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Reallybellowing, as loud as an irritated heifer. Maybe even louder.
“Your tail!” Nash shouted. “Use your tail!”
Now, that’s not very polite,a ladylike corner of my soul grumbled.
But, oh. Something whipped behind me, and I steadied out.
Whew. Or, crap. I had a tail now?
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
The sentiment came out with a little yelp and,whoosh!A thin line of fire illuminated the space in front of my nostrils.
Nash ducked out of the way. “Careful!”
I sealed my hot, ashy lips, terrified but also recklessly thrilled.
Because, wow. Those weren’t apocalyptic visions I’d had. They were glimpses from a dragon’s point of view.
Mypoint of view now.
I rose to fifty feet, then a hundred, then higher still. Cool air whisked over my cheeks and followed the lines of my body to stream smoothly over my chest and wings. I leaned this way and that, testing out the controls, so to speak.
Feeling bold, I sucked in a lungful of air, let it heat in my throat for a split second, then blew it out.
Whoosh!Flames burst out of my mouth. It was exhilarating, like pulling the burner cord in a balloon, but fifty times better.
When the airflow to my right changed, I glanced over to find a huge bronze dragon zooming up beside me.
That was amazing!Nash’s deep dragon voice boomed in my mind.It took me ages to learn to take off, and even then, I didn’t fly much farther than the Wright Brothers.You’re already soaring!
I was, without even thinking.
The wind tickled my belly, demanding its share of the credit.
I hastily amended the thought toThank goodness for this amazing wind, without which this wouldn’t be possible.
Still, I had to quietly marvel. I really was flying, and not too shabbily.
It was all so new, yet strangely familiar.
The more I flew, the more I suspected that my dragon side had been with me all along — that gritty voice in the back of my mind that had always doled out advice, encouragement, and warnings.
This way,Nash called, turning toward Bear Mountain.Just watch the eddies…He glanced back to check on me, then went wide-eyed.
Wow. You’re a natural. And it doesn’t hurt to be a wind whisperer, does it?
I pursed my lips — big, hard dragon lips, as I discovered; maybe not so good for kissing — and replayed that last section of flight time. I’d felt the eddy, but I’d adjusted in time to avoid bobbling. So, yay me. Points for technical merit.
I flew on, thinking that over. But instead of clear thoughts, all I got were emotions — a whole tempest of them, all sweeping at me from out of nowhere.
As urgently as I’d taken to the sky, I dove toward the cliff tops to land.
Watch the— And the—Nash bit off his own instructions as I aced the landing.Reallyaced it, like an old pro, which was why my mind was spinning.
I slumped and bent my frighteningly long neck until my head touched my chest. I nestled my nose there and closed my eyes, panting. Sniffling. Wait… Crying?
Well, a dragon version of crying, though I didn’t actually shed tears. My breath heaved, and I made pathetic little wheezing noises.
