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After maybe half an hour of walking, the tribal men in animal skins holding my arms stop. I peer around, seeing only more trees. But I can smell something—people, I realize. I look back to see that the rest of the men are slowly dragging Astralux along by ropes tied to her front legs. The beautiful dragon is still fast asleep from whatever strange paste they had spread on her and tipped their arrows with. I can feel the slight pain through our shared bonds of her wounds, but it isn’t enough to wake her.

Leading this tribal group is a tall and sturdy man who wears an elaborate bone and beaded necklace around his neck. He stands nearby, watching as the men continue to pull Astralux close. Then he gives a whistle that sounds like an owl hooting. I hear a similar owl’s hoot from ahead. It must be some sort of signal.

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“You should probably keep the bones,” Astralux says. “And maybe the fur, although I did tear that pretty bad.”

I look from the beautiful, shiny white dragon beside me to the remaining bones of the bear, the meat eaten between the two of us. They need some cleaning, but I realize that Astralux is right—the skull itself could be bleached to make a great bowl. The fur is unusable, nothing but shredded tufts haphazardly tossed about the place.

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Chapter 2: Allies & Enemies

My eyes grow heavy, even as the sun shines down on me. But there’s no point in trying to sleep—not perched awkwardly on the top of Astralux as I am, clinging to her spines.

“I know you don’t want to talk too much about the bond,” I say, “but can you tell me where the Wards are?”

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—A bright, beautiful light explodes in front of Astralux across the stream’s water before us.

I stare, utterly astounded, before sliding down Astralux’s back. I try to use the back of her front right leg like she showed me to climb down, but I miss and fall to the grassy ground below. “Oomph!”

“Estelle?!” Astralux asks, her tone worried.

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“How many Vladykar dragons are there?!” I ask incredulously.

“Why would I know?!” Astralux asks with a growl that reverberates throughout her draconic body.

Astralux reaches out with her claws, digging into the stone of the corridor to make a sharp right turn as another blast of green-hued pale yellow acid blasts out at us. Beyond, I can just make out the bright lime green eyes of the dragon Saurentais as he chases after us. The faint light in the corridor that glints off Astralux’s bright white scales reveals that he has light-colored scales like Astralux. It’s hard to make out much else as Astralux scrambles along the tight stone corridor.

“You might be bonded, but you can’t escape me!” Saurentais roars, the sound echoing through the corridor.

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It’s getting harder and harder to see as we fall, the faintest light glinting off Astralux’s iridescent white scales. At last, I spot the bottom of the hole. Astralux uses her wings to coast at the end of our drop, and both of us cringe at the pain and cramping this causes her right wing, until she lands amongst the stones at the bottom. Finding her footing, Astralux crawls into a dark space, revealing a small cave within the maze of caves we’re already in. No doubt this will hide us if Vladykar Lochan or Pesokvglazu look down the hole. If they could even see this far.

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My entrancement with my improved night-vision dissipates when Astralux suddenly banks to the left to avoid a hissing blast of sand that pelts through the air. Pesokvglazu and Vladykar Lochan aren’t far behind. But at least this time they don’t seem to be gaining on us. Or rather, not as quickly.

“I wish I had a saddle,” Astralux pants. “Holding you like this slows me down.”

I curl my arms around her shimmering pale blue-tipped claws holding me, to help secure myself to her. Astralux’s brilliant white wings beat heavier as she climbs in the air. I look back in time to see Pesokvglazu inhaling.

“He’s…he’s…!” I still can’t get my words out.

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What have I done?

I stare at the darkness below as the wind blows by so fast my eyes tear up. By the starry night and the waning crescent moon, I can barely see the rapids, almost a thousand meters below me. My fear has rendered me speechless, and I simply stare at it in disbelief.

The growling roar from above alerts me that Pesokvglazu is coming. I turn my head and just make out the light bronze-colored dragon swoop over the side of the cliff from which I had jumped. Upon his back rides Vladykar Lochan, still charred on the left side of his face, still glaring at me as they fly toward me. Pesokvglazu is fast—I can see why he said it was futile to jump.

But what else was I supposed to do?

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I can’t believe it. War has begun with Klevor attacking Amenyl, without any warning. And we, the people of Inizion, are their first victory.

Led by Vladykar Lochan who rides a dragon. A real, breathing, light-bronze scaled dragon named Pesokvglazu, who watches us intently with his bright copper irises that fill his angled eyes.

Brushing an invisible speck of dust off his chainmail and leather mixed armor, Vladykar Lochan leans forward in his saddle, waiting for us to quiet. At last, he clears his throat. “First thing’s first,” he says. “Has anyone here seen a dragon before Pesokvglazu?” He gestures to the great beast he rides.

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My eyes snap open as I wake, suddenly. I have no idea why, although somewhere in the back of my mind, I wonder if I had a nightmare. A quick glance around reveals I’m in my cot tucked in the corner of our one-room office and home. Privacy curtains made of bed sheets sewn together are drawn around all the cots, since they were the best extra beds we had in Inizion. The royal messenger and his bodyguards are fast asleep, recovering from the bandit attack. I look over to see Mom on her own cot, not far from mine, a couple of her gray-tinged blonde curls sticking out from underneath her blankets. She snores lightly. She only snores when she’s exhausted. Otherwise, everything is still.

All was well.

Despite the peace, I feel uneasy. I must have woken from a nightmare, and I just can’t remember the details. Oh, I’ve had many nightmares, some of which I remember. Most of them involved the small, peaceful town of Inizion burning up in flames. But the faint memories I have of tonight’s nightmare are different in a way I can’t explain.

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