Sir Irand Greyson

  I snapped my eyes open as I felt a dull pain in my side. I shifted and it faded thankfully but I looked down to where it had come from and I found Alvina’s feet up against me. Her arms were wrapped around my chest and she had folded her legs up into stomach for warmth, but that had led to her clawed nails digging into my side. It had been two days since we arrived here and I had already realized and accepted that no matter what position we went to sleep in, she would inevitably end up curled against me. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, unless she curled up like she was now, but it was odd to have someone pressing against me that was so cold to the touch.

  That first day we hadn't had much time to actually do any investigating between our intimate acts and dinner but the next morning we had both risen early and spent the day from before dawn to after nightfall looking through the tomes she had mentioned. I had found one solution that I wasn't opposed to almost immediately but the ritual required a sacrifice that I wasn't certain I could fulfill the requirements for.

  She had shown me a few others that would achieve similar results but all required the same vital component. The willing sacrifice of a living creature who overflowed with magic. It was apparently why many of these rituals weren’t common knowledge, that most who could procure such individuals most likely wouldn't. Alvina had let me keep one of the Tomes of my choosing to have the ritual on hand if I met the requirements and the rest of the day I had perused her collection while I listened to her ramblings about the subjects of any time I picked up.

  She was intelligent, even more than I had initially thought. Back in Calanai there were few who enjoyed simply reading for the joy of it and hardly any who would hold a conversation about such topics. But in Alvina I found someone who not only enjoyed tomes and scrolls but someone who was starved for discussion on the topics she read about. It took some time to figure out when I could speak without breaking her line of thought but once I did she seemed even more enthusiastic.

  It had been nightfall that day when I attempted to leave and she pouted. I had stopped halfway through wishing her good night when I noticed her expression.

  “Did you not wish me to return to my family’s quarters?”

  “I thought… I thought you might stay again.” She said, sniffling slightly as she spoke.

  “I didn't wish to abuse your hospitality. And I didn't wish to keep you up later than needed.” I replied, closing the door as I walked over to her.

  “Oh, keeping me up?” She asked, a blush entering her face.

  “Only if you would like me too. The choice is yours, Princess.” I said, my heart already speeding up as the words passed my lips.

  “I would enjoy that very much.”

  I had never had Tiran’s charm or Naravie’s looks but the way she looked at me as she said that made me feel like I did. Fire burned in my veins, Ruhn and Raya had been the only ones I had ever felt longing for but after spending the night with her I had felt it bloom again and I had relished each moment I had spent with her. After that night I had wished to leave before I felt something that she didn’t feel. To leave and not look back at what might be. But I had and here we were once again.

  I had learned from our first night that she enjoyed being physically pushed, to a point of course. I had no doubt that if she wished she could toss me across the room but she had me take the lead each time. I could pin her by her wrists to the bed or to the wall and she seemed to get a thrill from it each time. Her gaze was filled with lust aye but there was more to it. The thought made my heart race but I kept the words to myself.

  By the end of that night I had accepted that I wouldn’t be staying with Tiran and Ereneya during our time here. I had fallen asleep braced against her back, the chill of her body providing a comfortable balance beneath the blankets.

  Which led to the present where she had turned around and curled up against me, clawed toes scratching at my side as she slept. I looped an arm around her and stared at the ceiling. It was half glass roof and half shifting mosaic. I imagined Heskari had spared no expense in decorating her children’s rooms.

  The glass stared up at the clearest night sky I had ever seen, constellations twinkling overhead. But in the glass panels between them magic took hold and figures moved and if you stared long enough, they told a story. I had watched them for several hours now and I believed I knew the story.

  A young man wandered into the woods with a bow, hunting probably, and though he found no quarry he found a dragon, injured and bleeding. He helped to close the Dragon’s wounds and eventually led it through the woods to a building. There a man in a crown cried out and the Dragon fled, the young man watched it go, tears falling in beautiful stained glass. He and the man in the crown fought, a battle of bow and blade and the young man lost, limping away after his defeat.

  He fled into the woods and there he met the dragon once more, though now he was injured and it was helping him. It cut its claw and held out a bloody hand which the man brought to his mouth. The next few shards showed them together, traveling the skies and the young man riding upon the Dragon’s back, now long hair flowing in the wind. All of these led to the final piece which lay at the center and was larger than all the rest, A young woman with red eyes and blonde hair, sitting in a chair with a book in her hands.

  I had guessed rather quickly it was Alvina’s story. The Woman in the center was very obviously her, but it made sense. She had the bearing and the posture of someone who had grown up among nobility and even among her Mother and Sister she held herself differently. She let out a small noise and I looked down to see her glancing up at the Glass.

  “He wasn’t bad. He just… didn’t understand me.”

  “I can’t imagine how that must have gone, showing up at home with a Dragon in tow.”

  She let out a laugh and smiled.

  “Well she didn’t come with me as her full Draconic Self. She was in her human body and I had warned my Father about her approach. He wanted to capture her, form a whole kingdom of Dragons. It wasn’t out of a personal desire for power though, he had just lost my Brothers and much of his army to a group of ogres. I was the Crown Prince so I wasn’t allowed to join in war, too dangerous to lose me. So I occupied myself with hunting. While Father tried to scheme around his enemies. He reasoned that with a handful of Dragons he could protect all of us. He didn’t understand that wasn't how it works. And when I tried to explain it he grew too desperate and we fought. Mother would have killed him. So I told her to run. And I fought him alone.”

  “What do you mean that isn’t how it works?”

  “There is time between when a Dragon can give their blood. If it's done in rapid succession then the time between grows longer and longer. When Mother gave her blood to Ilgard and Vakaya at the same time she was barely able to move for a few months. Normally it takes several years between hatchlings. A decade is the usual amount. Also his plan wouldn’t have worked. Under normal circumstances Dragons don’t roost near each other or stay together even among family. Too many clashing emotions and too much power in one place. By rights I should have moved on from Mother’s domain a century ago. But because of my injuries and my needs, I have stayed. And even I, who love her and wish to protect her, chafe under her rules from time to time. She can be overbearing and overprotective.”

  “So what happened after you fought your Father?”

  “I was wounded and I ran off into the woods. Mother found me on her own and she tended to my wounds. Father pursued me into the woods and when he found me in her care we spoke. He agreed to let me leave with her. I did go back and speak to him a few times after I had transitioned into a Dragon. He ended up giving my Sister the throne and he passed away only a few years shy of a century. We aided my Sister and her children a handful of times over the years and from what I understand my family still rules the Kingdom. To the Northeast near the coast. Hirendar.”

  “Hirendar? I’ve heard the name but they remain isolationist. Supposedly their archers are second to none, and they defend their home from the Cliffs and ancient forests quite well.”

  “Indeed. And would you happen to have a guess who started such a proud tradition of Archery?”

  “Would it happen to have been a Dashing Prince who left on a grand adventure?” I asked, managing to get an arm around her and pull her close.

  “Indeed, though if the histories are correct he was not much of a pinnacle of manliness. How scandalous.” She said with another laugh.

  “I think the world could do with more people like that. Too many take themselves too seriously.”

  “Present company included.” She said as she buried her face against my neck, sharp teeth grazing against the skin.

  We stayed like that for a few minutes before I shifted so that she could hear me.

  “Could you teach me magic?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Could you teach me how to heal like you did for Odessa?”

  She pursed her lips and pressed a finger to each of my temples. Her eyes glowed an Icy Blue for a moment and she moved her mouth like she was talking to herself before she spoke and the light faded.

  “You do not have a high affinity for magic, nor a large reserve of it. If you underwent a transformation you would likely have both but as you are now… You might be able to do what I did once before needing rest. It would be an emergency use spell only.”

  “If I can mend their bodies to allow them to defend themselves then it would be worth it.”

  “And it will take longer than a few days to teach you to the point that you could actually cast it without a ritual like I did.”

  “And we only have a few days.”

  “Do we?”

  “I have a feeling that once Naravie’s Wing is mended and she can fly again Ereneya will wish to leave as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, well that doesn’t mean I can’t come with you.”

  I caught my breath at that and gave her a doubting look.

  “As I said, I do chafe under my Mother’s restrictions on occasion. I would also love to meet this Xaranta that Ereneya is taking you to see. Mother has met him and I believe he is quite scholarly himself. The chance to peruse his collections…. Unless you would rather I not accompany you.” She said, catching herself and giving me a pouting look.

  “If you feel up to it, I would love to travel with you. Ereneya may object. I do not think she trusts your mother.”

  “She can be as paranoid as she likes. I have the means to defend myself against one of her strengths. I took great care in creating my defenses this last century. If someone wishes me harm they will have to try quite hard indeed.” She said as she stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

  She was trying to look intimidating but the angle from which I was laying gave a very different view. I let out a soft whistle and she blushed.

  “You know you don’t look very intimidating when you are quite so exposed.”

  “I don’t want to intimidate you.”

  “Well good because you are having quite a different effect.”

  She grew a few shades darker at that and I saw her shiver slightly. I held up the covers and she crawled back into bed, pressing herself against me.

  “I suppose we can warm up a bit before we start your lessons.” She said, giddy with excitement.

  “Yes Princess.”

  Sir Tiran Greyson

  It was still before dawn when I approached the sparring pit. Ilgard had shown it to me the previous day and she promised to meet me there this morning. We had discovered that while she was still a fair bit stronger than I, I could hold my against her. She wished to improve her skills in combat and I was just happy to have someone to spar with. After Naravie had enhanced me the only ones I had really had any challenge with were Naravie and Ereneya. And given that both of them had been rather busy the past few months I had found it difficult to keep on top of my form. I had learned the hard way that the Knights of the Royal Guard were liable to get launched if I lost my focus.

  So here I was, my sword tied in its sheath to be used as a practice blade against the Dragoness and I found her sitting on the edge of the pit watching the distant sky fill with pink. The other benefit of being over here was that I did not have to feel the throes of Alvina’s Passion and have visions of her and Irand. I was fond of my brother but just the memory of Alvina’s visions made me sick. Ilgard had mentioned it was something she had trouble controlling and also that it was hard to reach her to let her know she was doing it.

  Regardless, here we were. I dropped my boots to the ground and Ilgard spun around and smiled at me.

  “So are you ready to eat sand, Human?” She said, flashing all of her teeth with her smile.

  “I think you’ll find that you’ll be the one doing that.” I replied as I began lacing up my boots.

  She hopped into the pit before me and I joined her there a moment later. She was carrying a long wooden pole that had metal studs in it and I recoiled a bit at the thought of getting hit by that with her brute strength.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  “So how do we begin?”

  “Well first, what do you want to work on? Form, defensive posture? Do you just want to fight against someone? What do you want out of this?”

  “I want to be able to fight and defend my Mother and Sister. To protect them.”

  “Alright so let's work on you blocking my strikes. And then if you feel comfortable with that we can move onto countering.”

  She nodded and I began the process of trying to whack her with my blade. She was fairly good. She was decent enough at blocking my strikes at first but her form quickly deteriorated. I realized soon enough that she was casting glances about, looking here and there between blocking me. I was confused but I kept pushing her until she was at the edge of the Pit. She put up a hand and I stopped my strikes immediatley. She sat down in the sand and hung her head.

  “You were doing fine, what's the problem?” I asked.

  She said nothing but jerked her hand towards the edge of the pit. I turned to look and I saw Heskari standing there, looking down at both of us. Ilgard pouted in the sand while I bowed to the Dragoness. She gave me a nod and I could see the silent conversation being had between the two of them. Ilgard huffed as she picked up her club and stormed off and Heskari sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “I apologize Sir Tiran. She knows better than to try something like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “If she wants to fight like that she needs to do some work before she can.”

  “Like chores?”

  “No, she… she has an issue with keeping her focus on a task for any length of time. We have tried sparring before and she loses her focus and grows distracted each time. If she wishes to spar with you she will have to spend a few hours focusing her mind. We have a ritual to help her with that prepared.”

  “That seems…. Unadvised. Given that if she is attacked again she will not have time to perform said ritual.”

  “Yes, well. The alternative is her being injured in training again.”

  “Again?”

  “During one of our first sparring matches after her sister was taken I sent her flying off the edge of the castle and knocked her unconscious because she forgot what we were doing. It has become more manageable with time but for now she remains bound to her needs.”

  “Is that why her eyes are slightly off?” I asked.

  “No that… that is the reason why she has trouble remembering.”

  I was about to ask what happened when an image flashed through my mind of Ilgard, her face half buried in the rock of a cliff face with a stone point sticking out the back of her head, an eye hanging off of it. She looked like she should have been dead twice over with all the injuries on her body. Then the image was gone.

  “I didn’t know.”

  “I assumed she had not told you. The girl longs to fight but she is not ready. I don’t know that she ever will be.”

  “Is there nothing that can be done?”

  “I have tried everything I know. But damage to the mind is difficult to remedy, even with magic. For now this solution seems to mitigate her episodes of absent mindedness.”

  “Is there nothing I could do to make it up to her? She seemed upset when you forced us to stop.”

  “I told her we could go hunting this afternoon once she has finished with her meditation. She quite loves snails.”

  “That seems…. Like it would take a lot.”

  “Oh no, I do not refer to small garden snails. The beasts of the Valley below are monstrous in size. They pose little threat to us and are delicious. If you wish to join us, I think she would enjoy having someone besides me to accompany her.”

  “Are they dangerous to Humans?”

  “Normal humans? Yes. Someone with your strength? Hardly. The most dangerous feature of them is their weight and that you can more than handle. If you do not wish to accompany us you are welcome to stay here.”

  I stretched my back and looked up at her.

  “I think I would enjoy an outing.”

  She smiled and nodded slightly.

  “Very well, meet us at the landing just after noon. We should both be ready by then.”

  I nodded and she walked off towards the castle walls. I stowed my sword and shield and headed back to my room. Ereneya was lounging in a chair half heartedly reading a book of some kind.

  She glanced up as I entered. And I gave her a nod. I had been doing my best to avoid her since we had arrived, she had been in a foul mood and I had no wish to be the target of it. I slipped out of my armor and headed off to go find food.

  The Castle was large and most of the menial tasks seemed to be automatically performed by magic. It wasn’t dusty and whenever we went looking for food it was there waiting for us. I wasn’t quite sure how it worked and I wasn’t one to pry. I had seen Irand around midday yesterday and he and the other Dragoness, Alvina I think, were deep in some conversation. I don’t think he even noticed me. It was good to see him enjoying himself.

  I headed by Naravie and Odessa’s room in the infirmary with some extra plates of food. Odessa had finally actually awoken last night when we had been having dinner and she had said her leg felt much better. The wounds were closing well enough and her bone was no longer broken, so that had been a relief.

  As I wandered into their room I found them both propped up against the wall, just sitting and talking.

  “So do you think they can actually be trusted to not stab us in the back?” Odessa asked.

  “I don’t doubt Heskari’s threats towards mother. If all of us fought I think it would be Heskari standing over all our bodies. She is very strong.” Naravie replied as she rubbed the still healing wounds on her side.

  “Indeed.” I said as I walked up to her bed.

  “Tiran! And he brings food!” Naravie cheered as I set the plates in front of them.

  “How's the healing going?”

  “My Wing is still mending, but my side is closed up. Still sore though.” She said as she extended a wing from her back.

  The thin membrane was indeed still riddled with holes but the Green Salve upon them seemed to be helping. They weren’t ragged anymore and most of the holes had smooth edges.

  “Does that feel strange?” I asked as she happily munched on cooked vegetables.

  “A little? It mostly just hurts when I move it but Heskari said that letting it be open to the air would help it breathe a bit better so I’ve been letting it fan out for a few hours. I know what it feels like when I flap them when I am flying and this feels…. Strange to have air going through them. Like…. You know when you're swimming and you have water going through your fingers when you spread them apart? It's more like that but… more weird.”

  “So are the bones in your wings like fingers?”

  “Kind of? I don’t have the ‘Thumb’ bones in them but yeah they kind of feel like extra fingers that are just really really long and all stuck together.”

  “Strange. It sounds like you have an extra set of arms like I do in my real body.”

  “I guess. Maybe I could use my wings like hands? That's a weird thing to imagine.”

  I pictured that and I had to snort a bit at the idea.

  “Yeah yeah, you can try it in a few months.” Naravie said as her wing smacked itself down on my head.

  “Well I’m going out hunting with Heskari and Ilgard. Apparently we are hunting snails.”

  “Snails?” Odessa asked as she picked at her food.

  “Very Large Snails from what I was told.”

  “You don’t want to take Mother with you?”

  “I don’t think she wants anything to do with Heskari right now. Has she been by at all?”

  “Yeah she came by this morning to check in. She seems… angry.”

  “Yeah she's been like that since Yesterday. Especially when Irand didn’t come back to the room.”

  “He hasn’t been back yet? Is he okay?”

  “Yeah I saw him yesterday. He was chatting with Alvina about something. It's good for him to have someone to talk with. After we left home I was worried he would be bored the whole trip.” I said with a smile.

  “What's he doing at home?” Naravie asked, tilting her head as she did so.

  “Ruhn and Raya mostly. He's been scheming with them since the battle. I think that's what he's up to here but I’m not sure.”

  “Wait wait wait. He's been with Ruhn and Raya. Like working with or….?”

  “Oh no the morning we were supposed to leave I’m surprised you didn’t see the marks on his neck.”

  She sat there stunned for a moment until Odessa poked her shoulder and she shook her head.

  “Well good for him. I didn’t think he would enjoy both of them at once. I… Ruhn is nice but men are not for me.”

  “I think men can be quite nice.” I said with a smile.

  “Even with… everything?”

  “You can absolutely talk about what happened with me and Argan. I’ve worked through that much.”

  “I just thought with what he did to you you wouldn’t want to… you know.”

  “Why would I deny myself enjoyment because of one bad piece of meat? There are many nice men out there. Hells if I wasn’t captain of the Royal Guard, I would be flirting with the Royal Guard. Though I can also admit there are some nice ladies back home as well.”

  “So you like Both?” Odessa asked, glancing over at me.

  “I do. Nire was beautiful and kind and fun. But I enjoy the company of either, so long as the company is pleasant.”

  Odessa nodded as she quietly ate. Naravie stretched out her wing and it almost reached the far wall. She had finished her food and I took the plate and excused myself as she rested her head on Odessa’s shoulder.

  It was just after the sun reached directly overhead that Heskari and Ilgard arrived at the landing. I was waiting when they arrived, having sat myself down towards the door as I enjoyed the nice sun on my skin. The two of them walked on by me as I scrambled to my feet and they shifted into their full Draconic forms.

  ‘You will be going with Ilgard. I shall be tending to a few things but I will not be far. Simply make some noise if something happens.”

  I nodded as Ilgard knelt down and I jumped onto her back, steadying myself with her horns. I felt her throat rumble beneath me before her voice appeared in my head.

  ‘Hey, that tickles!’

  “Sorry.”

  ‘Its fine. I’m just not used to having someone touch my horns.’

  She took a running leap off the landing and we were in freefall. I actually had to grab onto her back spikes to keep a hold of her before she spread out her wings and we were still rapidly descending but now more controlled and I could stand.

  My ears popped as we broke through the clouds and I saw the valley below us was a massive forest with a lake in the center. It was picturesque and I was reminded once more how beautiful the world was from the sky. Ilgard dove towards the lake and when were only a few hundred feet from its surface she leveled herself out and we glided along the surface before she gently landed on the shoreline. I hopped off into the sandy shore and she shrunk down into her humanoid body.

  “Alright so, they usually like to hang out near the streams and the little pools around the edges. Nice rocky areas. They don’t really get a lot of humans around so they might try to attack you but you can just stop them with your shield. If you get any slime on you wash it off quickly because it tries to eat you. With everyone who's up there right now…. We probably need about a dozen of them. But come on, follow me and I’ll show you one of them so you know what we are looking for.”

  We marched around the lake towards one of the streams she had mentioned and then it set in how cold it was here. There was a chill in the air and I could see my breath. She eventually held out a hand for me to stop as we gathered around a pool where rocks had been arranged. Well I thought they were rocks until Ilgard walked up to one and knocked it over. Then out came a slimy mass with two antennae on it. The snail let out a gurgly hiss before it attempted to right itself and Ilgard took a step back.

  The snail looked at the both of us and then charged towards me. She had mentioned they were fast but the speed still caught me off guard. I brought up my shield and the impact pushed me back a bit as my heels dug into the damp stone. I was about to stab at it with my sword when Ilgard came in with her club and brought it down on the slimy creature, splattering it’s head and it fell silent as she withdrew her club.

  “Yeah so if you go for the antennae you can take em out nice and clean and you still preserve most of the meat. You just have to wake them up sometimes.” She said as she pushed another one over and smashed it before it could charge.

  We made short work of the rest and she showed me how to get them back in their shells so they could be carried up to the Castle. She offered to go upstream and look for more and pointed towards a pool only a few hundred feet away that was also a preferred place for them to gather. I headed over there and found three more, though these were all bunched up together. I approached one and used my sword to tip it over.

  It hit the ground with a loud thump and before I could swing my blade it squirmed back towards its fellows, shell still sideways. I stared for a moment before something rustling behind me caused me to turn just in time to catch the impact of something on my shield. I fell backwards onto the stone and I felt the breath burst from my lungs as I struggled to push whatever this creature was off of me. Whatever it was clawed against my armor and I had never been so glad to be wearing the suit that Ereneya had made me.

  I pushed back against it with my shield and I felt its weight leave me. I scrambled to my feet and found myself facing off against a monstrous cat. We had Mountain Cats back home in Calanai but this was much bigger. It could have stood shoulder to shoulder with a horse and its body rippled with muscle. I also saw the familiar glint of magic in its eyes as it leapt at me again. I let out a cry as I swung my sword and the blade embedded itself in the beast’s shoulder, cutting through muscle and tissue before it stopped, half the blade still outside its skin. It was dense.

  I blocked it again as it swiped at me, trying to send me careening sideways into the pool and I felt the ground beneath me rumble before it let out a roar and the stone split underneath my foot, sending me tumbling into the water anyways. I sputtered as Icy Water washed over me and the beast leapt in the water pushing me further down. It clawed at my armor but couldn’t break through the metal. I couldn’t do anything against its weight as I sank deeper and deeper into the pool. My vision started to go dark as the beast swam up to the surface and I saw the water stain red before a massive clawed arm reached into the water and picked me up, dragging me to the surface. I coughed as the claw tossed me onto the stone and I felt water pour from my mouth.

  “Tiran! Look at me!”

  I looked up between coughs to see Heskari kneeling next to me. She let out a breath and I felt warm air flow through my nose and down my throat before cold water forced its way out of my mouth. I doubled over again and the water coated the stones alongside some vomit. I felt the warmth of fire next to me before I finished retching and I looked up to see a small campfire had been made.

  “We need to warm you! Your skin is pale.” Heskari said as she guided me towards the flames.

  She sat me down next to it and I reached my hand towards the fire, willing it to warm me with the magic I could muster. There was a flash and a bang and suddenly everything was very hot and wet. I could see one moment and then I felt steam flowing off my skin and everything went white. When I could see again my skin was warm and dry and my clothes were as well. Heskari gave me a look of surprise.

  “I did not expect you to wield Magic.”

  “It's a recent development. Still learning.”

  “Well keep at it, you might have some talent, Fire Drake.”

  “Fire Drake?”

  “Drakes are wingless Dragons and you wield Fire Magic. Should Xaranta allow you to become one of his sons, you will be a Red Scaled Wyrm. But Currently you lack wings, therefore you are a Fire Drake.” She explained with a smile.

  I smiled back as I looked around. I found Ilgard some distance away in her human body. She was skinning the beast that had attacked me but I could see deep gouges in its hide.

  “What was that?”

  “A Mountain Cat, but one who had been affected by the magic of this place. I haven’t seen one of their like here since before Ilgard and Vakaya came to me. It must have wandered in from elsewhere…”

  “That was a normal beast enhanced with magic?”

  “More so a Beast that had gorged itself on magic. It ate the creatures that dwelled here and took in their magic. It happens sometimes with Pack animals and one will survive the feedings and grow stronger and lead a pack. For a solitary hunter to survive is rare. But it is dead now and we have gathered what we need.”

  I watched as Ilgard wrenched the knife through the creature’s hide, clearly upset.

  “Is she alright?”

  “She is angry at herself for ‘Failing’ to keep an eye on you. She had one of her episodes before the beast roared to get her attention. She is, understandably, upset about it.” Heskari sighed, watching her daughter.

  “I should apologize.”

  “Dear, you have nothing to apologize for.”

  “I know but… I feel bad.”

  “That just means you have a good heart. Now here, help me get those few bundled up and we can return to the Castle. These will make a fine meal that should raise everyone’s spirits.”

  We did just that. I helped the Matriarch lash each of the snails together and she ensured they wouldn’t fall. We finished our task just as Ilgard walked over to us, arms and legs covered in blood with the spoils from the beast.

  “I’m sorry.” She mumbled, hanging her head like she was a child being scolded.

  “You killed it, that saved me. And for that you have nothing to apologize for.”

  I saw an unhappy grin flash across her face before she shifted and I climbed up onto her back, ready for her to take off this time. The flight back to the Castle was less exhilarating than leaving but seeing the way the afternoon sun painted the landscape was worth every second of danger. I smiled as I looked out at the sight.

  Soon. Soon I would be able to do this on my own.

  So I do have a Part 3 for this story planned, I just need to write it but there is a Side Story that would be very relevant to part three. It would be shorter and follow someone aside from the Greysons. Do you all think that it should be its own thing or just included in the Dragon Knight?