Jaime nodded and then stepped closer to Sisera. “Excuse me for a moment, I will measure how long to make straps.” Jaime reached his hands around Sisera, with his arms fully extended, Jaime could reach almost from the middle of Sisera’s back to the middle of her chest. “That will be easy enough, two arm’s lengths of strap twice over, and two midget leg straps.” Jaime winked at Isabella. He then turned to the two young men he’d been instructing. “Go find a small saddle from the stable. There are leather straps in the storage cave at the back of the stables, get two of the longest pieces, and four buckles.” Jaime offered a hand to Isabella. “Hop down, Lady Isabella. They’ll be back in a minute and I can modify the saddle right here. Shouldn’t take long at all.”
Isabella took Jaime’s hand and jumped down from Sisera’s back. Her second time flying, or drifting as Sisera called it, was much less terrifying than the first time had been. “Thank you, Jaime.”
“My pleasure, Lady Isabella. Tell me, how is your magic fireball training going?”
Isabella smiled. “Much better. My aim is much less sporadic thanks to your lessons. I can’t hit the bullseye every time, but I’ve hit the center dot a lot and even when I miss, it’s only by a little bit now. I will have to practice outside now to work on my range.”
“You should practice while riding Sisera. The technique will feel slightly different from a saddle, and you will have to learn which angles you can fire from to avoid hitting Sisera, but it would be worth it. I know you said you don’t want Sisera fighting humans, but if you are fighting from her back that is far different.”
Isabella looked at Sisera, “Wouldn’t that be dangerous? What if I hit you with a magic fireball?”
“I’m a dragon, my body and wings are not going to be hurt by a fireball. If you landed a stray fireball into my eye it would sting, but I’d survive. I believe Jaime has a valid point. There will come a day when the Tower of Kings is attacked, or worse when we’re outside the tower. You have Dragonskin and the ability to throw fireballs, you are the most valuable warrior in your army besides myself. If you insist on keeping me from harming humans, then you should learn to be a warrior mage.”
Isabella looked at Sisera and then over at Jaime. It felt like they were teaming up on her, but they were right. Aside from Sisera, Isabella now had the potential to be one of the most powerful warriors among them. Her dragon magic gave her abilities that only the most powerful mages could compete with. Her own reluctance to fight was not fear of death, she’d seen men die and understood it was, at times, a necessary evil. Her reluctance came from a fear of making the wrong choice. What if she killed an innocent? But, that fear seemed childish how. Men would die in her name, whether from a fireball or from an arrow. Letting fear rule her decisions would be a mistake. Isabella understood all her actions and orders would have consequences. By becoming a warrior-mage she’d be putting herself in dangerous situations, but at the same time she would be saving others from those same dangers. Isabella knew that it was the right decision. “I will try my hardest not to hit you in the eyes, Sisera.”
The men returned with a saddle and the lengths of leather. Jaime tossed the saddle on Sisera’s back. It sat nicely between her shoulders. “Perfect, I’m just going to do a quick and rough job to start. You can take it for a test flight and I’ll make modifications and stitch it up with proper buckles.” Kai carefully cut holes into the saddle for the straps. He looped and knotted the longer straps into the saddle along with the shorter straps for Isabella’s legs. He tied the straps around Sisera, and then played with the saddle to see how much it moved. Satisfied that it was secure he asked Isabella to remount Sisera.
Isabella jumped on Sisera’s back and then swung a leg over the saddle. It felt comfortable. She carefully tied the leg straps into place. She tried to wiggle around but was firmly in place. “All set,” said Isabella.
Jaime took one last look at the straps around Sisera. He nodded. “Sisera, I would avoid flying upside down or and fast changes of direction, until I have the buckles all stitched up.”
“Understood,” said Sisera.
Jaime stepped back and Sisera spread her wings.
Isabella’s heart raced, she gripped Sisera’s neck tightly. They dropped ever so slightly as Sisera lowered her body and used her powerful legs to push off the ground. Isabella gasped as Sisera launched them into the sky. Sisera flew above the tower walls, and kept going higher and higher. Isabella’s gasp of anticipation and fear quickly became an excited laugh. Flying was not scary. It was amazing! Isabella looked down at Jaime and the Daxrah in the yard, they were growing smaller and smaller. Beyond the tower, Isabella could see all the way to the village of Mirefield in the west, and to the south she could see the thick vegetation of the Dark Forest. It was a spectacular view.
Sisera changed directions, now instead of a steady climb towards the stars, they started going forward. Isabella could feel the force the wind against her face, she had to squint to look forward and her hair was flying everywhere. I’ll have to start wearing my hair in a braid like Raven does, thought Isabella. Sisera flew south and then with a tilt of her large body they were taking a slow wide banking turn east towards the sea. Isabella noted how close to the sea the Tower of Kings truly was. Only miles from the water, yet with the location of the steep mountains between the tower and the water made the distance so much longer. As the crow flies, or as the dragon flies, it’s not very far at all, mused Isabella to herself.
Sisera kept her banking turn going, but she started to slow. They were almost back to the tower, except they were on the eastern side of the mountain. Sisera descended until were half way down the mountain side.
“I thought a barren mountain slope on the far side of the mountain would be an appropriate place to start practicing your fire magic,” said Sisera once she’d slowed down to the point where they were almost hovering in the air.
Isabella smiled, she’d been so caught up in the excitement of truly flying for the first time, she’d forgotten part of the reason they were flying—for her to practice firing fireballs from Sisera’s back. “Yes, far safer for everyone in the tower if there is a mountain between us. How do I aim so that I don’t hit you?”
“Don’t aim your hands at me would be a good place to start,” said Sisera. “Most of the time the targets you’ll be aiming at will be below us, so look down. From where you’re sitting, the only part of me you could hit would be my neck or shoulder. Don’t hit my neck or shoulder.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” said Isabella with a chuckle. Sisera had a very succinct way of teaching. Isabella saw a small tree growing by itself on the slope of the mountain slightly below and in front of them. It would make a good target.
The first thing Isabela noted as she prepared to fire at the small tree was that the way she’d practiced firing fireballs on the ground was completely useless on Sisera’s back. Bringing her hand down low and up to fire brought her hand far too close to Sisera’s shoulder. She couldn’t line up her target using her feet any more.
Sisera sensed her concern. “What you practiced before worked fine, keep practicing that way on the ground. Up here you are going to have to use your mind more than your arm. Your magic fireballs don’t fly because of being thrown. The movement of your arm signals the fireball where to go. How far and fast the fireball goes can be controlled in your mind. Try pushing your hand straight forward like you’re throwing a punch.”
Isabella understood Sisera. By using a jabbing motion she’d be straighten her arm, keeping the fireball going straight easier, and with her arm extended her hand was already past Sisera’s shoulder, reducing the chance of an errant fireball striking Sisera. And, if Isabella leaned forward slightly, she could reach past Sisera’s neck, giving her far more room to aim without worrying about hitting Sisera. Isabella clenched her fist tightly and held it at her side. She started a slow jab, and as she started the punch, she opened her fist, igniting the magical flame over her hand. The small ball of
fire flew down towards the mountain, striking the rocky surface a good twenty feet away from the tree. Isabella noted that her hand was lined up with where the fireball had landed, and not the tree. So her aim was the issue, not the technique used. “You really have to be precise firing at a distance, being the littlest bit off this far away makes a bad miss!”
“Yes,” said Sisera. “It’s the same with breathing fire. The farther away, the harder to be precise. The answer is a bigger fireball.”
Isabella frowned, this was one time she wasn’t in agreement with her bonded dragon. “I think practicing being more accurate will suffice for now. There will be times when a large fireball will work, but I can see there being times when burning everything would backfire, especially in combat where your friends are standing close to your enemies.”
“Dragons don’t fight like you humans, so I suppose you are correct.”
Isabella bit her lip, she was tempted to laugh, it was rare for Sisera to admit a mistake. In fact, that might’ve been the first time Sisera had admitted an error in thinking.
“Don’t gloat, it’s not becoming of a future queen.”
“I didn’t say anything,” protested Isabella.
“You thought it.”
Isabella rubbed Sisera’s neck. “I’m sorry, friend, I was only thinking how rare it is for you to be wrong and how wise of you to be able to acknowledge it.”
“Apology accepted,” said Sisera. “Would you like me to fly closer to the tree?”
“No. I want to practice long range shots; I will be most effective if I can master them.” Isabella focused on her target. She took a deep breath and repeated her punching motion. The fireball left her palm and streaked down until it struck the mountain. She’d missed the tree again, but this time she’d gotten much closer. Isabella looked down the length of her arm, it was lined up with tree, but then as Sisera flapped her wings Isabella’s arm moved. In order to keep them hovering, Sisera had to flap her wings often, and each time she did, Sisera would rise slightly into the air and then down. I have to think like an archer at sea who has to time his release to the rise and fall of the boat in the waves. Only my boat is a dragon. Isabella tried again, this time she waited until Sisera just flapped her wings. Isabella’s fireball struck the mountainside again, but this time she was even closer. She was starting to get the hang of it.
…
After an hour of steady practice, Sisera was bored. “I think that’s enough for one day. We can come back again tomorrow. Although we’ll probably need a new target. Your tree is pretty much dust.”
Isabella wasn’t ready to quit just yet, but would defer to Sisera. Later when she returned to her practice chamber she could work on the new punching technique more. So far she was only able to hit her target every third or fourth strike. But that was remarkably better than she’d been able to before. Tomorrow Isabella would try even further back, and instead of having Sisera just hovering she’d work on firing as Sisera flew forward. As Oshri, Raven, Kai, and Jaime all told her repeatedly, the way to getting better was practice. “Okay. Can we do a little more flying before returning home?”
“Yes. I’ll take you north along the coastline. If I see any good fishing, we can stop and I’ll have a meal. Then we can fly west and do a large circle back. Jaime has been hinting he’d like me to keep an eye out for Prince Eric’s men.”
“That’s a very good idea. We definitely should stop so you can eat. You are the best scout we have.” Isabella rubbed Sisera’s neck as she fed the dragon compliments. Sisera seemed to never tire of hearing how talented or beautiful she was.
“Compliments make me feel good, why should I dissuade people from giving them to me?” asked Sisera.
Isabella chuckled. “Are you reading my thoughts now?”
“Somewhat. I can always tell your mood, but when you think of me, I have a much clearer idea of what you’re thinking. Especially when we are this close. When you are in the tower on a different level than I’m on, I can’t hear them like I do now.”
“That will be useful if battle, if you can read my thoughts.”
“Very. There is a reason humans fear Dragonbloods so much. The combination of a bonded human and dragon is a very powerful force. One that can defeat armies, or other dragons.”
“Other dragons? Why would dragons attack us?” For the same reason humans would. You want peace. Some dragons want to have revenge on humans. For that they will harm humans and dragons who stand in their way. I hope it doesn’t happen, but there are many dragons like Nelarth who would enjoy seeing another dragon war. You will have enemies among the humans and among the dragons.”
As they flew towards the coast, Isabella pondered Sisera’s words. Would she really have to fight dragons? That men would attack her was a foregone conclusion in Isabella’s mind. Human thirst for power was something she fully understood. It was the idea of rogue dragons that was foreign to her. It would be something to be mindful of. Perhaps there was something she could do to prevent such attacks in Seron. Before Isabella could vocalize her thoughts, Sisera spotted a school of sharks. Sisera dropped down and landed on a sandy beach.
“I’ll be back shortly. I haven’t had shark in forever,” said Sisera.
Isabella would’ve sworn she saw drool forming at the corner of the dragon’s large mouth.
Sisera didn’t wait long. As soon as Isabella untied her leg straps and jumped out of the saddle, the dragon bounced back into the sky, eagerly chasing after her chosen prey.
As Sisera dove down and snatched a shark out of the water with her front legs and flipped it into the air then bit the shark in half, Isabella watched in awe. The raw power of the dragon was incredible, considering by Sisera’s accounts she was not a large dragon at all. The sharks Sisera fed on were not huge creatures, they would hardly be any bigger that Isabella herself, but if Sisera could chomp a shark in half in one bite, she could easily do the same to a person. It was no wonder dragons were feared by so many. Isabella was not afraid of Sisera, but the idea of Nelarth and the other dragons like him worried her. It would be something she’d have to learn more about from Oshri and Sisera. Isabella laid down in the soft sand on the beach and closed her eyes, letting the afternoon sun warm her face. Might as well have a small nap and let Sisera have a proper meal, she thought to herself as she lay there.
…
A shadow over her, dripping water onto her chest, woke Isabella. She opened her eyes to Sisera standing over her.
“I’m well fed now, time to do our scouting.”
“Your breath smells sharky,” said Isabella.
“Better than smelling like tuna. I get the worse gas from tuna, but they are so tasty,” said Sisera.
Isabella shook her head as she climbed back into the saddle and retied her leg straps. “Your fishing technique is strange. Why do you grab them like that?”
“Normally, I’d just dive into the water and bite them. But your saddle doesn’t have buckles yet and I didn’t want it getting too wet. Besides, playing with one’s food is acceptable for a dragon.”
Isabella had forgotten about the saddle. The leather wouldn’t do well underwater. “I forgot about the saddle.”
“I almost did too,” admitted Sisera as she took off. “It’s a pretty clear day today. Without the clouds, we’ll fly high and I’ll be able to see if Prince Eric’s men are anywhere near.”
They flew north along the coast, rising as they went. Isabella looked out at the sea, all she could see was water and more water. She knew there were other isles not far from them, but obviously they were farther away than her eyes could see. Looking back west, she could see the mountains, lakes, and valleys but no sign of any humans. In fact, Isabella doubted she would even be able to see individual people from this height.
Soon Sisera started to bank left, taking them inland. They were past the mountain ranges to the north of Mara and likely into the lands of Prozia. Not that Isabella could see anything she recognized. Everything looked so dif
ferent from this height. Isabella wiggled in the saddle. Riding a dragon was more comfortable than a horse, and the view was certainly better.
Isabella’s musings on the comfort level of dragon riding was soon interrupted by Sisera. “I see an army of humans.”
Isabella looked down, but saw nothing. “Where?” she asked.
“To the northwest. See that dark patch?”
Isabella looked again. At first she saw nothing, but then she did notice a dark patch on the ground that looked very rectangular. Far too rectangular to be natural. “Can we go closer?”
“They can’t see us up here. I think we should keep it that way,” said Sisera. “Who knows if they have archers or a mage with them.”
“Good point, Sisera. Where are we anyways?”
“That is what your Kai called the Valley of Tears. They are about half way down the valley and heading south.”
Half way down the Valley of Tears and heading south? Surely they were heading for Mara! “We’d better get back and let Raven and Jaime know.”
Isabella closed her eyes and held on tight to Sisera’s neck. Sisera sped up and they sped back to the tower.
42
“IT WILL BE HARD TO HOLD THEM OFF if they breach the gates,” said Jaime.
Isabella looked at Raven and then Oshri and Camdyn. With Jaime, the group formed her war council. They were sitting at the table looking over the map of the tower and the valley below. After Isabella and Sisera arrived back at the tower, the group quickly convened to discuss a plan to defend the tower.
“How many men?” asked Raven.
Jaime scratched his chin. “A couple thousand, mostly foot soldiers. A couple hundred archers and another five hundred knights. King Ramsey is very proud of his knights.”
“So many,” said Oshri. “That will be difficult to defeat such an army with so few.”
Sisera's Gift (Dragonblood Sagas Book 2) Page 25
