Chine rolled over lazily and huffed out a column of smoke from his nostrils. There wasn’t anything I wanted to talk to you about. I just wanted to talk to you.
Oh, that’s different.
How so? Do humans always have to have a reason to talk to each other? A pressing subject on their mind?
Alex shrugged as she stepped farther into the dragon’s sleeping area.
Not really. But usually, when someone says they want to talk, it’s about something specific. A problem or something.
Ah. I can drum up a problem if you want. I can be quite critical.
Alex raised her hands and shook her head.
No, no, no. You don’t have to do that. We can just talk.
Come here and sit with me.
Chine lifted one of his wings, and Alex could see there was a nice spot to sit directly beneath it. She gingerly made her way over to her dragon, suddenly aware of how large and deadly he was, and sat beside him. Chine relaxed his wing, and it covered Alex the way a friend might put their arm over your shoulder.
Chine’s wings didn’t feel as leathery as they looked. They were covered in small scales. The dragon was very warm, and Alex felt like she was under a blanket.
Is this what you do all day?
Chine looked at Alex, his eyes sharp. Alex wasn’t sure how to read them yet.
Not usually. The rest of the dragons are out at the moment. I thought it would be nice to have some time to myself, away from them.
I was going to stay in bed all day, too.
Alex, you don’t seem very comfortable right now. Why is that?
Alex looked down at her hands, which she had clasped, unknowingly cracking her knuckles in turn.
How did you know?
We are bound together. There are many things we will know about each other, but I don’t need to be a psychic to see you fidgeting.
It’s not that I’m uncomfortable. It’s just…I don’t know; this is all very different than in VR. It’s not unnerving, it’s…it’s all new. And it makes me feel like I might be doing something wrong.
Chine leaned forward and gently rested his chin on the top of Alex’s head.
It takes time to get comfortable with the binding, even more so for those who played VR. I believe your dragons in the game are silent. Mere steeds. Dumber than horses, correct?
Alex bashfully looked away, ashamed she had expected Chine to be like that. Yeah, pretty much.
It only makes sense you would feel confused by riding a talking, thinking creature you have a telepathic link with.
When you put it that way, I don’t feel nearly as dumb.
Exactly, Dustling. You have high standards. Perhaps don’t hold yourself to them so strictly.
Alex relaxed a little bit and leaned against Chine. She had assumed the relationship between her and her dragon was going to be like having a pet, not a mentor.
Not a mentor, said Chine, an equal. We are one and the same.
A plume of smoke shot out of Chine’s nostrils as he sighed. He took a huge, heaving breath that threw Alex off balance as she leaned against him. She could feel his heart beating through his chest. It felt nice, and it felt like they were closer.
So, what do you do all day? Alex asked.
Chine sat up and looked at the dragons waltzing with the clouds in the sky.
I usually think. There is much to ponder in the universe, and I am still young, and without the knowledge of my kind. It leaves much to the imagination.
What do you mean, the knowledge of your kind?
We dragons were raised here, away from the rest of our species. We did not receive the ancestral stories and legends, or the wisdom of our parents. It is a painful loss and yet a beautiful gain, for we are almost like the first dragons. We are free of our past to become ourselves.
Chine stood and stretched his wings.
My wisdom and that of my brothers and sisters is ours alone and no one else’s. There is pride in that.
Chine was still staring at the sky.
Do you want to go for a ride?
Alex’s heart leaped in her chest. She still didn’t know the proper way to approach Chine about riding, but the dragons must love flying on their own. Alex was fairly certain none of the dragons flying above them had any riders.
Sure, I would love to!
Then let us go.
Alex jumped onto Chine’s back and linked her dragon anchor to the collar around his neck. They both glowed the same color, then Chine leaned back on his hind legs, flapped his wings, and soared into the air.
The wind cut Alex’s face, and she raised her HUD visor to cut back some of the light coming off of the sun. This was why she was a dragonrider—for each and every moment like this.
Alex got back a little bit after dinner. She went straight to the mess hall to see what was left over. She had forgotten the hall was magical and food was always stocked, hot or cold, depending on what you wanted. There was no line, so she piled on whatever she wanted. She was feeling adventurous today. Her heart was still racing from the ride she had gone on with Chine.
The two of them had floated high above the clouds and just coasted. They didn’t speak. They’d watched the dragons dance beneath them and the clouds move across the sky. She had no idea how long she was up there. The only reason they’d left was that Chine wanted to take a nap before they got fitted for new equipment.
Alex had completely forgotten about the fitting and the mission Myrddin had assigned the new dragonrider team, having been caught up in the prospect of a full weekend off. Now taking a weekend for themselves made sense. Myrddin was probably just letting them catch their breath before they shipped out.
The mission Myrddin had explained sounded
