Page 10 of Wynter and the Stone Dragon

A heady excitement filled her as the ground moved farther and farther away beneath them. Pow-pow’s flight skills were incredible. She stroked a patch of rough scales.

As he grew older, he began shedding his scales. The new ones under them were smooth. The combination of rough and smooth gave him a textured appearance.

How fast can you go?she asked through their mental connection.

Pow-pow’s mischievous, rumbling chuckle was the only warning she got before he shot upward with a breath-stealing burst. A rumble of thunder sounded a few seconds behind them, and Wynter realized that it was caused by Pow-pow breaking the sound barrier.

No wonder I feel like I have one of your scales crushing my chest!she shared.

I would go faster, but it hurt you,Pow-pow replied.

Thank you,she said with an affectionate pat.

Far below them, Wynter studied the swiftly moving landscape. It was half-a-day’s shuttle ride to the nearest town. At the speed Pow-pow was flying, they could probably make it in half the time.

Rolling meadows surrounded the research center. Farther out was a thick forest where a variety of wild, dangerous, and beautiful creatures lived.

Wynter’s mother specialized in the flora and fauna of different alien worlds and the medicinal properties of various found substances. Pow-pow was a bit of a mystery since he ate dirt and rocks instead of plants and animals. Clay was like dessert to him. He loved to dig into the riverbed. The problem was that it made him tipsy if he ate too much, which invariably led to more household damage.

In the last month, it was decided that Pow-pow would be happier and their home would be safer if he lived in his own special house. That house was a quickly constructed barn made of material that he wouldn’t eat.

Let’s fly over the ocean, Wynter requested.

Pow-pow turned to the right, over the sheer cliff walls, and floated higher on a current of wind. Wynter breathed in the fresh salty air, holding it in her lungs for as long as she could before she released it. Her long plait of platinum hair lifted on a gust of wind.

With a thought, a long coat appeared around her. Her thin white blouse and brown vest were not enough to keep out the chill from the air currents coming off the ocean.

Stretching out a hand, she formed a series of circles using water vaper. Pow-pow weaved in and out of them, enjoying the game.

Why you still no tell your family about your magic?Pow-pow asked.

Why don’t you talk to them like you do me?she countered.

Pow-pow snorted and changed direction. They were heading back toward the cliffs. She sighed when Pow-pow glided in to a smooth landing, trotting several yards before he stopped. She slid off his back, walked over to the grass, and sat down.

He shook himself before neatly folding his wings against his sides. She lifted her arm and waited for him, knowing that he would trot over to her and she would put her arm over his neck. She wouldn’t be able to do that much longer with the way he was growing.

Wynter looked out over the ocean. Her mind fluttered from one thought to the next. Pow-pow’s words about sharing her magic ability with her parents weighed heavily on her heart. What had started out as a game when she was a baby had morphed into a habit.

Hands down, she was more powerful than her parents and siblings. She didn’t understand how or why, but she knew she could do things they couldn’t. That, and the fact that she looked so different from all of them…. She didn’t like thinking about it. It made her uneasy. She played with the end of her long plait.

“What we doing tonight?” Pow-pow asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe explore the woods again,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Dusk was settling around them. She and Pow-pow liked to slip out after everyone went to sleep. Sometimes they flew for miles and miles along the coast or explored the woods. Other times, she would pilfer a few of the power rings from her dad’s lab and they would explore exotic worlds.

She had to be very careful when they did that. More than once, she had forgotten to invoke a glamour spell, and they were seen. In worlds that had never seen a mage riding a stone dragon, that could cause havoc. It was one of the things her father had been very vocal about over the years. The creed of the Mage-line was to observe—not interfere.

Pow-pow groaned, rolled over onto his side, and hung his tongue out of his mouth as if he were dying. Wynter laughed and pounced him, tickling his belly until he was rolling back and forth and pounding the ground with his tail. She sighed and leaned back against him, staring up at the sky.

“Life is boring now that Harmonia and the others have left,” she said.

“You could visit them,” Pow-pow suggested.

She caressed his nose. “Not without you. You and I… we’re a team. You are safe here and so am I,” she said.

I love you, Wynter.Pow-pow silently sent the thought to her.

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