Page 47 of Of Scale and Blood

I turned to watch Hannity’s reaction. A mix of wonder, respect, and perhaps a little fear washed through her expression.

“They’rehuge,” she whispered eventually. “I wasn’t expecting?—”

She stopped abruptly, her eyes as round as plates as Gria hurried toward us—she was in desperate need of an eye scratch, apparently—then took a hasty, perhaps instinctive, step back.

“This,” Kele said, reaching up to scratch the young drakkon’s eye ridge, “is Gria, Kaia’s daughter. She loves a good eye scratch, and you’ll immediately win her heart if you comply.”

Hannity hesitated, then said, “May I?”

I motioned her to approach and sent to Gria,Go gently with this one. She’s young and not used to drakkons.

Gria lowered her head to the sand and eyed the young woman with interest. Hannity tentatively reached out and scratched the drakkling’s eye ridge; delight ran across the younger woman’s features while happiness rumbled through the young drakkon’s thoughts.

She flamer like you?

Yes.

I want.

That sounded so very much like her mother that I couldn’t help but laugh.When you’re much older, Gria.

Can fly now.

Grow first,came Kaia’s very amused response.

Gria grumbled something I couldn’t quite catch and stomped a foot. Sand flew lightly as Hannity jumped back. “What did I do?”

“Nothing. Gria’s just having a teenage tantrum over being told no.” I chucked the backpack containing the spare gear onto a homemade hook, then grabbed all the harnesses. “Follow me, and I’ll introduce you both to your drakkons.”

We moved deeper into the cave. Drakkons watched us from various positions near the wall, with Kaia and Yara taking the prime positions either side of the exit. Rua had tucked her butt close to one of the larger hatching caverns, her tail curled up around her rear legs. She didn’t move as we approached but she did lower her head. I reached up and scratched her eye ridge. “Hannity, meet Rua.”

“She’s gorgeous,” Hannity said, awe evident.

Am, came Rua’s reply.She smart.

I grinned. It wasn’t only the queens who loved a compliment, it seemed. “I’ll let you two get acquainted while I officially introduce Kele and Yara.”

“Can she understand what I say?” Hannity asked.

“When I’m here, yes, because they’re listening to you through my connection with them.”

“Does that mean you have to be here for us to even approach them?”

“No. They won’t attack; they just won’t have a clue what you’re saying to them.”

“But,” Kele added, “an eye ridge scratch is always understood and appreciated.”

“Good to know,” Hannity said and immediately began to scratch.

I smiled and walked on. Our younger queen watched our approach with interest, her thoughts filled more with the need to get flying and hunting the gilded riders than any real need to get acquainted with the woman who would be her rider. That might well change once the two had had more time together. After all, I’d haunted Kaia’s hunting ground for fifteen years, and that had given us time to build up trust. I couldn’t expect our other drakkons to so easily give to Kele or Hannity what Kaia and I had earned over long years.

Once the formal introductions were over, I reminded the two drakkons that neither woman could mind speak, only flame, and that orders would come through either me or Kaia. Then I moved over to Kaia.

“Right,” I said to the two women. “This is how we assemble the gear and mount up.”

I went through the entire process, showing not only how to harness up their drakkons but also how to mount and then attach themselves securely so that they didn’t fall to their death if either drakkon shifted directly suddenly.

“What happens if wedofall off?” Hannity asked, worry creasing her forehead. “I mean, we’d still be attached by the rope but how will our drakkons react to the sudden shift in weight?”

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