Silver Batal and the Water Dragon Races

by K. D. Halbrook

  Silver reached a hand out to him. “Thank you, Ferdi,” she said, but the words didn’t feel enough for everything he’d done. The island prince nodded and flashed her one last smile before turning back the way they’d all come.

  “Mele, let’s go,” Silver said firmly.

  “But my Shorsa can’t fly. How—”

  “Leave that to me,” Silver said. “Now come on!”

  The three water dragons and their riders fled against the river current. They swam for an hour, at least, glancing over their shoulders regularly. The river caves were dark, except when they passed a well. Then, a weak light pricked the blackness. Still, they didn’t stop. They passed more than a dozen wells before they felt safe enough to venture toward the surface.

  “Try this one,” Mele said as they came upon an opening in a sidewall of the river cave. Through it, a small stream poured into the main cave, joining the river on its way to the royal city.

  “I’ll make sure it’s clear,” Brajon said.

  He got off Hiyyan and crept to the opening, then disappeared. Silver held her breath. It was possible the royal guards had been sent to the orchards to hunt them down. She strained to hear something. A yell, signs of a struggle. But then Brajon popped his head back into the cave and grinned.

  “It’s clear.”

  Silver released her breath. The water dragons pushed forward, out of the opening, and they were greeted by the night’s friendly moon and a sky freckled with stars.

  FIFTY

  Silver tightened one last knot on Kirja’s wing joint. “Does this hurt?” she asked the old water dragon.

  Kirja moved her wing in a slow circle, then grunted softly. Silver glanced at Mele. They all hurt, at least a little bit. Brajon had popped Silver’s dislocated shoulder back into place, but she was still nursing her sliced arm, plus numerous cuts, bumps, and bruises.

  Still, they were alive. And they had Kirja.

  “Let’s give it a try, then,” Silver said.

  Mele looked at the hammock skeptically. “Are you sure it’s going to hold?”

  “Nebekker taught me this scale weave,” Silver said proudly. “And this racing suit fabric is strong. As long as Luap doesn’t fall out, it’ll work. I promise.”

  Silver had made many promises on her journey, and they each still meant something to her. Once they’d reached the Jaspaton oasis and returned Kirja to Nebekker, she’d have made good on all of them, too.

  “I wish we had time to test it,” Silver said, “but Sagittaria will be sending guards to Jaspaton as we speak. We have to get there before they do. Climb on.”

  Despite her confident words, she chewed her lip as she watched Luap slither into the wool hammock. The Shorsa was one of the smallest breeds she knew of, but Luap was still several heads taller than Silver and many, many pounds heavier. As Silver climbed on Hiyyan’s back and looked over at Brajon and Mele on Kirja’s back, she pushed doubt away.

  With her hands curled around Hiyyan’s mane and the stars winking at her as if they shared a secret, Silver merged her thoughts with Hiyyan’s. Let’s fly.

  The earth fell away as they joined the night sky. Wind rushed through Silver’s short waves. She closed her eyes, the smell of the vast desert overwhelming her until her throat was choked with tears. She was finally going home.

  Between them, Luap was indeed well supported by the hammock. Hiyyan and Kirja took turns beating their wings in the space between, so that they wouldn’t hit each other. Silver could almost reach out to touch Brajon and Mele.

  “How did it feel to win today, cousin?” Brajon asked. “We haven’t had time to celebrate.”

  “You won with confidence,” Mele said before Silver could reply. “You both looked like champions out there. Left poor Prince Ferdi and Hoonazoor in the dust.”

  “Thank you, Mele.” Silver felt her cheeks go pink. “Did you watch all the races?”

  Mele shook her head. “As many as I could. My way of saying good-bye. I wasn’t planning on meeting back up with you.” She shrugged. “Then again, I wasn’t planning on ever leaving Calidia on the back of an Aquinder, with Luap beside me. It’s strange wondering what will come next.”

  Silver understood Mele’s words keenly.

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, either,” Silver admitted. “I hope Nebekker has a plan.”

  Silver took stock of their injuries. Kirja had a battered wing, and a lump was growing on Brajon’s forehead. Hiyyan’s neck still oozed shiny blood and, for the first time, Silver noticed a strange discoloration in his wing, right where the cave beast had ripped a tear. He hadn’t complained. He hadn’t complained about his injuries, but she felt whispers of his pain.

  Brajon gave her his big, lopsided grin. “I’m really proud of you. You’re a natural. Destined for this life.”

  Silver touched her water dragon burn. Destiny. And dreams. Two things that had carried her this far. But how long could they last, when Sagittaria Wonder and the queen and all the unimaginable forces at their fingertips were after her and Hiyyan and Kirja? Where would she go? Was there anywhere in the entire vast desert she could hide? Nebekker had tried to hide, and Sagittaria had flushed her out like a desert hawk seeking prey.

  A face flashed in Silver’s mind. An island boy who had turned out to be a prince. He had helped them once. Perhaps there was a place for them somewhere in the Island Nations.

  “You’ve changed,” Brajon said to her.

  Silver knew it was true. She’d grown stronger and more graceful. Hiyyan had changed, too. He was bigger than Kirja, and still growing. His awkward baby-dragon flopping had grown into a gracefulness of his own. But there was still so much more for them to learn. Silver wanted to know the limits of her communication with her Aquinder. She wanted them to practice racing and flying. And to explore the world together.

  First, she had to figure out how to make the world accept Aquinder.

  “Look!” Brajon pointed to a spot in the distance.

  Silver squinted. Far ahead, a vertical light challenged the luster of the stars.

  Home.

  “That’s Jaspaton,” Brajon told Mele. “Where we’re from.”

  Mele, her arms securely around Brajon’s waist, craned her neck. “It’s so tall. Taller than Calidia. I didn’t know there was a city bigger than that in the desert.”

  “It’s not bigger. It’s much smaller,” Silver said. “It’s just carved into the side of a cliff, so all its residents can look out over the desert and marvel at its beauty.” A pang of homesickness stabbed her in the chest.

  As they got closer, she could make out the different levels of homes and shops. She could see the lanterns at the stairs, lit for those moving up and down the city. She could see the Jaspatonian flags fluttering from the politicians’ homes at the very top of the cliff.

  She’d missed Jaspaton so much; she could hardly wait to step foot in her home city.

  But first, they had to visit Nebekker.

  It was as though the old woman, hiding far underground, were a beacon. When they got close to the oasis, Kirja became frantic. She roared into the night, her tail swishing back and forth mightily.

  “Kirja,” Silver said, trying to soothe her. “We’re almost there.” She pointed down. “The oasis.”

  Landing with a flustered Kirja, and Luap in a hammock, was awkward. Once they hit the ground, Kirja tugged at the hammock on her side, desperate to run to Nebekker. She pulled so hard that she tipped Brajon and Mele off. They tumbled to the sand, bouncing on top of each other.

  “Ow, just what I needed.” Brajon sat up and rubbed his forehead. “It already feels like the inside of a mine in my brain. Hammers and all.”

  “I always figured you had rocks for brains,” Silver said. “But maybe they’re really jewels.”

  “Ha ha,” Brajon mumbled.

  Silver slid smoothly to the desert floor. She smiled at the familiar feeling of her boots sinking into the sand. She was home.

  Mele helpe
d Silver untie the hammock. The instant Kirja was free, she dashed into the dark and disappeared from sight with a mighty splash. Silver smiled, thinking about the water dragon’s reunion with Nebekker. Both old creatures would be so happy.

  “You can enter the river caves through the oasis lake with Luap,” Silver told Mele. “Brajon, do you want to ride in with me, or walk through the cave entrance?”

  Brajon fiddled with the hem of his tunic. “Actually, I’m going to go home.”

  Silver stared at him in shock. “I thought we were going to stick together! You’re just going to go back there after all we’ve been through?”

  “There is where I belong, cousin. I like Jaspaton. I like my life there. I belong. Flying and racing on the seas … that’s not meant for me.”

  “But you’re a hero now! I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, and I don’t know if I can do whatever comes next without you, either.” Silver swallowed. “I don’t have that many favorite cousins, you know.”

  Tears filled her eyes. You’re not just my cousin. You’re my best friend, she wanted to say. But she knew if she opened her mouth, she would sob.

  “I know. You’re my best friend, too.” Brajon smiled. Not his usual big, joking grin, but something softer. “I know I wasn’t the nicest to Hiyyan at first. He always represented the beginning of something new for you. And the end of our old life together in Jaspaton—like when I used to call up to you from two streets below and you’d race down to eat my mother’s feasts. That’s been hard for me. But I will always watch you from afar. I will always ask traders for news of your victories. And when you’re more famous than Sagittaria Wonder, I hope you’ll come back to our little desert city and say hello sometimes. Don’t get too big for us, all right?”

  “I won’t,” Silver said, smiling through her tears. She never would. Jaspaton would always be the most beautiful place in the world to her. And her family would always hold her heart.

  “I do have one more favor to ask,” Brajon said. “Uh, it’s kind of a long walk home, and I’m pretty tired. Do you think Hiyyan would give me one last ride?”

  Silver laughed. She looked at her Aquinder and silently communicated with him. Hiyyan walked to Brajon, nuzzled his hair with his snout as if to say, It’s okay. I know you love me even though you’re a ridiculous desert beetle, and lowered himself so Brajon could climb on.

  When Brajon was seated on the water dragon’s back, he waved at his cousin. “Try to stay out of trouble, if you even can.”

  Then, he did flash that teasing Brajon grin. Hiyyan lifted off, favoring his healthy wing, and they disappeared into the night sky.

  Silver sighed. Her heart ached, and so did her body. But there was still an annoying voice in the back of her mind that said she didn’t have a lot of time to nurse her wounds or her heart. Sagittaria Wonder would be coming for Hiyyan.

  And Silver was a criminal.

  FIFTY-ONE

  Silver walked past the palm trees to the hidden cave entrance next to the lake as Mele and Luap dove into the oasis pool. She picked carefully down the wet path, descending until she turned the last corner and the cavern opened before her. Luap was dabbling in the river, Mele still on her back.

  Kirja lay sprawled on the riverbank, her head in Nebekker’s lap.

  The old woman was tiny and frail. Hardly more than bones. Her eyes were closed, and she looked so much older and more worn than when Silver had last seen her.

  But when Silver nudged a pebble and sent it rolling into the river, the old woman opened her eyes.

  “You’ve returned. And you brought me my Kirja.” Nebekker’s voice was small. Hardly even a whisper.

  “I promised I would,” Silver said. “I keep my promises. But I was worried I’d been too selfish. That I’d—”

  “Taken too long? Lost Kirja?” Nebekker nodded and closed her eyes again.

  Silver nodded. “I’m worried about Kirja and Hiyyan, too. They have so many wounds.”

  “Not to worry. I have a dragon heartstone, assuming you haven’t lost it.”

  “A what?”

  “My pendant,” Nebekker said.

  “It’s right here.” Silver pulled out the jewelry. “What does that mean … heartstone? How does—”

  A sound behind Silver made her stomach coil. She whipped around to look into the darkness. Sagittaria Wonder?

  “Hello?”

  No. That was not the voice of the legendary dragon racer. That was …

  “Mother!” Silver’s beautiful mother stepped into the light, dashing away all thoughts of Nebekker’s pendant. When Sersha Batal saw Silver, she dropped the baskets she was carrying. Silver launched herself at her mother, throwing her arms around Sersha’s neck. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d ached for her mother until she saw her standing there. It felt like a missing piece of Silver had fallen back into place.

  “My girl,” Silver’s mother said into her daughter’s hair. “You’re home.”

  Silver pulled away from the hug and helped her mother carry the baskets down to Nebekker.

  “You found my letter,” Silver said.

  “I found it,” Sersha said. “And I’ve experienced every possible emotion since I read it. Anger, worry, fear, pain, and even pride.”

  Silver wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “I’ve come down here twice,” Sersha said. “To bring supplies and get news about you. But there hasn’t been any news. Until now.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “You’re finally back. Safe.”

  “Your mother’s very trustworthy,” Nebekker said. “I’ve known that for a very long time.”

  “How?” Silver said.

  Her mother shrugged. “When Nebekker arrived in Jaspaton, she was an outcast. A foreigner,” Sersha said. “Someone who didn’t have family. She wouldn’t even tell us where she’d come from. People said she was a spy from the Island Nations. Said she didn’t belong here. I didn’t believe them. So your aunt Yidla and I befriended her. Nebekker was cold, but after a time—many years, in fact—she began to thaw out. She told me about her life as a girl. About Kirja. I promised her that she would find safety here. I promised I would help take care of her.”

  “Nebekker, why didn’t you tell me?” Silver said.

  She thought about what Arkilah had said, her claim that Nebekker had left her to die in a frozen wasteland. Was it possible Arkilah had been telling the truth?

  “I’m sure there are many stories she hasn’t told you,” Sersha said. “It took many years before she’d tell me what I now know … and I’m sure that’s not all of it.”

  She put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “I thought I’d be able to send you to Calidia someday, convince your father to let you go, so you could train to race dragons. It is a powerful thing to see such strong dreams in one’s child.

  “But then Sagittaria Wonder came, and she wasn’t the person we thought she would be. Not only that, but a special thing happened to you.”

  “Hiyyan,” Silver said.

  “Yes. Oh, and this must be Kirja. I’ve heard so much.”

  Sersha hung back, not sure how to approach the water dragon. All the marvels of seeing an Aquinder for the first time played across her face.

  “We can’t stay long,” Silver said. She quickly told Nebekker and her mother what had happened in Calidia, leaving out any unimportant parts … like the fact she had used an illegal metal. When she got to the end, she tucked her short hair behind her ears. “So, you see, we can’t stay here. We have to hide until we figure out what to do next.”

  “No, Silver. You’ll stay,” Sersha said. “We’ll figure something out.”

  “Sagittaria knows this oasis is here,” Silver said. “And there isn’t anywhere else to hide in Jaspaton. But I’m hoping Nebekker and I can work it all out quickly. I made a friend who isn’t from the desert, and he might be able to help. Laws can be changed.”

  Sersha was silent for a long time, then she nodded once. There w
as a muffled splash in the distance. A few seconds later, Hiyyan dropped into the river and swam straight for Silver.

  Silver smiled. “This is Hiyyan, my Aquinder.”

  Sersha Batal went to the water dragon and put her face right up to his. “I expect you to take care of my girl,” she said very seriously. “And to be back very quickly. I will be waiting for word, and I expect that word to come often.” Hiyyan licked Silver’s mother, then let his tongue loll out the side of his mouth in a goofy grin.

  Sersha turned to Nebekker. “When the time is right,” she told the old woman, “I’ll be ready to rally our politicians.”

  Silver threw herself into her mother’s arms again, pulling away only when she heard Mele joining them on the riverbank.

  “And this is Mele. We couldn’t have rescued Kirja without her.” As she and Mele began repacking their bags with fresh supplies, Silver told Nebekker and her mother about how Mele had helped her and Brajon in Calidia.

  “Where will we go?” Mele asked, her cheeks turning pink as Silver showered her with praise.

  Nebekker shakily got to her feet. She was growing stronger by the moment. She nodded in the opposite direction from the oasis lake. “Upriver. Past Jaspaton and into the mountains. There are places up there to hide. Winter will set in soon, and the passes will be unreachable by outsiders. Most humans would be trapped, but we have these two overgrown birds to keep us mobile. It’s the safest option. At least until we can give our Aquinder another safe option.”

  Silver’s eyes sparkled. First, the mountains, then a whole world to explore. Someday, she and Hiyyan would have all the freedom they’d ever craved. A whole new life for her and her water dragon.

  She was ready to race toward that adventure.