War of the Heart

Kaya

When she was a child, Kaya had loved stories of magical creatures. She'd venture out to the forest at night and keep watch, ensuring she didn't miss one. Back then she'd had her fire powers to keep her safe. Now she didn't, although she wondered how much good they'd be against a live dragon.

The sorceress' name was Yaz and she'd met Hjalmar in the summer, when they'd become close friends. She refused to dive into much detail but had promised to help Kaya. The prospect of having a magic wielder in this conflict was comforting, but Yaz quickly set her straight. She wouldn't get involved in this, but she'd help assemble a team that would.

Kaya grasped the dragon's furry flanks. If she slipped, it would be a fall to the death. Yaz had of course promised that wouldn't happen, but who would say otherwise? Oh, you might fall to a horrible death, but please ride this dragon with me.

'Calm down. Enisa is one of the most considerate dragons I've met. That's why I asked her to join me, she's cautious and loving. Also, her fur is good in colder climates.'

The fur was more like fuzz and it tickled Kaya's hands. Fortunately, it gave her a better grip, stopping her hands from sliding. Without it, she doubted she would have made the full ride without falling off. After all, Kraspos was a large country. Below them were mountains, lakes, prisons with barbed wire and monster infested landscapes. All of those would not have been ideal places to land. She supposed it would have made little difference since her bones would have shattered upon impact anyway.

The landscape grew darker and more urban. Kaya's grip tightened as her body tensed. She only knew one country with an appearance like that. Avi. Soon they had passed it, but that didn't clear her uneasiness. Bad memories lingered there.

The dragon swiftly descended. Kaya had to steady herself by digging her finger into its fur. Was this hurting it? She panicked at the idea of having made a nemesis out of a dragon.

The dragon gently landed and skidded a little. Claw marks scarred the earth. Careful, Kaya slid off its back, toppling onto the russet ground. Yaz laughing at it definitely stung her ego.

'So, uh, who are we going to find in the middle of nowhere?'

'We're going to Avi, but I couldn't land there. A few too many buildings for Enisa.' She rubbed the dragon's fuzz gently. 'Fly home. We might take a while.'

'I am not going to Avi.'

'I don't like the place either, but there are people there who can help,' said Yaz.

Kaya stood firm. 'I know what help from Avi tastes like and I don't want it. They're criminals and thugs.'

'But have you ever considered whether they want to be? They're all victims of circumstance. Some do unfortunately find pleasure in petty theft, but some would leap at the chance to leave.'

'And some would betray you out of the blue just because you're worth more in money.'

Yaz sighed. 'That's because many have no choice. The gangs control them and failure can be worse than fatal. However, because of this, they speak loyalty fluently, so if you have one's friendship...'

Kaya raised an eyebrow. 'You think your friendship with one trumps their loyalty to their gang? I doubt it.'

'He might not be loyal to me anymore, but I trust in his friendship to Hjalmar. Besides, I have a backup plan.' Yaz gave her a knowing smile and began to walk. Kaya hurried after her, insisting she wouldn't join her, but at this point, she had little choice. She knew better than to believe she could face Detruienn alone. Besides, she been wrong about Hjalmar. Maybe not everyone in Avi was that bad, as opposed as she was to trusting anyone from that rat hole of a country.