Page 69 of Dragon Valley
“Light ‘em up, Dus!” I cried.
We turned sharply to the right, catching up to those trying to gain cover in the woods at the base of the mountain. One fiery blast annihilated them.
“Don’t fly too low, watch out for archers!” Caden yelled.
Dusa pulled up just as arrows whizzed past us. Some of them bounced uselessly off her hide.
“Are you okay?!” I asked Caden.
“I’m good, not hit. They came from there!” he pointed.
Dusa needed no instructions. She gunned straight for the row of archers toward the rear line, making kindling out of their weapons and charred snacks out of their bodies. Some dragons already feasted on the ground.
The carnage seemed to continue endlessly. It was hardly a battle to us, merely playtime for our dragons. Some Riders looked to have gotten nicked by arrows but no injuries aside from that.
“There’s the rebel army!” Caden pointed at a dark wave heading toward us from the south. It brought me back to seeing them for the first time at our southern border. I was almost ready to let Dusa light them up back then, but now? A smile stretched across my face like I was seeing old friends.
“Drop me off at the front line, Dus.”
She veered toward them obediently. Some rebel soldiers recognized her right away, lifting their swords up and waving in greeting.
“Yes, girl, they all love you,” I chuckled, patting her neck. Then to Caden, “if you don’t come back to me in one piece, my immortal soul is going to be so pissed at yours.”
“Noted,” he chuckled, dropping a kiss to my shoulder.
“I mean it.” I twisted around to look at him. “Don’t even think about dying on me. You won’t just break my heart, you’ll breakme.”
His solemn expression told me he understood, and the passionate kiss he gave me sealed that promise. As he slid off to join his men, I silently prayed to the Dragon God to watch over him.
Dusa and I flew off just as he and Captain Aron clapped each other on the back. Minutes later, the rebel army ran through what remained of the royal soldiers.
The work of the Dragon Riders was mostly done. We picked off those attempting to run away or gang up on our rebel friends. As we circled lazily overhead like vultures waiting to scavenge, I watched the faces of the rebels as they finally took their victory.
They fought for their comrades lost in previous battles, their burned down homes and the families they lost. Their faces showed the despair of having three years of their lives taken away for this war, and how sweet the revenge felt in their killing blows.
Caden and Aron stayed close to each other, slicing through enemies in a violent, beautiful dance. Aron’s masterful swordsman skills were a sight to behold. It was easy to see where Caden had learned from.
An unsettled feeling swept over me as I surveyed the battle from above. Would it really be this easy? This was the army that bested Caden and Aron for the past three years? Something in my gut didn’t feel right.
You must See, my daughter.
What? That voice seemed to come from inside my head. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. My vision seemed to be blurring. When I tried to focus again, I nearly screamed. Dusa wasn’t underneath me.
No, she wasn’t underneath me butIwas flying. And my vision wasincredible. I saw spectrums of light that no human eyes could perceive. The live humans moved fast but my eyes tracked every twitch of movement. And prey, so much prey on the ground. It smelled delicious…
Wait, Dusa? Andme?
The young, golden dragon flew past me, her female Rider’s eyes open but only the whites showing. That could only mean…
I was seeing through the eyes of another dragon!
Yes, my daughter. Use my sight to See.
The voice reverberated in my head but also seemed to echo off the mountainsides and all around me. I wanted to scream and laugh with exhilaration but it seemed I couldn’t control this dragon’s body, only take in physical sensations as if they were my own.
I couldn’t feel a Rider on my back, so that could only mean I was Seeing with Black Malak’s eyes, no doubt the oldest and most powerful dragon in this fleet.
The strength in his wings, the fire burning in his lungs, and the overpowering eyesight and sense of smell! How could I go back to a human body after this? I ruled the sky and every beast flying alongside me.
