“I wasn’t aware you possessed such nerves,” Gideon remarked, tightening one of the straps around Ilargo.
Feeling vulnerable under the scrutiny, Asher forced himself to relax and move from the spot. “I don’t,” he lied, walking around Avandriell to inspect the saddle. “I just thought Avandriell was too young.”
You and I are flying today, the dragon declared unequivocally.
Unaware of her words to Asher, Gideon replied, “Avandriell is twice the size of a horse; she’ll hardly feel your weight. The trick is balance, for both of you.” The old master walked up to the bronze dragon and paused with his hands held out. Only when Avandriell bowed her head did he actually touch her. “You need to feel her muscles shifting beneath you,” he continued, pressing into the scales above her front legs. “Your bond will give you an intuitive understanding when it comes to day to day flying, but Avandriell will always detect threats before you do. When that happens, her body will respond more on instinct and you won’t always get a warning via your bond. You’ll need to learn to interpret her every movement if you’re to battle in the sky with her.”
“You sound like you’ve had experience,” Asher quipped.
“That’s because he has,” Inara called, approaching from the tree line behind them. Athis glided down and came in alongside Ilargo, their combined bulk taking up most of the area. After finding her place between them, the Guardian gave her old mentor a meaningful look. “Gideon knows what he’s talking about. You should take his advice,” she said to Asher.
The ranger didn’t miss the moment of harmony that appeared to exist between the two. He had no idea what had been said, but he was glad to see they had found some common ground.
“And they look great,” Inara commented, referring to the saddles now properly strapped to the dragons. “Athis and I have been talking about using one for years.”
Now I feel like my mother, Avandriell announced proudly.
“Dragon Riders used saddles,” Asher said aloud, drawing on Thessaleia’s memories. “They definitely knew a lot about aerial combat; they practiced it like a religion.”
Gideon beamed. “I envy the memories you carry. Perhaps Avandriell’s ancient heritage will give you both an advantage up there.”
Asher followed the flick of Gideon’s eyes to the blue ocean above before coming all the way back down to Avandriell’s hungry expression. Let’s go! she cried, turning to present her side.
When he didn’t move, Inara turned a questioning look on him. “Do I detect some hesitation in the stoical ranger?”
“No,” Asher quickly replied through a tense jaw.
Inara did not look convinced. “You’ve flown before,” she reminded him. “And not just on Athis. You even flew on—”
“I’m aware,” the ranger cut in, with no doubt in his mind as to which dragon she was about to name.
Confused, Inara asked, “Then what is it?”
It’s the memories, Avandriell revealed, only she also shared it with Ilargo and Athis, which is to say she shared it with Gideon and Inara.
“Memories?” Gideon queried.
Having shared just enough to coax the ranger, Avandriell offered them no further explanation. Speak your burdens, she urged him, and they will lose their hold.
Asher flashed his companion a brief scold. I’m already growing tired of this dragon wisdom.
“Asher?” Inara probed.
“I remember everything I ever did under The Crow’s spell. I remember my time bonded to Malliath.” He took a breath. Just saying that much made him feel more vulnerable than he could usually bear. “Avandriell has already started to take the sting out of those memories. Even now they continue to fade, as if they were someone else’s life. But it’s harder up there. There’s nothing like being astride a dragon. Those memories are the sharpest.” The ranger turned to Gideon. “I was with him when… when he attacked The Lifeless Isles. I saw the dragons and Riders fall from the sky. I felt his fury. And I felt their death.” Asher shut his mouth and puffed out his chest as his chin dipped to meet it.
He heard Avandriell walking towards him, though there was some inexplicable part of him that sensed her approach regardless of his human senses. When her head hung just over his, he finally looked up to meet her beautiful yet fearsome eyes.
So much shame, she began, So much guilt. How quickly you forget your great deeds, your heart and soul trapped under the weight of your past. Well here it ends, she declared. Today, this very moment, is where the line is drawn. No longer will you suffer from the dark corners of your life. You and I will leave the earth in our wake and embrace a new world of our own making. Avandriell’s face edged closer, her hot breath washing over him. You have atoned. It’s time to start living.
Her determination became his, a fire they shared in their veins. Within seconds, Asher was seated comfortably in his new saddle and looking down on Gideon and Inara. Both were grinning up at him and, through the bond shared between all three dragons, he could tell that their hearts were swelling with happiness. The old Asher would have recoiled from it all and used his previous skills as an assassin to simply disappear but, instead, he responded in kind and accepted their love for him.
For the first time in his life, it didn’t feel so strange to have friends.
Holding lightly to the handles, the ranger let his body move with Avandriell’s as she walked away from the others. Following her instruction, he leaned forward and gripped the handles. He immediately felt her body tense beneath his, a slight crouch in her legs as her claws sank into the ground. Her wings swiftly unfurled, the tips pointing to the
