Page 72 of Red Dragon
You have spoken much but did not tell me where you wish to be taken.
“Can you fly around and look for evidence of past human settlements?” Perhaps it was a vain hope, but Syla thought they might find preserved specimens in those ancient ruins. Ifnothing else, maybe clues left by early man could lead them in the right direction.
Look for evidence through all the trees? They are very dense with their canopies impenetrable to even keen dragon sight. Also, in this area, the closeness of the growth would make it difficult for us to fly through the branches to land.
“If you can detect magic from afar, maybe that could guide us? The preserved moss bulbs, as I said, would have power that you might be able to sense, though I admit it wouldn’t be nearly as noticeable as the shielders created from them.” Even the shielders weren’t that noticeable when they weren’t activated, so Syla might have been making an impossible request.
Where will we take our humans?Igliana asked, flying closer so that she was almost wingtip to wingtip with Wreylith.
Fel sat behind Teyla on the orange dragon’s back, his face less green now, but he looked wistfully toward land. Even if it was filled with deadly predators, he would probably prefer standing and dealing with them to flying.
The human astride me has no idea,Wreylith replied.
They do not know where they desire to go?
“We’re looking for something.” Cheeks warm, Syla pointed toward her cousin’s pack, which balanced between her legs. She’d brought even more books along than Syla. “Teyla, do you know of any old human settlements in the area?”
“I don’t even know whatareawe’re in.”
“That should be the Lokdoran Rainforest.”
“Therainforestsprawls a thousand miles along the Yanasazi Coast.”
“Well, pick a likely spot, and we’ll ask these wonderfully patient and magnificent dragons to fly us there.” Normally, Syla wouldn’t have opted for flattery, especially since the dragons didn’t seem to think much of obsequiousness, but she wanted them to know she appreciated their willingness to fly a fewhumans around. And theyweremagnificent. To have arrived here in hours when it would have taken many days aboard ship… It was brilliant. She almost envied the stormers. “I think the moss grows throughout the area, and it sounds like it’s useful enough that any humans living in the rainforest would have collected and preserved it.”
“There weren’t that many civilizations here,” Teyla said. “Even before the storm god unleashed his killer insects, sea monsters, and animals, this wasn’t that hospitable of an area. The vegetation grows so densely and quickly that trails you try to carve out are overgrown within days. People navigated somewhat via waterways, where they existed, but the snow that melted from the mountains tended to flood the rivers.” She leaned forward peering left and right as the dragons banked and flew along the shoreline. “I can’t wait to explore it.”
“Let’s hope it’s not the flood season.”
“If we can find the Ingris River, I know there were settlements along there. Oh, look.” Teyla pointed toward treetops as green-and-blue furred flying creatures the size of wyverns flew into view, long whips of tails swishing as their leathery wings carried them away from the dragons. The creatures had thick manes that whipped about in the wind, and maws that revealed fangs when they parted.Longfangs. Beady eyes looked toward the approaching group. “Those are cloud strikers, right?” Teyla asked.
“Yes.” Not sure how much her archaeology education had included on flora and fauna—especially ill-tempered mutated-by-magic fauna—Syla added, “The storm god supposedly bred them from bats, ostriches, parrots, lions, and a bunch of other things. Seeing where they fly sometimes lets you predict when a storm is coming in. Unlike most animals, they gotowarddense black clouds because they’re hoping to be struck by lightning. They’ll fly up in them, tails swishing so that it looks from belowlike they’re hitting them, though clouds, of course, aren’t dense enough to hit. The lightning strikes energize them, making them glow yellow for a bit, and then they’re twice as deadly when they attack prey.”
“Prey or humans.” Fel sounded more grim than curious. He might have encountered cloud strikers before when he’d been in the Fleet. The sky shields kept them away from the islands, the same as dragons and wyverns, but the Sea of Storms was understandably a favorite place for them.
They fear dragons, Wreylith announced.As all creatures that aren’t rabid or otherwise deranged do. They will not attack while you remain with us.
“We’re lucky to have you with us,” Syla said.
You are. I am occasionally salivating as I remind myself of all the delicious livestock you have promised to give to me in exchange for my assistance here.
“We’ll finish as quickly as possible so I can get that for you.” Syla didn’t need the reminder to remember that Wreylith wasn’t helping out of the goodness of her heart. “Did you promise to share with Igliana?”
Or would Syla have to come up with a separate reward for the orange dragon’s assistance?
She is young and unwise in the ways of the world, so she is honored to fly with me to learn about wild dragons and how we are superior to the domesticated creatures she has been raised by.
“So, she’s not getting even one horn hog?”
Igliana looked over, her eyes curious and hopeful.
Perhaps a small one.
Igliana sashayed, her back tilting enough that Syla was surprised Fel and Teyla didn’t have to flatten themselves and clench everything to stay on. Theydidlean forward, hands splayed on the dragon’s scales, but they didn’t appear tooalarmed. It was possible Teyla, who was moon-marked herself, had figured out how to use her magical gift to stay on, but Fel… Fel had only his balance and muscles to rely upon.
I believe what you call the Ingris River is perhaps fifty of your miles to the south.Wreylith was already soaring in that direction.We will take you there.
“Thank you,” Syla said.
