The Icy Quest

Chapter 25

"We're here!" Pozhar announced a few hours later. "We made it to the first spot on the map where I marked we should stop for the day to camp.

"Finally," Tilepátheia approved with a sigh. "I'm hungry. Where did the leftover biscuits go?"

"Why don't we figure that out after we make camp," Pagoniá suggested. "Unless you would rather eat in the snow."

"Whatever," Tilepátheia complained, jumping off the sled. "After we set up camp, I want to play a game. I brought cards. We should play 'I Doubt It'."

"Wouldn't you have an unfair advantage as a mind-reader since the game is, after all, largely about bluffing," Pagoniá asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course," Tilepátheia agreed with a mischievous smile. "That's why I like to play it."

"You two can play, but I'm not going to," Pozhar decided, shaking his head. "I'm not interested in hearing any more of Tilepátheia's gloating than I absolutely have to."

"As soon as I get a chance to sit down, I'm going to read," Pagoniá responded with a shrug. "I don't really like card games."

"What am I going to do then?" Tilepátheia whined, dropping her shoulders.

"Play solitaire," Pagoniá suggested, waving her hand in the air. "You don't need other people for that." She stepped off the sled with shaky legs that were stiff from too much sitting.

Pagoniá knew that the first order of business was to create a shelter. She glanced around and decided that there was no need to create any ice for her project, as she could just use the snow that was readily available. Lifting her hands, she used her powers to compact a large mound of snow into an igloo-like shape large enough for all of them to lay down in. She then focused her attention on hollowing out the structure and sweeping out all of the excess snow until the floor of the shelter was bare ground.

Once the structure was completed, Pozhar retrieved their bags from the sled and relocated them inside the shelter. They all sat down inside, grateful to be out of the fierce wind for the first time that day. Pozhar immediately put his fire person powers to use, thawing and heating the leftover biscuits that had frozen solid in their bags during the day.

"What's that?" Tilepátheia exclaimed, pointing at a small lizard-like creature that was clinging to the wall of the shelter. It had single raised bumps on both sides of its back that appeared to be increasing in size right before their eyes.

"You're going to have to alter your pranking strategy," Pozhar told Tilepátheia with a shake of his head. "I'm not dumb enough to fall for that again."

"That creature is not a prank! It's real!" Tilepátheia retorted belligerently, throwing her hands in the air. "I have no idea what it is!"

Pagoniá squinted at the creature, looking for the blurriness that was a telltale sign of Tilepátheia's illusions. She found nothing. "Pozhar, I think it might be real," she cautioned with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"I am not an it!" the small creature protested. "I'm Krysavra. You named me, remember?"

"Kryasavra?" Pagoniá asked, her mouth falling open. "You can talk? How did you get here?"

"Wow! That is weird," Tilepátheia declared with a quick shake of her head. "You can hear it talking. I know that from reading your mind. But all my ears hear are growling noises."

"Okay, back up," Pozhar demanded, scrunching up his face. "Where did the baby dragon come from if it isn't an illusion?"

"Wait. Baby dragon?" Pagoniá asked, taken aback.

"Yes, it's a baby dragon. It looks like it is having its first growth spurt. Dragons start out looking basically like lizards, but they go through two major periods of development. During the first one they grow their wings, and during the second one they grow to be the size of a small airplane. They then continue growing much more slowly the rest of their lives," Pozhar explained. "But where did it come from?"

"I found her in the desert," Pagoniá told him. "She looked like a normal lizard then. But I have no idea how she got here. I thought I had lost her long before we ever made it onto the ship."

"I deliberately crawled out of your pocket in the desert and hitched a ride in your bags," Kryasavra interjected in response to Pagoniá's conversation with Pozhar. "I realized you were traveling with a fire person, and I wasn't sure if I could trust him. I remained hidden so I could keep an eye on him, but I have officially decided at this point that he isn't a threat."

"Given that you can hear her talking, you've apparently bonded," Pozhar stated, observing the clear exchange between them even though he didn't understand it. "You're lucky. I always wanted to bond with a dragon, but only the adult fire people get that opportunity."

"Can you translate for me what is being said?" Kryasavra requested, looking directly at Pagoniá. "I can understand everything you say, but I don't understand anything anyone else is saying."

"If you don't understand anyone else, then how can you understand me?" Pagoniá questioned, returning the gaze of the little dragon.

"That's what happens when a human bonds with a dragon," Pozhar interrupted before Kryasavra had a chance to respond. "That bonding results in some kind of unconscious auto-translate thing that allows you to understand each other."

"This is awesome! Dragons are super powerful. With a dragon on our side, we can go back to the desert and destroy the fire people," Tilepátheia declared impulsively.

"The fire people have an army of dragons on their side," Pozhar retorted, rolling his eyes. "Adult dragons."

Pagoniá relayed the basics of the conversation to Kryasavra, who nodded. "I'm not that good at my powers yet," she agreed. "I wouldn't stand a chance against an army of fire dragons."

"Now that we know what we're not going to do, I think it's time to eat," announced Pozhar, changing the subject. "I just finished reheating our leftover biscuits."

Pagoniá grabbed two and slathered peanut butter on them. "What have you been eating to stay alive all this time?" she asked Kryasavra curiously.

"In the desert, I ate whatever insects I could find," she answered. "Same for the ship. Here in Antarctica, I eat these." She snapped at a small black midge with her mouth and quickly swallowed it.

Having satisfied her growling stomach, Pagoniá peeked outside their shelter. "It's getting late," she informed the group. "We should go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be another long day." They rolled out their sleeping bags and lay down. Within minutes, Pagoniá drifted off to sleep.

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Kryasavra is back! And she might eat you if you don't vote and comment!