Page 172 of Ash

Tyrez stood and offered Ash his hand. “Come with me.”

The smaller man hesitated and then pushed himself upright without taking Tyrez’s offer. “Where are we going?”

The Dragon dropped his hand, but not his gaze. “I have something to teach you.” He turned away and walked up the tunnel.

Ash followed. “Teach me? What are you going to teach me?”

Tyrez didn’t look back.

“It’s time you learned,” he said, “how to fly.”

* * *

Ash’s heart galloped as though he’d run a race.

Tyrez was going to teach him how to fly? He supposed it was possible now that the collar had been removed. But he’d spent his entire life not knowing how to transform more than his hands, or the scales on his body.

“What if I can’t do it?” he protested aloud.

Tyrez didn’t even pause to turn his head, just continued along the tunnels. “You are a Dragon. Of course you can fly.”

“But I’ve never done it. And maybe it’s too late.”

Tyrez merely snorted. It suddenly occurred to Ash that these tunnels were movingupward. “Can’t we practice from the ground?”

Tyrez didn’t even slow down. “You can’t learn that way. Take offs from the ground require finesse and strength. You won’t have either, yet.”

“Well, if I dash myself to death on the rocks, then this entire soulbond dies with me.”

“You won’t. You’ve already flown in your dreams.”

“Those weredreams, Tyrez.”

“Dreams do come true.”

Ash gave up. The Dragon was stubborn as hell. Maybe once he saw that Ash couldn’t transform, he’d give up.

Don’t count on it.

Ash swallowed. This mental link thing was disconcerting.

But cool too. Admit it.

Ash merely gritted his teeth.

I’m not the only one who’s stubborn,Tyrez continued.

Get out of my damned head.

Sorry, my golden one. It’s part of the deal. You’ll just have to get used to it.

Ash rolled his eyes, grateful the Dragon couldn’t see him doing it.

But it seemed even that did not go unnoticed.Never realized eye rolling had mental imagery, did you?

A breeze moved through the tunnel—they must be close to an entrance. Sure enough, their path opened up onto a wide ledge.

Painted silver in the moonlight, the grasslands stretched out a few hundred feet below them.

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