“I don’t know why I expected you to be better at this, but color me surprised.” Padon’s arms wrapped around me just as his voice did, his fingers tickling at my side before I smacked them. To my utter embarrassment, he and Drisha burst into laughter, the shaking of the dragon’s body nearly forcing me off the side of her.
Padon’s grip tightened, and then we were once more kissed by the whisky-and-leather-scented purple clouds that were portaling, but with the raw magic of a god. Perhaps that was why it merely felt like scooting forward when we went from the base of Drisha’s tail to the space between her shoulder blades. My legs cramped as I attempted to adjust, the discomfort of sitting atop her like sitting on level ground that was riddled with slightly sharp rocks.
Why had I thought that dragon riders in the stories were able to sit atop a dragon with their legs hanging off the sides? It would be impossible for anyone if all dragons were this large, and yet I had never thought of the logistics.
Probably because, until today, it had not crossed my mind that I would ever see a dragon.
“Hold on tight and remember to breathe, my love.” Padon’s own breath warmed my ear as he spoke, but I had no time to scold him before Drisha squatted low and then shot into the air.
My scream was so loud that it hurt even my ears as her wings beat a ferocious pace, ascending so quickly it felt like the air was stolen from my lungs. If I passed out, would Padon catch me? Would he even be able to?
You’re being annoying. Stop screaming.
Silencing myself, I tried to glare at her eye, which she had pinned on me, her head turned to flash her teeth. It turns out, a lack of air will make one quite dizzy.
My vision swam, body swaying as Drisha leveled out. I was going to vomit on a dragon, and then she would probably shake me off and burn me alive for my audacity. This would be a disgraceful way to die.
Before I could do so, another screech echoed across the sky, fluffy white clouds hiding the other dragon from our view. Suddenly, a looming black figure cut through them, the dragon’s body corkscrewing upwards with wings tucked as it flew. I stared in awe, watching the beast dive and dip—only using its wings when it needed to. When it circled us, opting to casually fly at Drisha’s side, I got the uncanny feeling that it was expecting something from me. I looked into its black eyes, trying to decipher what meaning they held as its stare bore into me.
Hello.
The dragon jolted, falling for a split second before it caught its bearings and returned to the spot beside us.
Well, I wasn’t expecting that. Hello to you too. Are you our fearless emperor’s new pet? You smell like a mortal snack.
Drisha’s body shook below us with laughter, and I gasped.
Can you hear him?
Yes, tiny, I can. We all can hear one another. And it seems Likho has become interested in you. So make sure to actually grab on this time.
What do you mea—
And then Drisha twirled in the air, her claws grabbing me out of Padon’s grasp and tossing me into a free fall. The emperor’s face filled with horror, reaching out to me despite the fact that there was no chance he could catch me.
I screamed on the way down, the dizziness returning in full force. But it was the way I hit the ground—no, the dragon—that really knocked the wind out of me. My chest felt like it was caving in, my scream abruptly cutting off as I tried to fight through the pain and grab onto Likho.
His tail, thankfully free of spikes, braced my back, giving me enough aid to pull myself up and grip onto his scales. With the bruise on my cheek and the slices that now marred my palms, I must have looked like I lost a fight. It also felt like I lost a fight. Then again, I had lived two hundred years and won very few times, so this was just the standard.
You’re funny. I like you.
Likho’s voice was deeper and more gravely than Drisha’s, making my teeth rattle as he spoke into my mind.
If nearly dying is humorous, then you have no idea just how funny I am.
Drisha laughed from above, Likho’s chuckles echoing across the skies as we shot forward. I used every bit of strength I possessed to hold on, screaming in terror every time Likho jokingly twirled and dipped, his tail often the only thing keeping me astride. My cloak and hair both billowed in the wind, sometimes wrapping around to smack me in the face and leave me without sight. All the while, Likho made comments about how much fun we were having.
The one and only time I responded was to tell him that he needed to learn to speak for himself.
Padon and Drisha kept a close eye on us, his smile stretching his face into something nearly tolerable. However, I was so dizzy and disoriented that I might have been hallucinating.
When we finally began to descend, my teeth were chattering and my hair was so knotted that it hurt to move my head. While my bruised cheek barely stung anymore, the cuts on my hands were still angry and bleeding from grabbing his scales so hard.
Likho landed without mercy, hitting the ground with a deafening boom and running forward before coming to a full stop. This time, his tail did not save me. I went careening off his side, my body flipping midair and my stomach threatening to spill. Like always, Padon was ready, catching me effortlessly in his arms with a broad smile.
“Wasn’t that the most fun and exhilarating thing you’ve ever done?” he asked, his breath coming in heavy pants and his eyes wide with excitement.
“I think I am going to be sick.”
