio Dragon Ranch was smaller than the others Raven and Leander had visited, but the owners were more than happy to accept coin for stabling three dragons overnight and lodging five travelers at the inn located on the ranch.
The party received the keys to their rooms and were shown out to the large side porch overlooking the ranch. Mr. Benicio’s wife served them a full meal of spring vegetables, chicken pot pies, and berries with cream for dessert. Raven laughed when she’d cleared her plate and had a second helping of berries.
Seated beside her, William leaned over his plate and chuckled. “What?”
“I’m so glad beef wasn’t on the menu tonight.”
He frowned over a confused smile, and she laughed again.
“Giant dragon monsters aren’t really the best cooks.”
“They fed you beef?”
She shrugged. “I think so. Honestly, it was kind of hard to tell but it’s not like I had any other options.”
Shaking his head, he stared at the table. “I can’t believe you were in a cave with those beasts for two days.”
“Two and a half, really. And I was alone most of the time, so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.” She grinned at him, but the dragon trainer didn’t find it funny. “Hey. I’m okay. Thanks to you.”
“You can forget about it just like that, huh?”
“There’s no use in dwelling on it.” She shrugged and picked her tin cup of water up. “I think I did well in there, all things considered.
He laughed when she lifted the cup toward him in a toast, then picked his up and clinked it against hers.
Connor watched them with a knowing smile and cleared his throat. “Now that dinner’s out of the way and we’re all fed… Unless you want more, Raven?” He gestured toward the berries.
“No. Definitely not.”
“All right. There isn’t much I can tell you all without making things even more complicated and confusing. We simply don’t have the time before I return to the capital in the morning. But I will say this. I’m much closer than I was a few months ago to finding hard proof of magic’s return. Not only to spent mages, mind you, but to people who haven’t had magic in their family for years.”
“Have you found anyone else who suspects the same?” Flynn asked.
Connor’s face lit up as he looked at his old dragon-rider friend. “As a matter of fact, I’ve made contact several times with War Mage Athena. We’re working together on this, although it’s of a sensitive nature more along the lines of what she’s used to dealing with.”
“I see. And she agrees with you?”
“She does. I’m also quite certain she’ll agree with me when I tell her of this situation with the very old, very large dragons taking residence at Windroot Pass.”
“That magic woke them and brought them here, right?” William asked.
“Or that magic’s return woke them indirectly and the creatures manufactured a purpose and a reason for something they couldn’t explain. Whatever the answer is, I believe it lies somewhere along those lines, yes.”
Raven set her cup down. “Who’s War Mage Athena?”
“A friend. I hope. And that’s as much as I can tell you for now, Raven. It took me long enough to find her myself.” He turned to Headmaster Flynn again and leaned back in his chair. “It’s been a bumpy road and we’re not finished. Aiden, I may need Raven and Leander’s help with this in the future.”
“That’s something you’ll have to take up with them, Connor.” Flynn raised his hands. “I merely
run the school.”
The men chuckled before Connor placed a hand on the table beside Raven’s. “Would you be up for it? If I sent for you?”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t know. Is it gonna mess with my finals?”
“Hmm…probably not. I expect to be at this for another month at least before being able to take any real action. So until then, the rest of your year at Fowler shouldn’t be interrupted by anything else.”
She snorted. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. It’s already been more interrupted than I thought was possible.”
“Yes. I’ve heard what you and that dragon have been up to, Raven.”
“You have?”
Connor nodded and drained the last of his water. “Word travels fast, girl. It’s hard not to hear something about the young mage Raven Alby and her dragon familiar Leander. Even in the capital.”
She brushed the loose hair away from her face and smiled. “Wow.”
“Wow is right.” Her grandfather leaned toward her and grasped her wrist to give it a little squeeze. “I am so proud of you.”
“Well.” Headmaster Flynn pushed himself away from the table. “I think I’ll turn in early tonight. There’s been a marked lack of sleep all around. Good night.”
“Good night, Headmaster.” Raven and William nodded as the man stepped around the table and headed into the inn.
“I think that’s the best thing for me now too.” Connor stood as well and waited for her to join him. “I may not see you in the morning before we leave—”
“You’d better. I don’t care if you have to wake up the whole inn banging on my door. You can’t leave without saying goodbye.”
He wrapped his granddaughter in another massive hug and squeezed her tightly. “Then I’ll wake you if you haven’t yet outgrown the habit of waking up before dawn.”
“Not yet.” Raven pulled away and held his shoulders. “I love you, Grandpa.”
“I love you more, girl. Keep doing what you’re doing. Except for being abducted by monsters.” They both laughed and released each other. “Enjoy the rest of your evening. Mr. Moss.”
“Good night, sir.” William extended his hand and Connor grasped it firmly before he pulled the dragon trainer in for a firm hug.
“You’ve done very well too, William. Your father should be incredibly proud. Give him my best, will you?”
The young man bit his lip and nodded. The frown that flicked across his brow disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived. “I will.”
With another smile and nod, Connor Alby turned and disappeared off the side porch into the inn.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Wow.” Raven wiped her forehead and drained the last of her water. “The last few days, huh?”
“And to think you were jumping off my roof five days ago.”
Raven snorted and walked around the table to stand at the edge of the porch. The dragon ranch glowed with brilliant hues of orange, pink, and yellow as the sun set across the valley. Benicio Ranch only had about a dozen dragons in their paddock, all of whom still roamed freely out in the enclosure three-quarters of the size of Moss Ranch’s field. “It doesn’t matter how many dragons are around, does it? These are still happy.”
“Looks like it, yeah.” William joined her as she sat on the edge of the porch and dangled her feet over the edge. “It’s a tricky thing to get right. You know, what makes a dragon happy. But once you do, it doesn’t take much to keep it going.”
“So I’ve noticed.”
Leander trotted along the fence around the paddock, tossed his head, and spread his wings while a smaller light-brown male swatted playfully at him.
“He’s become much better at making friends, hasn’t he?”
Raven gave him a sidelong glance and smirked. “It depends on who those friends are and where he finds them. Haverson Ranch outside Dresdel is really—was really good for him. He was stuck there all day while I waited in a lobby and he didn’t even notice. That’s how much fun he had out there.”
William chuckled. “What were you doing in a lobby?”
“Waiting for a meeting.” The young mage rolled her eyes. “I spent five hours sitting in a chair to meet with an apparently super-important man. Only for two minutes in a room with him to deliver a letter.”
“How did that go?”
“How do you think?” They shared a laugh and she leaned forward, her fingers curled over the edge of the porch. “It was awful. At least I’m absolutely sure now that I’m not cut out to be some kind of emissary mage once I graduate.”
“I didn’t know that was a thing.”
“It is. We saw a few in Azerad. Bella would be way better at it than I would.”
“Do mages ever get any assignments with dragons?”
Raven shrugged. “I don’t know. You mean like at the ranches?”
“Or anywhere a dragon shows up.” William chuckled and leaned toward her to bump his shoulder against hers. “If you had that kind of assignment, Raven, you could come to Moss Ranch. Then it’d be your job to do what you do all the time anyway.”
“Right. That sounds an awful lot like a secret ploy to get me to stick around after I graduate.”
The dragon trainer watched the dragons roaming in the field and shrugged. “Maybe it is. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing for you to stick around. Maybe I want you to stick around.”
“Really?” She smirked at him and shook her head playfully. “I’m not sure you could handle me jumping off your roof every day of the week.”
“Well, hopefully, you won’t have to do that after you graduate. That should be far behind you by then, right?”
Raven laughed. “I hope so. But I think you’re onto something about sending a mage out for dragon assignments.”
“Oh, good. When that’s your new thing, you can credit me and tell everyone that Moss Ranch is your number-one recommendation.”
“I would anyway. If it ever came up in conversation.”
In the field, Teo uttered a cry of excitement and bounded toward Leander and the other smaller dragon to join the fun.
“On a serious note, though, someone really does need to look into those dragon trainers and the handlers and riders in Azerad. That’s probably not the only place it exists, but it’s a start.”
“Were they really that bad?”
“It wasn’t the dragons’ fault, William.”
“I meant the trainers.”
Raven closed her eyes. “Right. I didn’t see anyone mistreating a dragon, if that’s what you mean. But there was clearly something going on. Leander could feel it. I could feel it after a while. You said there were some trainers out there with a heavy hand. I’m starting to think it might be a little worse than that. Did your dad say anything more about it?”
“No.” William grimaced and looked a little sheepish. “I barely had the time to bring it up. But I will.”
“Okay. Let me know when you do. I’m not a graduated mage from Fowler Academy yet, so I can’t exactly put my own assignment together and lead this myself. But I know I can do something as long as I know who to talk to and where to go. No one should abuse dragons, period. But I have a feeling those megadragons had some suspicions of their own about how dragons are treated these days.”
“The…megadragons said that?”
“Not directly. Actually, they thought all humans were bad. Trainers were the real problems, obviously, but once I told them about how mages can work with dragons as familiars, things got a little dicey.”
“Raven…”
She looked at him with a crooked smile. “What?”
“I’m so sorry.”
A small laughed escaped her. “You didn’t do anything. And I’m fine.”
“I know you’re fine. I’m glad you’re okay.” William shrugged quickly and turned away from her, pretending to watch the dragons.
Why won’t he look at me? “So why do you look so upset?”
He swallowed loudly and released a deep sigh. �
�Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m okay.”
“Oh. Then I’m sorry too.”
“No, don’t be.” He turned quickly to look at her, and she froze when she saw tears swimming in his eyes. “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. You… I mean, look at you. You did more as a monster’s prisoner than most people can even comprehend when they’re going through their normal, daily lives. It’s amazing that you kept it together so well. I don’t think I would.”
Raven bit her lip with a sympathetic frown. “It looks like you’re doing a good job to me.”
“I don’t know. There’s so much happening these days, you know? And since the day you came by the ranch and heard what Leander was up against if he didn’t pass the dragon trials… I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Having you around has been the one thing that makes all the other stuff melt away. Even when you scare the hell out of me with your tricks.”
She laughed, and it finally brought a small smile to the dragon trainer’s face.
He leaned toward her a little more and met her gaze. “Jumping off roofs and flying bareback on a dragon are scary things to watch. I’ll give you that. But none of it even came close to how terrified I was that we might not be able to get you back. And if that had happened, I don’t—”
“It’s okay.” She nodded and studied his blue eyes that still swam with tears before she caught his hand and held it in both of hers. “You don’t have to worry about me. I mean really worry, not like the scary little tricks.”
After a glance at their hands, William licked his lips and looked at her. “I know. But that’s all that was in my head over the last few days, and I couldn’t get it out. If something happened to you… Raven, I don’t know if I could keep going the same way.”
She froze and he squeezed her hand. This is actually happening right now. “What way is that?”
“Having something to look forward to every day.” His other hand came up and brushed aside the lock of hair hanging loose beside her temple. “Like this.”
