Tricked Into Flight

Chapter 30

*Katerina's POV*

It was strange to wake up feeling warm. Normally I was shivering and had to wipe the morning dew off my face. I blinked into the darkness, disoriented. Where were the stars? Nor did I hear people moving around like I would if I had managed to find a cheap place to stay. There was just a slow, deep, air-rushing sound that vaguely reminded me of a blacksmith's bellows.

My mind finally caught up, and I looked around. The early morning light came through a narrow gap beside Rakota's shoulder due to how his wing was folded.

I slowly sat up, trying to figure out what I should do. The gap was narrow and too high up for me to squeeze through. Was I supposed to let him know I was awake in case he was just waiting for me to wake up? Or was he still sleeping? He probably wouldn't react well if I disturbed his rest.

I gauged the light outside and guessed it was about the time I normally rose. The dragons would be stirring shortly. There was just enough room to stand, so I stretched and rolled up my bedroll. I was just about to sit down when Rakota lifted his wing, letting the brisk air and light hit me.

He regarded me for a long moment, then said, "We'll be leaving early. There should be enough time for you to make bread if you want."

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll get started," I replied, unsure of what else to say.

A dragon behind Rakota – the female with a brighter red coloration – raised her head and blinked slowly at me. "Good morning."

I wasn't used to the other dragons speaking to me, and it took me a second to recall her name. "Er, good morning, Serepha. I hope you slept well."

"I did," she replied happily, although her gaze had moved to Rakota. She yawned and stretched her wings, seeming to forget about me.

Before any other dragons decided to become talkative, I began walking across the wet grass to the firepit. Diondin and Andar were still curled up, and from how their wings rested on the ground, their riders were still underneath. I rubbed my arms and stretched a bit more to limber my muscles.

I paused mid-stretch when I noticed steam coming from the firepit. A second later, several rain-soaked logs caught fire. When I glanced over my shoulder, Rakota was watching.

I inclined my head. "Thank you."

He blinked slowly but didn't reply. In an attempt to ignore his thoughtful gaze, I added more branches to the fire and went to get water. My eyes skimmed the lake surface as I approached, seeing ripples where minnows and small fish chased insects.

I was actually proud that my footsteps didn't slow as I got closer, although that was only because half a dozen dragons were nearby, and we had stayed by this lake several nights. I wasn't able to look away from the water, but that was only to be expected after having a recent close call with a naga.

As I walked away from the lake, I fought against the urge to check over my shoulder in case something was following me, although I knew there wasn't. Not when Rakota and two of the other dragons were absently watching me. I couldn't imagine a naga showing up without them reacting.

Diondin yawned and lifted his wing as I went by. I hid a smile when I saw Brandon was also yawning as he stumbled away from the dragon.

"Good morning," I said.

"Morn'in," he replied, covering another yawn.

I chuckled at the inelegant riser and went to get the bread started. By the time Brandon managed to make it to the fire, I already had the dough mixed and was just waiting for it to cook.