Page 66 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“Yes, absolutely!” Lavinia replied. “Don’t worry at all—you deserve a break! Have fun with that hottie!”
Saphira squealed. She was nervous about that, as well. “I can’t believe we’re going to pretend to be a couple,” she said, nibbling on her lower lip.
“Neither can I, but I absolutely love it.” Lavinia giggled. “You’ll be fine, don’t overthink it. Be brave!”
“Ah, okay, I will try!” Saphira took a long sip of her chai to stop herself from crying.
Then, there wasn’t any more time to worry, for Aiden was there, his car pulling up front. Lavinia walked Saphira to the door, where Aiden met them, taking Saphira’s bag.
Saphira hugged Lavinia goodbye.
“You so got this,” Lavinia whispered, squeezing Saphira tight.
Saphira pulled back, waving.
“Bye,” Aiden said to Lavinia, and she gave him a wry smile.
“Have fun,” she sang, waving at Aiden. Saphira gave her a dirty look over her shoulder, then followed Aiden to the car. Sparky was in the back. The baby dragon bounced on the seat when he saw Saphira, and she waved at him.
Aiden put her bag in the back, then sat in the driver’s seat as she settled in. He looked over.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded. “Ready.”
He drove them up to a field, where Emmeline was waiting with her dragon, a great basalta named Torch. Aiden had already explained the plan to her; they would fly up to Mount Echo on Torch because the mountaintop wasn’t accessible by car. Torch was familiar with Aiden, so he could fly the dragon. Even though Aiden didn’t have a dragon of his own,he had assured Saphira he knew how to ride quite well, so she would be in good hands. She hadn’t been worried; she trusted Aiden.
Sparky was excited, though the baby surely had no idea what was happening; he was just pleased to be going on some sort of adventure. And an adventure it would surely be.
When they arrived at the field, Aiden parked the car and Saphira got out. She let Sparky out, and Sparky ran to Torch, the dragons playing together. Emmeline said goodbye to her dragon, touching his forehead with hers.
Then Emmeline greeted Saphira, giving her a hug.
“Have fun,” Emmeline said. “Mount Echo is gorgeous, so be sure to enjoy it.”
“Thank you,” Saphira replied. “I’m just worried about Sparky; it’s such a big moment for him! I want everything to go well.”
“And it will,” Emmeline reassured her. “But be warned: it’s a bit emotional. When my girl had her first flight, I teared up, but remember that every step has its own beauty.”
If Emmeline teared up, that probably meant that Saphira would be sobbing.
“I’ll try and remember that,” Saphira said. She squeezed Emmeline’s hands. “Thanks, Emmy.”
“Of course.” She gave Saphira a wink, then met Aiden by his car, taking the keys from him. She would drive Aiden’s car back down.
Aiden said goodbye to Emmeline, and she said something to him that Saphira couldn’t hear, but it made Aiden straighten his back, as if steeling himself with courage. Maybe he needed a bit of bravery to tackle this big momentwith Sparky. Saphira couldn’t think of what else he might need strength for.
Emmeline drove away, and Aiden joined Saphira with their bags and jackets.
“I’ll just get these settled,” Aiden said, and she nodded, watching as he strapped them onto the saddle on Torch’s back. When that was done, he came over to where she was standing a few feet away from the dragon.
Torch was ready, sitting down, waiting for them to mount.
“Ready?” Aiden asked, looking at her. Besides the dragons, it was just the two of them in the empty field, in the silent morning, and it felt both frighteningly intimate yet also quietly comforting. As if she didn’t need anyone else.
“Ready,” she replied, giving him a smile.
He nodded. “Just a warning in advance, in case it gets crazy when we get there: the ritual might seem a bit intense, but all the dragons have gone through it, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Aiden told her.
