Firestorm

by Mark Robson

  ‘Gods alive!’ breathed Sable, totally awestruck.

  Nolita made a noise like the yelp of a small dog whose tail had just been trodden on. She paused for the briefest of moments, and then she sprinted back into the trees faster than she had ever run before. Sable glanced after her sister, but was too filled with wonder to follow. It was as if she were under a spell. She rubbed at her eyes to make sure what she was seeing was real. It was. There, directly between her and the nearby village, was the most magnificent creature she had ever seen – a day dragon with gleaming blue scales and horns of creamy white. And he was looking right at her.

  A continent away, Elian was similarly awestruck.

  ‘I am Aurora, your dragon,’ the dragon repeated after a short pause. ‘But you may call me Ra, if you wish.’ She chuckled. ‘Ra! I’ve so looked forward to being called Ra. There was a place I once visited where Ra was worshipped as the god of the sun. It’s a good name.’

  ‘“Your dragon”?’ Elian asked, his mind struggling with the idea. ‘What exactly do you mean by “your dragon”? And how do you know my name?’

  ‘It is quite simple, Elian. I am a dragon. You are my dragonrider. I am your dragon. I waited a long time for you to be born and grow up. Now you are old enough, we have much to do together, you and I. As for your name, I heard it in your mind as you fell.’

  Elian’s jaw dropped slightly as his mind echoed with the dragon’s words. ‘You are my dragonrider . . .’ You are my dragonrider? How could he be a dragonrider? He had never even met a dragon before!

  ‘Me? A dragonrider?’ he squeaked eventually. ‘Why me?’

  ‘Ah, the “why me” question! I was warned about those. Listen, Elian, there are no definitive answers to some questions. As far as dragons are concerned, humans are good for only two things. The first is to be dragonriders. The second is to be lunch – preferably lightly toasted.’

  Elian gulped and Aurora’s laughter sounded clearly in his mind.

  ‘Sorry! Excuse my little joke, but after all your recent thoughts about being eaten it was hard to resist. Humans don’t actually have much flavour. They’re all right as a last resort, but a nice plump deer is much tastier. Suffice it to say that a dragon always knows her rider. It’s instinctive. I knew the moment you were birthed, Elian. I waited centuries for that instant. As soon as I felt it, I knew my time was approaching. It was hard to wait these last few years for you to grow to transition. Every dragon has but one rider, Elian. You are mine. I am yours. We are destined to be together. Can you deny the bond? Did you not recognise my voice?’

  It sounded so simple, yet also beyond comprehension. Elian was not ready to answer the dragon’s questions yet, so he avoided them by asking more of his own.

  ‘Centuries? Just how old are you? And, I hear you in my head, but you understand me if I speak aloud. I don’t understand. How does that work?’

  ‘Did no one ever tell you that it’s rude to ask a lady her age?’ Aurora answered, giving a little snort of disapproval. ‘I know your mind is brimming with questions and I’m sure we’ll get around to them all eventually. As for how I understand your strange speech – that’s easy. The noises you make with your mouth are mirrored in your mind with images and words. It is unnecessary to speak aloud, but if you’re more comfortable with this, I understand. It takes practice to discipline your thoughts.’

  ‘So do dragons speak to one another in the same way? Or do you sort of look into one another’s minds and take the information you need?’ Elian asked, fascinated by the concept.

  ‘We speak to one another by projecting thoughts, as I am speaking to you now,’ she replied. ‘We cannot read one another’s minds as you read a book – well, we can, but only under very special circumstances. Our thoughts remain private unless we actively make them public. A dragon with a strong mind can overcome another and search through his thoughts at will, but to do so is forbidden under dragon law. Likewise, a dragon can overcome a human mind by force, but that is also forbidden. Reading surface thoughts, or the thoughts of a dragon who chooses to open their mind, is different. Similarly, our bond opens a channel that will develop until we each instinctively know what the other is thinking. Tell me, Elian, how much do you know about dragons?’

  It was a good question. One that left Elian pondering on what little he knew.

  ‘That’s hard to say, exactly,’ he answered slowly. ‘The village teacher said to meet a dragon without a rider was to face a danger without parallel.’

  ‘That isn’t a bad philosophy to adopt, but it’s not entirely accurate. Rogue dragons are dangerous, it’s true, but rogue dragons are rare.’

  ‘So what’s a rogue dragon, if it isn’t one without a rider?’ Elian asked.

  ‘A rogue dragon is one who has lost its rider before completing their life’s purpose – the reason for the dragon’s existence. This constitutes such a dramatic failure that it can sometimes drive the dragon insane with grief. This life purpose is what all real dragons live for. Rogues are very rare, but I will not deny their existence.’

  ‘Life purpose? Real dragons?’ Elian asked, his confusion mounting. ‘Now you’ve completely lost me.’

  ‘There are four types of real dragons,’ Aurora explained patiently. ‘I discount the ice dragons of the far south and the water dragons that inhabit the deeps of the oceans, for they live according to their own purposes. We do not mix with such types. The real dragons are the dragons of the day, with their scales of cornflower blue, nobler than the greatest of knights, and with hearts filled with the utmost bravery. Then there are the dark dragons of the night: black as coal with eyes of burning orange, filled with dread anger . . .’

  ‘Yes, I’ve heard of them,’ Elian admitted, his voice meek and awed by the intensity of feeling he was sensing along with Aurora’s words.

  ‘And, of course, there are the dusk dragons: rare as sapphires, dusty blue-grey with proud eyes of silver, enigmatic and full of ancient wisdom.’

  ‘None of those descriptions fit you, Ra. I’ve heard tales of day dragons and dark rumours of night dragons, but dusk dragons? Are they half-breeds? The result of a mating between a day and a night dragon?’

  ‘No! Nothing like that! It has to do with the time when the dragon hatches. Fear not, Elian. All will become clear. You are right – none of those descriptions fit me, for I am a dragon most rare. I, Elian, am a dawn dragon. This means nothing to you, for you are in ignorance of what it means to be a dragonrider at all, much less the rider of a dawn dragon. Come. Take up your destiny. Climb on my back and I shall show you what it means to be a dragonrider.’

  The thought of powering up into the sky on the back of a dragon was both exciting and terrifying – the idea that this dragon was his life partner, even more so. Should he do it? Was this really happening? His voice cracked as he stammered his reply.

  ‘How do I climb up?’

  ‘Here, use my foreleg,’ Aurora offered, extending her left foreleg towards Elian.

  ‘This is really happening, isn’t it? I’m not dreaming?’

  ‘No, you are not dreaming,’ the dragon replied, her aloof amusement filling his mind. ‘Come, Elian, we have a great deal to do. You humans don’t live very long. Seize the moment. Ride, and we shall meet our destiny together.’

  Elian walked tentatively forwards and placed his hand on Aurora’s foreleg, watching intently for any sign of deception. What am I thinking of? he mused wryly. If she wanted to kill me, I would be dead by now. His belly felt as if it were full of leaping frogs and his mouth was suddenly as dry as it had been during his fall. The great amber eyes of the dragon watched him impassively.

  Whatever texture Elian had been expecting of a dragon’s scales, the sensation that met his fingertips was not it. Aurora’s golden-orange scales gleamed, almost as if they were lit from within. Their shine gave the impression of hardness, yet they were strangely soft to the touch. They looked like armour, but felt as if they offered little more protection than human skin.
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  ‘They are tougher than they feel. Don’t worry, Elian, you won’t hurt me. Come on. Climb up.’

  It felt strange beyond anything that Elian had ever imagined, but he half crawled, half scrabbled his way up Aurora’s leg to her shoulder. As the dragon made no move to stop him, the reality of his situation began to sink in. Unbelievable as it seemed, the dragon’s voice inside his head was real – and he was about to ride her.

  ‘That’s it. Now sit yourself between two of my ridges. No, not there. Go back two more ridges . . . that’s it. The balance there will be better for both of us. Are you ready?’

  ‘What a question!’ Elian laughed. ‘If I’d prepared all my life, I wouldn’t be ready for this. I’m sitting on a dragon’s back. Am I sane? I’ve no idea what’s happening, but I don’t care. It feels great! I’m as ready now as I’ll ever be.’

  ‘Good. Hold on tight. I’m going to take you for a little ride.’

  Elian gripped the ridge in front of him as tightly as he could.

  Aurora turned her body until she was facing southwards along the length of the clearing. Elian felt the bunching of her muscles beneath him and he braced himself, leaning forwards until his cheek was alongside the ridge that he was gripping. At the same time, he clamped his legs as tight as he could to the dragon’s body, though it was not easy. The dragon’s back was far wider than that of his pony and the muscles along his inner thighs protested at the stretching.

  ‘AAAARRR . . .!’

  The cry broke from Elian’s throat as Aurora exploded forwards at a speed far greater than the fastest horse Elian had ever ridden. Great leathery wings suddenly swept out, forwards and down, taking a massive bite at the air. The whoosh of Ra’s first flapping motion was huge and Elian felt the dragon’s feet skip off the ground. Air rushed past as the dragon continued to accelerate. Elian’s stomach threatened to lurch up into his throat as she dipped back to the ground and her great wings circled back for another sweep.

  ‘. . . RRRRGGGGHHHH!’

  Elian’s cry petered out. He sucked in another breath.

  ‘Here we go,’ Aurora’s voice warned, and she swept forwards and down even harder with her wings. The ground fell away beneath them and Elian continued to yell uncontrollably. The rushing wind made his eyes water. Everything was blurred, but he knew he was now airborne and climbing.

  ‘Would you mind keeping down the noise back there? It’s very distracting, you know. I wouldn’t want to crash into anything.’

  Elian suspected that Aurora was joking again, but he was not about to take any chances. With her regal tones and imperious manner, she was more than a little scary. Chastened, he clamped his jaw shut and concentrated on blinking as fast as he could. He doubted he could have prised his fingers from their death grip on Ra’s back ridge to wipe away his tears even if he had dared. He had no idea how high he was, but he did not think a fall would be a good idea.

  ‘No,’ Ra said, still listening to his thoughts. ‘It wouldn’t be a good idea. We’re too high for you to survive a fall, but not yet high enough to give me much chance of catching you. If you feel you’re slipping, then let me know. I’ll do my best to help you regain your balance. I haven’t waited all this time just to let you fall and die before we’ve got to know one another properly.’

  It took a moment or two longer for Elian to clear his eyes of tears sufficiently to be able to see again. The rise and fall of Aurora’s back with every wing-stroke settled into a regular rhythm, to which his body automatically adapted.

  When Elian’s vision finally cleared, he gasped. They were far above the highest treetops and still climbing. They were also covering ground at a tremendous rate.

  The sensation was amazing. It was unlike anything Elian had ever imagined. The rush of wind, the great whooshing of Aurora’s wingbeats and the unique view from her back gave him a feeling of detachment. The ground felt too far away to give a sense of height, even though they were not yet as high up as the Devil’s Finger. The difference was hard to explain. It was as if the view across the landscape had lost all sense of reality. Flying on Aurora’s back gave the distance to the ground a feeling of depth, rather than height, as if he was looking over the side of a boat into crystal clear water and seeing the bottom many spans below.

  ‘Fun, isn’t it?’ Ra said.

  ‘It’s incredible! Totally fantastic!’ Elian shouted back.

  Elation took over. ‘WAHOOO!’ he yelled, raising his head in exultation. ‘WAHOOO!’ He started to laugh uncontrollably, his sheer joy overwhelming him, spilling out and leaving him gasping for breath again.

  ‘I’m glad you’re enjoying it, dragonrider, for I sense we have a lot of flying ahead of us.’

  ‘Where are we going, then?’ Elian asked, his laughter dying away as the implications of that statement sank in.

  ‘Now?’ Ra asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, to begin with, I think I had better take you home. You’ll need provisions, clothes and travel gear. I’m sure you’ll also want to say goodbye to your family. You probably won’t see them again for some time. Our path together is beckoning. There’s no time for me to teach you the finer points of flying. You will have to learn as you go. My senses tell me we need to visit the Oracle soon. Time waits for neither man nor dragon.’

  Elian wanted to ask Ra what she meant by ‘the Oracle’. But first, he had a more important request. ‘If you’re taking me home, can we make a little side stop first?’

  ‘That depends,’ Ra answered, caution reflected in her tone. ‘What have you got in mind?’

  ‘I’ve an old score to settle with a couple of boys who’d really benefit from meeting a dragon.’

  Chapter Three

  Hunter and Hunted

  ‘If you wish to gain revenge upon these boys, Elian, I should warn you that I am no weapon to be used at your bidding.’ The full weight of Aurora’s most imperious tones brooked no argument.

  ‘No! Of course not, Ra! I don’t want you to hurt them – but I hoped you might agree to give them a bit of a fright. You see, Borkas and Farrel have made life a misery for my friends and me. They’re the worst sorts of bullies – mean-spirited and cruel. I just thought it would be great to give them a taste of what it feels like to be small and vulnerable, that’s all.’

  Aurora fell silent while she considered his request. Time stretched and Elian hardly dared to breathe.

  ‘Very well,’ she said eventually. ‘Where will we find these boys?’

  ‘I expect they’re waiting for me near the edge of the woods, not far from where we met,’ Elian replied, unable to hide his excitement.

  ‘Then that’s where we’ll look.’

  Aurora suddenly dipped her left wing to turn and Elian grunted with surprise. An invisible force pressed him hard against Ra’s back. He looked left and his stomach knotted with fear. The ground filled his view, yet despite the impossible angle he did not fall. He did not understand why, but he was very glad to be squashed firmly in place upon the dragon’s back by what felt like a great, unseen hand.

  ‘Go with the turn, Elian. If you try to lean the other way, then you might fall off my other side when I roll out of it.’

  Elian wasn’t about to argue. It felt wrong, but he did as he was told. Instinct and fear tightened his fingers until he was sure they would have to be prised free from Ra’s neck ridge when he landed. Despite obediently leaning into the turn, he began to slide off her other side as she returned to level flight. Elian righted himself quickly, most grateful for the forewarning. It would take a while to get used to turns, he realised.

  Aurora continued to power upwards, gaining altitude with every stroke of her wings. Elian glanced down and realised they were now heading back northwards along the line of the valley. It was not long before he could see the Devil’s Finger, looking more impossible and sinister than ever from this angle. And he had walked nearly to the end! What had he been thinking of?

  Before long they were level with the Finge
r and then above it, climbing further until they skimmed in and out of the base of the cloud layer. Thin wisps wrapped around them in wraith-like tendrils, parting in swirls as they powered through.

  ‘I’m going to climb through this. It’s very thin, but you might get a bit wet.’

  Elian did not answer. He was fascinated by the possibility of being above the clouds. He had once looked down into the Haleen Valley when there had been fog in the valley basin. The view then had been spectacular, but to be above the clouds – what would that be like?

  A few more powerful down-strokes of Ra’s wings and they plunged into a waking nightmare of whiteness. The temperature dropped and Elian shivered. Flying blind into what felt like driving fog was terrifying. Squinting into the damp, milky mist, all he could see was Ra’s back and wings. It was as if they had entered a void. Could Aurora see where she was going? Although Elian knew they were above the edge of the Great Escarpment, it was easy to imagine flying blind into a cliff.

  Within a few heartbeats he was soaked. Tiny droplets of water beaded on his skin, collecting together and growing before running in rivulets, driven by the airflow. The wet, white terror was brief. They punched out of the top of the cloud into brilliant sunshine and Elian found he was still squinting, but this time against the light. The sky above was a stunning blue and the top surface of the cloud was a dazzling white. Although he was shivering with cold, he felt a warm flood of elation course through him. It was as if they were flying above a sea of the most perfectly mashed potato – fluffy and white, with not even the slightest hint of unpeeled skin to mar its purity.