Dragon Stones (Book One in the Dragon Stone Saga)

by Kristian Alva

  Chapter 8: Duskeye and Tallin

  Back in Parthos, Duskeye and Tallin made the final preparations to leave the Death Sands and fly to the east.

  “Are you sure that you want to do this?” asked Sela once again, still surprised that Tallin volunteered for this mission. He was fiercely protective of his dragon, and rarely took any risks that put Duskeye in danger.

  “We are sure,” said Duskeye, answering for both of them.

  “Please be careful; we cannot afford to lose you.” Sela put her hand on Tallin’s shoulder briefly. He flinched, unaccustomed to human contact. Sela realized how isolated he must have felt over the years, with only his dragon as his companion. He had forsaken everything—a normal life, friends, children, even a mate, in order to guarantee their survival.

  “Do not concern yourself. We are prepared. We will leave the desert boundary at sunset. We will be concealed by a cloaking spell for our entire journey. The emperor will not discover us.” Tallin tightened the leather saddle and checked his bags. He didn’t need much in the way of provisions. Both of them were accustomed to surviving off the land.

  Duskeye nodded, agreeing with his rider, while scratching his pale belly.

  “Ach! These heavy packs will take some getting used to,” said Duskeye. Usually, Tallin rode Duskeye with a simple camel hide. But for this longer journey, they decided to borrow a proper dragon saddle from Sela.

  The beautiful saddle was old—and of dwarvish origin. The saddle was made from cowhide and beaten silver. The reins were braided leather and horsehair. There was a protective layer of felted wool between the saddle and the dragon, in order to prevent chafing. This saddle was designed for long distances.

  Tallin asked the palace servants to bring a few more mealcakes, which he placed into his saddle pack. He stepped into the reins and mounted Duskeye.

  “I will send a message to you when we reach the eastern border. Once we leave the desert, we will travel only at night. If Chua is alive, we will find him.” Sela nodded. Tallin was a powerful spellcaster. He could hide in broad daylight, and scry at vast distances, something he learned when he lived in the desert. Most of the other dragon riders could scry messages using water, but Tallin was the only one who could scry using smoke, a useful skill when finding a source of water was uncertain.

  “Good blessings, Tallin. You too, Duskeye,” she said, patting the dragon’s leg.

  “Thank you, my lady,” responded Duskeye. “We shall be careful.”

  Duskeye stretched, and then spread his sapphire wings and took flight. Tallin did not look back or wave. He looked straight ahead, staring impassively across the desert sands.

  They flew in silence for over an hour. Tallin took this time to meditate and rest his mind for the cloaking spell. Tallin was adept at conserving magical energy, and he knew that maintaining the cloaking spell for days would be exhausting.

  “Are you ready, old friend?” asked Duskeye.

  “Yes. I am ready. We are almost at the desert’s border. Let us stop at that plateau. I see an overhang that will conceal us. Dusk will fall within the hour, and then we will cross.” Duskeye landed on the plateau and Tallin dismounted. He drank water and relieved himself. Then dragon and rider both sat down in silence and waited for the sun to set. A slight breeze stirred the air, kicking up tiny swirls of red dust.

  Dragon and rider watched the magnificent sunset, the sky streaked with purple and yellow light. The desert sky was beautiful. “I will miss the beauty of this place,” thought Tallin. This would be their first trip outside the desert in decades.

  “We will be back soon, old friend,” said Duskeye.

  “I know,” said Tallin. “Hopefully, we will return to Parthos with another rider. If Chua is alive, we must find him.

  Part Two: The Escape from Darkmouth Forest

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