Page 27 of Draekora

The dragon seemed to hesitate as if deciding whether or not to trust her. But then his eyes landed on A’enara still in her hands and he seemed to come to a decision. He lowered himself back to the ground and carefully extended his wing. It was then that Alex noticed the jagged slash across the thick muscle near to what she presumed was the elbow joint, with sticky golden liquid splashing across the membrane and dripping down onto the snow. Blood, she realised, strange as the colour was.

“Need… fly…” the dragon repeated, his words urgent. “Golden One come…Abrassaclosing…Need fly!”

Thinking quickly, Alex told him to wait there and she took off into the trees closest to them, returning to his side with her hands full of freshlaendra. Following Zain’s advice, she used her dagger to cut into the bulb of the flowers, releasing the concentrated juice inside. She then let go of A’enara so that both her hands would be free, and the weapon vanished from sight again.

“This might sting,” she told the dragon. “I’m not sure. But, uh, just in case.”

Once again, she found herself mentally chanting ‘Please don’t eat me’ as she reached out and smeared thelaendranectar onto the wound.

The dragon hissed and Alex felt her heart skip a beat, but he settled again and let her finish her ministrations. As she watched, the wound began closing before her eyes and she smiled with satisfaction.

“There,” she said when the injury sealed completely, no longer oozing golden blood. “All better.”

She patted him on the chest, forgetting for a moment that she was dealing with a dragon and not a dog, then she stepped back.

“We both better get out of here,” she said, casting another anxious glance around the clearing. “Especially if—”

“Golden One come!”

Startled, Alex tripped backwards and onto the ground as the dragon reared up on his hind legs, wings snapping out to the side.

Her Meyarin senses switched on as adrenaline flooded her body, and Alex could suddenly hear exactly what the dragon was referring to—loud, running footsteps moving swiftly through the forest towards them.

“Xiraxus fly… Save from Golden One…” the dragon said, beating his powerful black wings, causing the snow to dust up around Alex like tiny ice missiles.

On all fours, she scrambled backwards, her face stinging from the strength of his air gusts. Not sure if she was more terrified of Aven’s approach or the magnificent beast preparing for flight, Alex decided to run. But as soon as she got to her feet, the dragon launched from the ground and then swooped down at lightning speed to snatch her up in one of his massive talons. With her torso firmly clasped in his powerful grip, the dragon burst out of the clearing and up, up, up into the skies above them.

Too winded by his claws to muster up a scream, Alex could only watch in silent horror as the canopy of the forest below became smaller and smaller the higher they rose.

“Abrassa… closing…” the dragon repeated, his voice reaching Alex through the mighty wind. He sounded panicked, terrified.

“No… time…”

If it was possible, the dragon increased his speed. Alex couldn’t breathe, so harsh was the air pummelling against her body and so tight was his hold on her. She felt as if her ribcage was cracking under the pressure of his talons as she lay dangling helplessly in his grip. Agonising pain rippled over her as black dots sprung around the edges of her vision. Just as it all became too much and she knew she was going to pass out, the dragon put in one final surge forward.

“Abrassa,” the dragon roared. “Hold… on…”

Alex had nothing to hold on to. She was barely able to keep her eyes open anymore. But before they rolled into the back of her head, she saw a shimmering cloud of energy spring into being, like an explosion of ink bleeding across the sky—ink that the dragon flew them straight into…

… and then Alex knew no more.

Ten

When Alex regained consciousness, it wasn’t apeaceful, slow awakening. Instead, she shot up with a gasp, heart pounding as she took in her surroundings. Only when she realised she was safely back in her canopy bed at the Meyarin palace did her thumping pulse begin to calm.

Turning her head to her balcony, she was soothed by her view of the city shining in the early afternoon sunshine. Her hands tentatively moved to her chest, feeling for broken ribs or internal bleeding, but there was nothing, not even any lingering pain.

“Did I dream it all?” she wondered aloud, just as the door opened and Kyia walked into her room.

Alex leaned back against her pillows and turned wide eyes to the female Meyarin, blurting the first thing that came to mind. “Please tell me excess consumption oflaendrahas hallucinogenic properties, Kyia, because, no joke—I was just flying with a dragon.”

Kyia paused mid-step, her head cocked to the side as she looked at Alex.

“Laendra?” Kyia repeated, approaching again until she was next to the bed.

“I ate a lot of it on thevarrungard,” Alex explained. “Like,a lot, a lot. So it’s either that, or I really did save a dragon from a trap set by Aven and ended up with a free ride for my troubles. I’m sure you can see how I’m hoping it’s the former rather than the latter, even if it means I’ll have to fess up to my parents and tell them I unintentionally overdosed on what was probably the Meyarin equivalent of magic mushrooms.”

Kyia’s forehead bunched in apparent confusion. “Varrungard?”

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