Page 43 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

The ball almost went out of bounds—which said something; this field was the size of five football fields combined, at least—but Baldewin was in the right position to catch it. He caught it handily and started to swoop for the goal, forcing Ravi into defense. Or at least, that was likely his goal. It didn’t work out that way as Ravi zoomed past him, swiping the ball out with a knock of his nose and catching it before it fell more than a few feet.

“Ravi!” Baldewin growled in frustration, chasing after him. And as close as he was to Ravi’s side, he couldn’t seem to quite get far enough ahead of him to actually snatch the ball back.

Cameron sniggered. Ravi was definitely good at this game. No wonder he’d been so excited when asking Cameron if he wanted to come play. Baldewin had probably come along just for shits and giggles, but he was totally into it now. What would it be like to have two full teams again? To be able to play this properly with them? Cameron was almost wistful thinking about it, but really, there was a good chance in the near future, it wouldn’t be just a pipe dream.

The more he stayed here, the more he interacted with everyone, the more certain Cameron became. He was in the right place. He loved it here, and the friends he’d made were awesome. The magic called to him strongly, no doubt about that. He probably would stay for that reason alone. But it was times like now, when he got to play a game of ball with two dragons, that really sold him on the idea of staying.

Ravi got the ball in through the goal, and Cameron snapped out of the thought, focusing more on the here and now. Baldewin growled again in frustration even as Ravi tossed the ball back to Cameron to get it back into play.

This time, Cameron got a better feel for the wind, on how much to channel into the spell. He had better control over the ball as he shot it back into the air. “Vente anti gev adi!”

Perfect. The ball went up precisely between the two of them. Not that it helped Baldewin any. Ravi still beat him to it, basically twirling mid-air like a ballerina, claw swiping the ball handily out of the air before he tucked it into his chest and shot off for the goal.

Baldewin didn’t even try to chase him. He flapped massive wings, hovering, then dove for Cameron.

Cameron let out a squeak as Baldewin caught him up in a strong grip, lifting him out of the stands completely. Cameron clung to him in a death grip, but Baldewin had him, tucked in safely against his chest.

“I call advantage!” Baldewin stated smugly.

“That’s not advantage, that’s fucking cheating!” Ravi snarked back, looping back with the ball still tucked into his chest. “Put him back!”

Now that Cameron was up in the air like this, flying, he couldn’t imagine getting back on the ground. It was exhilarating up here, the wind caressing through his hair like a lover’s hand, ruffling his clothes and putting a wide smile on his face. “Baldewin, don’t you dare. Two on one, Ravi! Man up!”

“Oh, you’re both going down,” Ravi promised with a feral smile on his face.

Alric stood on the balcony and watched the three play with a faint smile curving up the corners of his mouth. It had been ages since anyone used the field, so that alone made him happy. But seeing Cameron out there, using his magic just to play, was a relief. The man who’d been so adamant about not being a mage was now out there using wind spells to play ball with two dragons. The thought amused him.

And it was a relief, too, to see Cameron getting along so well with them. Alric wanted him to form close ties here, to make friends—to fall in love with someone. As a king, he needed to keep this mage. As a man, it was bittersweet in the extreme to watch Cameron laugh and play with his clanmates and know that eventually, Cameron would fall for someone. That he would have to watch it happen.

As hard as it was to watch in some ways, as much as it twisted at his heart, this was good. Cameron needed this sort of fun interaction. Alric had no intention of interfering with it. But it didn’t hurt to watch, right? Cameron’s obvious joy and amusement was too captivating for him to walk away just yet.

“There’s my wandering student. I wondered where he’d gotten off to.” Lisette came to stand at Alric’s side, shaking her head. “He’s a bit too green to be using wind spells like that. Although I suppose it’s good practice.”

“He seems to be doing rather well at it.”

“Hasn’t sent the ball out of bounds yet, at least.” Lisette pursed her lips, judging. “Ah, I say that, and he nearly does. Well, judging how much power to draw and use is part of it all. And he can’t kill anyone with that ball, so I suppose it’s fine to let them have their fun.”

“Rather my thought on it.” Alric kept his hands in his pockets and continued to watch.

“Poor Baldewin. He’s never been able to quite keep up with Ravi’s speed.” Lisette chuckled, obviously able to hear the growls of frustration even from here.

“There’s very few in this clan who can.” Wind dragons were normally the fastest of them all. It wasn’t a surprise Ravi could outfly the clan. Something about their more streamlined build, the larger wingspan proportions, helped their speed.

“If those three are keen on picking the sport back up, maybe we can modify the game rules and create smaller teams,” Lisette suggested. “Especially if we find more mages, I think it’s possible to re-create the old days. Although the field will need some renovations, as it’s been left alone to the elements too long.”

“That would be nice,” Alric agreed, a touch nostalgic. “We’ve not played in ages. I’m not sure if I even remember the rules anymore.”

“Hmm, yes, we might have to dig out the old rule books and refresh our memories.” Lisette regarded him from the side of her eye. “And why exactly are you watching from here? You could be in the bleachers next to Cameron if you wanted to watch.”

Alric carefully didn’t look at her. “Cameron needs more one-on-one interaction with the rest of the clan that doesn’t involve me.”

“In other words, you’re trying to shove him off on other people and see if he clicks with someone else? Alric, really,” Lisette sighed as if he were a particularly dense student and she wanted to smack sense into him. “Do you not see how that boy looks at you?”

He did, but…. “I can’t monopolize him. It would be unfair. Every single person in this clan will give way if I make my interest too obvious.”

“Ugh, I hate this responsible side of your nature. Will you just—oh dear.”

Alric’s head snapped around as he caught that worried tone in her voice. In the split second he’d taken his eyes off the players, Baldewin had swooped down and caught Cameron up. Even as he watched, Baldewin lifted them both back into the sky. Alric’s stomach dropped out. Sure, the game called for the mages to fly with the dragons, but that was with harnesses to keep the mages locked in. To prevent anyone from slipping and falling.