Page 46 of The Cursed Queen

I didn't want to be a coward. I wanted to do this.

Taking a leap of faith, I jumped forward and plopped into the center of his neck.

Anoomphwas pushed out of me when I landed belly first onto the scaled surface of his neck. Thankfully, I wasn't jostled to the side or slid back. Surprisingly, the scales kept me firmly in place. I did it. I landed on Ryu without falling. As much as I hated thinking about it, I now understood why dragon riders needed saddles and stirrups to climb up onto them. It was frightening enough mounting onto Ryu the way I did. Ignoring thoughts of dragon riders, I sat comfortably and clung to the ridges of his scales when Ryu took off.

"Are you ready?" Ryu's voice rang.

"Yes," I said out loud.

Ryu let out a low roar before his wings flapped with added strength, allowing him to bolt upward. Pushing his body forward, Ryu took off with me holding on tight as the wind current pushed against me. It also rang loudly in my ear, which would've made it impossible to communicate had it not been for the handy ability to speak directly through our minds. I wasn't sure where my mate was taking me, but I trusted his judgment.My only fear was a potential attack from dragon riders if they spotted us. Perhaps we should've had someone else accompany us.

"Where are you taking me?" I sent a mental message to Ryu.

The slight pressure along my temple warned me of Ryu's incoming response. "Fear not. We won't be venturing too far from Dragon's Peak Mountain. I only wanted us to have a clearer path for us to practice."

True to his word, Ryu sailed through the mountains until the rocky terrain below us cleared to a large body of water surrounded by greenery.

"This is Reinfield Lake. The surrounding forest is where we hunt for livestock and vegetation. This is also the perfect spot to test your flight."

So, we traded a stony death for a watery death should I fall. That made sense.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"You'll be fine, I promise. Now try to move your wings."

Doing as instructed, I focused all feelings on my back and tried moving the ligaments of my wings. They shuddered with minimal movement, but they didn't stretch out or flap. I coughed out the breath I'd been holding and groaned in frustration.

"Remain calm," Ryu said, sensing my agitation. "It'll take some time to get used to them. Keep trying."

I relaxed my senses and tried again, looking for the foreign movements along my back and focusing on them. It felt strange, like something was pulling back my skin, but it didn't hurt. Closing my eyes, I imagined my wings lifting to stand proud before stretching out to the sides. I felt the weight of my back shifting shakily in the beginning, but smoothing out with more finesse.

When my eyes opened, I looked to either side of me and beamed when I saw how far my wings had stretched. "I did it!"

"Good," Ryu's voice sounded proud. "Keep moving them. Let your body get used to their movements."

I did as he said, commanding my wings to arch back, forward, up over my head, then folding into itself against my back.

"Excellent work, Sera. Now, try to flap your wings downward to pick up the wind current. Let it lift you off your feet."

This would be the part that worried me, but I'd made it this far. My wings once again expanded and raised over my head. Imagining the motion, they flapped hastily. I gasped as I felt my body lifting off Ryu's back. Panic seeped into my concentration, causing me to lose my balance as I dipped to the right. Forcing my wings to stop, I dropped and landed on my shoulder with a grunt.

"Are you okay?" Ryu's massive dragon head turned to face me, one eye directed at me.

"I think so." I winced as I pulled myself back to a sitting position. "Sorry."

"Don't, just try again," Ryu said.

A part of me was afraid to, but fear would only leave me crippled. I had to try again. Motioning for my wings to move again, they frantically flapped again. The force of them pushing down on the wind currents had me floating up again. The fear of being off my feet had my heart hammering, but I willed myself to stay calm. My wings flapped harder, lifting me higher as I was now an inch off Ryu.

I was doing it. I was flying.

Mouth agape, I marveled at the impossible taking place. I was flying on my own.

It was hard to read Ryu's expression in his dragon form, but I felt that the gleam in his giant eye watching me meanthe was pleased with my results. It was only the beginning of my training, and I knew I'd improve with more practice. Soon enough, I'd be able to ride the winds all on my own. I used to dream of flying. Not this way, but as a dragon rider. I wanted the chance to experience the freedom that came with soaring through the skies. To not feel imprisoned within the confines of my bedchamber.

I was no longer locked away like some dirty secret. This... this was what true freedom felt like, and it was glorious.

Eventually, my wings ached with exhaustion. They stopped, letting me fall ungracefully back onto the safety of Ryu's back. I needed to learn how to land better.

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