Page 56 of Dragon Heir

I run, claws scraping the marble below me. My whole body vibrates with energy. For the first time in my life, I’m in my dragon form! I feel powerful, unstoppable, invincible! I bound forward, ready to take over the world.

The thick muscles of my hind legs propel me forward before my forelegs catch me, and suddenly I’m tumbling tail over claws down the hall. Master Sinetar’s laughter echoes after me, and I pick myself up from where I landed in a heap against the wall. I shake myself off, scowling at him, and am pleased to see a tendril of smoke curling up from each of my nostrils.

“Take it easy,” he says. “Give yourself a minute to adjust to your dragon form. You’ve been walking on two legs all your life.”

I glare at him before turning to face forward and trying again, this time with a little less enthusiasm and a little more thought. In minutes, I’ve gotten the hang of it. My forelegs are short, but they push me up just enough that my hind legs can send me hurtling into the space again with each bound. It feels so strange and right all at the same moment. I want to make up for all the lost years of not being in this amazing, lithe little body. I’m not as clunky as I’d expected. Instead, I feel more compact and maneuverable than ever. Joy springs through me as I race down the hall, leaving Professor Sinetar in the dust.

Seconds later, a serpentine dragon streaks between me and the arched ceiling, its wings folded so tightly that it looks like a spear hurtling through the hallway. It’s hard to see anything at all as the dragon is the same off-white of the marble. A hundred feet beyond me, the dragon spreads a pair of iridescent lavender wings and turns to hover upright in the hallway ahead, waiting for me to catch up. By the time I do, he blends with the marble again.

I want to say something to Sinetar, but he doesn’t respond to my thoughts, and I haven’t the faintest clue on how to speak in dragon form.

When we come to the end of the large hallway, Sinetar lands. The scratching of his claws echoes around us as he turns to me, and his voice booms in my head, startling me enough to send me stumbling into the wall. “Follow me. You’re going to need to fly and keep low to the ground.”

Fly? Are you freaking kidding me? I’m just getting used to running on all fours!

Contrary to my immediate thought, elation fills my chest at the very idea of being airborne. I remember riding that dragon for a few minutes before I came here, the awe and thrill of being so high, in the wind. I only have a moment to wonder who it was, though.

Sinetar taps on the wall at the end of a hallway, and another runestone circle begins to glow. He leans away so I can see as he taps the symbols with his claws. Three concentric circles manifest in the marble, each one moving in opposite directions.

When the symbols align, the circles stop, and the wall swings wide, revealing open air. Just beyond the door, the ground drops off into a sheer cliff. Mountains circle around us on all sides, looking so far away. I inch forward and peek over the edge. The bottom of the precipice is probably five hundred feet below where the mountain turns into a slope dotted with pines.

Without waiting for instruction, I beat my wings, which shimmer gold and silver as my scales move with my skin. Leathery, golden wings spread from my sides.

“Get a running start,” Sinetar calls. “You’re not a Wind Dragon.” He launches himself out of the hallway, swooping and diving. I couldn’t be mad at him even if I tried. I’m too excited.

I spin, run a hundred feet up the hallway, and then spin back around. Holding my breath, I lunge and race forward, beating my wings. After a second, euphoria lifts me as much as the muscles in my wings. I beat against the air, tucking my legs up instinctually.

The marble falls away, and I’m over open air. I’m flying! Turning, I swoop towards Sinetar, but he easily dips out of my way. He flips in midair, changing direction, while I have to circle around.

“Dive,” he commands inside my mind.

Without a second thought, I’m diving with him, tucking my wings to plummet towards earth with terrifying, exhilarating speed. Halfway down the cliffside, Sinetar shows me how to brake by spreading my wings and holding them taut against the air currents. He shows me how to glide and swoop and rise again, and then we plummet the rest of the way down.

I never want to land. But before long, my muscles are burning with fatigue. I’ve never used my wings before, and they’re sadly out of shape. Still, I don’t want to admit my weakness to Professor Sinetar, to let him down. He soars low over the treetops, but when I start to ascend, wanting to see all the way down the mountain range to the lowlands, he calls me back.

“Keep low, Vynessa,” he says, swooping down to the ground. “We need to land in that clearing over there.”

He heads for a break in the trees. Both relieved and disappointed, I follow him down toward a grassy meadow. When I’m nearly to the ground, I realize I haven’t practiced landing. I’ve practiced pulling back up after dives towards the ground. I don’t actually know how to touch down. And I don’t have time to learn. I throw out my wings and my legs, trying to brace for the hit. My heel spur digs into the grass, and my body bucks forward, thudding to the ground and tumbling several times.

When I look up, Sinetar is in human form, arms crossed. For a moment, he looks amused, but the expression falls away. I turn back and jump to my feet, only to find soft-soled leather boots and normal human legs. I transformed back into a human without even noticing. I squeeze the leather hilts of my two swords while inspecting my leather armor. “You couldn’t have taught me to land?”

“I told you to raise your wings.”

“Some teacher you are,” I say sourly. “Don’t you think you should have taught me to land before you even taught me to fly?”

“If only you knew how to use those things.” He’s looking at my swords which are again gripped in my hands.

“Well, it’s definitely handy to come back ready to fight,” I say, gesturing with the swords.

“The queen wanted you focused on manners and court duties…” He shakes his head. “We should have seen that was the first sign.”

“Sign of what?”

“Sheath your swords in your belt. We’re going to need to run and run fast.”

“Sinetar. Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, Vynessa.”