Raven and the Dragon

The Mountaintop Pool

Raven

I scream as the dragon plummets out of the cave. I am straddling his neck with my hands tight on the spikes coming out of his head. I swear the bastard is laughing as he flaps his wings and levels out. He climbs higher and soars above the mountains. I close my eyes and bury my face against his smooth scales.

‘Open your eyes, Raven,’ Morax rumbles in my head, but I ignore him.

I may be giving Nicodemus a chance, but I still don’t trust him or his dragon. ‘I’m fine,’ I respond.

The dragon makes a low rumbling noise and says nothing else. The air is cool against my bare skin, but the dragon’s scales are warm. I scream again when the dragon shifts and lands.

‘We’re here,’ Morax tells me.

I open my eyes and see we are some flat mountain top with trees around the edge and a meadow in