Desperate to keep her magic hidden, Katerina goes to great lengths to avoid dragons and mages. When she gets cornered by evil mages, her only chance at escape involves freeing a trapped dragon.
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Katerina's biggest fear i...
The sun hadn't risen yet, but the dragons were already stirring and stretching their wings, so I quickly began cooking two loaves of bread. As I halfway expected, Randel soon showed up and waited for his loaf.
"What do you usually eat for breakfast?" I asked, trying to figure out how he survived if he didn't even know how to cook bread over a fire.
"Jerky usually." He fished around in a belt pouch and pulled out some dark, thin strips. "Here, have one."
I regarded it dubiously as I took it from him. He didn't notice my hesitation and began chewing on another one. I was normally a fan of jerky, but this resembled a burnt twig and looked just as appetizing. Hoping I wasn't making a huge mistake, I took a tentative bite and had to fight to rip a piece free.
It tasted more like charcoal than meat, and the rock-hard stringy texture was making a burnt twig look better and better every second. After some difficulty, I managed to swallow the piece.
Since he was looking at me expectantly, I said, "It's...different."
"I made it myself," he said proudly.
I took a big drink of water, trying to wash the lingering taste out of my mouth. If that was what he usually ate, my inferior bread would never be safe. I checked the loaves in hopes of something more edible. They seemed to be done, so I pulled them away from the coals to cool.
Like last night, Randel only waited a few minutes before grabbing one and juggling it around. I didn't feel like burning my fingers or tongue and waited semi-patiently.
"We'll be leaving soon," the green dragon called over.
"Just finishing up," Randel replied. "She makes good bread. Better than anything in the castle."
I bit my tongue and ducked into the bushes for a break. By the time I came out, the green dragon and Rakota were already coming this way.
I hesitated, then said, "Are you sure you want me to come? I don't think I'd be of any use against the mages." I silently hoped they'd decide to leave me here. A day away from dragons and mages sounded much better than being near a battle between them.
Rakota lowered his chest to the ground. "Get on. We might need to interrogate the humans working there, and they'll probably talk more freely with you than with Randel. I'll put out the fire."
The idea of refusing to get on crossed my mind, but I'd already been carried in a dragon's hands once and I had no desire to repeat that experience. My leg muscles twinged as I climbed up the harness and settled into the saddle, although I had a feeling that sore legs were going to be the least of my worries by this evening.
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*Rakota's POV*
I stood up even though Katerina was still putting the harness straps on. Turning my attention to the fire that had burned all night, I put my palm over it. The heat was a mere warmth against my scales, and when I lifted my hand, the fire had been smothered and only a few wisps of smoke drifted from the logs.
