Stroke the Flame

25

A strange sound came from the east, overhead. A huge gust of wind. The flap of large wings. The rustle of many trees.

I knew that sound.

“Get in the cave!” I grabbed Kira’s arm and dragged her inside before she could protest. “Hurry!”

“What is it?” Slade asked, as the others rushed inside behind us.

“A Dragon,” I said.

“What?” Kira’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t pull away from me, and I didn’t release her arm. I didn’t trust these other guys to protect her the way I could. None of them knew the danger that was coming for us, not the way I did. Kira knew, though. She understood all too well what the Dragons could do.

“Quick, cover the mouth of the cave,” Auric told Slade.

Slade gestured and some of the large rocks moved in front of the cave entrance, though they left a small enough opening for us to peer through. We each crowded around it and watched as the dragon appeared over the forest, his large wings spread wide, casting huge shadows on the trees. Dark blue scales flashed under the sun, and even from this distance his sharp talons were visible, as was his long tail.

The Azure Dragon circled overhead twice, as if looking for something, before finally moving on. The cave was entirely silent while we watched him, as if we were each holding our breath, and only when he disappeared from sight did we all take a collective exhale.

“Was he looking for us?” Kira asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“No way,” Jasin said. “How would he know about us?”

Auric frowned as he gazed at the sky. “Some of the bandits might have gotten away and started spreading rumors about people with magic. Maybe he heard them somehow.”

“Or maybe it was a coincidence and he’s looking for someone else,” Slade said.

I realized I was still holding Kira close even though the danger had passed. I quickly released her. “It doesn’t matter. We need to get moving anyway.”

I glanced back at the sky, at the spot where the Azure Dragon had soared over us. That was supposed to be me one day.

Not if I could help it.

20

Kira

W

e stayed off the road as much as we could, eager to remain out of sight between the bandit attack and the Azure Dragon flying over us. I mentally shuddered remembering his dark wings soaring through the sky and that long tail stretched behind him.

I’d seen him once before when I was fourteen. He’d come to a village in the Air Realm I’d been visiting with the traveling merchants. I’d wandered off to pet some kittens in the inn’s stables when the Azure Dragon, Doran, swooped down and landed in the center of the town. I’d peered through the wooden slats of the stables as he changed back into a tall man with blond hair that hung past his shoulders. I was terrified he was going to flood the entire village or drown someone, but all he did was talk to one of the merchants briefly before casting his gaze in the direction of the stables. His eyes were cold and piercing, and I had the horrible sense that he would find me and finish the job the Crimson Dragon had started. But then he turned away, shifted back into his dragon form, and flew off without a word.

Just to be safe, I’d left the village that night on my own. The merchant family had treated me well, almost like another daughter, and I hated abandoning them without a word, but the memory of my parents’ deaths convinced me they would be safer without me around. Later I decided I’d been paranoid, that it was a mere coincidence that the Azure Dragon had shown up while we were there. He had no reason to look for me.

Now I wasn’t so sure.

None of us seemed to feel like chatting much throughout the day, and we made good progress toward the Air Realm without encountering any danger. When night began to fall we paused near a larger town, and Auric pulled out his map.

“We should stop there for the evening,” he said. “According to this map it’s a town called Rockworth and should be large enough for us to buy some new clothes.”

Reven frowned. “It would be safer if we avoided towns entirely.”

“The horses need to eat and rest,” Jasin said. “And so do we.”

Slade rubbed his dark beard. “We should stock up on supplies too if we’re going to be avoiding towns in the future. Especially since we didn’t get anything from that village yesterday.”

I gazed at the wooden roofs of the town, barely visible over the stone wall surrounding it with a small moat, likely to protect it from elementals. “Let’s stop for the night, but be especially cautious while we’re there. Auric, maybe you can borrow clothes from Reven or Slade so you don’t stand out as much.”

The men grumbled, but we stopped in the forest so they could change their clothes. I was already wearing one of my ragged dresses with my cloak over it. Jasin kept his black trousers from his uniform but donned a plain gray shirt from his pack. Auric’s fine silk clothes went in his bag, and Slade gave him a pair of brown trousers, while Reven reluctantly let Auric use one of his black shirts. They didn’t fit Auric perfectly, but they were good enough for now.

Once we all looked like any other group of weary travelers, we headed for the town. I rode with Auric, breathing in his clean, fresh scent as I held onto his back. Of all the men, I felt the most comfortable with him so far, which surprised me.