The wind blows through my ebony wavy locks, and I can’t help sighing. “I don’t think we ever got to fly leisurely,” I say loudly to make myself heard over the wind.
Astralux chuckles. “No. Not so bad now, is it?”
“This is amazing.” Seated in a comfortable saddle on Astralux’s back, I stare at Adytol, sprawled along Mount Nordstern, one of the largest mountains of the Wintersong Mountains. I can see a body of water to the north, between the mountain peaks. “Are we close to the sea?” I ask, stunned.
“Yes. Maybe we could take a day trip there,” Astralux says. “The summer is a good time to visit. But if you want to swim, there are some nice hot springs about.”
“I don’t know how to swim,” I say.
“You don’t?!” Astralux hums as if in thought—I can’t hear the sound well, but I can feel it under the saddle. “I guess you never had a reason to, did you?”
“No.” My awe changes to concern as I spot the ugly green of trolls climbing up Mount Nordstern. “How fast are you, Astralux?”
“Fast,” Astralux says. She follows my gaze to trolls that might get through between where Volkan and Neil are stationed. She banks and heads that way with a jerk, and I cling tightly to the saddle horn again. “Sorry. Want me to roar when I get there?”
“Can you breathe up?” I ask. “Make it explode away from you?”
Astralux glances back at me, her one visible eye blinking at me. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried.”
“That would be better than sound,” I say. “One blast for trolls. Maybe two if there’s significant trouble, like someone needs aid.”
Astralux nods slowly. “I will try.” My bonded dragon banks down, zooming toward where the trolls have reached a defensive wooden wall protecting the outskirts of Adytol. One of the trolls starts to pound away at the gate, snapping part of it off with ease. Astralux circles above them, eyeing them intently. I can tell she’s debating an attack because her muscles tense underneath my legs along her sides. I decide against reminding her that we’re only here to signal—she knows my thought already. If Astralux decides we need to assist in the fight to save more lives, then that’s what we need to do.
Much to my relief, Astralux lifts her head. She inhales and then breathes out, a beautiful, misty white light bursting through upwards in the shape of a large sphere. It explodes only a couple meters above us—a bit prematurely for what I hoped for—but I see Astralux watch it curiously.
“I didn’t know I could do that,” Astralux says.
I smile and pat her neck. Neil and Giftigbun turn in the air and head our way. “We’ve got someone coming to check, let’s keep scouting.”
Astralux banks away, both of us searching the ground for signs of trolls in-between pairs. And, for anyone that’s struggling. I stare below, spotting Veremund, wearing a gleaming, silver-trimmed ice-blue armor that I’m pretty sure has wings sprouting out the back of it.
“Does Veremund have wings?!” I ask incredulously.
Astralux chuckles. “I suppose we haven’t told you about all of the bonded abilities.”
“I will get wings?!”
Still chuckling, Astralux shrugs by moving her shoulders just to either side and behind the saddle, shifting me slightly. “Maybe. It’s not a guaranteed thing. It’s hard to explain, I’m sure Neil will tell you all about bonding abilities soon.”
Still awed, I stare at Veremund and Kalteratem, who I realize is also wearing a matching set of ice-blue armor in strategic parts overtop his scales. Tearing my eyes away, I turn my head in time to see Mortimer and Undabouclier facing down double the number of trolls that the others have been. Astralux is already headed their way.
“Try to make the light explode a little higher,” I say.
Nodding once, Astralux lifts her head and exhales. This time the white sphere flies up for a good four meters before it explodes in a beautiful light with sparkles that trail down. “How was that?” Astralux asks.
“Perfect!”
Astralux hums as she circles once, perhaps waiting until she spots Amon and Andeuten coming to aid, and then turns and continues flying around. I detect happiness from her—especially by the way her tail is “wagging” at the tip in the air. I’m sure she’d rather be in the midst of battle, but I feel like we’ve found a good “middle ground” and it makes me smile.
“Whoa, trouble!” Astralux banks hard, once again causing me to teeter in the saddle, and I cling to the saddle horn, my feet pinning the stirrups against the saddle sides. “Sorry, Estelle! But we’ve got an issue.” She gestures with her head down to where a large number of trolls are fighting against Adytol soldiers just outside a stone wall that protects the majority of the city-state. The trolls look to have broken through the wooden wall farther down and snuck up into an area that’s blocked in sight by trees, a rise in the mountain, and a couple of large buildings. The soldiers aren’t doing well.
“Breathe twice!” I shout.
Astralux lifts her head and breathes once, waits a couple of seconds, and then breathes again, both lights exploding well above our heads. I gape in amazement as Kalteratem rises high and comes our way. Up in the air he’s even more amazing to behold, and now with the armor overtop his massive scales, he’s intimidating.
Kalteratem doesn’t even question us about what’s going on—he peers down at the mass of trolls and then dives, giving a roar that reverberates through me and causes me to quake on Astralux. If I hadn’t seen him coming, I may well have wet myself.
“Don’t worry,” Astralux says to me, her voice cheery. “My father is giving the trolls a chance to flee before he pulverizes them.”
It works—many of the trolls screech in fear as they turn and flee back down the side of the mountain. But not all run, and these few brave trolls are completely overwhelmed in a blast of ice magic from Kalteratem, freezing them into place entirely. The Adytol soldiers cheer.
“Father will be fine,” Astralux says. “Let’s keep looking.”
I’m unable to pull my eyes away from Kalteratem, now sweeping a frozen troll up with his paw and tossing it down the side of the mountain like it was a small stone. Forcing myself to turn forward again, I shake my head, still stunned.
Astralux sends another signal over Volkan, who is handling his own alright but we can see more trolls climbing up toward him. Then we continue on, scouting for more trolls.
“I never even thought to do this with my breath weapon!” Astralux says, her tone excited.
“You have the best breath weapon ever,” I say loudly.
Astralux glances back at me, a tear in her one eye looking at me. “I’ve always been embarrassed about my breath weapon. It doesn’t do any damage. But you’ve made me realize that it has other uses. You make me feel proud to be a dragon, Estelle.”
I can’t help the tear that forms in my eye and I hug Astralux’s neck. I want to tell her how much she means to me, but we both spot more trolls, this time climbing up between where Volkan and Tikokaftos are, and where Veremund now fights by himself. Astralux gets a little closer, perhaps to affirm that only one signal is necessary.
One of the trolls lifts his head, and my breath catches as I recognize him. It’s the troll leader that we had encountered a while ago, back when we were trying to make our way to Adytol. His yellow eyes narrow on us and he gestures to the trolls around him. They turn their heads to us and lift spears.
My heart skips in fear. “Astralux!” I shout.
“Hold on!” Astralux banks to the right, hard, and then zooms left.
Shutting my eyes, I cling to the saddle horn and stirrups, willing myself to stay as close to my bonded dragon as possible. I feel a pain on my right shoulder, but peek an eye open to see that the spear had passed by Astralux, not sunk in.
Growling, Astralux dives to avoid another two spears, but this means that we’re closer to the ground, and I hear the whistling of a spear nearby. I lift my left hand and cast a blast of fire out, catching the handle of the spear on fire and sending it spinning through the air past us. Astralux bats a spear away with her tail but then has to dive once again.
“Here we go!” Astralux shouts.
I can’t help yelping as Astralux, still in her dive, suddenly spins completely upside-down. I stare down (up, I wonder?) at spears that skid through the air all around us, Astralux avoiding them with precision. I start to slide out of the saddle, but my fear already has me hanging on tight, and Astralux is upright within seconds.
“Nicely done!” Astralux says. “Wasn’t that great?”
My heart thudding in my chest, I open my mouth and make a meek-sounding noise, like a mouse squeaking.
Astralux breathes a signal up at the sky and then dives behind the side of the mountain to avoid another spear. “They do not give up,” she mutters.
Finally getting a hold of myself, I shakily point behind us before remembering that Astralux can’t see me at the moment. “We should stay close until we know someone is coming.”
“Good idea.” Astralux banks around. “Be prepared for more evasive maneuvers.”
Terrified, I sink down in the saddle, gripping the saddle horn and Astralux’s sides with all of my might. Which, I realize, is too much when I start to stretch the leather overtop what must be a metal piece in the saddle horn.
Coming around the side of the mountain, I breathe a sigh of relief to see Amon and Andeuten taking care of the issue. The troll leader is already gone—I don’t know if he was pushed off the side of the mountain with one of Andeuten’s sweeping tail attacks or if he fled, but with his absence I realize the trolls are retreating as well.
“They’re fleeing! That’s right, run you cowards!” Astralux, perhaps forgetting our role as scouts for a moment, starts to fly after them, growling. I can’t help but giggle a little at the way her tail wags in the air—she’s having fun, and I’m glad.
A bell rings from the city square. Astralux turns in the air, and I wave at Amon as he and Andeuten, taking care of the last of the trolls, rise up to fly alongside us.
“Look at you,” Amon says. He and Andeuten are splattered with a little bit of the nauseating pus of trolls, but otherwise seem fine. “Already riding like a Ward.”
“Are you okay?” I ask, still looking for wounds.
“Oh, trolls are no trouble for us,” Amon says. Something in the tone of his words makes me wonder at how skilled Amon really is. I haven’t seen him fight yet, and I decide I should pay attention next time he’s practicing or in battle.
By the time we make it to the open field by the Wards’ palace, which apparently serves as a meeting point between the citizens of Adytol and the Wards, most of the other Ward pairs are here, along with many Adytol soldiers. The air reeks of troll pus—worse than rotting meat—and I notice buckets of sudsy water are being brought out by Head Nurse Jaye and other assistants. There’s a sharp vinegar and baking soda smell to the pails, but I much prefer that over the intolerable smell of the troll pus.
“Here’s our scouts!” Neil says. He grins at us, scrubbing his leg while Karen, another medic, tends to a small wound on his shoulder. “That was helpful!”
“Very helpful,” Veremund says. His armor and wings are gone, and he’s washing the side of Kalteratem, whose armor is also missing. They both give us a warm smile. “Great work.”
Kalteratem growls to Astralux, and Astralux blushes as she beams proudly.
“It was Estelle’s idea,” Astralux says.
“Also,” Volkan says, “did I see you both do a barrel-roll?”
“We did!” Astralux says excitedly.
I shudder, and then grin sheepishly when all the Wards around me laugh.
Tamara Rivers 
Leave a comment