You would taint the spring, cleaning something like that in it, Kanin snorted.
Behind Khollo, Ezraan burst out laughing. “I think Kanin has had more than enough of our arrow making experiment, don’t you Khollo?”
The young warrior grinned. “I don’t blame him, really. Take us to the spring, Kanin, as fast as you can!”
The dragon roared excitedly in reply and turned east, towards the ring of mountains that stood only a short distance from the holds. The sun was hovering above the tallest peaks in the west now, preparing for its rapid descent below the horizon.
Kanin flapped his great wings, climbing higher, banking towards one of the shorter peaks. About two thirds of the way up, the near side of the mountain flattened off, butting up against a cliff that reared straight up. It was like some giant had carved a perfect slice from the mountainside with a knife. Kanin made for this anomaly, and Khollo saw that unlike the flatlands below, this small plateau was only lightly forested.
In the center of the flat space was a wide, crystal-clear lake with sandy banks. Closer to the cliffs the pool was shaded by tall, slender trees with wide leaves. Clumps of brilliant fruit hung from their branches. Further away from the cliff, sunlight glittered on the surface of the water, gilding the ripples and wavelets created by the wind from Kanin’s wings.
The dragon touched down at the edge of the plateau, facing west, into the sun. Khollo breathed deeply, smelling the fresh mountain air and the sweet fragrance of the fruit trees. Ezraan dismounted and knelt at the pool’s edge, gazing into it.
“I have never been here,” he announced. “This is a marvelous find, Kanin. Better than any of the other springs that I have found in the mountains.”
Kanin lurched towards the spring suddenly and, before Khollo could dismount, dove into the water, submerging himself completely. Khollo tried to yell, but instead his mouth filled with water. He struggled for a moment, then paused and looked around.
The young warrior could see the entirety of the spring from Kanin’s back, from bank to bank. Small fish darted here and there in nervous schools, giving Kanin a wide berth. The dragon turned and looked back at Khollo, eyes glittering. Splotches of watery light swam across the dragon’s scales in a rippling, brilliant pattern.
Just when Khollo thought his lungs would burst, Kanin broke the surface of the spring. Khollo gasped for breath and pushed his sodden hair out of his eyes.
Are you all right?
More than all right, Khollo replied, breathless. That was incredible!
I am glad that you liked it, Kanin said, sounding pleased with himself. Hold on.
Khollo took a deep breath and Kanin submerged again, sliding under the surface gracefully, with nary a splash. This time, Khollo looked around without fear, reveling in the wonders of the spring. A school of fish ventured within arms’ reach of him, tiny fish with silver and blue scales that seemed to change color depending on the light. Kanin swam from one end of the spring to another, using his tail as a giant rudder. When they reached the far shore, he wheeled and surfaced again, creating an island in the middle of the spring.
Khollo sighed and reached down, loosening the straps that held his legs to Kanin’s back. “We should come here more often,” he said quietly. “It’s so . . . peaceful.”
When we rebuild the Order, we will keep this place a secret, Kanin said smugly. Just for us and the old one.
Khollo looked around. He had quite forgotten about Ezraan during his impromptu swim. The older man was wandering among the fruit trees, looking up at the delectable specimens above him, out of reach.
“Need some help?” Khollo called.
Ezraan shrugged. “Perhaps. I think these are similar to a delightful fruit that I found at another spring. But these are more . . . vibrant.”
“Sounds good,” Khollo replied. “I’m on my way.” He stood on Kanin’s back, meaning to dive into the water and swim to shore. But Kanin’s scales were slippery from the water and Khollo instead lost his footing and fell overboard with a small cry of dismay. He floundered underwater, inverted and confused, then kicked up to the surface and began swimming for shore.
“That was graceful,” Ezraan observed.
Khollo did not honor that statement with a reply. Instead, he surveyed the trees surrounding him. The fruit did look good. Khollo selected one of the thicker fruit trees and wrapped his hands around the far side of the trunk.
“Here goes nothing,” he muttered. He began walking up the side of the tree, shifting his hands up every other step. Ezraan watched silently from below. Khollo reached the first branch and straddled it, panting for breath. A clump of fruit hung below him and two meters to the left. The young warrior began slowly inching out on the branch.
The branch bent slightly beneath him. A warning. But Khollo was within reach of the fruit now. He reached out and pulled two of the fruits up towards him, breaking the stems. Grinning, Khollo tucked the fruits, each roughly twice the size of his fist, under one arm. The ground was three meters below. Khollo swung down so that he was hanging from the branch by one arm, then dropped the remaining distance, landing lightly.
“Excellent,” Ezraan said as Khollo handed him a fruit. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.” He examined the fruit, with its glossy yellow, pink, and orange skin. “Simply marvelous.” The older man drew a dagger from his belt and sliced a section from the fruit, popping it into his mouth. Juice ran from the corners of his mouth as he chewed contentedly.
“Eat,” he said to Khollo, gesturing with his knife. “It’s good, and it
