Page 29 of Dragon Valley
“What did he say?” she demanded, blocking my path but I pushed past her. “Nadiyah!” she barked. “I am a senior Rider! You will answer me when I ask you a question.”
She seemed taken aback by the sadness in my face, my eyes no doubt glittering with tears.
“He’s not a chief anymore,” I whispered. “But he is your father. Take care of him in his final days.”
With that, I climbed onto Dusa and we pushed off. As we ascended, the cool air dried my face and hopefully left no evidence of me crying. I could see Caden’s golden head of hair while it was still a speck on the landscape, growing larger as we smoothly descended.
“How’d it go?” His sky-blue eyes looked up at me with genuine concern as he reached out to feed Dusa a charred rabbit.
Love the sky. Don’t fight it.
I shook my head. It was useless to try attaching any meaning to those words, no matter how badly I wanted to.
“His mind is deteriorating faster than we thought,” I said as I slid down. “He was just spouting nonsense. It was really hard to hear.”
“Shit. I’m sorry, Nadi.”
He wrapped me in a hug that was too perfect, too warm, too comforting. He even smelled too damn good. So naturally I couldn’t help but return his embrace, sliding my hands up his broad, muscular back as I nestled my head into his chest. Why did he feel so much like home when my true home no longer welcomed me?
“Do you want to stay longer?” His lips brushed unmistakably across my forehead. “Until after… Azel comes back?”
“No.” His shirt against my lips muffled my voice. I fought to keep from crying again. “The clan will follow Azaria in the interim until Azel returns. The chief will… be carried home by the Dragon God soon and there will be a festival to celebrate his life. But I don’t need to be here for that.”
“You’re sure?” Caden pulled away to look at me, his hands cupping the sides of my face. “You’re one of his Riders. Isn’t it important that you be here?”
I shook my head. “No one will miss me.” The words came out more bitterly than I intended. “With him gone, the senior Riders will enjoy reducing my duties to cooking and cleaning for the festival even more. Besides,” I bit my lip to stop the tears, “he told me he was proud of me for doing this mission. He seemed lucid when he said I’d change how the world would see Dragon Valley for the better.”
“Sounds like he still has some wisdom in him,” Caden said with a kind smile. “I couldn’t agree with him more.” He rubbed his jaw. “I only hope Azaria is as diplomatic with Captain Aron as the chief was.”
“She won’t go against his wishes,” I promised. “He wanted to foster a relationship with your people and she will honor that. No matter her personal feelings, she knows that’s not her decision to make.”
“That’s good to know.” He lowered his hands from my face to rest on my waist. “I got my clearance from Captain Aron. We’re all set to go whenever you’re ready.”
I stared at my reflection in his sky-blue eyes and slid my hands over his at my waist.
“I was ready the moment I was born.”
* * *
The magical barrier surrounding the valley was barely visible. It glittered like distant rain on the horizon and I held my breath as Dusa flew straight toward it. This would be the first time either of us had ever left home. Nervousness filled me, while from her I sensed nothing but pure, fearless excitement.
Caden squeezed tighter around my waist as we went straight through it. A cold shiver flashed through me like being dunked in an icy lake. And just like that, we left the valley and flew into a completely unknown world.
“How does it feel?” Caden asked, his mouth close to my ear.
“Like I’m blind, even though I can see everything,” I admitted.
“Don’t worry. You’ve got me,” he said with a gentle squeeze. “And Dusa will always find her way back home, no matter what happens.”
I silently thanked the Dragon God for allowing Caden to ride with me. Without him to join me, I would be truly blind. The familiar cliffs, hills, and forests now behind me, the world spread out before me like a blank slate. Greenish-gold plains stretched as far as I could see. When I squinted at the horizon, I thought I could see another mountain range but we were still too far away to tell.
Caden estimated we would reach the first village just before sunset. Our plan was to set up camp for the evening several miles away near the town’s wheat fields. He and I would enter the village on foot, leaving Dusa behind so as to not frighten the villagers.
The flight was long but peaceful. Swells of hot air rising from the ground below carried Dusa along so she wouldn’t have to beat her wings constantly. She thoroughly enjoyed riding on them and cackled with glee, much to my and Caden’s amusement.
Conversation between us was quiet as we flew. We both sat back and enjoyed the ride as much as we reasonably could, considering what we might expect to see. His hold on me grew loose and relaxed to the point where he let go completely, just balancing with his legs.
“Getting the hang of this, are you?” I asked, turning to face him.
